Not everyone is smiling.
After five years, the results of legalized marijuana present some unhappy results.
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Colorado is now #1 in the nation for youth drug use
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Homelessness in Colorado has increased, and now ranks among the highest in the nation
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School suspensions are up nearly 50%
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High school drug violations have increased over 70%
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Fatal car crashes involving marijuana users has doubled
The repercussions will be seen for decades. It may not be possible at this time to quantify just how devastating Colorado’s “marijuana for everyone” policy has been, but it will leave a trail of human destruction which may never be reversed. Studies have shown that people who are addicted to pot are three times more likely to become heroin addicts. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that the potency of today’s marijuana has increased significantly since the early 1990’s. They further report that researchers do not know the full extent of consequences to the brain or body of users. Studies have concluded there is a relationship between pot use and loss of IQ.
Given the indisputable correlation between marijuana use leading to addiction and more extensive use of other drugs, Colorado may be learning the hard way. Legalized marijuana is throwing gasoline on the fire of our nation’s drug abuse epidemic.
Medical marijuana may have a place in a civilized society, but legalized recreational use is proving to be highly problematic.
Legalized marijuana is a catastrophic mistake.
***Gordon Howie is an author and CEO of Life and Liberty Media***
“It’s not about right or left, it’s about Right or Wrong.”
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I would have to agree with the idea that Cannabis as a marketed retail industry is a bad idea. I have come a long way with my feelings about Cannabis used as a medicine due to my son’s rare intractable epilepsy; however, Cannabis for medical use is very different than a marketed retail industry. I am sure we can do well and serve our sick and disabled people who would benefit from the medicinal use of Cannabis without creating a public health crisis like what has happened with Opioids.
When my son’s Epileptologist informed me that I may need to consider Cannabis for my son’s treatment I was a little taken back. Having been a police officer, I never had supported any of the Cannabis initiatives that came before. Being a methodical investigator, I started to research the subject as soon as I got home. I used only scientific, peer reviewed studies to assess the subject. Very little information was available to me in the US but Israel had been researching and using Cannabis as medicine since 1969. It was from their peer reviewed studies that I have changed my mind about this plant and its potential for healing and health. Since 46 other states now have some kind of Medical Cannabis law on the books we are starting to see much more peer reviewed research that disproves the old propaganda that the National Institute on Drug Abuse had been putting out since 1970. For your entertainment, I have given some links to some current and some older peer reviewed studies regarding the NIDA’s claim about reduced IQ’s. Initially they were doing research to support their claim. Now we are seeing that it isn’t exactly the way it is presented to us over the years. And as research continues we may even find out that it is worse than we thought, but are we prepared to admit we were were wrong if that is not the case?
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/01/twins-study-finds-no-evidence-marijuana-lowers-iq-teens
http://www.pnas.org/content/113/5/E500.full6
https://www.theguardian.com/science/sifting-the-evidence/2016/jan/14/does-cannabis-really-lower-your-iq
http://www.iflscience.com/brain/cannabis-use-doesn-t-lower-adolescents-iq-new-studies-show/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/long-term-marijuana-use-could-have-zero-effect-on-iq-1431876/
https://www.google.com/patents/US6630507