Pubdate: Sun, 23 Feb 2014
Source: Gwinnett Daily Post, The (GA)
Copyright: 2014 Post-Citizen Media Inc.
Contact:  http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2480
Note: Letters can run as long as 400 words.
Authors: Ellen Gerstein and Ari Russell
Note: Ellen Gerstein is Executive Director of the Gwinnett Coalition for
Health and Human Serives. Ari Russell is Executive Director of GUIDE
(Gwinnett United In Drug Education).

LET'S NOT JUMP THE GUN WITH MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION

It's all we hear: Let's legalize marijuana. What harm can it do? 
Marijuana legalization proponents are tugging on our heartstrings by 
highlighting how critical medical marijuana is for certain 
individuals. This seems like a new argument, but it's not.

Since the 1970s, National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana 
Laws (NORML) has been supporting medical marijuana laws as the best 
strategy to achieve overall legalization of the drug. Their ploy has 
worked. Public support for legalization has increased. But there is 
more to the story than this. Don't be fooled by social media posts 
that discard concerns about the drug. These very vocal proponents of 
legalization are sharing their opinions, not facts.

To say that marijuana is no worse than alcohol is like saying that 
being murdered by a gun is no worse than being murdered by a knife. 
Alcohol is addictive; so is marijuana. Driving while intoxicated is 
dangerous; so is driving stoned. The earlier you start drinking, the 
more likely you will become dependent; ditto for marijuana.

Today's pot is stronger than ever, increasing problems associated 
with it. Pot negatively affects perceptions, coordination, 
motivation, memory and learning. Teens who smoke marijuana regularly 
may actually experience a permanent reduction in IQ. Marijuana use by 
high school seniors has doubled since the drive to legalize medical 
marijuana began in earnest because their perception of harm has changed.

Since Colorado first legalized medical marijuana, it has been among 
the top seven states for marijuana use, especially in the 12-25 age 
groups. During the first four years, fatal marijuana-related car 
crashes doubled while overall fatal crashes went down. Last year, 
they legalized pot for recreational use. In only a few months, 27 
percent of impaired drivers tested positive for marijuana, a seven 
point jump. Marijuana-related suspensions/expulsions from school have 
almost doubled statewide. Colorado bureaucrats supported legalization 
thinking the tax revenue would be beneficial. However, there is still 
a huge black market trade of marijuana because it's cheaper than 
store-bought pot. As with alcohol and tobacco, they soon realize that 
taxes are not going to offset the cost of problems associated with 
increased use like health problems, addiction treatment, school and 
college dropout, traffic injuries and deaths and more.

Cannabidiol, the part of marijuana used in medicine, isn't smoked and 
doesn't get you high. It has been available in pill and oil form for 
years. It would be more prudent to make these available by 
prescription to patients who really need them rather than legalizing 
marijuana and allowing dispensaries in Georgia. In states that allow 
dispensaries, more than one-third of 12th-graders reported getting 
their pot from someone else's medical marijuana recommendation.

If this happens in Georgia, we will certainly see the same increases 
in teen use, addiction, traffic fatalities and related problems as 
they have seen in Colorado and other medical marijuana states. Do you 
really want to make marijuana more available to youth, contend with 
drivers impaired by the drug, and see your employees' work 
performance negatively affected?
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom