|
|
| Measure Threatens Drug-Use Decline |
|
Posted by CN Staff on October 01, 2006 at 15:20:26 PT By Thomas Gorman Source: Denver Post 
Colorado -- Let's start with good news about marijuana and other drugs of abuse. The percentage of people using illicit drugs in the United States has been reduced approximately 50 percent from its peak in 1979. Among our teenagers, from 2001 to 2005, drug use, primarily marijuana, has dropped by 20 percent. In fact, only about 6.8 percent of youths between the ages of 12 and 18 report using marijuana. Now the bad news: People such as the proponents of Amendment 44 are playing roulette with our youth and adults by trying to legalize marijuana, which will reverse this downward trend. What is the real motive behind trying to legalize marijuana? Proponents of 44 want to legalize an ounce of marijuana regardless of the evidence that marijuana use will increase among both teenagers and adults. We should take a lesson from the Netherlands, which made marijuana legal for adults, resulting in teenage marijuana use tripling in only seven years. In our own country, after Alaska legalized ounce quantities of marijuana for adults, teenage marijuana use in that state doubled to the then-national average (23 percent). Is this what we want for Colorado's future leaders? The perception of public acceptance of a behavior plays a significant role in increasing that behavior. Under Amendment 44, an adult, if not compensated, can legally provide marijuana to a youth 15 or older without fear of being prosecuted under Colorado drug laws. Unbelievable? The proponents in official documents called this loophole an "unintended consequence." They now claim that the person could be prosecuted under the statute for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Maybe that will be true, but we won't know until it is litigated in the courts. How would you feel about an adult giving marijuana to your high school freshman, then waiting for the courts to decide the law? Note: Thomas J. Gorman retired as deputy chief of the California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement and is currently director of the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Area Program. For more information, go to: http://www.stop44.org Complete Article: http://tinyurl.com/nl96k Source: Denver Post (CO) Related Articles & Web Sites: Safer Choice Safer Colorado Possession of Pot Object of Amendment 44 Marijuana Proponent Stumps 44 Smokin' Debate on Pot Issue Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
 |
| Post Comment |  |
 |  |