Per a recent University of Delaware poll, over 60 percent of Delawareans support cannabis legalization, and rightfully so. I am sorry to see so many myths and so much misinformation surrounding it.
THC, cannabis’ active drug, is not physically addictive, nor does it lead to aggressive or violent behavior. Yet alcohol, which is physically addictive and causes many social ills, is legal. States with legal cannabis have seen about a 15 percent drop in alcohol usage, and reductions in violent crime rates. Cigarettes and opioids are also legal, and we know they are addictive and can cause devastating health effects, unlike cannabis.
Cannabis legalization will not lead to a significant uptick in its consumption. Millions of Americans already use cannabis regularly. Since legalization, Colorado has experienced no significant increase in cannabis usage, if any at all. Alcohol prohibition did not work, and cannabis prohibition has never worked.
A popular myth labels cannabis a “gateway drug,” but no reliable studies support this claim. In fact, states with legal cannabis have experienced significant drops in their numbers of opioid- and heroin-related overdoses and deaths.
Cannabis legalization will not lead to more impaired drivers on the roads. Again, states with legal cannabis have experienced little to no post-legalization consumption increases. Therefore, it is nonsensical that legalization will result in additional cannabis-influenced drivers.
Furthermore, a 2015 National Highway Traffic Safety Commission study found that cannabis-influenced drivers “are no more likely to crash than drivers who have not used any drugs or alcohol prior to driving.”
We know from evidence and personal testimony that cannabis treats a wide variety of medical and mental health issues. Some individuals argue that sufficient studies have not been performed on the efficacy and safety of medical cannabis. Meanwhile, we know that opioid manufacturers have hidden and altered studies demonstrating their drugs’ addictive properties.
Many people with medical and mental health conditions - myself included - are more than familiar with feeling like guinea pigs when it comes to prescription drugs, many of which have serious side effects. Cannabis has virtually no side effects and cannot lead to overdose.
Why do we trust pills made in factories by corporations focused on massive profits, more than we trust a plant growing out of the ground?
Legalization has produced only positive effects in other states, even providing them a major, steady new stream of financial revenue. We regulate and tax the sale of alcohol and cigarettes, which are much more harmful than cannabis in terms of health and social costs. It is long overdue that we regulate and tax the sale of cannabis.
Finally, we must stop imprisoning individuals for possessing any amount of cannabis, or growing it. Also, all cannabis-related charges should be dropped and expunged from affected individuals’ records immediately. Current laws unfairly target people of color and less-affluent individuals; remove them unnecessarily from families, jobs, and communities; and brand them with life-changing criminal records.
Empirical research and history demonstrate that cannabis legalization promises us much to gain and nothing to lose.
Eric Morrison
Democratic candidate
Delaware House of Representatives, 27th District
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