Countering the Threat of Legalized Marijuana: A Blueprint for Federal, Community, and Private Action

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Countering the Threat of Legalized Marijuana: A Blueprint for Federal, Community, and Private Action

Recent reporting indicates that the Federal government will be taking a more serious approach to the marijuana threat and the enforcement of our nation’s drug laws. This is a welcome and long-overdue development, as the state-level legalization of marijuana is bringing with it significant and foreseeable costs. Decades of experience have taught us the damage that accompanies drug use; embarking on a legalization course that assuredly leads to higher levels of prevalence will increase the damage greatly as use broadens and intensifies.

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White House: Feds will step up marijuana law enforcement

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White House: Feds will step up marijuana law enforcement

CALM is encouraged by the announcement by Sean Spicer that the new administration is going to take a look at the issues related to marijuana use in America. We are also encouraged by their apparent recognition that the blossoming opioid addiction crisis and drug use at large has a connection to the expansion of marijuana use.

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What the national drug crisis requires

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What the national drug crisis requires

Extraordinary times we live in — not least because supposedly responsible people are promoting drug abuse, which everyone knows cascades into addiction, drug-crime, overdoses — that are killing us. So what gives? No one wants to stand up and take responsibility for saying — stop this madness, and fix the crisis. America’s greatness depends on a lot of things — and stopping the rolling, expansive, destructive drug crisis is one

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National study finds little proof of pot’s medical benefits→

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National study finds little proof of pot’s medical benefits

Marijuana advocates tout the drug and its compounds as therapeutic for everything from treating glaucoma to stopping nightmares. But a new systematic review of more that 10,700 scientific studies conducted by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine found verifiable benefits for only two disorders—chronic pain and the nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy. 

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National Academy of Sciences report finds marijuana use compromises mental, physical health and public safety

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National Academy of Sciences report finds marijuana use compromises mental, physical health and public safety

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS), in a landmark report written by top scientists, The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research, concluded after a review of over 10,000 peer-reviewed academic articles, that marijuana use is connected to, among other problems:

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When the drug crisis hits home

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When the drug crisis hits home

No one wants to read about drug addiction, abuse, overdose numbers and young death. Why should they? Why should anyone who is steady, healthy and cogent enough to be combing a newspaper, or scanning news on their iPhone care much about someone who — all the world assumes — lost their own future, made avoidable mistakes? Not my lane. Not my worry. Not my world, right? Wrong.

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Nearing the Falls in America’s Drug Crisis→

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Nearing the Falls in America’s Drug Crisis

Never before in American history has our country faced a drug abuse, drug crime, and drug overdose crisis of the magnitude now confronting our society. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced that more than 50,000 Americans last year died from drug overdoses. That is a surge of death around us.

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What Child Is This?

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What Child Is This?

How is it that we have, collectively, forgotten to keep watch over those entrusted to our watch – especially from high office?  Last year, 47,055 Americans, most of them young, were lost to drug abuse – just statistics now.  Why?   

In part, because so many Americans have heard a mixed message from their leaders – with devastating effects. Led to believe drugs are “recreation,” something not different from beer or wine, kids try and soon die.  Synthetic opioids, heroin, cocaine, high potency marijuana – and then a trip to the ER, or not even, on the way to a mortuary.  Numbers do not lie. 

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Proposition 64: New law should be cause for broad alarm

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Proposition 64: New law should be cause for broad alarm

It is clear that California is no longer the Golden State. California does poorly in education and in measures of children’s well-being. With only 12 percent of the nation’s population, California has 33 percent of those on the nation’s welfare rolls. Homelessness and drug use are skyrocketing and the two are connected. None of these issues will be improved with more pot commercialization and use. Other problems of the state will be made worse as well.

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Prop 64 Wins - Public Health, Safety and California Kids Lose

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Prop 64 Wins - Public Health, Safety and California Kids Lose

“This is the worst possible message we could send to our citizens, children and other states,” warns Scott Chipman, Southern California Chair of CALM. “For at least a generation California like Colorado will be burdening their communities and children with the scourge that is marijuana. The negative impacts of legalization and commercialization will be regular headlines in the news and in the lives of Californians.” 

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5 Former DEA Administrators urge Governor Brown to Oppose Prop 64

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5 Former DEA Administrators urge Governor Brown to Oppose Prop 64

As former heads of the Drug Enforcement Administration, we write to ask you, the State’s highest level and most visible political leader, to take a position on Proposition 64 before the election next Tuesday. For the reasons set out below, we urge you to oppose Prop 64. Your voice, Governor, is critical.

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Californians Call on Governor Brown To take An Oppose Position on Prop 64

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Californians Call on Governor Brown To take An Oppose Position on Prop 64

It is curious that Governor Brown said while being interviewed by “Meet the Press,” March 2, 2014, “The problem with anything, a certain amount is OK.  But there is a tendency to go to extremes, and all of a sudden, if there is advertising and legitimacy, how many people can get stoned and still have a great State.”  Carla Lowe, Founder, Co-chair, Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana (CALM)said, “He then turned his back on Californians 4 days later and accepted over $108,000 from Sean Parker and his wife, both financial backers of Prop 64.  We believe he further put California in jeopardy, maybe forever, by allowing it to become the world’s largest producer of marijuana by not demanding enforcement of federal law.

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Why Legalizing Marijuana Would Be a Big Mistake

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Why Legalizing Marijuana Would Be a Big Mistake

The marijuana of today comes in numerous forms; smoked, vaporized, butters, waxes, oils, and edibles.  What they all have in common is their THC potency (THC is the psychoactive, intoxicating and addictive cannabinoid in marijuana)  which is 10-40x greater than the marijuana of the 1960’s.  Today’s marijuana has been genetically engineered to maximize THC and minimize CBD (the non-psychoactive, non-intoxicating, non-addictive; cannabinoid with potentially therapeutic value).   

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When A Lie Travels: Comparing Alcohol To Marijuana→

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When A Lie Travels: Comparing Alcohol To Marijuana

This November, several states will vote on whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use, and the proponents of legalization have seized on a seemingly clever argument: marijuana is safer than alcohol.  The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, an effort of the Marijuana Policy Project (or MPP), has taken this argument across the country.  Their latest strategy is labeled Marijuana vs. Alcohol.  It is a very misleading, even dangerous, message, based on bad social science and sophistic public deception.

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Marijuana Mass Poisonings on the Rise

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Marijuana Mass Poisonings on the Rise

"While many would have you believe marijuana is a harmless drug, those of us in the public safety arena have seen increases in medical emergencies from marijuana ingestion," he said in the report. "It is noteworthy that our system of emergency medical transport was completely tapped in order to handle this event. Thankfully, no other medical emergencies occurred simultaneously (sic), otherwise someone might not have received timely emergency help."

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What Scientific and Medical Journals and Experts Say About Marijuana

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Below are a sample of 30 studies and statements, of over 20,000, on the harms of marijuana. More found here.

1. Marijuana use creates neurocognitive impairments and cannabis intoxication in both frequent and infrequent users. 
-- Journal of Scientific Reports, May 2016 (Cannabis and Tolerance: Acute Drug Impairment as a Function of Cannabis Use History).

2. Prevalence of cannabis use is expected to increase if cannabis is legal to use and legally available.
-- International Journal of Drug Policy, May 2016 (Correlates of Intentions to Use Cannabis among US High School Seniors in the Case of Cannabis Legalization)

3. Regular exposure to cannabis is associated with neuroanatomic alterations in several brain regions.
-- Journal of Biological Psychiatry, April 2016 (The Role of Cannabinoids in Neuroanatomic Alterations in Cannabis Users)

4. Marijuana is addicting, has adverse effects upon the adolescent brain, is a risk for both cardio-respiratory disease and testicular cancer, and is associated with both psychiatric illness and negative social outcomes.
-- Statement of the American College of Pediatricians, April 2016 (Marijuana Use: Detrimental to Youth).

5. Marijuana use has significant neuropharmacologic, cognitive, behavioral, and somatic consequences.
-- Statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics, March 2015 (The Impact of Marijuana Policies on Youth: Clinical, Research, and Legal Update)

6. Marijuana use is associated increased incidence and worsened course of psychotic, mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders across the lifespan…and marijuana’s deleterious effects on adolescent brain development, cognition, and social functioning may have immediate and long-term implications.
-- Statement of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2014 (AACAP Marijuana Legalization Policy Statement)

7. Marijuana use may cause impairment in memory, concentration, and executive functioning…and may lead to permanent nervous system toxicity.
-- Statement of the American Academy of Neurology (Position Statement: Use of Medical Marijuana for Neurologic Disorders)

8. There is a strong association of cannabis use with the onset of psychiatric disorders. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to harm, given the effects of cannabis on neurological development.
-- Statement of the American Psychiatric Association, December 2013 (Position Statement on Marijuana as Medicine)
 

9. Both marijuana-related hospitalizations and ED visits have increased substantially in recent years.                                                 -- Newsletter of the American College of Physicians, January 2016 (Public Health Researchers Look at Rise in Marijuana-related Hospitalizations)

10. Cannabis dependence is not associated with fewer harmful economic and social problems than alcohol dependence.
-- Journal of Clinical Psychological Science, June 2016 (Persistent Cannabis Dependence and Alcohol Dependence Represent Risks for Midlife Economic and Social Problems: A Longitudinal Cohort Study)

11. Repeated exposure to cannabis during adolescence may have detrimental effects on brain resting functional connectivity, intelligence, and cognitive function.
-- Journal of the Cerebral Cortex, February 2016 (Adverse Effects of Cannabis on Adolescent Brain Development: A Longitudinal Study)

12. Negative health effects of marijuana use can include addiction, abnormal brain development, psychosis, and other negative outcomes.
-- New England Journal of Medicine, June 2014 (Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use)

13. One in six infants and toddlers admitted to a Colorado hospital with coughing, wheezing and other symptoms of bronchiolitis tested positive for marijuana exposure.
-- American Academy of Pediatrics, April 2016 (One in Six Children Hospitalized for Lung Inflammation Positive for Marijuana Exposure)

14. Study respondents who were high had higher odds driving while intoxicated (on either marijuana or alcohol).
-- Journal of Health Education Research, April 2016 (Association Between Self-reports of Being High and Perceptions About the Safety of Drugged and Drunk Driving)

15. Cannabis use during adolescence increases the risk of developing a psychiatric disorder in adulthood, including anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia.
-- Frontiers in Neuroscience, November 2014 (Long-term Consequences of Adolescent Cannabinoid Exposure in Adult Psychopathology)

16. Childhood exposure to marijuana increases in marijuana friendly states and can lead to coma, decreased breathing, or seizures.
-- Journal of Clinical Pediatrics, June 2015 (Marijuana Exposure Among Children
Younger Than Six Years in the United States)

17. Use of marijuana in adolescence found to increase developing psychosis,
schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression in adulthood.
-- Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 2014 (Marijuana 101, Dr. Sharon Levy)

18. Cannabis use may cause enduring neuropsychological impairment that persists beyond the period of acute intoxication.
-- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, July 2012 (Persistent Cannabis Users Show Neuropsychological Decline from Childhood to Midlife)

19. Cannabis use disorder is prevalent, associated with comorbidity and disability, and largely untreated.
-- The American Journal of Psychiatry, March 2016 (Prevalence and Correlates of DSM-5 Cannabis Use Disorder, 2012-2013: Findings from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions–III)

20. We recorded clear and consistent associations and dose-response relations between the frequency of adolescent cannabis use and all adverse young adult outcomes.
-- The Lancet-Psychiatry, September 2014 (Young Adult Sequelae of Adolescent Cannabis Use: An Integrative Analysis)

21. While marijuana may be safer than alcohol in some respects, there are important dimensions along which marijuana appears to be the riskier substance.
-- Carnegie Mellon Research/Jonathan P. Caulkins, October 2014 (Is Marijuana
Safer than Alcohol? Insights from Users’ Self-Reports)

22. Potential impacts of recreational marijuana include not only increased availability, resulting in ED visits for acute intoxicating effects of marijuana use, but also effects on mental health disorders and psychiatric-related illnesses.
-- American College of Emergency Physicians/ACEP NOW, October 2014 (How Legalizing Marijuana Has Impacted Colorado)

23. Marijuana changes the structure and function of the adolescent brain.
-- Bertha Madras, Professor of Psychobiology, Harvard University, May 2014 (Marijuana and Opioids Risks for the Unborn, the Born)

24. Dramatic increase in newborns testing positive for marijuana in Colorado hospitals.
-- Parkview Medical Center, St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center, Pueblo Community Health Center, April 2016 (Recreational Retail Marijuana Endangers Health of Community & Drains Precious Health Resources)

25. Casual use of marijuana is related to major brain changes.
-- Journal of Neuroscience, April 2014 (Cannabis Use Is Quantitatively Associated with Nucleus Accumbens and Amygdala Abnormalities in Young Adult Recreational Users)

26. It needs to be emphasized that regular cannabis use, defined here as once a week, is
not safe and may result in addiction and neurocognitive damage, especially in youth.
-- Journal of Current Addiction Reports, April 2014 (Considering Cannabis: The Effects of Regular Cannabis Useon Neurocognition in Adolescents and Young Adults)

27. Exposure to cannabis in adolescence is associated with a risk for later psychotic disorder in adulthood.
-- Journal of Current Addiction Reports, June 2014 (Impact of Cannabis Use on the Development of Psychotic Disorders)

28. Marijuana is not benign and there's a mountain of scientific evidence, compiled over nearly 30 years, to prove it poses serious risks, particularly for developing brains.
-- Diane McIntosh, Professor of Psychiatry-University of British Columbia, April 2016 (You Can't Deny Marijuana Is Dangerous For Developing Minds)

28. Marijuana may actually worsen PTSD symptoms or nullify the benefits of specialized, intensive treatment. Cessation or prevention of use may be an important goal of treatment.
-- Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, September 2015 (Marijuana Use is Associated With Worse Outcomes in Symptom Severity and Violent Behavior in Patients With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)

29. Converging epidemiological data indicate that adolescent cannabis abusers are more likely to develop psychosis and PFC-related cognitive impairments later in life.
-- Journal of Molecular Psychiatry, March 2014 (CB1 Cannabinoid Receptor Stimulation During Adolescence Impairs the Maturation of GABA Function in the Adult Rat Prefrontal Cortex)

30. Regular cannabis use in adolescence approximately doubles the risk of being diagnosed with schizophrenia or reporting psychotic symptoms in adulthood.
-- Journal of Addiction, January 2015 (What Has Research Over the Past Two Decades Revealed About the Adverse Health Effects of Recreational Cannabis Use)
 

Credit to Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy for this list. You can find out more about their organization by going to www.ardp.org