Family Council Action Committee Opposes Marijuana Measure

Marijuana

The following press release is from Family Council Action Committee.

On Monday, Arkansans for Compassionate Care submitted petition signatures to the Arkansas Secretary of State requesting a measure legalizing “medical” marijuana be certified for the November 2016 ballot.

Family Council Action Committee Executive Director Jerry Cox released a statement saying, “Arkansans need to know the truth about marijuana. This measure lets most marijuana users grow marijuana at home without sufficient oversight. Marijuana is not classified as medicine. It isn’t overseen by pharmacists or the federal Food and Drug Administration. Studies increasingly find a connection between marijuana use and cognitive problems and reductions in IQ. Many researchers even link marijuana with schizophrenia later in life.”

Cox said the proposal has many of the same flaws as a similar ballot measure proposed in 2012. “This new proposal isn’t any better than the proposal from 2012. Arguably, this measure makes it easier for just about anyone to use marijuana, because it lists more qualifying conditions than the 2012 proposal. It still lets marijuana users grow marijuana at home. Marijuana won’t be prescribed by a doctor through a pharmacy. The proposal forces the State of Arkansas to come up with tax dollars to establish a marijuana program at the Arkansas Department of Health. Governor Mike Beebe’s administration determined in 2012 that was going to cost Arkansas taxpayers severely. This new proposal does not fix that problem. Arkansas taxpayers are going to be stuck footing the bill to support someone else’s marijuana habit.”

Cox said the proposal fails to help children with seizures. “People backing this measure and similar proposals keep talking about marijuana extracts and oils can help children with seizures. If that’s true, then why is this measure written so broadly? The wording of this proposal doesn’t focus on children or on oils or extracts. It’s about otherwise-healthy adults buying, growing, and smoking marijuana. The number-one reason children in Arkansas are in foster care is drug abuse by their parents. In states that have legalized marijuana, we have seen stories of children rushed to the emergency room after accidentally overdosing on cookies or candies laced with marijuana. This proposal isn’t going to help children. It’s going to put children at risk.”

Cox said the proposal is about complete legalization of marijuana. “Two of the nation’s top supporters of marijuana legalization are backing this measure. If this proposal isn’t about full legalization of marijuana, then why else would they support it?”

Cox said the measure does not properly regulate marijuana use. “If marijuana is medicine, then it should be regulated like medicine. This proposal does not do that. If marijuana is no different from alcohol, then it should be regulated like alcohol. This proposal doesn’t do that, either. All this measure does is make it easier for people to grow and smoke marijuana.”

Family Council Action Committee is a conservative 501(c)(4) organization based in Little Rock, Arkansas.

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Despite Legalization, Illegal Marijuana Sale Leads to Deaths in CO

Marijuana

Kush_closeAccording to the Denver Post, prosecutors in Colorado have charged three men in the case of a marijuana-related shooting that occurred earlier this month.

The Denver District Attorney said,

“The charges allege that Evans, Jones, and Turrentine came to Denver from Oklahoma to illegally purchase several pounds of marijuana, and that during the transaction on June 3, 2016, they shot and killed two men and tried to kill five others.”

The Denver Post writes, “Police have called the shooting deaths the result of a ‘drug deal gone extremely bad.'”

This situation underscores the fact that, contrary to the claims of many, black market marijuana sales continue even following full legalization of marijuana. For example, reports from Colorado in 2012 indicated so-called “medical” marijuana legalization had spawned illegal drug trafficking.

A study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in April 2012 found 74% of teens surveyed in two Colorado substance abuse facilities had used “medical” marijuana intended for someone else.The study surveyed 164 teens ages 14-18. Of these teens, 122 admitted to using “medical” marijuana; only 1 was legally qualified to do so.

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Churchgoers Accidentally Eat Marijuana-Laced Cookies After Service

Marijuana

Kush_closeSix churchgoers in Indiana went the to ER on May 22 after eating cookies laced with marijuana following church services.

According to various news reports, the individuals experienced symptoms including high blood pressure, anxiety, lethargy, and paranoia. All six tested positive for THC–the active ingredient in marijuana.

Unfortunately, accidental ingestion of marijuana and marijuana-laced foods is becoming increasingly common–especially among children.

For example:

  1. April, 2016: A Georgia woman was arrested after her five year old said he ate a marijuana cake for breakfast. The child was taken to the hospital for treatment following the incident; according to officials, his pulse was measured at over 200 beats per minute. According to the child’s mother, the cake laced with marijuana was given to her by another person.
  2. February, 2016: An eight-year-old Oregon boy was taken to the hospital after eating a marijuana-infused cookie he found. The cookie was sealed and labeled that it contained approximately 50 milligrams of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
  3. March, 2015: Four high school students were hospitalized after eating brownies laced with marijuana hash oil. One student was actually found unresponsive in a school bathroom after eating a marijuana-laced brownie.
  4. February, 2015: A 20-month-old Canadian toddler overdosed after eating a marijuana-laced cookie authorities say his father baked. The child survived, but suffered seizures and had to be admitted to a hospital.
  5. December, 2014: A high school teacher in Maryland was hospitalized after a student gave her a brownie containing marijuana.
  6. December, 2014: Two middle school students in Oklahoma were rushed to the hospital after one of them reportedly passed out following marijuana-use at school.
  7. November, 2014: A Connecticut teen was taken to the hospital from school after she started having difficulty breathing following ingestion of a marijuana-laced gummy bear.
  8. June, 2014: According to The Aspen Times, a seven-year-old girl was taken to the hospital after eating marijuana-laced candy her mother brought home from work at an area hotel. The candy was left by a hotel guest–presumably as a tip.
  9. December, 2013: A two-year-old in Colorado overdosed and was hospitalized after eating a cookie laced with marijuana.News outlet indicate the girl found the cookie in the yard of an apartment complex.

These examples underscore what we have said time and time again: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

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