Pubdate: Thu, 03 Nov 2016
Source: Times Record (Brunswick, ME)
Copyright: 2016 Times Record Inc.
Contact:  http://www.timesrecord.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/705
Author: James Peavey

QUESTION 1 IS FLAWED AND DANGEROUS

You may have heard about the biggest mistake in Question 1, which is
the removal of the prohibition of marijuana possession by minors. A
very big mistake, but there are many more flaws. While the prohibition
ban for minors could be corrected by the Legislature, we've seen how
well that's been working lately. There are a number of issues that are
not getting much publicity:

* Any respected law enforcement official will say the pursuit of
offenders for the civil offense of possession is not keeping one
officer from investigating homicides or looking for abducted children.

* A general rule of thumb for alcohol is that for every tax dollar
taken in on sales, ten dollars are spent dealing with the effects of
drunk driving, alcoholism, and other serious health problems resulting
from use and abuse. A similar result could be expected for marijuana.

* The picture is not rosy in Colorado. Drug-related school expulsions,
mostly involving marijuana, increased 40 percent between 2008- 14.
There was an 87 percent increase in drivers involved in fatal crashes
testing positive for marijuana from 20-2015.

* The bill puts licensing authority under Maine's Department of
Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry. Do we want our agronomists
and foresters to be trying to regulate a new, gold rush-style
industry? Law enforcement and the courts are not prepared to help get
marijuana-impaired drivers off the road. There is no legal standard
for marijuana impairment. There is a serious shortage of officers
trained as Drug Recognition Experts. This truly is a life and death
issue.

* Marijuana is a gateway drug. One addiction professional stated that
in over 10 years of treating addiction for opioids and other deadly
drugs, single patient started with alcohol and marijuana.

Question 1 is a seriously flawed and dangerous proposition for Maine.
This bill should be scrapped and one written to present the question
on recreational marijuana in a professional, comprehensive, and
legally sound manner.

James Peavey,

Georgetown
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MAP posted-by: Matt