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Don't go too fast on legalizing cannabis please!

March 10, 2017

As someone who has recently relocated to Delaware from Colorado, where cannabis is legal, there should be a great deal of thought and consideration before legalizing cannabis. Within a two-mile radius of my former home in Denver, there were 15-plus dispensaries. I personally passed five dispensaries driving to work in the morning, some with sign holders who were so stoned that they were falling on the sidewalk.

Crime will increase due to the burglaries of the dispensaries because it is still against federal law, and therefore dispensaries cannot deposit their money into banking institutions that are federally insured.

There are numerous stories about children getting into the edible cannabis cookies and candies and ending up in the emergency department. One story was regarding a college student who overdosed on edible cookies and jumped off a three-story balcony to his death.

Pets also can get into the edible products, and in most cases will most likely not survive.

Since the onset of legalization of cannabis in Colorado, there have been concerns about secondhand smoke in apartments and condominium living. Medical providers have expressed concern about getting any level of cannabis in their blood from secondhand smoke. This would create a problem for someone who is a licensed medical professional who could potentially come under scrutiny for a positive random drug test by their employer. There is no way to measure blood levels of impairment for cannabis.

There is a level of trust if you go to a potluck gathering to question if someone has laced their food with "pot."

When bicycling along the bike path in downtown Denver, I have witnessed homeless persons shooting-up drugs along the path. As the former director of a peer assistance program for medical professionals, there is strong correlation that cannabis is a gateway drug to more dangerous and illicit drugs.

The homeless population has increased dramatically in Colorado secondary to the inability to pass employment drug screens.

The schools and infrastructure plans for the allocation of money are not evident in the schools and road maintenance.

So before anyone thinks this is a quick fix our state's economy, it comes with numerous considerations that need to be strongly in place before such a thing takes place.

Mark Merrill
Milton/Lewes

 

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