To the editor,
Those wedded to the status quo of marijuana prohibition frequently mischaracterize state-level cannabis regulation as a risk not worth taking (“Romanchuk: The case against recreational marijuana legalization” Oct. 23).
However, neither public opinion nor the available data support this position. Voters’ support for legalization has never been higher. Further, none of the 23 states that have enacted adult-use legalization have ever repealed or even rolled back their laws. This is evidence that these policies are working largely as voters and politicians intended and that they are preferable to cannabis criminalization.
Adolescent cannabis has not risen in parallel with legalization, as many critics feared. According to the CDC’s most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the percentage of high schoolers who have ever tried marijuana fell 30 percent between 2011 and 2021. Compliance check data from California, Colorado, and other legal marijuana states show that licensed marijuana retailers do not sell products to underage patrons.
Jurisdictions that regulate cannabis have not experienced any decreases in either workplace safety or productivity. In fact, studies by the National Academy of Sciences and others consistently conclude that employees who consume cannabis while off the job perform no differently than do their peers.
Statewide legalization has not negatively impacted crime rates. Data from Colorado, Oregon, and Washington shows improvements in police clearance rates for violent crimes following legalization.
This is not to imply that cannabis is harmless or that it cannot be misused. However, such risks are best mitigated by regulation and public education. They are only exacerbated by criminalization and stigmatization.
Voting “yes” on Issue 2 will disrupt the illicit cannabis market, end low-level marijuana arrests, create jobs and new revenue. It makes no sense from a public health perspective, a fiscal perspective, or a moral perspective to arrest, prosecute, and incarcerate adults who choose to responsible consume a substance that is objectively safer than either alcohol or tobacco.
Sincerely,
Paul Armentano
Deputy Director
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)