Pubdate: Fri, 16 Nov 2012
Source: Delta Optimist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc
Contact:  http://www.delta-optimist.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1265
Author: Jim Stimson
Note: Jim Stimson is an addictions specialist and president of the 
Little House Society in Tsawwassen.

LEGALIZING MARIJUANA OPENS THE DOOR TO HOST OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS

As part of the U.S. election last week, two states - Washington and 
Colorado - on state-wide ballots voted in favour of the legalization 
of marijuana that would make recreational use of the drug legal 
(although it is only a matter of time before the U.S. federal 
government steps in).

I have to shake my head at such short sighted thinking on the part of 
these two states.

This September a majority of mayors here in B.C. voted to 
"decriminalize marijuana and research the regulation and taxation of 
marijuana." It might be helpful to look at the difference between 
decriminalization and legalization.

Decriminalization means that possession of a small amount of 
marijuana would be removed from the scope of criminal courts, but 
selling it would still be prosecuted. Legalization would involve 
implementing a system that allows the use and sale of drugs to adults 
under a system of regulation, probably similar to the way alcohol is sold.

In order for governments to receive tax revenue, it would need to be 
legalized and in Canada this decision falls to the federal 
government. I would agree that possession of a small amount of 
marijuana should not be a criminal offence, however these days most 
police forces do not enforce the law and prosecute for possession 
unless there is an intention to sell it. I am quite OK with 
decriminalization but not legalization and I'd like to explain why.

I am someone who has worked in the field of alcohol and drug abuse 
for 38 years. I am a recovered addict myself and have been clean and 
sober for 40 years. Five of seven of my immediate family members 
became addicts (four found recovery while my sister died in her 
addiction), and now one of my sons is an active addict. I've had two 
family members die from an overdose and five relatives die in three 
separate car crashes caused by impaired drivers. I have, as you might 
expect, strong feelings on the subject of making marijuana legal.

I have many concerns but the biggest is for our youth. Do we really 
believe that if we make marijuana legal, our young people won't use 
it in even greater numbers than they are already? We just have to 
look at cigarettes and alcohol. It is not difficult for kids to 
obtain either of these, most often getting it from their own home. 
The easier it is to get, the more kids will use it believing it is 
not harmful, and the more they will end up in difficulty with 
substance abuse, and for some addiction.

There is a general feeling in society today that marijuana is a 
relatively benign drug, that it's no different than a glass of wine 
helping people relax. But THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, is 
highly addictive and much more powerful than in the past.

In the 1970s and '80s, potency levels ranged from two to four per 
cent while today it can be 30 per cent or higher. It's a dangerous 
drug that impairs coordination and balance, slows reflexes and 
reaction time, and makes it difficult for the user to complete complex tasks.

Research has shown that in chronic users, marijuana's adverse impact 
on learning and memory can last for days or weeks after the acute 
effects of the drug wear off. As a result, someone who smokes 
marijuana every day may be functioning at a suboptimal intellectual 
level much of the time.

Recent scientific studies have found the adolescent brain is 
particularly vulnerable to today's high-potency marijuana products 
affecting their cognitive abilities and in chronic users can result 
in psychotic disorders. We worry about kids and cigarettes, yet 
marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 per cent more carcinogenic 
hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke.

A recent Colorado (where "medical" marijuana has been legal for some 
time) study found that 74 per cent of teenagers receiving addiction 
treatment used medical marijuana that was recommended for someone 
else. Of course it is going to get into the hands of our young people 
if it is legal.

Did you know medical marijuana dispensaries now sell the drug 
disguised in candies, chocolate bars, ice cream, soft drinks and much more?

It's a big business. How are we going to make sure those candy bars 
don't end up in the hands of children?

I was so pleased to see that our Delta Mayor Lois Jackson took a 
stand in opposition to the majority of her municipal counterparts. 
Jackson is absolutely correct in saying moving towards legalization 
is "wrong-headed and would add more problems than it would solve."

If we were to make it legal, who is going to determine at what age 
people can buy it, at what potency level, and will government control 
all sales or can people grow their own?

Those in favour of legalization claim governments at all levels will 
be able to realize increased revenue through taxation and job 
creation. Have they stopped to consider what it will cost government 
in terms of increased public health costs, diminished productivity, 
and the cost of regulating and overseeing the growing, manufacturing 
and selling of it?

Certainly the revenue governments receive from cigarettes and alcohol 
does not even begin to offset the enormous financial burden both of 
these legal substances place on society.

People who support legalization also claim the current system helps 
organized crime reap big profits. Delta police Chief Jim Cessford has 
it right when he says, "It is a real stretch to believe 
decriminalizing marijuana would have any impact on gang shootings or 
other gang violence."

Organized crime is already involved in the business of growing and 
selling medical marijuana. And who is to say criminals aren't going 
to continue to sell it underground. After all, they can sell it much 
cheaper as they won't be charging all kinds of taxes.

People in Colorado and Washington see legalization as a quick way to 
raise desperately needed tax revenue to help solve a financial 
crisis. I predict it will only cause a crisis of another kind.

By making this dangerous, addictive and potentially lethal drug more 
easily available for our youth we put their lives and others at risk. 
We need to stop and think about the long-term consequences of our 
actions. I, for one, could never support the legalization of marijuana.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom