Oklahoma voters will determine the destiny of authorized marijuana on March 7. There are at the least 5 good causes to vote no.
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First, states which have legalized marijuana have seen vital will increase in site visitors accidents, together with fatalities, attributable to stoned drivers. Colorado’s marijuana-linked fatality charge doubled after that state legalized weed. Washington and California have reported related ominous traits. Recently the Oklahoma Highway Patrol famous that medication have now surpassed alcohol as a causative consider severe wrecks.
A ‘sure’ vote on March 7 will endanger you and your loved ones every time you go away house.
Second, authorized weed will not eradicate unlawful drug trafficking as proponents typically declare. Law enforcement in post-legalization California reported that 80% of marijuana transactions had been nonetheless of the black market selection. In weed-legal Colorado, arrests for unlawful weed soared 380%. This is no surprise since consumers will inevitably search out the cheaper, untaxed different.
Third, authorized weed will harm younger brains. Science is evident on this: The human mind just isn’t totally fashioned till our mid- to late-20s. Multiple research have proven that publicity to the lively ingredient in weed, THC, could cause everlasting lack of cognitive skills and, in a single New Zealand research, a decline in IQ scores of as a lot as eight factors.
Why would we vote to inflict mind harm on our youngsters?
Fourth, Oklahoma is already a nationwide laughingstock because the No. 1 supply of unlawful weed, because of the explosion in cultivation and smuggling that adopted medical marijuana legalization. We’ve seen ghost operators that included Chinese crime syndicates and Mexican cartels, huge smuggling operations and even a number of homicides surrounding the medical weed commerce. This is hardly stunning; we have now issued 32 instances as many grower licenses (8,600) as all different states mixed — and that with solely medical marijuana.
Thanks to our central location and current unlawful weed infrastructure, totally legalizing marijuana might open the floodgates to an organized crime takeover of our state.
Fifth, authorized weed would imply extra habit and the social pathologies that accompany that situation.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, roughly 10% of the inhabitants has the genetic tendency to turn into hooked on any temper altering substance, together with marijuana. Marijuana consumption additionally circumstances some brains to crave extra harmful medication like methamphetamines and opioids. Weed just isn’t innocent, as advocates declare; it has the potential to significantly harm tens of hundreds of lives.
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Finally, does anybody actually imagine that having a considerable portion of the inhabitants lounging round in a stupor is sweet for our society? Marijuana legalization is solely awful social coverage. Oklahoma is best than this and may forged a convincing no vote on March 7.
Mike Brake is a retired journalist who specialised in crime reporting. Don Newsom is a former Oklahoma City police officer who retired from the Secret Service after a profession guarding presidents.
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