3 Questions About Legalizing Pot
Photo by Itay Kabalo on Unsplash
This fall, my home state of North Dakota will join the ranks of those who put pot on the ballot, voting on a measure that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Having recently legalized that drug for "medicinal use," the state could now leapfrog to the next level before the medicinal legislation has been fully implemented.
It's surprising to see support for the measure coming from unexpected corners of the populous, ranging from religious people who hope that legalization will reduce criminality, to businesspeople eager to capitalize on the new market frontier. And of course, there are those who believe that Mary Jane is the long-awaited wonder drug that will cure everything from ADHD to Alzheimers, now standing arm-in-arm with those who just want to roll up a fatty and get stoned without looking over their shoulders. Together, these strange bedfellows are resurrecting the aspirations the 1960's drug culture as they encourage voters to "give weed a chance."
Most puzzling about the "legalize it" rally cry is the confidence with which advocates make their claims. Despite the carnage that drugs (both legal and illegal) have wrought on our culture, they're quite certain that this will indeed be a good thing for us all.
To counter-balance this premature enthusiasm, I propose three questions that voters should carefully consider before giving the collective peace sign to pot. Failure to think and pray through such basic concerns will likely result in poorly-written laws and unanticipated consequences.
Before we, the voters, inhale this measure, I ask the following:
1) Why has legalization failed to eliminate the black market?
In Colorado, there has been an alarming expansion of the marijuana black market, as foreign cartels and local drug merchants alike use the state as a production safehaven. Their customer-base is comprised of neighboring states where weed is not yet legal, along with Colorado residents who want to save money or don't qualify to buy at dispensaries. Optimists had hoped that legalization would prevent the dangerous and criminal realities of the illegal drug trade, but in practice these have been amplified. Legalization has given drug lords a case of the munchies, a foothold to expand their vicious craft.
Can states considering legalization honestly hope to eliminate rather than expand the illegal drug trade, or must they accept it as inevitable?
2) Will our kids and our roadways be less safe?
No one can reasonably expect the rate of intoxication to decrease if marijuana is more readily available and legal. In states like Colorado, the incidence of young people using marijuana has sharply increased, despite the fact that it remains illegal for minors. A recent Reuters article cited the significant rise in Marijuana-related emergency room visits among teens in Colorado compared to states in which the drug remains illegal, adding that pot may be contributing to depression, mood-disorders, alcohol abuse and other psychological and physical problems among youth. When considering legalization, we must ask if any of the perceived benefits are going to be worth it if we must accept a more intoxicated, less psychologically sound population? And if we're comfortable with that, are we ready to bet our kids on it, making them the lab-rats who embody the consequences?
Equally alarming is the increase in "drugged driving" since Colorado legalized recreational pot in 2013. In 2017 the Denver Post published a damning article that pronounced a 145% increase in traffic fatalities that have been linked to marijuana. This deadly trend is made worse by the fact that many coroners don't test for the presence of THC in deceased motorists, meaning that the fatality numbers could actually be much higher. Further, the Colorado state patrol data shows that Marijuana-related DUI's are steadily rising each year since legalization in 2013. While none of these statistics can prove that marijuana is the cause of these vehicular accidents and deaths, the evidence is growing as time passes, which has prompted the Colorado state legislature to initiate an intensive study.
And don't assume that these issues are unique to Colorado, whose trends for marijuana-related driving arrests, accidents, and deaths closely parallel those of Washington (a state where legalized pot has had a longer track record). Combined with the lack of scientific clarity on how the drug impairs the judgment and reaction-time of motorists, we should be extremely cautious about exposing more drivers to the risks posed by legalized marijuana.
Is it anything but irresponsible to legalize this drug without more scientific data about how it impairs driving, and without a clear plan to prevent the tragic consequences that Colorado is seeing among its youth?
3) What's the hurry?
Other states have already volunteered to be the guinea pigs in the grand marijuana experiment, walking blindfolded into the smoke-filled party to discover firsthand the ramifications of legalized pot over time. They have volunteered their emergency rooms, roadways, and children as subjects in this experiment, and the data is pouring in. Other states should sit back and carefully analyze the results before puffing and passing the doobie ourselves. If it proves to be a positive step for those states over the long haul, the decision for us will be a no-brainer. But we should smell a rat (or a joint) when advocates call for immediate passage despite the grave concerns and unanswered questions outlined above. They almost seem desperate for such measures to pass before states realize the unintended consequences.
Smoke first, think second.
As anti-tobacco activists can affirm, it's easier to find a three-legged ballerina than to undo the legalization of a controlled substance. Prohibition in the 1920s proved that it's nearly impossible to go back after a chemical has been legal over an extended period. So before we start adding pot to our jello and gingerbread, we need answers to questions like these.
One day, our children will thank us for thinking.