What About the Children?

Unsurprisingly, the war on marijuana has been waged in the name of ‘the children.’  What message will we send the children if we change our policy on marijuana?  Why would we want to introduce yet another intoxicant into our society?

Well, as a mother, and a Latina, here’s my question: whom do we think we’re fooling? The Monitoring the Future Study done by the University of Michigan states that 8 out of 10 high school seniors reported they have easy access to marijuana. Meanwhile, the National Institute of Health reports that teen use of alcohol and tobacco is at an all-time low. Alcohol and tobacco are two of the most heavily regulated industries.

The message is clear: regulation, combined with education, works. Prohibition doesn’t.

If the evidence shows that our current methods of keeping cannabis away from our children are not working, why would we continue with the same failed laws and policies that criminalize otherwise law-abiding adults and subject our children to the dangers of the black market?  After seventy-five years of failure, it is time to look at new and different options like Oregon’s Measure 80.

In August, I formed a Facebook group called “Women for Measure 80” to make our voices heard and encourage other courageous women to speak up and speak out.  We have more than one hundred members, including mothers and grandmothers who agree that our current policies have failed.  Some are registered medical marijuana patients who have had their children taken away by the very agency that provided their medical marijuana cards. One mother has found cannabis to be effective for her daughter’s cancer. We are tired of penalties against possession of a drug that are more damaging to our families than the drug itself.  We are looking for a new solution, and we have found it in Measure 80.

While marijuana use by teens has been increasing since 2005, an analysis of data from 1993 through 2009 by economists at three universities has found no evidence to link the legalization of medical marijuana to increased use of the drug among high school students.  Over time and with a proven regulate-and-educate approach adopted by Measure 80, these numbers will decrease even further.

The fact is that Americans who consume cannabis will continue to do so, regardless of whether or not we change our failed marijuana policy. And more importantly, Americans who do not currently consume cannabis are unlikely to become consumers just because the laws have changed. If we do nothing, if we maintain the failed status quo; the cartels will continue; drug dealers will continue targeting kids, especially in our poorest neighborhoods; and our children will continue to be at risk.

Insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results.  It is time to recognize this collective insanity and fear, admit failure, and regulate cannabis like alcohol, to get it out of the hands of our children and into state-licensed stores. Drug dealers don’t ask for I.D.; store owners do.

Oregonians are pioneers.  Now is the time to step up and show the rest of the country, and the world, the benefits that marijuana regulation can bring.  Oregon’s medical marijuana program is an example of what the future holds.   Regulation of marijuana for all adults 21 and older will send tens of millions of dollars a year to our state’s general fund, which will increase Oregon’s ability to fund school and health programs that help our children succeed and keep them safe, while making it much more difficult for kids to obtain marijuana.

Video: Women for Measure 80 Rally by Michael Bachara: