Is Marijuana Legalization good?

Marijuana legalization has been a hot topic across the country!

I am a junior in high school in Lincolnshire, Illinois. I am a Democrat. I am a youth. I am a proud member of Catalyst, a club dedicated to preventing substance abuse among teenagers and young adults. Within the club, I am in the “Marijuana Legislation Committee” where we fight extensively to advocate against the legalization of marijuana. I am speaking out, with facts, in opposition to the legalization of marijuana in the state of Illinois and across the country. As an ordinary teenage citizen who holds a deep interest in civics, I feel an obligation to make my voice heard on the issue of marijuana legalization, especially since it will personally impact my future.

To my fellow Democrats, the legalization of marijuana is an issue that will undoubtedly affect me and my peers’ future in a negative way. Marijuana is going to be a substantial issue in both the Illinois House and the Senate, and as a high schooler, I foresee the opposition that rests before my hands. As a youth living in the twenty-first century — especially during such a tumultuous political era — there should be standard merit for facts when examining and discussing the issue of legalizing the recreational use of marijuana in Illinois.

Let’s begin:

One of the biggest arguments made by pro-marijuana advocates is that the revenue from taxation would bring much-needed funding to the state of Illinois. One fallacy in this position is that it has no regard for the associated costs of legalizing marijuana to Illinois residents. My group and I conducted a cost study to learn just how “profitable” commercialization would be. We used data from states that have legalized marijuana and applied that to Illinois. Due to increases in drugged driving incidences and crashes, ER visits, workplace absenteeism, homelessness, and workplace injuries, marijuana legalization would cost Illinois taxpayers more money than taxation would bring in. According to the calculations ran by my team, which were reviewed by a Ph.D. student and a doctorate in policy, the costs — which were conservative — to society would be 670.5 million dollars annually, while the estimated revenue to the state from marijuana sales has been estimated to be 550 million dollars. The marijuana industry would be no different than the tobacco and alcohol industries, which, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cost society $10 for every $1 brought in in taxation.

As there are so many areas for debate on this topic, we want to highlight the facts and research we have discovered:

PUBLIC HEALTH

• DRUGGED DRIVING: If marijuana is legalized, more people will smoke pot and more people will smoke pot and drive. A study conducted by the American Automobile Association in Washington State showed that the percent of Washington state traffic fatalities where the driver tested positive for pot doubled in the year legal pot sales began. Similarly, in Colorado, the number of drivers intoxicated with marijuana, and involved in fatal traffic crashes increased by 88% from 2013 to 2015 (Migoya, 2017)
• ER VISITS/HOSPITALIZATION: Marijuana-related emergency room visits among young people in Colorado more than quadrupled since the legalization of marijuana. In fact, more Coloradans in drug treatment are self-reporting heavy use of marijuana than ever before. In Oregon since legalization, the rate of cannabis-related emergency room department visits increased 85%, and marijuana-related calls to the Oregon Poison Control Center rose from one hundred three in 2014 to three hundred forty eight by 2016. (Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area 2018 Report).

It is clear from the states that have legalized already, the roads in Illinois will be less safe, and hospitals, as well as health officials will be busier than ever.

WORKPLACE

Marijuana also negatively affects the workplace — in states that have legalized marijuana, many employers are reporting difficulty finding workers who can pass pre-employment drug tests. In addition, the workforces in these states are suffering more injuries as a result of marijuana use.

Here are the facts:

• In the 3-year period following legalization in Colorado and Washington (2013– 2016), positive oral fluid test results for marijuana use increased almost 75%, from 5.1 to 8.9 percent (Quest Diagnostics, 2016), respectively. Additionally, marijuana urine test results in Washington and Colorado are now double the national average (Quest Diagnostics, 2016).
• Colorado construction company “GE Johnson” was forced to hire out-of-state construction workers because too many Coloradans were failing pre-employment drug tests (“Drug use a problem,” 2015)
• A study conducted in Washington during 2011–2014 found that the percentage of work-related injuries and illnesses was significantly higher (8.9%) among marijuana users than non-users (Marcum, Chin, Anderson, & Bonauto, 2017).
• Insurance claims have become a growing concern among companies in legalized states because if marijuana use is allowed or drug testing ignored, employers are at risk of liability claims when a marijuana-related injury or illness occurs onsite (Hlavac et al., 2016)
• Among marijuana users, workplace absenteeism is 78 percentage points higher then non-marijuana users. (Zwerling et al 1990)
• In addition, Denver is increasingly having more difficulty attracting visitors. The Convention and Visitors Bureau of Denver reports that meeting planners give the “downtown environment” as their leading complaint, far surpassing all other categories. They site homelessness, youth, panhandling, safety, cleanliness, and drug use, including public consumption of marijuana, as reasons for making Denver a less attractive location for conventions and meetings.

Given our ongoing issue of a net out-migration, as a resident of Illinois, I do not want another reason to leave the state due to the issue of marijuana legalization.

BLACK MARKET

Many pro-marijuana advocates say that legalization of marijuana will get rid of the black market. For individual adult users in the state, that is true. They will be able to buy their pot from a pot shop (by the way, Denver has 3 times as many pot shops as Starbucks and McDonald’s combined. The adult user will likely have numerous pot shops to choose from). However, as data from other states show, the black market not only doesn’t disappear, but it thrives when marijuana is legalized. First, illegal pot fields can hide in the open. Drug dealers can walk around with weed without fear of being noticed. Lastly, as shown in all of the states that have legalized, marijuana will be diverted to other states.

The facts:

• In 2016 alone, Colorado law enforcement confiscated 7,116 pounds of marijuana, carried out 252 felony arrests, and made 346 highway interdictions of marijuana headed to 36 different U.S. states (RMHIDTA, 2017).
• A report in Oregon revealed that at least 70% of marijuana sales in 2016 were on the black market and around three to five times the amount of marijuana consumed in Oregon leaves the state for illegal sales (Hughes, 2017; Associated Press, 2017, August 14; OSPDES, 2017).

Furthermore, crime is up, and not down in these states.

Again, the facts:

• The crime rate in Colorado has increased 11 times faster than the rest of the nation since legalization (Mitchell, 2017), with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation reporting an 8.3% increase in property crimes and an 18.6% increase in violent crimes (Colorado Bureau of Investigation [CBI], 2017).
• A study funded by the National Institutes of Health showed that the density of marijuana dispensaries was linked to increased property crimes in nearby areas (Freisthler, Gaidus, Tam, Ponicki, & Gruenewald, 2017).
• In Alaska, misdemeanor and vehicle thefts have dramatically increased since legalization. Alaska’s national ranking for larceny moved up from 16th to 2nd and motor vehicle theft from 16th to 5th after marijuana became legal (Alaska Department of Public Safety [ADPS], 2016).
• Oregon’s national ranking went from 17th to 11th for property crime, 12th to 7th for larceny, and 13th to 8th for motor vehicle theft, from 2014 to 2016, respectively. (Disaster Center, n.d.).

As engaged youth in our society, I am fully aware of the issues regarding the criminal justice system — and fully embrace a policy to improve that area in society. However, the legalization of marijuana is not the answer to freeing up our criminal justice system. In fact, law enforcement in these states is busier during post-legalization then pre-legalization.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

A big issue for me is social justice. As a youth living in 2018—soon to be 2019—I want the same rights and opportunities for all people, regardless of race or income. I know that, in reality, this is not true and that people of color are incarcerated at higher rates in our country and state, especially for drug crimes. This is a systemic problem of our society, however, it is not the fault of marijuana. Legalizing marijuana and creating an industry that will spend millions of dollars preying on vulnerable populations, will not be the answer to social justice concerns.

In order for any industry to succeed, businesses need to secure more customers and get these customers to buy more of the product. Addiction industries know that the way to maximize sales is to get more people addicted to their product. This might be a shocker to some, but the people most vulnerable to addiction are the young and the under-privileged. This is an old trick seen clearly by Big Tobacco and Big Alcohol — to target poor, minority communities. Why would marijuana, an addictive product, be any different?And, make no mistake, marijuana is addicting. It has been on the DSM for years and has been proven to affect 1 in 10 adults and 1 in 6 teens (NIDA).

Again, in the states that have legalized, this has already played out:

• Washington DC saw public consumption and distribution arrests nearly triple between the years 2015 and 2016. A disproportionate number of those marijuana-related arrests occurred among African-Americans (Moyer, 2017; District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department [DCMPD], 2016).
• Colorado marijuana arrests for young African-American and Hispanic youth have increased since legalization by 58% and 29%, respectively. (Colorado Department of Public Safety [CDPS], 2016).
• Colorado schools that had 25% or fewer youth of color had 313 marijuana-related suspensions compared to 658 marijuana-related suspensions for schools comprised of populations with 76% or more youth of color (CDPS, 2016).

It is imperative that I, a youth, emphasize the impact that legalizing marijuana would have on youth and underprivileged communities. Social justice concerns will be made worse by the legalization of marijuana. The industry will target minorities and make life more difficult for these people who are already struggling. After all, we have to recognize the effects that marijuana would bring on minority communities.

YOUTH

Perhaps most concerning to youth like myself is the disproportionate impact legalizing marijuana would have on our generation. It is simple — when a substance is legalized, it becomes more available and the perceived risk of harm for young people decreases. This is a combination that is assured to lead to more use by youth. In fact, in the “2018 Monitoring the Future study,” one in four 12th graders would try marijuana, or increase their use of the drug if marijuana were legalized.

If you look at the states with the highest 30-day youth marijuana use rates, the states that have legalized are at the top — Alaska (10.43%), Oregon (9.77%) and Colorado (9.07%). They are well above the national average of 6.98%. What is interesting is if you look at the bottom of this list — 24 of the bottom 25 states with the lowest youth marijuana use rates have NO marijuana laws (medical or recreational). Don’t let the other side say that youth rates don’t increase! Even if rates fluctuate in a year, the overall trend in these states is upward. Furthermore, it makes sense, marijuana will be in more households and will be normalized. Just like teens steal alcohol from their homes now, they will be able to steal marijuana in the future. And, just like underage drinking is often viewed as a “rite of passage,” the same will become true for marijuana use.

The increase in marijuana use among teens will lead to an increase in the number of individuals with marijuana use disorder. Research shows that 1 in 6 teens who smoke pot become addicted. Currently, at Rosecrance Treatment Center, 70% of the youth in in-patient treatment are there for marijuana use disorder. Research shows that marijuana use undermines youths’ ability to complete school, achieve their maximum earning potential, hold their jobs, function in a healthy marriage, and find overall life satisfaction. Does having more youth addicted to marijuana make Illinois better off?

Again, the marijuana industry preys on populations that are more vulnerable to addiction. Because the teen’s brain is growing, they are more likely to become addicted than adults. Just like the alcohol and tobacco industries, the marijuana industry knows this and already spends millions on marketing to youth. Look on any medical marijuana dispensary website in Illinois and you will find strains of marijuana called OG Kush, Durban Poison and Alien Rock Candy, along with gummies in orange and green apple flavorings and extracts like Alien Dutchess that advertise 83% THC. This not only doesn’t sound like medicine, it doesn’t sound like it is marketing to adults.

PUBLIC FAVORABILITY

In our work, we have asked people whether they favor the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes. We have found that people will often tell us “yes” because either they have a grandparent who has cancer or they believe that no one should go to jail for smoking marijuana. When we inform these people that both of these things have been taken care of with current marijuana policy in Illinois, they change their opinion. We found a poll that quantifies our assertion that Illinois residents are simply uninformed on the topic.

In November of 2017, Mason-Dixon polled more than 600 Illinois voters and asked them if they thought marijuana should be legalized for recreational purposes. Sixty-six percent said “yes” to this question. THEN, the pollsters informed these same people that medical marijuana is available in Illinois AND that marijuana has been decriminalized in the state as well. The pollsters asked these voters, again, if they would want marijuana policy to go one step further in Illinois to full legalization and voters had a change of heart. This time, only 23% wanted to go further to full legalization. Nearly half of the voters (47%) said to keep the policy as is. (The rest were not sure or wanted to repeal medical marijuana).

I believe that marijuana policies deserve an informed debate. However, I believe that the marijuana discussion and debate should be driven by science and facts, not the motives of for-profit special interest groups lobbying our elected officials. When I asked the assistant to Senator Steans what research she uses to inform her policies over the summer of 2018, she referred me to the Marijuana Policy Project, which is one of the largest marijuana lobbying group in the country. In fact, my group and I researched their board of directors, and the majority of them own stake in the marijuana industry. They stand to profit if marijuana were to become legal in Illinois. Instead, I am going to rely on science, doctors and government agencies for research.

I urge you to do the same. My generation is counting on you!