Before you fall for the hype of those looking to cash in on legal marijuana, let’s set the record straight. Prisons are not full of innocent pot smokers — just check the data from the Florida Department of Corrections. Studies conducted by the Florida Office of Drug Control showed that less than 1% of Floridians incarcerated for drugs were there for simple possession, and most had already pled down from a serious drug dealing charge.
Police do not go after pot smokers, although they may stop a car with the smell of marijuana and then find other drugs or criminal activity. So, legalization would not free up law enforcement officers to pursue other crimes. Moreover, Florida’s great drug courts handle most of the marijuana offenses with compulsory treatment regimens supervised by a judge.
The marijuana black market would not stop. Where pot is legal, there is still a strong illicit market — well-developed from decades of selling. In Colorado, it still consists of one third of the market. Illegal market prices would undercut legal weed, and there will never be enough regulators to remedy this. As with alcohol, marijuana tax revenue will not even begin to cover the myriad costs associated with abuse.
Can people get addicted to marijuana? Absolutely — especially if they started using marijuana as an adolescent or if they use it frequently. The 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health revealed that occasional marijuana use has risen substantially since 2008, but daily or near-daily use is up much more, with around 16 million Americans, out of more than 50 million users, now suffering from what is termed cannabis use disorder — essentially an addiction.
Did I mention there was big money in weed? If you liked Big Tobacco, you are going to love Big Marijuana. That lobby will ensure that legalization is never reversed. Legal cannabis would be just another commodity marketed and sold for profit. Expect the same slick ads that neglect to mention dangers in order to get our youth hooked as a key long-term strategy for profiteers.
We should all hope that our society will recognize that under the guise of personal choice, we’re allowing a dangerous experiment in exploitation — addicting our more vulnerable to another far-from-harmless vice. Once the genie is out of the bottle, there is no turning back. Are we so wise and all-knowing now that we can disregard the history of human substance abuse and expand the use and abuse of more legal, addictive intoxicants?
Don’t fall for the hype. There are scientifically proven dangers to marijuana use — conveniently not mentioned by the legalizer lobby. The same damages we suffer from alcohol abuse will come with marijuana abuse — staggering monetary costs reflected in crime, incarceration, property damage and adverse health outcomes. Far worse is the terrible cost to lost human lives — because people do become addicted to it. People are our most precious resource, and legalization is an unwarranted, risky gamble on their safety. That won’t be on the ballot in November, but it should be on every voter’s mind.
Bruce Grant is a combat veteran who served in the Florida Office of Drug Control from 2001-2005 and then served as the director of that office from 2009-2011. He also chaired a local drug prevention coalition in Leon County. He lives in Tallahassee.
