Get educated about legalization of marijuana

Kathy Sandberg

There’s a lot of talk these days about marijuana. Despite the fact that marijuana is illegal under federal law, twenty states and Washington, D.C., have legalized medical marijuana; Colorado and Washington recently legalized recreational marijuana. There are efforts in other states for some kind of legalization. In Minnesota, medical marijuana is up for discussion in the legislature in the 2013-14 session. This discussion has important considerations for all of us. 

 

Getting up to speed on marijuana policy is essential to understanding the issues and communicating with our legislators.

Because scientific research tells us that 1 in 6 adolescents who use marijuana will become addicted to it, youth use of marijuana is an important consideration. According to the most recent Minnesota Student Survey, 93 percent of 8th grade students reported they had never used marijuana. Among 9th graders, the rate drops to 86 percent and drops further to 74 percent among 11th graders.

In Faribault, the rates for never using marijuana are 92.6 percent (8th grade), 87.3 percent (9th grade), and 82.4 percent (11th grade). What if marijuana becomes legal in Minnesota; what will happen to the rates in our community? Of course, we can’t know that unless it happens. But, what we can do is observe what happened in other places.

In Colorado, for example, 29 percent of Denver high school students said they had used marijuana in the last month. Teen use of marijuana in Colorado is 50 percent above the national use rate.
Seventy-four percent of Denver area teens in treatment reported they used someone else’s medical marijuana an average of 50 times.

Another factor is the idea of marijuana as medicine. Most have seen the heart-wrenching stories of children suffering from extreme seizure disorders who are reportedly helped by marijuana. Or we’ve heard about patients suffering with serious illnesses such as cancer or HIV/AIDS. These stories often suggest that legalizing marijuana is the only way people can get the medical benefits.

It is true; marijuana does have medical properties. Do we really want to have seriously ill people getting their “medicine” with no attached safety standards from sellers who have no medical training? Did you know that the average “medical marijuana patient” is a 32-year old white male with a history of alcohol and drug abuse and no life-threatening illness? Research is underway on legitimate drugs derived from marijuana; why risk the safety of those who already suffer from diseases on un-tested “medicines”?

Now, think about marijuana as big business, like alcohol and tobacco. Never mind the discussion about which is more dangerous; that’s like asking if it is more dangerous to be in a car crash without a seat belt in the front seat or the back seat.

Think instead about how both alcohol and tobacco industries have targeted youth in their marketing. Think about fruit flavored cigarillos or chewing tobacco. Think about alcopops or the variety of sweet, fruity alcohol beverages. Did you know that there are already similar kinds of products containing marijuana? How about this line up: Pot Tarts, Doc Wired soda, Green Hornet gummies (70 mg of THC) and Ring Pots? Think I am kidding? Just check it out on the internet.

So, there is growing support for legalizing marijuana. Make sure you understand the implications by going to reliable, scientific sources for your information. Be sure you get educated by more than the pro-marijuana hype or the next U.S. big business.

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