Editor’s Note: The following position paper opposing the legalization
of recreational marijuana was written by Dakota County Attorney James C. Backstrom and Dakota County Sheriff Tim Leslie.
MSANI opposes the legalization of recreational marijuana in Minnesota as do the Minnesota Sheriffs Association, the Chiefs of Police Association, the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association and the Minnesota County Attorneys Association.
By James C. Backstrom and Tim Leslie
Legalizing the recreational use of marijuana would
not be good for Minnesota.
Restricting marijuana use to just those
ages 21 or older will not keep underage youth safe. In fact, one in four
12th-graders report that they would try marijuana, or that their use would
increase, if the drug were legalized.
Chemical addiction and illegal drug use are
the largest contributor to crime. The proponents of legalization don’t want to
acknowledge that marijuana is an addictive substance. Unfortunately, most
people in America are unaware of this, but it is a fact that cannot be ignored.
The marijuana available today is much more potent (and consequently more
addictive) than the marijuana smoked in the 1960s.
Marijuana can directly worsen symptoms of
anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. A recent marijuana study has also
linked its use to higher risk of stroke and heart failure.
Marijuana is a gateway drug for many to
the use of other illegal drugs… methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine. Studies
have confirmed that the use of marijuana lowers inhibitions about drug use and
exposes users to a culture that encourages the use of other illegal drugs.
While some initial studies in the
scientific literature concluded that marijuana legalization reduces opioid use, subsequent
studies have exposed flaws in those prior studies debunking these findings.
These more recent reports in fact show the opposite trend… that recreational
marijuana will increase opioid abuse.
America’s prisons are NOT filled with
low-level, nonviolent marijuana users. Pro-marijuana advocates have spread this
misinformation, but that is a fallacy. The actual statistics are:
Less than half of one percent of individuals in Minnesota prisons are there for a marijuana offense – and 70 percent of those individuals had prior felony convictions.
The reality is that you don’t go to prison
for a marijuana offense unless you are in possession of or dealing large
quantities of this controlled substance.
Many prosecutors regularly refer
non-violent drug offenders to drug courts and diversion programs for low-level
drugs, allowing them to obtain dismissals of their criminal charge if they
complete treatment, attend counseling and stay sober. These types of
common-sense efforts are designed to keep drug offenders out of jail and prison
and help address their drug addictions, which are destroying their lives and
adversely impacting public safety.
Lowering the criminal penalties for
marijuana use is a completely different topic from legalization of this
substance. The Minnesota Legislature reduced criminal penalties for low-level
drug offenders, including marijuana users, four years ago.
Legalization would not reduce the burden
of the criminal justice system, nor would it curb drug-related violence.
It is a complete fallacy to believe that
legalizing marijuana will eliminate black market sales of this controlled
substance by drug dealers and cartels. Black market activity has increased, not
decreased, in
states where recreational use of marijuana is legal. Black market sales of
marijuana in Colorado have never been higher. Highway seizures of illegal
marijuana in that state have increased by 39 percent since recreational
marijuana was legalized.
One of the most serious and fastest
growing crime problems in states that have legalized marijuana use is vehicle
crashes. Since recreational marijuana was legalized in Colorado in 2013,
marijuana-related traffic deaths have increased 151 percent — an increase of 83
traffic deaths every year. And the number of persons seriously injured in
marijuana-related crashes far exceeds that number.
In the state of Washington, drivers
involved in fatal car crashes who tested positive for marijuana doubled in the
five-year period after legalization. One in five drivers involved in fatal car
crashes in 2017 tested positive for marijuana. Recent research study shows that
frequent marijuana users are dangerous drivers even when sober. Legalization
of marijuana in Minnesota will result in more traffic deaths and injuries than
occur from impaired driving today.
Commercializing marijuana increases public
health and public safety costs beyond any economic tax benefits projected to be
gained from legalization of the substance. The negative social and health costs
of marijuana use far outweigh any anticipated tax revenues from
commercialization. For every dollar gained in tax revenue from legalized sales of
marijuana in Colorado, it is estimated that over $4.50 was spent to mitigate
the social costs of legalization.
Legalizing marijuana in Minnesota would
likely increase its use among teens, lead to more addiction, cause more traffic
deaths and injuries, lead to more mental health problems, and increase the use
of other illegal drugs.
We should not be legalizing this dangerous
and addictive substance and encouraging more people to use it.
