Pubdate: Sun, 16 Jun 2013 Source: Pueblo Chieftain (CO) Copyright: 2013 The Pueblo Chieftain Contact: http://www.chieftain.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1613 Author: Erica Joye Note: Erica Joye of Denver is a child, family and school psychologist. Marijuana Laws LET'S WORK WITH NEW LAWS OK'D BY VOTERS Gov. John Hickenlooper recently signed into law a number of bills creating a comprehensive regulatory framework for adult marijuana sales in Colorado. As a psychologist and mother, I applaud the governor for moving us closer to a well-regulated system that gets marijuana off the streets and away from our youth. These laws signal the next step in Colorado's endeavor to control and tax marijuana and include a number of forward-thinking provisions designed to remove marijuana from the criminal market and take it out of the hands of unscrupulous drug dealers. To this end, these new laws require strict product labeling, childproof packaging, background checks on owners and employees, and taxes and fees sufficient to fund regulatory oversight. The state also recently passed a tough new law to prevent those impaired by this substance from driving on our roads. In the medical context, Colorado has already demonstrated success with regulating marijuana businesses that provide this substance to authorized users in a taxed and controlled environment. According to a recent federal study, marijuana use by Colorado high school students has dropped since the implementation of state medical marijuana regulations in 2009, while the national rate of usage increased. >From a public health perspective, it is crucial to keep in mind that the toxicity of marijuana is so low it would take "thousands of times" the average dose to cause death. As a matter of context, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that on average more than 80,000 people a year die from excessive alcohol use, with about 1,400 of those deaths occurring in Colorado alone. While marijuana is not harmless, adults who choose to use it face far less harm than users of alcohol, as no one in recorded history has died from a marijuana overdose. We need rational policies that reflect these facts. As state and local lawmakers strive to establish rules for this new industry, it's important to recall what we left behind. The policy of marijuana prohibition placed this market in the hands of criminals who never asked for proof of age and sometimes offered other, more dangerous drugs to consumers. Our new laws force buyers into a taxed and regulated market where adults are required to present identification at the time of purchase. This increases the safety, health and well-being of our communities, while limiting teen access and securing revenue that would otherwise fund drug cartels. Let's work within the state's framework to address teen access and fully fund regulators for this voter-approved industry. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt