HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018/02/27 Item 11 - Written Communication W 6-V" C,WAWQ"iC1 i pVtS
The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado:
A 5 Year Check-Up
The legalization of marijuana in Colorado has introduced a host of problems for the state
-- problems often glossed o\er by the pot indust-- and the regulators and decision makers
they finance. Today's highly potent marijuana represents a growing and significant threat
to public health and safety -- a threat amplified by a new marijuana industry intent on
profiting from heavy use. State laws allowing marijuana have -- in direct contradiction to
federal law -- permitted this indust-y to flourish. The full extent of the consequences of
these policies will not be known for decades.
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MARIJUANA Smart
ACCOUNTABILITY
COALITION Approaches to
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Marijuana
preventing another big tobacco
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Today's highly potent marijuana represents a growing and significant threat to
public health and safety, a threat that is amplified by a new marijuana industry
intent on profiting from heavy use. State laws allowing marijuana have, in direct
contradiction to federal law, permitted this industry to flourish, influencing both
policies and policy makers. While the consequences of these policies will not be
known for decades,early indicators are troubling.
Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) was founded in 2013 to push back against
the false dichotomy that says there are only two choices for marijuana policy:
criminalization or legalization. The Marijuana Accountability Coalition (MAC) was
founded in 2017 to prox ide a counterweight to the powerful marijuana industry
special interests in Colorado.
This report, reN iewed by prominent scientists and researchers,serves as an
ex idence-based guide to what we currently observe in various states.
SAM SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD
Hoover Adger,MD-director of Adolescent Medicine,Johns Hopkins University
judge Arthur Burnett- executive director,National African American Drug Policy Coalition
Eden E%ins,MD,MPH-associate professor of psychiatry,Han-ard Medical School
StuartGitiow,MD,MPH,MBA-past president,American Society of Addiction Medicine
Sion Harris,PhD-Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research at
Boston Children's Hospital
Marilyn Huestis,PhD-adjunct professor,University of Maryland School of Medicine
YifrahKaminer,MD-professor of psychiatry and pediatrics,University of Connecticut and
Injury Prevention Center at Connecticut Children's Medical Center
Sharon Levy,MD,MPH-assistant professor of pediatrics,Harvard Medical School
Kimber Richter,MD, PhD-professor of preventive medicine and public health,University
of Kansas
Paula Riggs,MD-associate professor of psychiatry,University of Colorado Denver
ChristineMiller,PhD-retired neuroscientist,MillerBio and Johns Hopkins University
ChristianThur>tone,MD-associate professor of psychiatry,University of Colorado
Krishna Upadhya,MD,MPH-Washington, DC,Children's Hospital
Kathryn Wells,MD-associate professor of pediatrics, University of Colorado Denver
Aaron Weiner, PhD-director of addiction sen-ices,Linden Oaks Behax ioral Health Center 2
) COLORADO
In 2012,Colorado and Washington voters passed referendums legalizing marijuana,
accelerating the growth of a multi-billion dollar,addiction-for-profit industry,and causing
negatie impacts both inside and outside of those states.We now have fire years of data,lessons
learned,and negative impacts affecting both families and communities.In 2014,Oregon and
Alaska legalized recreational marijuana production,sales,and possession.The District of
Columbia legalized marijuana growing and possession in 2014 as well.The legalization of
recreational sales has enabled the mass commercialization of high-potency products as
financiers,entrepreneurs,and large companies hate seized upon the opportunity to profit
from customers dependent on an addictive product.The market has transitioned from
marijuana for smoking to attractively packaged candies,gummies,and other edibles,with up
to 99% pure concentrates.
The goal of the industry is to successfully covert young,casual users into head, more frequent
users.Given this nation's addiction epidemic-deaths driven largely by opioids-the rise of lax
legalization policies comes at an especially inopportune time.In the time that the opioid
epidemic has increased,the percentage of marijuana users who are using the drug frequently
has skyrocketed.This is unsurprising,as peer-reriewved research has re-ealed early marijuana
use more than doubles the likelihood of opioid use later in life.
Although the full picture resulting from legalization will not be clear for decades,we
need not gait that long to understand some key consequences.
In 2013,the U.S.Department of Justice(DOJ) decided to take a hands-off approach toward
legalization at the state level.Officially,the DOJ stated it would only get irnol�ed if any of the
eight requirements laid out in the Cole Memo were violated (for example,sales to minors or
increases in drugged dri,ing).Unfortunately,according to the U.S.Goaernment Accountability
Office(GAO),the DOJ took no meaningful action een as states were routinely in violation of
the Cole Memo(US.Goaernment Accountability Office,2015).However, public health and
safety departments and law enforcement agencies in the states where legalization has been in
place the longest have produced primary data and impact reports that shine a light on how
current marijuana policies are failing to protect the health of the general population.
In 2018,guidance from the DOJ returned to pre-Cole Memo policies,signaling uncertainty for
the future of the marijuana industry. Despite state rotes, marijuana remains illegal at the
federal feel and state actors violating federal law are committing felonies and risking
significant consequences.
3
CHALLENGES
Youth and School Impacts
o Since Colorado,Washington,Oregon,Alaska,and the District of Columbia
(Washington,DC)legalized marijuana,past-month use of the drug has continued to rise above
the national average among youth aged 12-17 in all five jurisdictions(National Survev on
Drug Use and Health [NSDUH],2006-2016).
o Colorado currently holds the top ranking for first-time marijuana use among youth,
representing a 65%increase in the years since legalization(NSDUH,2006-2016).
o Young adult use(youth aged 18-25) in legalized states is increasing(NSDUH,
2006-2016).
o Colorado toxicology reports show the percentage of adolescent suicide N ictims testing
positive for marijuana has increased (Colorado Department of Public Health & Enx ironment
[CDPHE],2017).
o A study in Colorado found that about 50%of vouth in outpatient substance abuse
treatment reported using diverted marijuana(Wilkinson,Yarnell,Radhakrishnan,Ball,&
D'Souza,2016).
Selling to Minors
o Washington state law enforcement has documented a total of 424 N solations among
licensed marijuana businesses.Of these,288 violations pertained to selling marijuana to
minors and 136 x solations were for allowing minors access to a restricted area(Washington
State Liquor and Cannabis Board [WSLCB],2017).
Social Justice
o Colorado marijuana arrests for young African-American and Hispanic youth have
increased since legalization (Colorado Department of Public Safety).
o Colorado schools that had 25%or fewer youth of color had 313 marijuana-related
suspensions compared to 658 marijuana-related suspensions for schools comprised of
populations with 76%or more youth of color(CDPS,2016).
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o The gallons of alcohol consumed in Colorado since marijuana legalization has
increased by 8%(Colorado Department of Revenue [CDR],Colorado Liquor Excise Tax,2017).
Hospital and ER Visits
o In Colorado,calls to poison control centers have risen 210%between the four-year
averages before and after recreational legalization (Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center
[RMPCD],2017 and Wang,et al.,2017).
o In Colorado,the annual rate of marijuana-related emergency room visits increased 35%
between the years 2011 and 2015 (CDPHE,2017).
The Black Market
o Narcotics officers in Colorado have been busy responding to the 50%increase in illegal
grow operations across rural areas in the state(Stewart,2017).
o In 2016 alone,Colorado law enforcement confiscated 7,116 pounds of marijuana,
carried out 252 felony arrests,and made 346 highway interdictions of marijuana headed to 36
different U.S.states(RMHIDTA,2017).
o The U.S. mail system has also been affected by the black market,seeing an 844%
increase in marijuana seizures(RMHIDTA,2017).
Crime
o The crime rate in Colorado has increased 11 times faster than the rest of the nation
since legalization(Mitchell,2017),with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation reporting an 8.3%
increase in property crimes and an 18.6%increase in violent crimes(Colorado Bureau of
Investigation [CBI],2017).
o A studv funded by the National Institutes of Health showed that the densitv of
marijuana dispensaries was linked to increased property crimes in nearby areas(Freisthler,
Gaidus,Tam,Ponicki,& Gruenewald,2017).
o The Boulder Police Department reported a 54%increase in public consumption of
marijuana citations since legalization(Boulder Police Department [BPD],2017).
5
The Workplace
o Marijuana urine test results in Colorado are now double the national average(Quest
Diagnostics,2016).
o Insurance claims have become a growing concern among companies in legalized
states(Hlavac& Easterly,2016).
Impaired Dd3d"
o The number of drivers in Colorado intoxicated with marijuana and involved in fatal
traffic crashes increased 88%from 2013 to 2015 (Migoya,2017).Marijuana-related traffic
deaths increased 66%between the four-year averages before and after legalization
(National Highwav Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA],2017).
o Drix ing under the influence of drugs(DUIDs)have also risen in Colorado,with 76%
of statewide DUIDs invoking marijuana(Colorado State Patrol [CSPJ,2017).
Citations and Further Reading
6
LOCAL MARIJUANA BANS
The rise of commercialization has inundated legalized communities with marijuana companies
and paraphernalia. In Colorado,this has led to more marijuana stores than McDonald's and
Starbucks combined (1,014 retail marijuana outlets,with 394 of them being located with medical
marijuana outlets,versus 600 McDonald's and Starbucks).
However, a the overwhelming majority of cities and counties have banned marijuana stores in
their locality.Colorado currently has 271 incorporated municipalities,comprising 196 towns, 73
cities, and two consolidated city and county governments. As of January 2018, only 70 towns
and cities in Colorado had approved retail marijuana sales within their jurisdictions. The
locations that have banned marijuana sales have decided that any revenue would be outweighed
by the costs of marijuana use.
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Source:Westword,2015&2018