The proposed Marijuana Justice Act would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act.
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Arrests are up. We still have a black market. And people are in danger.
Last
week, Senator Cory Booker introduced the Marijuana Justice Act in an
effort to legalize marijuana across the nation and penalize local
communities that want nothing to do with this dangerous drug. This is
the furthest reaching marijuana legalization effort to date and marks
another sad moment in our nation’s embrace of a drug that will have
generational consequences.
Our country is facing a
drug epidemic. Legalizing recreational marijuana will do nothing that
Senator Booker expects. We heard many of these same promises in 2012
when Colorado legalized recreational marijuana.
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.
In 2012, we were promised funds from
marijuana taxes would benefit our communities, particularly schools. Dr.
Harry Bull, the Superintendent of Cherry Creek Schools, one of the
largest school districts in the state, said, "So far, the only thing
that the legalization of marijuana has brought to our schools has been
marijuana."
In
fiscal year 2016, marijuana tax revenue resulted in $156,701,018. The
total tax revenue for Colorado was $13,327,123,798, making marijuana
only 1.18% of the state's total tax revenue. The cost of marijuana
legalization in public awareness campaigns, law enforcement, healthcare
treatment, addiction recovery, and preventative work is an unknown cost
to date.
Senator
Booker stated his reasons for legalizing marijuana is to reduce
"marijuana arrests happening so much in our country, targeting certain
communities - poor communities, minority communities." It's a noble
cause to seek to reduce incarceration rates among these communities but
legalizing marijuana has had the opposite effect.
According
to the Colorado Department of Public Safety, arrests in Colorado of
black and Latino youth for marijuana possession have increased 58% and
29% respectively after legalization. This means that Black and Latino
youth are being arrested more for marijuana possession after it became
legal.
Furthermore, a vast majority of Colorado's
marijuana businesses are concentrated in neighborhoods of color. Leaders
from these communities, many of whom initially voted to legalize
recreational marijuana, often speak out about the negative impacts of
these businesses.
POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media
Senator
Booker released his bill just a few days after the Washington Post
reported on a study by the Review of Economic Studies that found
"college students with access to recreational cannabis on average earn
worse grades and fail classes at a higher rate." Getting off marijuana
especially helped lower performing students who were at risk of dropping
out. Since legalizing marijuana, Colorado's youth marijuana use rate is
the highest in the nation, 74% higher than the national average,
according to the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
Report. This is having terribly negative effects on the education of our
youth.
If Senator Booker is interested in serving
poor and minority communities, legalizing marijuana is one of the worst
decisions. There is much work to be done to reduce incarceration and
recidivism, but flooding communities with drugs will do nothing but
exacerbate the problems.
The true impact of
marijuana on our communities is just starting to be learned. The
negative consequences of legalizing recreational marijuana will be felt
for generations. I encourage Senator Booker to spend time with parents,
educators, law enforcement, counselors, community leaders, pastors, and
legislators before rushing to legalize marijuana nationally. We’ve seen
the effects in our neighborhoods in Colorado, and this is nothing we
wish upon the nation.
Jeff Hunt is the Vice President of Public Policy at Colorado Christian University. Follow him on Twitter: @jeffhunt.
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