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COLORADO
NATIONAL DRUG PREVENTION ALLIANCE:
DISMANTLE POT INDUSTRY
FEBRUARY 6, 2018 EDITOR
Please share this post with every concerned parent you know! Spread the Word about Pop
Pot!
By Peter Stoker, National Drug Prevention Alliance As members of the worldwide drug prevention
movement, the National Drug Prevention Alliance (UK) has been greatly saddened to see how the
United States of America has allowed marijuana to be available in so many places for so-called
medical and recreational purposes. This far from harmless substance causes pain and hardship to
individuals, families and communities.
National
Drug Prevention
Alliance (Should you wish to inform yourself more on marijuana, may we
respectfully suggest thatyou log -on to www.drugprevenLorq.uk whereyou will find many scientific
items about this harmful substance).
There is also research which shows that regular, heavy users of marijuana go on to use cocaine.
(journal of Clinical Psychiatry Kleber, Herbert MD. (Suppl) pp3-61988)
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is an important international
legal instrument that obligates Parties to protect children and youth from involvement with
illicit drugs and the drug trade.
Under the terms of the convention, governments are required to meet children's basic
needs and help them reach their full potential. (Article 33). Since it was adopted by the United
Nations in November 1989, 194 countries have signed up to the UNCRC.
The USA is a signatory to this UN convention and should therefore be passing legislation to
prevent the enormous market in marijuana that has developed in America. The more children are
exposed to stores that sell these harmful products, the more likely they will be to try them and the
more young people will then go on to use cocaine and heroin, to the detriment of the individual
and society.
Colorado has failed to meet the specific DOJ requirements on controlling recreational marijuana
production, distribution and use. A report documents a significant increase in drugged driving
crashes, youth marijuana use, a thriving illegal black market and unabated sales of alcohol, which
supports the idea that people are not using marijuana instead of alcohol but rather in addition to
alcohol. Promises were made in Colorado in 2012, before legalized recreational marijuana, that
the result would be a large amount in taxes for education and the elimination of the black market.
Yet in the years since, Colorado has seen an increase in marijuana related traffic deaths, poison
control calls, and emergency room visits. The marijuana black market has increased in Colorado,
not decreased. And, numerous Colorado marijuana regulators have been indicted for corruption.
New reports out of Colorado indicate that legal marijuana is posing real risks to the safety of
young people. As Colorado rethinks marijuana, the rest of the nation should watch carefully this
failing experiment.
(https:Z/www madinamerica com/2017/09/unintended-consequences-colorado-social-
experiment/ 11th September 2017)
A study was done recently a few weeks ago by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and
Addiction and it found that just in Canada alone, a much smaller country than the U.S. in
population, marijuana -related car crashes cost a billion dollars. That's just the car crashes, and
those were directly related to marijuana. And the report came from a government think tank, not
any kind of anti-drug group.
Seriously interested readers would also find it helpful to log on to:
www.nationalfamilies.org onto www.nationalfamilies.org to read'Tracking the Money that's
Legalising Marijuana'.
Healthcare officials representing three hospitals in Pueblo Colorado issued a statement on April
27 in support of a ballot measure that would end Marijuana commercialization in the city and
county of Pueblo. "We continue to see first-hand the increased patient harm caused by retail
marijuana, and we want the Pueblo community to understand that the commercialization of
marijuana is a significant public health and safety issue." said Mike Baxter, president and CEO of
Parkview Medical Center.
Among their concerns are a 51 percent increase in number of children under 18 being treated in
Parkview Medical Center emergency rooms. Furthermore, of newborn babies at St. Mary -Corwin
Hospital, drug tested due to suspected prenatal exposure, nearly half tested positive for marijuana.
Having read the above, how can American legislators possibly believe that legalising marijuana
would, in anyway, be advantageous for their country?
Big business should never be allowed to profit from the production and sale of goods which are
harmful to individuals and society in general.
On behalf of parents in America and worldwide, I am writing to ask that you please consider
current legislation and take urgent steps to ensure that the marijuana industry is dismantled to
protect American children and the public from the harms which have now clearly been seen to
result from expanded marijuana use in legalized states.
Peter Stoker is Director of National Drug Prevention Alliance (UK) and a Member, The
The International Task Force on Strategic Drug Policy