Category Archives: Featured

Colorado, Featured, News Articles

The Tide is Changing — Marijuana Industry Exposed

Colorado Fights Against Industry

People are learning about the deception used by the Marijuana Industry to sell voters and the public on medical marijuana and marijuana legalization. People are learning about the harms caused by marijuana and a reckless Marijuana Industry.

marijuana-cigarettes
Marijuana industry exposed — it follows the playbook of the tobacco industry. Residents are now rejecting it Colorado.

People are learning that the Marijuana Industry, like the Tobacco Industry, has deep pockets so they can create the illusion of widespread support — which does not actually exist (except by those who are looking to make $$$).

Take a look at what happened over the last few weeks in Colorado. More people are rejecting the commercialization and legalization by the Marijuana Industry.

• The Colorado Springs City Council voted to ban marijuana clubs 3/9/16. The Council saw through the Marijuana Industry smokescreen as they attempted to portray marijuana clubs as medical sites for people with PTSD. (The Marijuana Industry does not hesitate to exploit many people and issues.) Below is a link to a 2-minute promotional video for one of the marijuana clubs (no mention of its “medical” practices). View the video

• Cannabis Cup kicked out of Colorado. High Times Magazine’s Cannabis Cup, a marijuana celebration event, has been rejected by Colorado communities. Adams County Commissioners did not approve their application to hold the event again in their community citing safety concerns. High Times thought they could find a home in Pueblo County but withdrew their application after local pushback, including from the Pueblo County Sheriff.  Many in law enforcement voiced their opposition and concerns.

• Marijuana events bill dies in committee. A bill to allow marijuana events across the state died in a state legislative committee.

This is all very interesting, especially after Rolling Stone Magazine called 2015 a year for the mainstreaming of marijuana.

News Articles

Big Marijuana, Big Loss in Maine

Not Enough Signatures for Fall Ballot

An initiative to legalize marijuana in Maine failed to make the 2016 ballot today, after over 40,000 signatures legalization proponents submitted in favor of the proposal were invalidated due to irregularities.  This left legalizers well short of the 61,123 signatures needed to put the initiative to a vote this fall.

Almost half of the signatures submitted (47,686 of 99,229) were declared invalid.  More specifically, Maine election officials found that, among other irregularities:
  • Over 31,000 signatures were invalid because the signatures of petition circulators swearing that they witnessed signature collection did not match their signatures on file. (Indeed, one circulator was listed as the public notary on an incredible 5,099 petitions containing 26,779 signatures.)
  • Another 13,525 signatures were invalidated because they did not belong to a registered voter in the municipality where they were submitted.
Portland-Head-Lighthouse
Portland Head Lighthouse, Maine
“This is a huge sigh of relief for Mainers and our public health community, especially in a period where we are facing a serious and growing opiate crisis,” stated SAM Maine Director, Scott M. Gagnon.  “The last thing we needed amidst an addiction crisis is increased access and availability to drugs.  We are pleased that the Big Marijuana agenda will not be allowed to disrupt our efforts to protect and improve the health of Mainers and Maine communities.”  Gagnon has written about how the marijuana industry is trying to cash in on the heroin epidemic.
Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of SAM added, “This represents a victory for public health over industry profits.  Despite pouring money into Maine, it appears that the pot industry was unable to get enough real people to sign their petition.  The fact that almost a full 50% of the signatures were invalidated casts a cloud over the entire legalization movement in the state.”

Marijuana lobbyists and industry groups have also tried to legalize marijuana by going through the state legislature multiple times. These efforts failed, also.

Colorado, News Articles

Colorado Leads States in Youth Marijuana Usage

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 Colorado now leads the country in past-month youth marijuana use, after legalizing marijuana in 2012. The state claims this dubious distinction after being in third place in the 2012-2013 report, and in fourth place in the 2011-2012 study.  This information comes from the most comprehensive federal government drug use survey conducted in all 50 states (and the District of Columbia)

In addiction, Colorado has the 8th highest drug overdose death rate in the country.   The rate has risen in a great deal in past decade, showing that legalization of pot doesn’t stop other drug usage and may in fact lead to other drug use.

“Move over, Rhode Island. Now that Colorado has legalized and widely commercialized marijuana, their children use marijuana regularly more than children in any other state,” remarked Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a former White House drug advisor.

“In Colorado especially, Big Marijuana has been allowed to run wild, and it appears that kids are paying the price more than in any other state in the country.”

Other states that have legalized marijuana finished in the top six:  the District of Columbia (4th), Oregon (5th), and Washington state (6th).    Vermont and Rhode Island are in 2nd and 3rd place.

Colorado has become the show place for the marijuana industry with many, many commercial stores that sell edibles.   “Like Big Tobacco, marijuana companies put their bottom line before public health. It’s time we stop this new industry,” said Sabet.

For more information about marijuana use and its effects, see http://www.learnaboutsam.org.

While other drug usage is going down among youth, marijuana use is staying constant. There is a growing number of daily pot users — 6 percent of all high school seniors.  For this 6 percent, the future is bleak unless they get over it fast.

Drug Policy, Editorial, Featured

Is Harm Reduction Policy to Blame for Current Drug Epidemic?

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A graduate school curriculum in Drug Abuse and Addiction teaches harm reduction as a strategy to train drug abuse counselors.  Inoculating these therapists with harm reduction only is an insidious way to promote drug use, drug abuse and addiction.

Harm reduction strategy does not seem to be curbing the current drug epidemic.  Three bad government decisions and strategies heighten the drug epidemic right now:  Continue reading Is Harm Reduction Policy to Blame for Current Drug Epidemic? →