Letter to the Editor: Passage of marijuana bill could help eradicate opioid crisis

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As reported in the Delaware State News: “Gov. John Carney opposes the (marijuana-legalization) bill but has not said what he would do if it reaches his desk, and many political observers and insiders have speculated he would not veto it” (“Lawmakers eye busy final month,” June 6).

Those that do not have access to medical-grade cannabis will turn to stronger and deadlier highs. If Gov. Carney believes that smoking cannabis is bad, my first question is, what is your drug of choice? If the answer is nothing, then your drug of choice must be the neglect of your constituents and the power that you hold over them.

How can we create a Delaware that has eradicated the opioid crisis when we can’t accept that Delaware isn’t just a haven for beachgoers and credit card companies and those who give handshakes in between? If we want to eradicate Delaware of the opioid crisis, we must put money directly from the recreational cannabis industry into trying any new form of recovery for drug users and abusers.

But it isn’t just that. This is a class issue. As I have seen in the last four years, the opioid epidemic has not only changed Dover — it ravaged it. It wasn’t so long ago when we would stay out on the highways and byways of Dover, asking for change to make $300 in a day. If you want people to hold down a job, you must give them the tools necessary to go to work. If the politicians of Delaware are not interested in generating millions of dollars to go back into creating a better Delaware through legalization, then the question becomes: What do you want?

But we’re not talking about the bill. The point is that it needs to be passed, so we can save lives in Delaware. When asked, Gov. Carney maintained the same trouble all moderate Democrats face: How can I maintain my power without upsetting my voter base? And that’s why Gov. Carney isn’t interested in alternative methods to solving the opioid crisis.

Preventive care isn’t enough. If we’re going to argue over recreational cannabis, we should be able to say as Delawareans: We will see you at the polls, and if you aren’t going to serve your citizens, we will serve you.

Jordan McClements

Felton

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