HEALTH COSTS OF LEGALIZATION WOULD OUTSTRIP REVENUE GAINS

Marijuana legalization is a hot topic in California. Currently, there
are four ballot initiatives being circulated for signatures and one
Assembly bill (AB 390) being considered that propose to legalize
marijuana use for those 21 and older.

Marijuana legalization would have tremendous negative impacts on our
society. First, the proposed revenue from taxes is mush less than the
potential cost of the resulting substance abuse impacts. Second, the
increased access would increase the use by, and availability to,
youth. Finally, and most important, are the health and addiction
problems that marijuana has been proven to cause.

Robert Ingenito, chief of research and statistics for the state Board
of Equalization, hypothetically determined that the total revenue from
a proposed tax of $50 per ounce of marijuana could potentially be up
to $1.4 billion. But Ingenito stated, "I would like to stress the
uncertainty, considerable uncertainty, surrounding the assumptions
we had to make." Even if these assumptions were true, we have to
take into account the social costs that regulating marijuana would
incur.

For comparison, in 2005 the state of California collected $1.4 billion
($38.69 per capita) in taxes on alcohol and tobacco sales combined,
but at the same time spent $19.9 billion ($545.09 per capita) on costs
related to substance abuse, including criminal justice, education,
mental health, public safety and prevention services. In other words,
for every $1 collected in alcohol and tobacco taxes, $13.80 was spent
on costs related to substance abuse. You don't have to be a genius to
conclude that this investment does not sound like a good financial
decision.

The next critical factor is accessibility and availability of
marijuana to youth. Although the intent of the proposed initiatives
and Assembly bill is to legalize use for adults over 21, there is no
doubt that legalization would increase youth access and use of the
drug by normalizing its use and increasing its availability. When
marijuana is advertised in newspapers and sold in stores, the public
perception and acceptance of marijuana use changes. There is a strong
inverse relationship between "perception of harm" and youth substance
use - when teens strongly believe a substance is harmful, they are
much less likely to use it and vice versa.

Finally, the most important reason why marijuana should not be
legalized is because of the health consequences that it can cause. On
June 19, 2009, marijuana smoke was added to the list of "Chemicals
Known to Cause Cancer or Reproductive Toxicity" by the state of
California's Environmental Protection Agency.

Marijuana smoke contains 33 of the same carcinogenic constituents as
tobacco smoke. In addition, marijuanaa=80=99s active ingredient, THC,
affects a portion of the brain that regulates coordination, balance,
posture and reaction time. Furthermore, long-term marijuana use leads
to addiction and has also been proven to impair memory and judgment.

Legalizing marijuana is a bad financial decision and an even worse
public health decision. It would increase accessibility and
availability of the drug to the community, especially youth, and
negatively impact community health. There are many other
misconceptions about marijuana use. It's important that the public
continue educating itself using reliable resources that can help
reach the best conclusion for families and communities.