If insanity is repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting different results, no word better describes the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Arizona. Colorado and Washington, the first states to do this, have seen increases in teen use of marijuana, traffic fatalities, and emergency room visits (including of toddlers) - all tied to marijuana. In Denver, home of most of the pot shops, more than one in three 11th- and 12th-graders are now regular marijuana users, an increase of 20.5 percent from two years ago, according to the latest Colorado youth survey. [continues 463 words]
Not surprisingly, EJ Montini was noticeably vauge in his recent op-ed ("Blowing marijuana smoke ...," Feb. 10) accusing Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy of using "questionable" information in its arguments against legalizing marijuana. Nothing could be further from the truth. Consider the following: - -- Since Colorado legalized marijuana, teen use has risen dramatically and is now 74 percent higher than the national average. (2015 SAMHSA report/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) - -- Since legalization, Colorado has seen an increase in marijuana-related traffic fatalities, hospitalization and emergency visits, as well as marijuana-related calls to poison control centers. (Rocky Mountain HIDTA) [continues 145 words]
For Arizonans who have spent their lives and careers seeking positive outcomes for our children's health, education and welfare, E.J. Montini's Dec. 17 column, "Marijuana initiative slyly spreads like weed," must have come as quite a shock. In arguing for an initiative to legalize marijuana, Montini's source came from a pro-marijuana lobbyist: broadcasting several errors of fact and logic. The lobbyist stated that those opposed to legalizing marijuana use one tool, "fear." Indeed there is a great deal to fear from making a dangerous drug like marijuana more available, but that fear is actually based on scientific and medical fact. [continues 532 words]
Our Turn: Pot failed in Colorado. Why bring it here? Our Turn: Promises about legalized marijuana have not come to pass in Colorado. Why would Arizona follow suit? As Arizonans prepare for a public debate on legalizing marijuana, we encourage a close look at Colorado - the first state to fully legalize recreational use and sale of marijuana - and Ohio, the most recent state to defeat it. Ohio - a key bellwether state - defeated legalized marijuana this week by a margin of 28 points. What Ohio made clear is that when the facts about today's more potent and dangerous marijuana are aptly communicated and exposed, there are no good reasons left to make it both legal and more widely available - and it loses. [continues 477 words]
Radical public policy reform should not be based on a guess. But lately, the marijuana lobby has been telling Arizonans they should legalize marijuana "just like alcohol," trying to persuade Arizonans to radically reverse decades of policy in everything from health care to criminal justice to education policy. And it's all based on guesswork. Their pitch: legalization will save money and improve education. But Arizonans should not pass a law to find out what's in it. Supposedly, the initiative allows for limited amounts of marijuana for personal use. But what the initiative actually permits is possession of one ounce of marijuana and an additional 12 marijuana plants per household. [continues 482 words]
In his June 18 column ("Did marijuana actually kill 62 kids in Arizona? Or.."), E.J. Montini attempts to excoriate Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk for her Tuesday My Turn, in which she wrote: "In 2013, marijuana use was associated with the tragic and needless deaths of 62 children in Arizona." What is bothering Montini? A direct quote from the Arizona Child Fatality Review Program for the Arizona Department of Health Services says marijuana use is "associated" with the deaths of 62 children in Arizona. Montini tries to negate the role marijuana played or may have played in those deaths. Why? [continues 184 words]
A state ballot initiative legalizing marijuana for recreational use may be on the Arizona ballot next year. A recent ASU Morrison Institute for Public Policy survey found that some 45 percent of respondents support such legalization. To many of us who have studied the issue of marijuana and public health, these findings are nothing short of surprising. Take a look at just five of many recent headlines about scientific studies examining the effects of marijuana on the brain, especially the teen brain: [continues 472 words]
