The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has good news and bad
news. The bad news: based on data from the National Center for Health
Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the death rate
from overdoses of prescription drugs as well as many illicit narcotics
continues to rise at an alarming rate.
The good news: the number of
deaths from marijuana has remained steady. Annual figures due to
prescription and illicit drugs have nearly tripled since 2001, from just
under 10,000 to over 27,000. On the other hand, the number of
fatalities directly attributed to marijuana overdose remains at – zero.
Zilch. Nada. Bupkes.
The marijuana death rate has not changed since four states and the
District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana, nor in the
twenty-two states in which doctors are allowed to prescribe cannabis for
numerous ailments.
Lobbyists and advocates who want to see stiffer marijuana laws and
penalties are fighting a losing battle. States where recreational
marijuana has been made legal have seen crime rates fall and are
enjoying a lucrative new source of tax revenue.
Many law enforcement
agencies in those states are relieved that they have one less criminal
issue to deal with. And so far, except for a few cases of driving under
the influence of pot (which carries even stiffer penalties than cases
involving alcohol in some places), there has been virtually no harm
done.
Like the Volstead Act, the eighty-year prohibition against marijuana
as been a dismal failure. Lawmakers and law enforcers at all levels have
finally realized the truth of it. Even a few pharmaceutical firms,
seeing the proverbial handwriting on wall, are engaged in the research
and development of cannabis-based medications.
The facts are now clear
to see: marijuana, used responsibly by adults, does virtually no harm,
and has numerous benefits (not the least of which depriving drug lords
of a major source of income).
Let the opponents rant and rave about “Reefer Madness” all they like. They may as well be trying to hold back the ocean tide.
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