California GOP Gets It Wrong Again on Marijuana

Does Legalization Make Life Worse in Colorado?

Copyright Bruce Cohen – September 18, 2016

I’m not personally in favor of Proposition 64. It’s far to many rules for anyone to read and understand. First of all, let me admit my bias. I’m a Libertarian and a libertarian. I want less government, fewer regulations and gasp, legalized pot for adults and anyone with a medical need.

But those aren’t the reasons the CAGOP is against AUMA. Their headline reason: ‘it’s not working in Colorado‘. Well, yes it is.  In fact, it’s working so well there even Colorado opponents of legalization have largely changed their minds.

Revenues are up: Colorado took in over $125 Million dollars in Marijuana Tax Revenues, double the previous year.

Support is up: Colorado residents support legalization by a 20% margin in 2015, compared to a 10% margin  when the initiative passed several years ago.

Crime is not up: According to the International Business Times, “…marijuana related offenses accounted for 0.5-1 percent of all crime.”

Use by minors is down: The California GOP tries to give one the impression children are getting into their parents stashes, but the truth is the absolute opposite.

According to  a survey quoted by the UK Guardian: “Among high school students, use went from about 23% in 2005 to about 20% in 2014. Similarly, there was no significant change in use by children younger than 13 in recent years.”

Marijuana is not a traffic safety problem: “The number of Colorado state patrol summons issued for driving under the influence of marijuana dropped slightly from 674 in 2014 to 655 in 2015”, this from the same Guardian article. The CAGOP uses other scare tactics and untruths to scare the uninformed, but the truth is rather clear.  Legalization of Marijuana for adults, both for medical use, as well as ‘recreational’, has not caused problems, but rather, has solved them.

In general, we see DUIs fall.  We see use of opiates, either black market, or prescription, down.  Not at all surprisingly, we see overdoses down as well. Makes sense if use is down, doesn’t it?

Importantly, we also have access for people with serious health problems that are well served by marijuana treatments.  Whether it’s for digestive problems, where science has shown it’s a marvelous treatment for Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease, or it’s a substitute for prescription pain killers with their awful addiction problems and side effects, Coloradans can now seek a safe method of relief.

Seizure related diseases are also often well treated with Marijuana, including for those with Epilepsy.

In summary, the benefits to the individual, to society, not to mention the increased revenue for municipalities and the coinciding reduced costs have made legalization a win/win proposition. No, I’m not a fan of Proposition 64, but I am rooting for it to win, particularly because of the dishonesty promoted by its opponents.

If the California GOP had a sincere gripe against the measure, they ought to have allied themselves with the marijuana proponents who likewise have a case against this specific proposition.  Instead, they stoop to lying and using false arguments.