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CON: FLORIDA MUST LEARN FROM 'COLO.  CALAMITY'

George Santayana once said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." The question for Florida voters is whether Floridians want to be condemned to the historic effects that legalized marijuana has had on the health, education and safety of citizens in Colorado.  No one has yet fairly informed Florida voters of the documented results of the "Colorado Calamity." Do we really want this history repeated in the Sunshine State?

The good news is that it's not too late for Floridians to wake up.  A look at the results of legalized marijuana in Colorado gives clear reasons why legalized marijuana under Amendment 2 is bad for Florida.  Make no mistakes, Amendment 2 is about legalizing marijuana in Florida.  Its biggest backers have made that clear.

Denver's elected prosecutor, Mitchell Morrissey, who has firsthand knowledge of the criminal effects of legalized marijuana, has given us a summary of the problems that the good citizens of Colorado now face with legalized marijuana.  In his Sept.  15 letter ( abridged ) to Florida's state attorneys, he tells Floridians what they will face if marijuana is legalized:

"Recent findings from the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area give us a snapshot of what is happening, and it is concerning.

"We now have nearly 500 medical marijuana dispensaries in Colorado, and 212 retail stores.  Most are in Denver ( 215 medical marijuana dispensaries and 77 retail stores ).  There are also hundreds of cultivation facilities and dozens of infused marijuana product businesses.

"Since 2007, there have been 15 violent deaths related to just medical marijuana in Colorado.  In each of these deaths, the victim was a medical marijuana caregiver, or was killed in the presence of a caregiver ...  Dispensaries and stores are lucrative targets for burglaries and robberies.  The large sums of cash at these sites have led to execution-style murders and shootouts in residential neighborhoods.  There have also been more than 300 burglaries and seven armed robberies in Denver in the last two years.  I do not expect the figures this year to improve.

"From 2011 to 2013, there was a 57 percent increase in emergency room visits related to marijuana, and ER doctors noted they treated more small children for accidental overdoses of marijuana.  Children are also being exposed when mothers use pot during pregnancy or breastfeeding, as an increasing number of women now report they are trying marijuana for morning sickness or other uses while pregnant.  There has also been an increase in calls to our local poison control center involving marijuana and children.

"The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports marijuana use among high school seniors is increasing and may soon become more common than cigarette smoking.  This may be connected to the increase we are seeing in the number of adults who encourage marijuana use among young people and adults who are actually using marijuana with a minor.  There was a 26 percent increase in monthly marijuana use in Colorado among young people, ages 12-17, in the three years after medical marijuana was commercialized ( 2009 ) compared to the three years prior to commercialization.

"There was a 32 percent increase in drug-related suspensions and expulsions in Colorado for academic school years 200809 to 2012-13.  A June 2014 Rocky Mountain HIDTA survey of 100 Colorado school resource officers revealed 89 percent have seen an increase in student marijuana-related incidents since retail marijuana was legalized.

"We have seen a sharp increase in dangerous hash oil explosions.  In the first six months of 2014 there have been 26 confirmed explosions and 27 reported injuries.

"And we have seen an impact on our roads.  One in nine drivers in fatal crashes now test positive for marijuana."

You can prevent the "Colorado Calamity" in Florida.  Protect our children by voting "No" on Amendment 2.