Counterpoint: Why you should vote 'no' on Oklahoma State Question 820
Oklahoma voters will decide the fate of legal marijuana on March 7. There are at least five good reasons to vote no.
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First, states that have legalized marijuana have seen significant increases in traffic accidents, including fatalities, caused by stoned drivers. Colorado’s marijuana-linked fatality rate doubled after that state legalized weed. Washington and California have reported similar ominous trends. Recently the Oklahoma Highway Patrol noted that drugs have now surpassed alcohol as a causative factor in serious wrecks.
A 'yes' vote on March 7 will endanger you and your family each time you leave home.
Second, legal weed will not eliminate illegal drug trafficking as proponents often claim. Law enforcement in post-legalization California reported that 80% of marijuana transactions were still of the black market variety. In weed-legal Colorado, arrests for illegal weed soared 380%. This is not surprising since buyers will inevitably seek out the cheaper, untaxed alternative.
Third, legal weed will damage young brains. Science is clear on this: The human brain is not fully formed until our mid- to late-20s. Multiple studies have shown that exposure to the active ingredient in weed, THC, can cause permanent loss of cognitive abilities and, in one New Zealand study, a decline in IQ scores of as much as eight points.
Why would we vote to inflict brain damage on our children?
Fourth, Oklahoma is already a national laughingstock as the No. 1 source of illegal weed, thanks to the explosion in cultivation and smuggling that followed medical marijuana legalization. We’ve seen ghost operators that included Chinese crime syndicates and Mexican cartels, massive smuggling operations and even multiple homicides surrounding the medical weed trade. This is hardly surprising; we have issued 32 times as many grower licenses (8,600) as all other states combined — and that with only medical marijuana.
Thanks to our central location and existing illegal weed infrastructure, fully legalizing marijuana could open the floodgates to an organized crime takeover of our state.
Fifth, legal weed would mean more addiction and the social pathologies that accompany that condition.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, roughly 10% of the population has the genetic tendency to become addicted to any mood altering substance, including marijuana. Marijuana consumption also conditions some brains to crave more dangerous drugs like methamphetamines and opioids. Weed is not harmless, as advocates claim; it has the potential to seriously damage tens of thousands of lives.
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Finally, does anyone really believe that having a substantial portion of the population lounging around in a stupor is good for our society? Marijuana legalization is simply lousy social policy. Oklahoma is better than this and should cast a resounding no vote on March 7.
Mike Brake is a retired journalist who specialized in crime reporting. Don Newsom is a former Oklahoma City police officer who retired from the Secret Service after a career guarding presidents.
For some more takes on the SQ 820 vote ...
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Counterpoint on SQ 820: Legalized marijuana will endanger you
