TRUST THE DATA
Since the legalization of marijuana in 2000, things have changed. Many voted yes because decriminalizing marijuana was the right thing to do for those unfairly targeted by the war on drugs. Unfortunately, the industry has used legalization to concentrate marijuana and commercialize a much harder drug. Peer-reviewed, published studies show that high-THC drugs cause significant harm to those with developing brains. We know Boulder youth can buy any-strength marijuana with almost no barriers, due to social selling enabled by loopholes. The heartbreak and despair of lives diminished or cut short is a price many will pay. We must all bear the societal costs.
Boulder should not expand marijuana with
recreational delivery or social consumption.
KEY TREND CONCERNS
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 HAVE INCREASED
[COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT (CDPHE) 2017]
COLORADO’S TEEN SUICIDE RATE INCREASED 58% FROM 2016-2019, THE HIGHEST INCREASE
IN THE COUNTRY (UNITED HEALTH FOUNDATION)
THC IS THE NUMBER ONE DRUG FOUND IN COLORADO TEENS 15-19 WHO DIED BY SUICIDE IN 2017
(CDPHE VIOLENT DEATH REPORTING SYSTEM)
THC POTENCY IN CONCENTRATE DRUGS HAS INCREASED MORE THAN 800% SINCE 2010
(CDPHE 2020)
HIGH-POTENCY THC USE IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED SEVERITY OF DEPENDENCE, ESPECIALLY IN YOUNG PEOPLE. (FREEMAN TP AND WINSTOCK AR. PSYCH MED 2015;45:3181-3189)
MULTIPLE STUDIES SHOW SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH HIGH THC: ADDICTION, PSYCHOSIS, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, SLEEP PROBLEMS, SUICIDE, VIOLENCE (SEE ARTICLES AND STUDIES BELOW)
RECENT STUDIES AND ARTICLES
Teenage Brains May Be Especially Vulnerable to Marijuana and Other Drugs
- New York Times
March 29, 2021
Association of Cannabis Use With Self-harm and Mortality Risk
Among Youths With Mood Disorders - JAMA Psychiatry
January, 2021
The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact
- Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
Volume 7, September 2020
THC Concentration in Colorado Marijuana: Health Effects and Public Health Concerns
- Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
August, 2020
Association of Cannabis Use in Adolescence and Risk of Depression, Anxiety,
and Suicidality in Young Adulthood | JAMA Psychiatry
February, 2019
Daily Marijuana Use and Highly Potent Pot Linked to Psychosis
- National Public Radio
March, 2019
Legalizing Marijuana Won’t Advance Social Justice
- Dr Kevin Sabet, Smart Approaches to Marijuana
July, 2020
Cannabis-related psychosis, addiction, ER visits: For young users,
marijuana can be a dangerous game | Philadelphia Inquirer
December, 2019
The Problem with the Current High Potency THC Marijuana
from the Perspective of an Addiction Psychiatrist
Nov-Dec, 2018
Depression, Anxiety Three Times More Likely in People with Cannabis Use Disorder
- Journal of Affective Disorders
December, 2020
Boulder County Sees More Patients with Chronic Vomiting Condition
Tied to Chronic Pot Use | Associated Press
December, 2018
In November 2020,
New Zealanders successfully defeated a national referendum on marijuana legalization that relied heavily on Colorado data that have emerged since legalization.
