THE ISSUE: Colorado has released a report on the impacts of the legalization of marijuana there.
WE BELIEVE:
The study contradicts a number of myths about pot’s impacts in the
Centennial State. It should ease the way in Wyoming for
decriminalization and medical marijuana.
Opponents
of decriminalization of marijuana and of medical marijuana in the
Cowboy State got some bad news this week from Colorado.
For
the past few years – ever since Wyoming’s neighbor to the south
legalized pot – those who do not want to see laws against marijuana
changed have woven tales of widespread use and abuse in Colorado. They
tell of rising traffic accidents and deaths, of teens doped up, of
rampant DUI arrests.
Perhaps
the most egregious effort in this regard has come from the Wyoming
Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police. That group has spread all
sorts of disinformation in an effort to block the petition aimed at
permitting the use of medical marijuana under a doctor’s supervision.
Before
we go any further, we do want to remind readers that the WTE does not
favor the legalization of marijuana. We do not believe that is a good
fit for most of the residents of the state.
On
the other hand, it makes no sense that those possessing small amounts
of marijuana should face the threat of large fines and/or jail time,
even if those rarely are imposed by state courts. And we find it
improper for the state to intercede in doctors’ relationships with their
patients should they choose to prescribe medical marijuana.
Thus, the results of the report this week from Colorado might calm the anti-marijuana rhetoric. Among other things, its shows:
- Colorado’s young people are not smoking more pot since its legalization in 2012. Indeed, the state is seeing “no significant change” in use by young people who are high school age or younger.
- The number of driving under the influence arrests for marijuana or marijuana-in-combination (with other drugs or alcohol) accounted for just 3 percent of all DUI citations in 2015. That percentage has increased from 2.5 percent in 2014.
- Marijuana remains a small player in traffic fatalities. Pot alone caused just 7 percent of fatals in 2014. Even when combined with other drugs and alcohol, it was part of just 15 percent of fatals. That total was 12 percent in 2013. That’s hardly a boom, considering that the impact of alcohol alone grew from 16 percent to 22 percent.
It
also is important to note that the portion of marijuana arrests has
declined in Colorado from 6 percent to just 3 percent. Thus, decreased
emphasis on pot has freed up law enforcement assets for use on more
dangerous drugs and other crimes.
No
doubt, there are troubling trends in the Colorado report, such as a
leap in hospital admissions related to pot. But those would not be
applicable if Wyoming only is talking about decriminalization and
strictly supervised medical marijuana.
One
of the mantras used by Wyoming opponents against any action on
marijuana has been that they wanted to wait to see how things have
progressed in Colorado. Well, they now have their answer, and none of
the concerns used to block decriminalization and medical marijuana have
materialized.
One of the topics
before the Legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee during this interim
period is a review of the state’s marijuana laws. We urge the panel to
approach its work based not on emotions, but on facts. Given the
Colorado report, it is going to be harder for lawmakers to oppose
decriminalization of marijuana and medicinal use.
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