legalization

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Title
What's Wrong with Marijuana?
02/04/2024

Millions of Americans believe marijuana relieves pain, reduces anxiety, improves your mood, and has no side effects. Are they right? Dr. Drew Pinsky, physician, addiction medicine specialist, and media personality, answers this question.


prager u, legalization
The Overlooked Mental and Physical Health Risks of Marijuana
02/02/2024

Cannabis legalization efforts are a boon to big business, but many Americans are paying with their health.

 

The hazy narrative of harmless recreation masks darker truths now coming to light. Evidence is mounting that the push for recreational drug use has led to increases in cannabis-related hospitalizations and links to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, cannabis use disorder, and more.


Public Health, legalization, epoch times
A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis of the Evolution of Adolescent and Young Adult Cannabis Consumption Before and After Legalization
03/02/2022

Conclusions: Higher quality evidence suggests an increase in adolescent past-month consumption of cannabis following legalization in several geographical jurisdictions. Consumption evolution prelegalization and postlegalization differed by age group and for young women and for binge drinkers. Consumption evolution differences suggest a variety of strategies might be required in efforts to lower public health impacts of cannabis consumption following legalization.


legalization
WEEDING OUT THE CANNABIS MYTHS – The Case Against Cannabis Commercialization
01/04/2022

The proponents of Cannabis legalisation will often present their case as being pragmatic & evidence-based but the passions that are ignited by this issue belie the fact that what animates much of pro-Cannabis activism is fundamentally a moral argument that Cannabis ‘prohibition’ is on the wrong side of moral history.
The idea that Cannabis legalisation can be utilised as a means towards the ends of social justice by virtue of facilitating mass decarceration is a myth. Firstly, only a minority of American prisoners are incarcerated for drug crimes. As Barry Latzer has written: ‘if all drug prisoners, regardless of race, were removed from state prisons, the black inmate population would only drop only 0.36%, from 39.06% to 38.7%,’ whilst only 92 people were sentenced for Cannabis possession in the federal system in America in 2017.


legalization, Peter Hurst
Coalition of Thirty Groups Send Letter in Opposition to MORE Act to US House Leadership
09/19/2020

Today, a coalition of social justice, drug prevention, recovery, family, and faith organizations penned a joint letter to the leadership of the United States House of Representatives strongly opposing the MORE Act, a bill to federally legalize the commercial marijuana industry that is tentatively scheduled for a vote the week of September 21st.
According to the letter the MORE Act would not simply decriminalize marijuana, as some proponents have claimed, but rather “fully legalize and commercialize the drug. This would allow major corporations like Altria (formerly Philip Morris, makers of Marlboro Cigarettes), vaping giants Juul and PAX, and Imperial Brands (makers of Kool Cigarettes) to deepen their existing investments into the marijuana industry and expand those investments to capture the United States market.”


SAM, legalization
The Grassroots of Grass: Cannabis Legalization Ballot Initiative Campaign Contributions and Outcomes, 2004-2016.
11/04/2019

Conclusion: These results underscore the importance of health advocate participation in developing cannabis legalization frameworks.


legalization, ncbi
2019 8 Marijuana Legalization Update
08/08/2019
powerpoint, legalization
OP-ED: LEGALIZING MARIJUANA PUTS NEW JERSEY ADOLESCENTS AT RISK
05/25/2018

When we talk about legalizing marijuana, we must acknowledge that we are talking about legalizing a mind-altering substance that affects the brain by impairing cognition, judgment, and reflexes. We need to discuss the science and data behind the consequences of marijuana consumption on our youth and their developing brains, as this is an issue that is far-too-often overlooked.


OpEd, legalization, Consequences
Morgan County Sheriff Condemns Legalization After Drug-Toting SUV Crashes Into Semi
12/22/2017

“Legalization will NOT stop the crimes committed by users who have no jobs to support their habits and prey upon you and I to get that money for their hit/fix.”
And while marijuana may very well have medicinal purposes, it’s not just the drug that makes our controlled substances dangerous and a significant crime and socio-economic issue in our country. The people involved in the illegal operations where drugs (including marijuana) are grown/produced, trafficked and transported, distributed to the TENS of THOUSANDS of dealers and MILLIONS of customers, are NOT good people! THOUSANDS of people are viciously murdered in Mexico every year as organizations vie for control over the markets and territory. 


denver, Colorado, legalization, car crashes, crime
Letter: Marijuana availability and increased use directly harms our children
03/12/2017

Adolescent marijuana use has significantly increased in our state post-legalization, as has been documented in numerous studies. Ask any teenager and they will tell you that marijuana use is rampant in our local high schools, which is obviously not surprising given its widespread availability and the perception of its safety. While we can debate the effects on adults, marijuana use clearly has a detrimental impact on a teenager.

Read more here: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article13776...


adolescent, legalization, opinion
Has Marijuana Legalization Increased Marijuana Use Among US Youth?
12/28/2016

If the changes observed in Washington are attributable to legalization, why were there no changes found in Colorado? The authors suggest that this may have been because Colorado’s medical marijuana laws were much more liberal before legalization than those in Washington. After 2009, Colorado permitted medical marijuana to be supplied through for-profit dispensaries and allowed advertising of medical marijuana products. This hypothesis is supported by other evidence that the perceived risks of marijuana use decreased and marijuana use increased among young people in Colorado after these changes in 2009.


youth usage, legalization
Marijuana Legalization Has Led To More Use And Addiction While Illegal Market Continues To Thrive
07/15/2016

The illegal marijuana market thrives in competition with the legal market by offering products at considerably lower prices because it neither complies with regulations on growth and sale, nor pays taxes on sales or their profits. It is particularly disturbing that the public is unaware of the fact that of all Americans with substance use disorders due to drugs other than alcohol, nearly 60 percent are due to marijuana. That means that more Americans are addicted to marijuana than any other drug, including heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and the nonmedical use of prescription drugs.


legalization, addiction, illegal
Legal Marijuana Use in the US
03/29/2016


legalization
Bob Buckhorn poised to sign law decriminalizing marijuana in Tampa
03/19/2016
buckhorn, legalization
Does medical marijuana work? The answer is (mostly) “no” and “we don’t know”
12/19/2015

In conclusion, if the states' initiative to legalize medical marijuana is merely a veiled step toward allowing access to recreational marijuana, then the medical community should be left out of the process, and instead marijuana should be decriminalized. Conversely, if the goal is to make marijuana available for medical purposes, then it is unclear why the approval process should be different from that used for other medications.


blog, medcine, legalization
We’re Manufacturing Addicts: Marijuana Use Doubles Among US Adults
12/18/2015

The evidence of harm, however, is only getting clearing. And the latest rise in use, addiction and death by car crash numbers add clarity to the picture of harms associated with widespread use of the drug.


legalization, usage
What you should know about marijuana legalization | Your Legal Corner
12/03/2015

According to Kevin Merill, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officer in charge in Denver, "more and more criminals are moving to Colorado to exploit our drug laws, sell marijuana through the U.S. and line their pockets with drug money."
The Colorado experience is certainly troubling and has not been the panacea purported by legalization advocates.
In 2010, medical marijuana was legalized in Colorado.  In 2012, it legalized marijuana and in 2014 retail businesses began selling it to anyone 21 years or older. The consequences? In 2014, there was a 32 percent increase in marijuana related traffic deaths and since 2010 the number has increased by 92 percent. 


Colorado, car crashes, legalization, Fatalities
Think twice before passing medical marijuana laws
11/30/2015

State after state is legalizing medical marijuana, but doctors and patient groups aren’t demanding these laws. The AMA doesn’t want them, nor does the American Cancer Society. The American Academy of Pediatrics is against medical marijuana and the Glaucoma Foundation warns patients not to use it.

Prescription cannabinoids are also much less likely to be abused or diverted to teenage use. And they’re more long acting, which is good for genuine patients who don’t want to be stoned all the time. So there’s no reason for anyone to smoke marijuana.

The main people who benefit from medical marijuana laws are people who want to get high or who want to sell the drug.


legalization, medical association, opinion
Is Medical Marijuana Right for Kids With Chronic Illness?
11/06/2015

 “It is important to know that legalizing marijuana would not mean greater access to potentially effective treatment for children and adults with a medical illness such as epilepsy. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is not at all marijuana.”

CBD is not medical marijuana. CBD does not get anyone high nor does it increase appetite. It may be beneficial in treating children with rare forms of epilepsy, often difficult to control with medication or other available treatments, but it does not work for everyone with seizures.

“The stories of kids having fewer seizures described in the media are heartwarming and can possibly be of some benefit – just like many other medications available to treat seizures,” Dr. Patel adds.

What are the possible side effects?
CBD can cause nausea, diarrhea, or worse, affect the liver.

Dr. Patel states, “There is nothing natural about marijuana and its components. It is broken down in a person’s liver, similar to many other medications. It has interactions with other medications and is still not fully understood. If further studies show that CBD is safe and effective, it will be sent to the FDA for official approval. If the FDA approves this medication, it will be available in the form of a prescription and no laws will need to be changed.”

“Legalization would make our jobs as medical providers more difficult as we will not know what changing, non-tested preparations a child may be getting. I understand that parents are desperate and want to help their children, however, it is dangerous to give a child or patient a product unless it has been studied properly and is the same consistent product each time.” If the ongoing trials show that Epidiolex is safe and effective, then all people can have access to it through a prescription and know that it has been properly tested and is consistent each month. Medical providers will know how to dose it and it will be regulated by the FDA.


Charlotte's Web, epilepsy, legalization, Children, chronic
Public Policy Statement on Marijuana, Cannabinoids and Legalization
09/21/2015

Given these statistics.... is legalization worth the consequences....
Cannabis has been found to be the most frequently used drug in the U.S. after alcohol, tobacco and caffeine. 
The risk of developing addiction associated with cannabis use has been reported to increase to about 17% among those who start using marijuana in adolescence, and to 25-50% among those who smoke marijuana daily.
The long-term effects of marijuana use include altered brain development and cognitive impairment, including impaired neural connectivity in specific brain regions, decreased activity in prefrontal regions, and reduced volumes in the hippocampus.
Cannabis is most commonly consumed through smoking, a route of drug delivery that predictably has a variety of negative effects on pulmonary function. Smoke from marijuana combustion has been shown to contain a number of carcinogens and cocarcinogens, as well as many of the toxins, irritants, and carcinogens as tobacco smoke.  Additionally, marijuana smokers tend to inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than cigarette smokers, which leads to a greater exposure per breath to “tar” (the carcinogenic solids in smoke). Regular smoking of marijuana, in the absence of tobacco, produces visible and microscopic injury to the large airways
http://www.asam.org/docs/default-source/publicy-policy-statements/mariju...


Research, legalization, asam, Long-term, Pregnancy, adolescent, youth, cigarettes
Marijuana Use: Detrimental to Youth
09/01/2015

In summary, marijuana use is harmful to children and adolescents.  For this reason, the American College of Pediatricians opposes its legalization for recreational use and urges extreme caution in legalizing it for medicinal use.  Likewise, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) recently offered their own policy statement opposing efforts to legalize marijuana. They similarly pointed out that “marijuana’s deleterious effects on adolescent brain development, cognition, and social functioning may have immediate and long-term implications, including increased risk of motor vehicle accidents, sexual victimization, academic failure, lasting decline in intelligence measures, psychopathology, addiction, and psychosocial and occupational impairment.” 


youth, pedestrians, legalization, ACP, Resource Paper
Where There’s Smoke …
08/22/2015

Marijuana use by kids between the ages of 12 and 17 is 58 percent higher in Colorado than the national average, according to the RHMIDTA. The rate of use among college-age adults is 54 percent above the national average. Drug-related suspensions from Colorado schools jumped 34 percent from the 2005-2009 period to the 2010-2014 period, while alcohol-related suspensions stayed flat.
 "Everything they said would happen has not," says Gorman. "They said alcohol use would go down. Alcohol use went up. They said it would eliminate the (marijuana) black market. We are the black market. The trends show that legalization is not working."
 


youth, Colorado, college, Potency, legalization, alcohol
Sharon Osbourne doesn't want marijuana legalised and says it would be a 'disaster'
07/27/2015

Marijuana should not be legalized in America or the UK.


legalization, Osbourne
Don't Legalize Marijuana
05/09/2015

Pot advocates have long claimed that legalization would reduce crime by suppressing illicit trade and increase government revenue all in one fell swoop.
Neither claim has proven true. Revenues from marijuana taxes in Colorado from the first full fiscal year since legalization are projected to be only 58 percent of what was expected. And there has not been a drop off in violent crime either; the state's homicide rate rose 21 percent the year after voters agreed to legalize pot, and in Denver, gang-related murders are up this year, too. 

  • Do you think increased marijuana use among teenagers and adults is good for the future of our country?
  • Would you want your son or daughter to become involved in using marijuana?
  • Do you want more impaired drivers on our interstates and roadways?
  • If you were an employer, would you want to hire an employee who uses marijuana? As an employee, do you want to work with drug users who put you at risk and run up healthcare costs?
  • Do you think this higher intoxicant level in marijuana is a positive factor for the health and safety of Americans?

 


legalization
Puerto Rico Rejects Smoking Marijuana for Medicinal Purposes
05/05/2015
Puerto Rico, legalization
A medical view on medical marijuana legalization
03/30/2015

The "gold standard" in medical research is "peer-reviewed, randomized, double-blind" studies, which all medicines are subjected to before the Food and Drug Administration will allow them to be prescribed by doctors to their patients, said Mikaya, who added that none of those studies have been conducted on medical marijuana. In the case of medical marijuana, those studies would show, among other things, whether medical marijuana "is effective as a medicine" and "whether its benefits outweigh its risks," Mikaya said.


evidence, Studies, legalization
$36 million raised for Ohio marijuana legalization proposal
03/03/2015
Ohio, legalization
Colorado's New Attorney General: Pot Legalization 'Not Worth It'
02/23/2015
Colorado-0, Attorney General, legalization
Former Heads of the DEA Support the Battle Against Legalizing Marijuana
02/19/2015
legalization, DEA, supreme court, lawsuit
Former 'drug czar' warns about dangers of marijuana legalization
02/14/2015
legalization, catholic news hearald
Poll: Idaho Residents Overwhelmingly Oppose Legalizing Marijuana
02/02/2015

Pollster Dan Jones & Associates found that only a third of Idaho residents want to legalize pot, 64 percent oppose and the rest didn’t know.

  • 18-24 year-olds oppose pot legalization by 55-47 percent
  • 25-34 year-olds oppose it by 61-34 percent
  • Idaho Republicans are especially against legalizing marijuana, 80-19 percent.
  • 49 percent of Idaho Democrats favor decriminalization of marijuana use, while 48 percent oppose.
  • Among political independents, 59 percent oppose legalization, 38 percent favor.

 


Idaho, poll, legalization
Loretta Lynch Says She Doesn't Support Marijuana Legalization Or Obama's Views On Pot
01/29/2015
legalization
Chart: Colorado among states with growing heroin, prescription drug abuse problem
01/28/2015

"Marijuana is the 800-pound gorilla in the room, when in fact, 295 Coloradans died two years ago of prescription drug overdoses," he notes. 
In 2012, 36 drivers who tested positive for marijuana were involved in fatal car crashes, according the Colorado Department of Transportation. And 19-year-old Levy Thamba jumped to his death after consuming six times the recommended dose of a marijuana edible in April 2014


opioid, Colorado, legalization
Colorado governor explains why legalizing marijuana in the state was a bad idea
01/26/2015
Colorado-0, Colorado, legalization
The Impact of Marijuana Policies on Youth: Clinical, Research, and Legal Update
01/26/2015
youth, clinical, Research, legalization, pedestrians
Money influences election outcomes
01/11/2015


legalization, follow the money, Infographics, elections
Marijuana: The Myths Are Killing Us
11/28/2014
youth, legalization, Myth
Myth: Legalization of Marijuana in Other Countries Has Been a Success
11/28/2014
Myth, legalization, youth, harm
Two polls show support for legal marijuana waning in Colorado, nationally
09/30/2014
Colorado, legalization
Survey: Support for legal weed drops 7 points in the past year
09/24/2014
Gallop, legalization
Marijuana edibles popularity concerns doctors
09/22/2014
edibles, candy, legalization, Children
Former justices: Why voters should reject medical marijuana amendment
09/07/2014
amendment, vote no, judges, legalization
MGH findings on pot addiction complicate legalization debate
09/03/2014
Studies, addiction, legalization
D.A.R.E. America Position Paper on Marijuana Legalization
09/01/2014
Resolution, position paper, legalization, DARE
Pot Legalization vs. Science
07/30/2014
legalization, Research
CADCA Responds to New York Times Editorial Board's Call for Marijuana Legalization
07/30/2014
legalization, CADCA
Florida 'medical marijuana' measure would legalize recreational pot smoking
07/14/2014
legalization, recreational
Pope Francis Condemns Legalization of Marijuana
06/20/2014

Francis told members of a drug-enforcement conference meeting in Rome on Friday that even limited attempts to legalize recreational drugs “are not only highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce the desired effects.”     Unless of course the desired effect is to get High.


legalization, Pope, church, amendment, religious leader
Drug-free workplace and medical marijuana
06/13/2014

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SMOKED POT AND WHAT THEY (PRO-POT ADVOCATES) CALL "MEDICAL" MARIJUANA.    High at work ..
Last month, a state judge directed an employer and insurer to reimburse an injured worker for medical marijuana prescribed to relieve pain resulting from a lower back injury.   
 


drug free workplace, workplace, insurance, legalization
Republicans jump into Florida campaign against medical marijuana
06/13/2014

Finally someone is more concerned about the health & safety of our communities than being politically correct.   THIS TAKES COURAGE. 


legalization, safety, health, political
Medical marijuana laws in 50 states: investigating the relationship between state legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use, abuse and dependence
06/13/2014

States that legalized medical marijuana had higher rates of marijuana use. Future research needs to examine whether the association is causal, or is due to an underlying common cause, such as community norms supportive of the legalization of medical marijuana and of marijuana use.


legalization, youth, Studies, Research
Big Tobacco Planned Big Marijuana Sales in the 1970s
06/05/2014
legalization, tobacco
Mike Milburn: Be wary of marijuana legalization
06/03/2014

In spite of the widespread effort to normalize marijuana, Montana knows firsthand the societal problems it can cause.
By 2011, Montana had the sixth-highest rate of youth marijuana use in the country and the fourth-highest rate of youth addiction.
I heard of growers destroying neighborhoods, reducing the values of homes through the foul language, harassment and stench of crowds at the dispensaries. Parents complained that kids could not play in their own yards. Multiple dispensaries set up near schools, targeting our youth.


legalization, Montana, addiction
5 Ways to Accurately Cover Marijuana Policy Issues in the Media
05/15/2014

At least two deaths have already been attributed to legal marijuana cookies in Colorado, and poison control centers continue to report increasing calls related to the drug.


Media, legalization, addiction
Legalized pot use vs. employer drug testing
05/07/2014

Coats was angry because Dish Network fired him in 2010 after his random drug test came back positive for traces of pot.


Business, attorney, legalization
George Soros’ real crusade: Legalizing marijuana in the U.S.
04/06/2014

Through a network of nonprofit groups, Mr. Soros has spent at least $80 million on the legalization effort since 1994, when he diverted a portion of his foundation’s funds to organizations exploring alternative drug policies, according to tax filings.
It isn't about For The People it's about the rich taking advantage of the innocent.

 


soros, funding, legalization
The Marijuana Lobby’s Deep Pockets
04/01/2014
lobby, soros, Morgan, legalization, follow the money
Pivotal Point Is Seen as More States Consider Legalizing Marijuana
02/27/2014
legalization, Sabet, Morgan
Governor Issues: Warning signs on Colorado's marijuana legalization
02/26/2014

“I urge caution,” he said at the National Governors Association meeting in Washington last week. When states promote something that is not good for people, he said, they need to be prepared for “unintended consequences.”


Colorado-0, warning, legalization, Children
Blowing Smoke
01/24/2014
  • Calling the ballot measure’s wording “disingenuous,” he predicted if the measure becomes part of the Florida constitution, “We’ll have more places selling [pot] than we have Starbucks.”
  • No responsible scientific studies exist to demonstrate that inhaling the smoke of burning cannabis constitutes the optimum delivery system, but data indicating the same risks associated with smoking tobacco (cancer, emphysema, pneumonia, heart disease) attach to toking up.

pot shops, ballot, legalization, THC
The Converstaion We aren't Having
01/21/2014
  • Florida should not legalize marijuana because it is a gateway drug that is addictive and damaging to the teenage brain. Moreover, without FDA regulation there is no way to monitor the drug’s potency.
  • He then fell into the habit of taking pills in order to maintain the buzz he got from pot.
  • It is out of love for our children, for those like my son, that we must say no (to legalizing marijuana).

Death, addiction, legalization
John Morgan: the bombastic, omnipresent lawyer fueling Florida's 2014 election
11/29/2013

At any given time, the firm has $30 million to $40 million invested in cases awaiting a verdict or settlement. It spends about $45 million annually on advertising, not just television and radio but a sophisticated social media operation led by a team in New Jersey. The firm has zero debt.


legalization, Morgan
Pot problems in Colorado schools increase with legalization
11/11/2013
legalization, Colorado, School
Five Errors the Washington Post Should Have Caught About Marijuana
06/10/2013
Myth, legalization
Police group opposes medical marijuana law
03/31/2011
Police, legalization
Decriminalization would increase the use and the economic and social costs of drugs.
09/01/2010

The argument that drug decriminalization, or legalization, will solve the budget crisis, reduce prison overcrowding and cripple drug cartels is simply not supported by evidence. In fact, the benefits of keeping marijuana and other illicit drugs illegal clearly outweigh the negative and predictable consequences of legitimizing these substances.


decriminalization, legalization, illegal
Decriminalization would increase the use and the economic and social costs of drugs.
02/01/2010

In fact, the benefits of keeping marijuana and other illicit drugs illegal clearly outweigh the negative and predictable consequences of legitimizing these substances.
Our position is simple and evidence-based: both decriminalization and legalization of illicit drugs would increase their use, along with their associated health and social costs. Unless advocates of decriminalization or of outright legalization can establish that more drug use is a net good for society, both arguments are self-refuting.
Higher prices help hold down rates of usage.


legalization, usage, social costs, alcohol
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