Pubdate: Thu, 17 Apr 2014
Source: Oklahoman, The (OK)
Copyright: 2014 The Oklahoma Publishing Co.
Contact: http://www.newsok.com/voices/guidelines
Website: http://newsok.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/318

Policy Headed in Different Directions

TREATMENT OF TOBACCO, POT FROM THEATER OF THE ABSURD

WHEN it comes to tobacco and marijuana, public policies appear headed 
in contradictory directions.

For years, candy cigarettes have been criticized as providing 
children a gateway to tobacco smoking. In similar fashion, the 
federal government banned candy and fruit-flavored cigarettes in 2009 
as part of an effort to reduce youth smoking.

Yet in Colorado, the legalization of marijuana has produced a rash of 
candy products infused with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main 
psychoactive ingredient in pot. THC products include everything from 
gummy bears to caramels. In some cases, a single piece of candy is 
the recommended dose, yet packages contain numerous pieces. Once 
opened, those products can easily be mistaken for traditional candies 
that are eaten in far larger quantities. It doesn't take a genius to 
see what comes next. Marshall Allen, writing for ProPublica, recently 
noted that some children in Colorado are being exposed to THC 
products. Dr. Andrew Monte, a medical toxicologist at the University 
of Colorado Medical School and Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center, 
told Allen a poison control call occurs every few days involving a 
child accidentally eating marijuana products. Similar anecdotal 
reports are coming from emergency room doctors. In some cases, those 
children undergo CT scans and spinal taps before the patient's 
problem is identified.

"What kid doesn't want a brownie or a gummy bear?" Monte said.

Cigarette vending machines were once common in the United States, but 
are rare today because of concerns about youth access. Yet in 
Colorado, a company has unveiled the first-ever marijuana vending 
machine. It supposedly has safeguards to prevent youth access, but 
it's hard to believe they will prove effective.

These developments are worth noting because some in Oklahoma wish to 
enact similar pro-marijuana policies here. In the governor's race, 
two candidates are running on pro-marijuana platforms: Oklahoma City 
attorney Chad Moody is challenging incumbent Gov. Mary Fallin in the 
Republican primary, while 34-year-old motorcyclist Joe Sills is 
challenging Fallin as an independent candidate. Moody bills himself 
as "the drug lawyer." Among other things, his website advises 
citizens to "never answer police questions" and "never open your door 
to a stranger, including police."

In the state's open U.S. Senate race, state Sen. Connie Johnson of 
Oklahoma City is seeking the Democratic nomination. She is a longtime 
proponent of marijuana legalization.

At the same time, an initiative petition has been filed with the 
Oklahoma Secretary of State's Office seeking a statewide vote to 
legalize "medical" marijuana. That group has 90 days to gather 
155,216 valid voter signatures to place the measure on the ballot.

In evaluating those candidacies and causes, citizens shouldn't ignore 
the early lessons of Colorado, nor the ripple effects in neighboring 
states. In Oklahoma, law enforcement officials report an increase in 
drug trafficking that originates in Colorado. And the social impacts 
of marijuana legalization have not been limited to children's 
accidental THC exposure.

"The state of Colorado and the state of Washington are seeing 
significant, both social and enforcement, issues," Ricky Adams, chief 
of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, recently told The Oklahoman's 
editorial board. "It's not all money and tax dollars."

Practices that have long been discouraged when associated with 
tobacco are now being nonchalantly embraced in support of marijuana, 
even as the crackdown on tobacco use (and users) continues.

Perhaps history really does repeat itself - as farce.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom