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LESSONS LEARNED FROM MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION
Reviewed by researchers from:University of Colorado at Denver, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, University of Connecticut,Yale University, University of Kansas
COLORAD0
- Colorado currently holds the top ranking for first-time marijuana use among youth, representing a 65% increase in the years since legalization (NSDUH, 2006-2017).
- Colorado toxicology reports show the percentage of adolescent suicide victims testing positive for marijuana has increased (Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment [CDPHE], 2017).
- The gallons of alcohol consumed in Colorado since marijuana legalization has increased by 8% (Colorado Department of Revenue [CDR], Colorado Liquor Excise Tax, 2017).
- 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.
- Narcotics officers in Colorado have been busy responding to the 50% increase in illegal grow operations across rural areas in the state (Stewart, 2017).
- 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).
- 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).
LESSONS LEARNED FROM MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION IN FOUR U.S. STATES AND D.C.
Alaska - In Anchorage, school suspensions for marijuana use and possession increased more than 141% from 2015 (when legalization was implemented) to 2017 (Wohlforth, 2018).
Colorado - A study in Colorado found that about 50% of youth in outpatient substance abuse treatment reported using diverted marijuana (Wilkinson, Yarnell, Radhakrishnan, Ball, & D’Souza, 2016).
DC - The Districtof Columbia saw public consumption and distribution arrests nearly triple between the years 2015 and 2016, and a disproportionate number of those marijuana-related arrests occur among African-Americans (Moyer, 2017;DCMPD, 2016).
Oregon - One hospital in Bend, Oregon, also had an increase in marijuana-related emergency room visits from 229 in 2012 to 2,251 in 2015; the average number of marijuana-related emergency room visits per month in the same hospital in 2016 was 552 (Hawryluk, 2017).
Washington - Washington state law enforcement has documented a total of 424 violations among licensed marijuana businesses. Of these, 288 violations pertained to selling marijuana to minors and 136 violations were for allowing minors access to a restricted area (Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board [WSLCB], 2017).