Letter to the Editor
While Big Marijuana pours millions into Illinois to legalize marijuana, Leftist lawmakers, giddy about a tiny new revenue source to aid their insatiable spending, ignore the unmistakable damage legalization is causing in Colorado. Those nasty facts are hard to escape.
Colorado now ranks #1 in the entire nation for marijuana use among teens, scoring 55 percent above the national average, so says the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Colorado High School drug violations have increased 71 percent and suspensions for drugs have increased 45 percent since legalization.
Based on alarming research by the Denver Post, drivers in fatal car crashes who tested positive doubled since legalization.
Residential neighborhoods reek of marijuana as do warehouse growing operations along major freeways. As if that isn’t enough, the Colorado homelessness growth rate now ranks among the highest in the country.
The bottom line is this: Does Illinois want more drugged drivers on our roads, more buzzed employees on job sites, and more stoned students in our homes and schools?
If the answer is no, don’t remain silent. Tell your state representative and senator to oppose legalization efforts before it is too late.
Kathy Valente
Illinois Family Institute
It is important that this public policy proposal about the legalization of marijuana (aka dope) be fully debated, including all the negative sides of having more people using this intoxicant, and how it will hurt families and communities across the state. You won’t get that from the liberal media in Illinois.
There is a plethora of evidence about what is happening in states that have already approved of this feckless policy. We should not close our eyes to what is happening and what is likely to happen should we go forward with this radical legislation.
I urge IR readers to learn more. One great list of resources can be found here: https://illinoisfamily.org/marijuana-2/resources-on-the-truth-and-consequences-of-marijuana/
Let’s outlaw alcohol sales in Illinois as well! The evidence of the extensive damage (and cost) to society is overwhelming!
Please explain to us why legal tobacco is criminalized and discredited while the push to legalize marijuana is gaining momentum? Both products can cause lung damage leading to emphysema and marijuana contains more tar than tobacco. There are studies that adolescents using marijuana run the risk of impairing their brain development and no one ought to smoke pot before their mid-twenties for this reason.
The people that I’ve noticed who have moved to Colorado for this, I’d be very afraid if they moved to Illinois. Ugh. And this won’t be happening in all of our neighboring states, so you can bet that they’d move here. NOOO!