Look at the facts beyond the bad science

Régine Biscoe Lee

In a world where information is at our fingertips, unbiased and scientifically rigorous knowledge is harder and harder to find.

A generation ago, everyone was entitled to his or her own opinions but no one was entitled to their own facts.

Now, every opinion has a scientific study; every nightmare scenario can be preceded by "a new study shows."

In 2017, after months of public pressure, the Drug Enforcement Administration removed factually inaccurate information from its website.

One publication, "Dangers and Consequences of Marijuana," contained 23 of the 25 factual inaccuracies in violation of the Information Quality Act. Such inaccuracies included claims that cannabis was a gateway drug, caused irreversible cognitive decline in adults, and contributed to psychosis and lung cancer.

If this same bad science isn't good enough for the U.S. Department of Justice or the DEA, it shouldn't be good enough for us.

We all want our children to grow safely, successfully and strong, wherever life may take them.

A simple fact
But amid all the bad science – all the fear that this debate can spread – one simple fact remains true:
Ten states and Washington, D.C., have legalized the adult use of cannabis since 2012, and not a single one has repealed their laws and gone back to prohibition – not one.

So why aren't there a pack of politicians racing to repeal these laws in each of these states? If adult-use cannabis makes us unsafe, why isn't there a massive movement for change?

Drug dealers won't card you to make sure you're 21. Drug dealers don't have to tell you how the cannabis was grown, what was added to it or how strong it is. Drug dealers don't have to be licensed; their places of business are never disclosed to the public or subject to inspection.

The truth is, pretending you don't have a problem doesn't make it disappear.

We can be a safer, more responsible community – but we can't do that from a place of fear.

Régine Biscoe Lee is a senator in the 35th Guam Legislature and chairwoman of the Committee on Federal and Foreign Affairs, Telecommunications, Technology and Labor.