DRUG LEGALIZATION IS NOT THE ANSWER

Drug abuse is painful to the user, the user's family and to our
community. Addiction is not a crime. However, criminal activity often
taking place under the influence of drugs and alcohol is a crime.
Legalizing drugs of addiction will not prevent crime.

SANDAG's Criminal Justice Division's Substance Abuse Monitoring (SAM)
project shows the number of youth detainees testing positive for
marijuana increased between 2007 and 2009, from 40 percent to 51
percent, the highest level in 10 years.

Two-thirds of the 2009 juvenile arrestees had a violent offense as
their most serious charge, demonstrating the link between marijuana
use and violent crime. Still, they were more likely to believe that
marijuana is not harmful (58 percent in 2007 and 66 percent in 2009).

Some argue that marijuana should be treated like alcohol. Think again!

The minimum drinking age in all 50 states, is 21 years old. Yet
alcohol is a contributing factor in the four leading causes of death
among young people ages 14-24, including homicide, suicide, drowning
and unintentional injury and death such as vehicle crashes.

Teens in San Diego County report that alcohol is easy to get. And
teen alcohol use reflects easy access; 24 percent of 11th graders
report binge drinking (5 or more alcoholic beverages in a row) - not
just once in their lifetime - but as much as three or more days in
the past month. Legalizing marijuana would increase youth access
through adults by shoulder tapping, stealing and illegal sales to
minors just as we see with both tobacco and alcohol.

The life-altering experiences that occur under the influence of
alcohol and marijuana should sound a blaring alarm. County teens
(11th grade) report a laundry list of problems they encounter while
high including; 15 percent passed out, 6 percent had unwanted or
unprotected sex and 6 percent got in fights with other kids.
(California Healthy Kids Survey 2008-09).

Current taxes on beer, wine and distilled spirits don't even keep
pace with inflation. When adjusted for inflation, the rate of alcohol
tax has decreased since 1951. Adjusting alcohol tax, even to 1960s
levels, would mean the current rate ($18 per barrel) would have to
triple. Multiple efforts to increase alcohol taxes have been soundly
defeated by a powerful alcohol lobby. California's $318 million in
alcohol tax revenue is dwarfed by $38 billion in alcohol-related harm
unfairly shouldered by taxpayers. This translates to roughly $1,000
per California resident!

The American Society of Addiction Medicine calls marijuana "a
mood-altering drug capable of producing dependency." Their public
policy statement on marijuana says, "Marijuana has been shown to have
adverse effects on memory and learning, on perception, behavior and
functioning, and on pregnancy."

Because of its effects on mind and body, and the increasing potency
of available supplies, they say "smoking marijuana is dangerous to
the health of any user, and produces health risks." I agree.

Legalizing marijuana will make our highways, our workplaces and our
communities less safe and will further burden taxpayers. Drugs aren't
bad because they are illegal; they are illegal because they are bad.