Food for thought...
I kill 88,000 people in the United States every single year.
I kill 4,300 underage children every year.
I am responsible for 190,000 visits to the ER by people under 21.
Over 40% of all children in the 10th grade illegally use me.
I am the cause of 1.4 million acts of violence committed between strangers.
I am present in nearly half of all violent crimes up to and including homicide, rape, assault, and child abuse.
Each day I am used by illegal means 300,000 times but only 3,200 people are arrested.
My negative consequences cost the U.S. economy $250 billion a year.
Guess what? I’m not Marijuana and I’m not an assault weapon...I am alcohol.
Replies to: Food for thought...
So my reaction...
We let the genie out of the bottle, so to speak, on alcohol. And it has all the problems you mention. Pot doesn't have that kind of cost because it has not been ingrained as a legal substance in our culture forever.
I'm guessing legalized pot would eventually result in comparable costs. Should we let another genie out of the bottle?
My mind and heart differ on this one for sure.
Violent crime would drop like a stone if pot use replaced alcohol use.
When you're high, the last thing you want is conflict.
Pot is not harmless...
and it should and will remain highly regulated. Illegal or not, the bottom line is that weed is much less harmful than alcohol. When is the last time you heard of a marijuana overdose in the ER?
As far as your conclusion, I doubt the numbers will be close.
Alcohol is the root of all evil.
There has been an increase in ER visits in Colorado due to edibles after legalization
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Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/25/well/eat/marijuana-edibles-may-pose-special-risks.html
Not compared to alcohol related ER visits...
and NO overdoses. In fact it’s impossible to OD on weed. Alcohol kills in many more ways.
Agree that this an odd measure.
It seems like every new freedom might be accompanied by more damage (isn't that the whole balancing act). In Dofro's defense, the damage caused by legalization of pot should be measured against the damage caused by alcohol.
Does it seem like our society is letting genies out more and more?
We clearly released the firearms genie over two centuries ago. You note we did for alcohol. And, we are doing it for gambling and marijuana as we speak. Prostitution is in line, I'm sure...it's victimless, right?
Are we making a country in which our grandkids will want to live and raise their kids?
Yes. I share those concerns.
And nobody enjoys a good vice more than me...
Agreed...although mine are generally limited to alcohol and occasional tobacco.
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This is simply a matter of us not hanging out enough.
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Ha! We'll have to fix that.
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