Last week, Delaware lawmakers introduced a bill to commercialize recreational marijuana for adults, arguing that the state should take this route following New Jersey’s expansion of the marijuana industry. However, legalization has not yet passed in Wyoming and, just this week, failed to pass closer to home in Maryland. Gov. John Carney should take it from me, a lifelong resident of Colorado, and hold tight to his opposition to legalization.
Research published in The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research (2017) shows that marijuana use, especially heavy use, is linked with greater risks of serious mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, psychosis and suicidal thoughts. We know this from years of available research on marijuana featuring THC levels between 3%-5%, nothing compared to the pot we have in Colorado. In any of the thousands of pot shops in Colorado, one can easily find marijuana “flower” with up to 30% THC and all sorts of candies, oils, concentrates and vape pens with up to 99% THC.
While legalization supporters say the marijuana market can be regulated to keep pot out of the hands of kids, think again. Since 2017, marijuana vaping among Colorado high schoolers has increased 70%, while the use of marijuana “dabs” has risen 49%. More concerning is the fact that among high school students who have used marijuana in the last 30 days, the use of these dabs and shatters rose an astounding 156%. In all, past-month marijuana use among youth 15 and younger in Colorado has increased 14.8% over the last few years.
National surveys have also shown that young people have more favorable views of marijuana use and think using it is safe, a direct result of the message that legalization sends to our kids.
And don’t think for a second that it will be easy to control this industry. With more studies being published showing that high concentrations of THC are linked to severe mental illness, efforts have been led to limit THC potency in pot products — only to be shot down by the pot lobby. In Colorado, Big Pot has become an influential political mover and shaker, spending millions to roll back regulations and fill the legislature with pro-pot politicians.
Marijuana legalization has also made Colorado less safe. A 2017 analysis found that the number of people dying at the hands of marijuana-impaired drivers in Colorado more than doubled since the implementation of commercialization, and in just the last year, marijuana-related DUIs across Colorado were up 48%. A study by AAA found similar increases in Washington state.
On the horizon, corporations are lining up behind legalization efforts and laying the groundwork for the “Walmartization” of the pot industry. Big Tobacco giant Altria has invested billions into marijuana companies and has begun lobbying in support of commercialization in Virginia.
Gov. Carney and Delaware lawmakers should follow the example of Maryland when it comes to marijuana legalization and let New Jersey suffer the fallout from it before continuing this failed experiment.
Luke Niforatos is executive vice president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a resident of Denver.
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