Three people attended the Colorado Christian University’s Centennial Institute Symposium on marijuana. The symposium was titled: Marijuana’s True Impact on Colorado. Speakers with Phd.’s that have been on advisory council for three past presidents and one currently making studies and recommendations to our government through the Hudson Institute, ER doctors, pain specialist, resources officers and sheriffs from the front range spoke and shared current data about what the marijuana industry has brought to our state. Log onto Hudson Institute, marijuana or youtube, Dr. Sabet and get informed. Log onto SMART or [email protected].

We were promised needed help for seizures, terminal cancer pain, tax relief for schools, reduced arrests, less black market, safer environment and safe drug with a reliable industry. 

We can’t argue the need for more research and the potential to help with some seizures and pain relief for terminal cancers. The new ‘brand’ of pot with the very high potency has not been researched. It needs to be researched and a standard reliable dose without high THC, pesticides and contaminants in the product made available to those looking for legal help. Large school districts haven’t seen a dime of the 1.5 percent increase in tax collections to our state budget.  The money is always taken by justice, law, medical and many other social costs. We saw the same with tobacco and alcohol taxes going to social costs and never making it to where it was promised.

Arrests are not for possession of a joint or an ounce of pot, the prisons are full of serious possession users with felonious records and possession of cocaine, heroine, Fentynol and marijuana. The black market has boomed since legalization. Young people are targeted to purchase marijuana and the use rate has gone up from 12 percent to 78 percent. These are the future customers to fuel the marijuana industry’s growth.

We are not seeing the safer environment. We see more street people that came to Colorado to get high on legal pot. We see ER visits bursting in Pueblo and Colorado Springs. Where marijuana is more available there will be more use.

Young nervous systems with high potency pot are being damaged. IQ’s are being lowered. Construction, driver, and delivery businesses are having trouble finding help to pass drug testing.

This tsunami of problems is fed by the GATEWAY drug marijuana, cocaine and alcohol. With legalization of marijuana, traffic accidents from driving under the influence of marijuana is now above alcohol. Legalization of marijuana has fueled the alcohol and tobacco use in Colorado.

The attorney that represents the pot industry gave a plea to look into the eyes of people that have been helped by pot, my view is look into the eyes of the [email protected] and hear the parents that have lost children to pot.

I hope that our community will join the majority of communities that have opted out of the marijuana industry’s lies. We do not need to add more retail sales of marijuana or medical marijuana within our city limits.

This letter came to me yesterday.

I’m a nationally recognized teacher. I’ve won many awards. I’ve spent over a decade empowering students to use their scientific research projects to win scholarships and prizes. In your email I saw that over 60 students were arrested for marijuana use in Alamosa. It immediately brought to mind why I left Colorado. I was working at Center High School and I saw an uphill battle coming.  Students I was working with showed signs of heavy pot use. Some students bragged how their parents gave it to them. People who would have never smoked it before were considering trying it now that it’s “legal”. In short, I had to decide if I wanted to raise my boys in this environment. The valley’s drug culture became unbearable, with friends dead and family addiction. I started looking for employment outside of Colorado and was offered a job at NASA but declined for a pro-active drug-free private school in Oregon. I encourage you to do everything in your power to fight marijuana in your communities. All legalized addictive drugs pose a risk to our communities. No decent parent wants their kids on drugs. I recommend doing everything you can to close the door on this monster. There is so much at risk.  It’s not just druggies we lose. It’s the decent people that move away, its losing resources, it’s losing the will to work. It’s someone who is slow behind a wheel and they cause a wreck. It’s the father that chooses to smoke a bowl instead of playing football with his son. There is so much at risk. You can win. Fight.

Sincerely,

Terry Wiley