MARIJUANA BALLOT INITIATIVE WOULD INFLAME DRUG ABUSE

The proponents of Amendment 44 base their assertion that possession
of marijuana should be legalized on the premise that it is a safe
alternative to alcohol. That message is both incorrect and
irresponsible and I hope the voters of Colorado will reject it.

Our American society is plagued by moral relativism, and the campaign
in support of Amendment 44 is a classic example of it. They suggest
that society should condone the harm brought on by marijuana
intoxication because in their view, it is surpassed by the harm
brought about by alcohol intoxication. That is an irresponsible
message, particularly for our children.

When small amounts of marijuana were legalized for adults in Alaska
between 1978 and 1990, the National Household Survey of Drug Use in
America showed that by the late eighties 52 percent of Alaskan
teenagers used marijuana. That was almost three times the rate of
marijuana use by teenagers in the rest of the nation. That was part
of the reason that marijuana was re-criminalized in Alaska in 1990.

In the Netherlands, the "coffee shop" legalization of marijuana
resulted in use of marijuana by Dutch teenagers nearly tripling in
just eight years.

Marijuana is not the benign drug that proponents of 44 portray it to be.

In 1981, the THC content in marijuana was 1.83 percent which rose to
5.62 percent in 2003. The THC content of high-grade marijuana rose
from 6.58 percent in 1981 to 14.1 percent in 2003.

Corresponding to the increased potency of the THC content in
marijuana was a six-fold increase in emergency room admissions
because of marijuana use during the decade of the '90s, even though
the number of marijuana users remained relatively the same.

Between 1992 and 2002, there was a 162 percent increase in treatment
admissions for marijuana use as the primary substance of abuse.
Today, 62 percent of teens in drug treatment are there for marijuana use.

The proponents of Amendment 44 contend that the law is not a
deterrent to illicit drug use. In fact, the National Household Survey
indicates that many of our citizens, including our children, are
deterred from drug use because it is against the law.

Sixty percent of teenagers who do not use drugs indicate that the
primary reason they do not do so is because it is illegal. The
adverse impact on their health is the second most frequently cited reason.

The proponents of Amendment 44 have also recklessly created a
significant legal issue.

Under current law the transfer of less than an ounce of marijuana
from someone over the age of 18 to someone over the age of 15 is
deemed possession of marijuana and not distribution.

So in legalizing possession of less than an ounce of marijuana for
people over 21, the proponents are unwittingly advocating
legalization of the transfer of less than an ounce of marijuana from
someone over 21 to anyone over 15.

Their retort is that such activity could still be prosecuted under
the felony offense of "Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor."
But I assure you that a creative defense attorney will make the
argument that the voters, if they pass Amendment 44, specifically
directed that such activity be legalized.

Despite the claims of critics to the contrary, the battle against
drug abuse in the United States can claim significant success.

In 1979, the National Household Survey indicated that 14.1 percent of
Americans had used an illicit drug in the last 30 days. This year
that number will likely be between 6 and 7 percent.

A 50 percent reduction in illicit drug use in America is not
something that you read about on editorial pages very often. We have
also reduced teenage use of marijuana by 20 percent in the last four years.

This is simply not the time to raise a white flag and give up the
battle against drug abuse in Colorado. We need to send a very clear
message to our children, and that message is that the only safe
alternative to intoxication is sobriety.