Pubdate: Thu, 18 Jun 2015
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Copyright: 2015 Globe Newspaper Company
Contact: http://services.bostonglobe.com/news/opeds/letter.aspx?id=6340
Website: http://bostonglobe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52
Author: Meredith Warren

MASS. OPIOID BATTLE IS LOST WHEN MARIJUANA IS LEGALIZED

Last year, more than 1,000 Massachusetts residents died from opioid 
overdoses. Judging by the constant stream of new obituaries - many 
for heartbreakingly young people with their entire lives ahead of 
them - there's little reason to believe 2015 will be any different.

As Massachusetts mobilizes task forces, community meetings, and 
additional resources for first responders to combat these drugs, it 
defies imagination that some state lawmakers are at the same time 
considering legalizing an addictive drug for recreational use.

More than a dozen legislators are pushing a bill to legalize 
marijuana for people over the age of 21. At the same time, Senate 
President Stanley Rosenberg is floating the idea of a nonbinding 
marijuana legalization ballot question for voters to consider in 2016.

Rosenberg says he wants to ensure we aren't stuck with a poorly 
constructed citizens petition to legalize marijuana. To be fair, he 
hasn't taken a firm position for or against legalization. But when 
asked recently how he feels about legalized marijuana, Rosenberg 
said, "I think people should be allowed to do what they're going to 
do unless they are going to hurt somebody else."

With messages like this coming from Beacon Hill, good luck to parents 
trying to keep their kids from becoming the next drug use statistic. 
Parents can't deliver a clear message to teens about drug abuse 
through the haze of legalized marijuana.

The inclination of lawmakers to water down state drug policy is 
troubling, not to mention out of character. After all, they serve in 
a legislature that became famous for pondering whether to ban Fluff 
in public schools to protect public health.

When it comes to fighting drugs on our streets, we should not be 
retreating. The adage "Just say no" to drugs works a lot better as a 
declarative statement with no asterisk attached. Massachusetts is 
either serious about dealing with substance abuse or it's not.

It's become popular to ask politicians running for office if they 
ever "inhaled." Their seemingly more frequent admissions of guilt are 
seen as cool and edgy, or even humorous, rather than something to be 
embarrassed about. But drug use is no joke. It's impossible for 
politicians to say with a straight face that they're doing everything 
they can to curb drug abuse if they make marijuana readily available. 
If state lawmakers don't take drug use seriously, why would we expect 
young people to?

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is one Massachusetts leader who is taking it 
seriously.

Walsh, who is open and forthcoming about being a recovering 
alcoholic, believes marijuana is a gateway drug and has publicly said 
he'll lead the charge on opposing legalization.

Walsh's concern is backed up by a report released by Colorado's 
Department of Public Health and Environment two years after that 
state legalized recreational marijuana. "We found substantial 
evidence for associations between adolescent and young adult 
marijuana use and future addiction to illicit drugs in adulthood," 
the report reads.

There's a new trend starting to unfold on the obituary pages: Parents 
of young people who die from opioid overdoses have taken to writing 
the story of their child's life as a warning to others that addiction 
can kill. They want others to learn a lesson from their heartbreak.

Lawmakers who think legalizing marijuana is a good idea should take heed.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom