COMMENTARY: Myth vs. fact regarding recreational marijuana

The Delaware General Assembly should not vote to violate federal law, risk the health and safety of children and teens, put our education system at risk, cause significant employment problems, strain our social services systems, and endanger all who use Delaware’s roads by legalizing and commercializing the recreational use of marijuana as proposed by House Bill 110.

We understand that there is a significant amount of misinformation and wishful thinking surrounding the discussion of this issue. In order to have a more productive conversation about the legalization and commercialization of recreational marijuana, it is important for us to separate the myths from the facts:

Myth No. 1:

Delaware needs to legalize and commercialize the recreational use of marijuana for people who wish to use marijuana for medical purposes.

FACT:

Delaware passed legislation allowing medical marijuana use in 2011.

Myth No. 2:

If Delaware legalized and commercialized the recreational use of marijuana, then, our prisons would not be overcrowded.

FACT:

No one is in prison for smoking a joint. Delaware decriminalized the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana in 2013, and according to police, even before that time, the only people who faced jail time for possession either had the drug near a school or were also in possession of an illegal weapon. Even prior to decriminalization in 2015, an analysis of 2013 possession-of-marijuana cases by the Delaware Statistical Analysis Center found that no defendants were sentenced to incarceration for possession of marijuana alone. Same for 2014, the last year for which statistics are available.

Myth No. 3:

If Delaware legalized and commercialized the recreational use of marijuana, then, the state would make a lot of money.

FACT:

Nearly all revenue brought in from marijuana sales in Colorado goes towards the bureaucratic infrastructure needed to oversee the program and to increased law enforcement to address increased dangers on the roads. What money is left over does not cover costs associated with increased roadway deaths, increased emergency room visits for people who ingest marijuana candy, and increased workplace accidents and absenteeism. A recent working paper about another Eastern state, Rhode Island, demonstrated that even this limited subset of costs outweighed projected revenues – just like with alcohol or tobacco, which are big money-losers.

Myth No. 4:

Legalizing and commercializing the recreational use of marijuana will not lead to more drivers using marijuana

FACT:

Following the legalization and commercialization of recreational marijuana in Washington state, 44 percent of drivers in a roadside survey said they had taken marijuana within two hours of driving in the previous year.

Myth No. 5:

Drivers who use marijuana are safer behind the wheel than those who drink alcohol.

FACT:

Marijuana impairs psychomotor skills and cognitive functions, including reaction time, distance perception, lane tracking, motor coordination, and attention span – all of which are needed for safe driving. Marijuana use at least doubles crash risk.

Myth No. 6:

If we legalize and commercialize the recreational use of marijuana, then, illegal-drug dealers will be put out of business

FACT:

Officials in states that have legalized recreational use report the black market for marijuana either remains the same or grows because of those who do not want to pay taxes or abide by other limits imposed by regulators. A recent report by the Oregon State Police indicated that 70 percent of all marijuana market activity there is illegal – that is, black market!

Myth No. 7:

There is no connection between the tobacco industry and the marijuana legalization movement.

FACT:

We live in a nation that has largely closed the door on tobacco, a drug that does not impair driving. Meanwhile, we have opened the door to marijuana with open arms. Marijuana today equates to what cigarettes were in the 1950s. Nobody overdosed on cigarettes, but we soon learned how harmful they were. In the U.S., 160,600 people die from smoking-related cardiovascular and metabolic disease each year. Already in Colorado, Washington and elsewhere, massive special interest groups and lobbies – “Big Pot” – have emerged to protect the marijuana industry, using the same tactics as “Big Tobacco.”

Myth No. 8:

Recreational marijuana stays at home and doesn’t affect workplaces.

FACT:

The number of workers testing positive in Colorado rose 11 percent; in Washington – 9 percent. The rates of increase in these states, the first to legalize pot, were more than double the increase nationwide in 2016.

As representatives of organizations concerned with health, medical, safety, economic development, addiction, recovery, mental health, and law enforcement communities, we ask the members of the 149th General Assembly to review the facts and oppose House Bill 110.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Keep Delaware Safe and Healthy Coalition is made up of: AAA Mid-Atlantic, atTAcK addiction, Delaware Police Chiefs’ Council Inc., Delaware Healthcare Association, Medical Society of Delaware, Sunday Breakfast Mission, Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, Delaware School Nurse Association, Delaware State Troopers Association, Smart Approaches to Marijuana, Thresholds Inc., Ability Network of Delaware, Delaware Council on Gambling Problems Inc., Robert Walter, MD, FAAP (pediatrician), Siobhan Irwin, MD, FAAP, FASAM (pediatrician), and Rita M. Landgraf, atTAcK addiction Advisory Board Member and former Secretary of Delaware DHSS.