Between Reefer Madness and Up in Smoke… is there reasonable?
I spent the day at Hazelden’s Marijuana’s Impact on Our Community getting some great continuing education. As a therapist, as a political progressive, as a product of the times and as the mother of teens I wanted to make sure I had the full story about what’s up with the impact of legalization of recreational pot these days. I honestly thought I would be rolling my eyes at anti-marijuana propaganda. Instead my head is reeling with more questions than answers.
Don’t shoot the messenger. This is what I learned… parent to parent. Just a few things to think about as we tackle this big messy issue.
The legalization of recreational marijuana is a billion dollar industry motivated primarily by profit using the same tactics that the tobacco industry used to create new markets of addicts. Much of what we think we know is coming from lobbyists. Ok… I got this from lobbyists…but the poor kind. SAM- Smart Approaches to Marijuana
The medical world admits that they don’t know as much as they wish they did about pot, especially the genetically modified high potency marijuana available today.
There is enough research to say that it is risky for brains. It impacts focus and motivation and intelligence and memory and response times. It increases the risk for serious mental health issues and addiction especially when used by teens.
We know it is bad for drivers. We can expect increased traffic accidents and traffic deaths as we increase usage. Colorado has seen increases in ER and poison control usage, especially kids.
The money brought in by sales tax is offset by the costs to our community in public safety, medical and treatment costs.
Every state that has legalized it has legalized it for 21 year olds. Canada is legalizing across the country this year for everyone over 18. We know that legalizing for adults increases access for kids.
Legalization is not a solution to racial bias or to the terrible prison problem in our country. The legalization of marijuana in Colorado led to a 58% increase in arrests of black youth and a decrease in white teen arrests. There was a 3 time increase in marijuana arrests (public useage) in DC after legalization. A biased legal system is going to continue to find ways to put black men in jail until we get to the source of the problem.
Disenfranchised communities are always targeted in promoting addictive industries. In Colorado 70% of the communities banned pot shops. In Colorado there are over 1,000 pot shops, more than McDonalds and Starbucks combined. These are highly concentrated in neighborhoods of color…just as liquor stores and convenience stores that sell cigarettes have been.
Decriminalization is a totally different topic and not one anyone is going to make money off of.
Pot isn’t risk free. We have to stop pretending that it is. If we are going to legalize, we have to acknowledge that legal, profit driven things (like alcohol and tobacco and gambling) can destroy lives.
10% of the population is responsible for 75% of alcohol consumption and average 10 drinks a day. This is the profit margin for liquor stores/ companies. How will this look for marijuana users? Ignore the people who use casually…what about those that are using destructively? They impact us the most as a community, as families.
Kids already calculate risks poorly. They are listening as we talk about “what’s the big deal about pot?” We need to make sure they are being cautioned appropriately. They’ve also been convinced that e-cigs are nothing. We as a community don’t manage alcohol or other addictions very well so let’s keep talking to our kids about what they put into their bodies. Remember connection is the best way to decrease our kids risk of addiction. Stay close. Talk to them. Keep asking tough questions for your family and for our community.
Let’s keep talking.
Maureen