This document outlines a breakout session on the impacts of legalizing marijuana in Colorado. It discusses increasing marijuana use rates, especially among youth, and related issues like drugged driving crashes and suspensions. Statistics are presented on growing marijuana businesses and seizures in Colorado. The impacts of legalization are increasingly challenging public policy issues. Understanding how marijuana affects adolescent brains and translating science into prevention messages is important. An assessment from a senior law enforcement expert discusses impacts in Colorado.

1. Breakout
Session:
The
Naked
Truth
About
Marijuana
Thomas
Gorman,
Director,
Rocky
Mountain
High
Intensity
Drug
Trafficking
Area
Sue
Thau,
Public
Policy
Consultant,
CADCA
Moderator:
Mary
Elizabeth
EllioG,
VP,
CommunicaIons,
Membership
and
IT,
CADCA

2. Disclosures
• Thomas
Gorman
has
disclosed
no
relevant,
real
or
apparent
personal
or
professional
financial
relaIonships.
• Sue
Thau
has
disclosed
no
relevant,
real
or
apparent
personal
or
professional
financial
relaIonships.

3. Learning
ObjecIves
1. State
the
factual
results
of
medicalizaIon
of
cannabis
in
Colorado.
2. Evaluate
legislaIve
iniIaIves
in
the
U.S.
3. Outline
public
policy
strategies
impacted
by
medical
marijuana.

16. • 517 licensed
dispensaries
• 736 marijuana
cultivation facilities
• 138 infused products
(edibles) businesses
• 183 licensed “pot shops”
• 238 licensed cultivation
facilities
• 44 licenses for infused
product (edibles)
businesses

47. www.rmhidta.org/
reports

52. 15.9
16.6
15.3
18.9
19.6
23.7
5.0
5.2
7.1
8.8
10.2
13.0
0
3
6
9
12
15
18
21
24
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Percent
of
Traffic
Fatali0es
Fatali0es
Involving
Drugged
Drivers
All
Drugs
Marijuana
Only

53. 21
23
31
37
42
52
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Number
of
Drivers
Number
of
Drivers
Tes0ng
Posi0ve
for
Marijuana
Only
Involved
in
Fatal
Crashes

57. 2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
NaIonal
Average
6.74
6.67
6.67
7.03
7.38
7.64
Colorado
Average
7.44
8.15
9.1
10.17
9.91
10.72
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Percent
of
Ages
12
-­‐
17
Y
Past
Month
Usage
of
Marijuana
-­‐
Na0onal
v.
Colorado

58. 3,988
3,833
3,779
3,736
4,956
5,417
5,279
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
2005-­‐2006
2006-­‐2007
2007-­‐2008
2008-­‐2009
2009-­‐2010
2010-­‐2011
2011-­‐2012
Drug-Related Suspensions/Expulsions

64. 0-­‐5
yrs.
6-­‐12
yrs.
13-­‐14
yrs.
15-­‐18
yrs.
18-­‐25
yrs.
26+
2006
-­‐
2008
12
3
8
51
59
38
2009-­‐2011
36
5
15
55
46
64
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Number
of
Cases

66. 54
41
57
58
92
281
321
274
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Number
of
Seizures

67. 0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
2009
2010
2011
2012
1,623
3,416
3,708
7,008
Pounds
Pounds
of
Colorado
Marijuana
from
Interdic0on
Seizures

68. 0
15
36
158
207
0
50
100
150
200
250
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Parcels
Parcels
Containing
Marijuana
Mailed
from
Colorado
To
Another
State
Marijuana
Seizures
YTD

70. The
“Naked”
Truth
About
Marijuana
Sue
Thau
Public
Policy
Consultant
CADCA
70

71. “The
naked
truth
is
always
beGer
than
the
best-­‐dressed
lie.”
–
Ann
Landers
Sue
Thau
has
no
financial
relaIonships
with
proprietary
enIIes
that
produce
health
care
goods
and
services.
71

72. Learning
ObjecIves
• Review
the
main
arguments
and
best
approaches
to
use
in
addressing
this
increasingly
challenging
issue
• Gain
a
beGer
understanding
of
the
impact
of
marijuana
use
on
the
adolescent
brain
• Learn
the
“Naked”
Truths
about
Marijuana
• Understand
how
to
translate
the
science
and
myths
into
prevenIon
messages
that
resonate
at
the
community
level
• Hear
an
assessment
from
a
senior
law
enforcement
expert
on
the
ground
in
Colorado
on
how
legalizaIon
is
impacIng
that
state
and
its
ciIzens
72

73. Children
who
first
smoke
marijuana
under
the
age
of
14
are
more
than
five
Imes
as
likely
to
abuse
drugs
as
adults,
than
those
who
first
use
marijuana
at
age
18.1
1The
NaIonal
Household
Survey
on
Drug
Abuse
(NHSDA)
report.
August
23,
2002.
Available:
hGp://oas.samhsa.gov/2k2/MJ&dependence/MJdependence.htm
73

74. Age
of
IniIaIon
Is
Decreasing
In
the
1970s,
the
average
age
of
ini0a0on
for
marijuana
was
19.
In
2011,
the
average
age
of
ini0a0on
was
17.5
Substance
Abuse
and
Mental
Health
Services
AdministraIon.
Available:
hGp://www.samhsa.gov/data/mjiniIaIon/highlights.htm
and
hGp://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k11Results/NSDUHresults2011.htm
74

75. Marijuana
is
AddicIve
Long-­‐term
marijuana
use
can
lead
to
addicIon.
Approximately
9
percent
of
users
will
become
addicted
to
marijuana.
Budney
AJ,
Vandrey
RG,
Hughes
JR,
Thostenson
JD,
Bursac
Z.
2008.
“Comparison
of
cannabis
and
tobacco
withdrawal:
Severity
and
contribuIon
to
relapse.”
J
Subst
Abuse
Treat,
e-­‐publicaIon
ahead
of
print.
75

76. This
number
increases
to
17
percent
among
those
who
start
young
–
that
is
in
1
in
6
users.
To
put
this
in
perspecIve…
1
in
2,600
kids
are
injured
in
bicycle
accidents.
76

77. According
to
the
2013
Monitoring
the
Future
Survey,
percep0ons
about
the
risks of
marijuana
are
going
down
and
now
more
8th,
10th
and
12th
graders
smoke
marijuana
than
cigareXes
77

78. 12th Graders’ Past Year Marijuana Use vs. Perceived
Risk of Occasional Marijuana Use
0
20
40
60
80
100
7577798183858789919395979901030507091113
Past Year Use Perceived Risk

79. Potency: Increased THC Content
in Seized Marijuana
PERCENT THC FROM 1983 TO 2009
10%
9%
8%
7%
6%
5%
4%
3%
2%
1%
0
’85 ’90 ’95 ’00 ’05
Sources: The University of Mississippi Potency Monitoring Project
79

80. The
Naked
Truth
About
“Medical”
Marijuana
80

81. The
folks
pushing
for
"medical
marijuana“
found
a
way
to
make
their
issue
resonate
with
regular
Americans.
81

82. They
reframed
the
issue
to
be
about
voIng
for
compassion
for
sick
and
dying
people.
82

83. They
built
a
brilliant
campaign
around
this
simple
message:
“Marijuana
is
Medicine”
83

84. There
are
now
more
"medical
marijuana"
dispensaries
in
California
and
Denver
than
there
are
Starbucks.1
1 True Compassion. What’s Really Medical About Marijuana? 2011. Available:
www.truecompassion.org/images/TC1%20-%20Pages%204.pdf
84

85. Medical
Marijuana
Is
Easily
Diverted
To
Youth
• Teens
who
know
somebody
with
a
medical
marijuana
license
are
more
like
than
those
who
don’t
to
report
‘fairly’
or
‘very’
easy
access
to
marijuana
• 74%
of
Denver-­‐area
teens
in
treatment
said
they
used
somebody
else’s
medical
marijuana
an
average
of
50
Imes
Thurstone, 2013; Salomonsen-Sautel et al., 2012
85

86. 86

87. [i]
Pacula,
R.L.,
Powell,
D.,
Heaton,
P.,
Sevingy,
E.L.
(2013).
Assessing
the
effects
of
medical
marijuana
laws
on
marijuana
and
alcohol
use:
The
devil
is
in
the
details.
Available:
hGp://www.nber.org/papers/w19302
States
with
medical
marijuana
laws
that
have
been
implemented
to
include
home
culIvaIon
and
legal
dispensaries
are
posi0vely
associated
with
increased
marijuana
use
in
these
states.[i]
87

88. FACTS
on
Medical
Marijuana
Less
than
3%
of
state
“medical
marijuana”
users
have
cancer,
HIV,
or
glaucoma.
– Is
not
even
good
for
condiIons
it
is
touted
for
– Could
exacerbate
symptoms
(American
Glaucoma
Society)
1American
Glaucoma
FoundaIon.
Available:
hGp://www.glaucomafoundaIon.org/UserFiles/File/TGF_Summer_10_Web.pdf
1
88

89. FACTS
on
Medical
Marijuana
Vast
majority
are
white
males
in
30s
and
40s
with
self-­‐diagnosed
pain.
Vast
majority
of
cancer
doctors
and
other
physicians
do
not
recommend
smoking
or
ingesIng
marijuana.
California
average
medical
marijuana
paIent
staIsIcs,
found
at:
O'Connell,
T
and
Bou-­‐Matar
,
C.B.
(2007).
Long
term
cannabis
users
seeking
medical
cannabis
in
California
(2001–2007):
demographics,
social
characterisIcs,
paGerns
of
cannabis
and
other
drug
use
of
4117
applicants.
Harm
Reduc+on
Journal,
89

90. The advertisements for “medical marijuana” are not
geared toward the sick and dying, but towards young
men.1
1 Thurstone, Christopher, M.D. The Impact of Legalization on Colorado’s Youth. 3rd World Forum Against Drugs. May 22, 2012.
90

91. 91

92. Take
Away
Messages
We
don’t
smoke
opium
to
get
the
effects
of
morphine.
So
why
should
we
smoke
marijuana
to
obtain
its
medical
benefits?
92

93. The
“Naked”
Truth
about
Marijuana
Legaliza0on
93

94. 94

95. 95

96. WA
State
Seeing
Rise
in
Youth
Marijuana
Use1
• 40
percent
of
SeaGle
public
school
students
who
use
marijuana
said
they
got
it
from
a
medical
marijuana
dispensary.
• Cascade
Principal
Ana
Garcia
believes
the
spike
at
her
school
is
likely
most
strongly
linked
to
the
passage
of
I-­‐502.
She
fears
the
message
from
that
law
to
her
students
was
that
it’s
OK
to
smoke
marijuana
now.
1Swenson,
Ty.
June
21,
2013.
CoaliIon
explores
link
between
teen
pot
use
and
rise
in
dispensaries.
West
SeaGle
Herald.
Available:
hGp://www.westseaGleherald.com/2013/06/21/news/coaliIon-­‐explores-­‐link-­‐
between-­‐teen-­‐pot-­‐use-­‐and-­‐
96

97. More
Poisonings
in
Children
• Between
January
1,
2005,
and
September
30,
2009,
none
of
the
poisonings
in
children
under
12
at
the
Children’s
Hospital
of
Colorado
involved
marijuana.
• From
October
1,
2009
to
December
31,
2011
2.3%
of
all
poisonings
at
the
hospital
for
children
under
12
involved
marijuana.
Wang G, Roosevelt G, Heard K. Pediatric Marijuana Exposures in a Medical Marijuana State. JAMA Pediatr. 2013;():1-4. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.
2013.140. Available: http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1691416
97

98. Will Big Marijuana
be the new
Big Tobacco?
98

99. Can
we
trust
companies
and
Big
Corpora0ons
not
to
target
youth
and
the
vulnerable?
99

100. Another
billboard
MPP
created
for
the
NFL
100

101. 101

102. Marke0ng
to
Children
102

103. 103

104. 104

105. 105

106. Marijuana:
Messages
That
MaXer
106

107. 107

108. 108

109. 109

110. Parents
Kids
Business
Leaders
Teachers
&
School
Boards
Faith
Leaders
We
need
to
get
our
messages
to
regular
people
110

111. We
must
connect
the
dots
for
regular
people.
We
need
to
give
them
simple
“A
Ha!
I
get
it!”
messages.
111

112. Figure
out
how
the
“medical
marijuana”
and
marijuana
legaliza0on
issues
affect
real
people.
Reframe
these
issues
to
directly
appeal
to
them.
112

113. How
to
Frame
Our
Messages
for
Maximum
Impact
113

114. If
you
care
about
academic
achievement:
You
need
to
care
about
marijuana
use.
114

115. What
we
know,
based
on
research
…
115

116. Marijuana
Use
Lowers
IQ1
A
recent
study
found
that
those
who
used
marijuana
heavily
in
their
teens
and
conInued
through
adulthood
showed
a
permanent
drop
in
IQ
of
8
points.
A
loss
of
8
IQ
points
could
drop
a
person
of
average
intelligence
into
the
lowest
third
of
the
intelligence
range.
1M.H. Meier, Avshalom Caspi, et al. 2012. “Persistent cannabis users show neuropsychological decline from childhood to midlife.” Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences
Facts:
116

117. The
more
a
student
uses
marijuana,
the
lower
their
grade
point
average
is
likely
to
be
and
the
more
likely
they
are
to
drop
out
of
school.1
1 Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E.. University of Michigan, 2011. Monitoring the Future Study
Facts:
117

118. • Youth
with
an
average
grade
of
D
or
below
were
more
than
four
Imes
as
likely
to
have
used
marijuana
in
the
past
year
than
youth
with
an
average
grade
of
A.1
1
Office
of
Applied
Studies,
Substance
Abuse
and
Mental
Health
Services
AdministraIon
(SAMHSA).
SAMHSA’s
Na+onal
Household
Survey
on
Drug
Abuse
Report—Marijuana
Use
among
Youths.
July
19,
2002.
Available
at
www.samhsa.gov/oas.nhsda.htm.
118

119. Denver
High
Schools
• 29% of Denver high school students used
marijuana in the last month
• If Denver were an American state, it
would have the HIGHEST public high
school current use rates in the country
Healthy Kids Colorado, 2012
119

120. 6.5%
of
high
school
seniors
smoke
marijuana
every
day1
.
1 Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 2012. Volume I:
Secondary school students. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan.
Available: http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/data/10data.html#2011data-drugs
120

121. 121

122. Take
Away
Message:
Increased
marijuana
use
will
result
in
reduced
academic
achievement
122

123. If
you
care
about
highway
safety:
You
need
to
care
about
marijuana
use.
123

124. We
Know
Based
on
Research
That:
Marijuana
use
impairs
driving
ability1
1For
a
comprehensive
review,
see
DuPont,
R.
et
al.
2010.
“Drugged
Driving
Research:
A
White
Paper.”
Prepared
for
the
NaIonal
InsItute
on
Drug
Abuse.
Available
at
hGp://stopdruggeddriving.org/pdfs/DruggedDrivingAWhitePaper.pdf
124

125. Marijuana
is
the
most
prevalent
illegal
drug
detected
in
impaired
drivers,
fatally
injured
drivers,
and
motor
vehicle
crash
vic0ms.
1
1 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Drug Involvement of Fatally Injured Drivers. U.S. Department of Transportation
Report No. DOT HS 811 415. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2010.
125

126. The
percentage
of
fatally-­‐injured
impaired
drivers
detected
with
marijuana
tripled
between
1999
and
2010
126

127. According
to
the
Colorado
Department
of
TransportaIon,
drivers
who
tested
posiIve
for
marijuana
in
fatal
car
crashes
DOUBLED
between
2006
and
2010
while
all
fatal
accidents
decreased
over
the
same
Ime
period.
127

128. 128

129. According
to
the
2012
Monitoring
the
Future
Study,
three
Imes
as
many
high
school
seniors
reported
driving
axer
smoking
marijuana
than
drinking
alcohol
(8.6%
to
2.9%)
129

130. Take
Away
Message:
Increased
marijuana
use
will
lead
to
increased
traffic
accidents
and
fataliIes
and
decreased
public
safety
130

131. If
you
care
about
jobs
and
profits:
You
need
to
care
about
marijuana
use.
131

132. Kilmer,
Beau,
Jonathan
P.
Caulkins,
Rosalie
Liccardo
Pacula,
Robert
J.
MacCoun
and
Peter
H.
Reuter.
2010.
“Altered
State?
Assessing
How
Marijuana
LegalizaIon
in
California
Could
Influence
Marijuana
ConsumpIon
and
Public
Budgets.”
Santa
Monica,
CA:
RAND
CorporaIon,
hGp://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/OP315.
According
to
a
recent
RAND
study,
legalizaIon
would
cause
the
price
of
marijuana
to
fall
and
its
use
to
rise.
132

133. According
to
the
American
Council
for
Drug
EducaIon
in
New
York,
employees
who
abuse
drugs
are:
10
Imes
more
likely
to
miss
work
This
hurts
employers…
133

134. 3.6
Imes
more
likely
to
be
involved
in
on-­‐the-­‐job
incidents
This
hurts
employers…
134

135. 5
Imes
more
likely
to
file
a
workers’
compensaIon
claim.
This
hurts
employers…
135

136. 6,000
companies,
industries
and
professions
na0onwide
conduct
drug
tes0ng.
1
•
Target
•
Walmart
•
McDonalds
•
Police/Fire
Departments
•
Military
•
Transporta0on
Since
regular
users
can’t
pass
drug
tests,
this
hurts
employability!
This
hurts
employers
and
employees…
Why?
1 The Definitive List of Companies that Drug Test. March 2010. Available: www.testclear.com
136

137. Take
Away
Message
For
Employers
and
Poten0al
Employees:
Increased
marijuana
use
is
BAD
for
business
137

138. 138