I’m a retail cannabis guest consultant in Carson City. As a consumer, advocate and experienced cannabis industry professional, enough is enough — with the same tired arguments against our industry.
A cannabis prohibitionist’s stance is so antiquated you’d likely find nearly identical arguments used in the 1920s toward alcohol, an actual incredibly, verifiably dangerous substance.
I take issue most with the recent data Shelly Aldean has brought up (taken from an organization that has previously faced multiple lawsuits for abuse of its rehabilitation patients) to dissuade the community against allowing for more variety and equitable access to one of the Earth’s finest medicinal creations.
The terrible argument being made by Aldean was that legalization brought increased youth use in many states. On the contrary, I can point you to a handful of studies that disprove that entirely – given enough space.
One in particular, a 10-year federal report conducted from 2009-2019 by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Educational Statistics found “no measurable difference” in the percentage of those in grades 9-12 reporting consuming cannabis in the last 30 days. In addition, they found that cannabis access remained stable, with no statistically significant changes in the percentage of youth saying they’ve been offered, sold or gifted illegal drugs on school grounds in the previous 30 days.
An analysis of the above survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that marijuana consumption among high school students declined during the peak years of cannabis legalization. There was “no change” in the rate of current cannabis use among high school students.
Cannabis advocates and professionals like myself are likely the biggest proponents for keeping it out of kids’ hands by creating additional barriers for underage people while still allowing adults to access products. We have existed within a well-established and regulated market, with age limits and ID requirements, packaging restrictions, and even going so far as to check vehicles for minors.
Where I do somewhat find myself in agreement is where Aldean said, “it is bad public policy to amend a municipal ordinance simply to accommodate one applicant who wishes to change the rules.”
My personal opinion on the issue is not of the dangers of cannabis to our children or greater community, but rather with who is raking in all the money from the massively blooming industry here in Carson City. I’d much rather see a local, minority-owned retail cannabis business over the Vegas-based Qualcan; but they’re still a step up from having a third Chicago based entity pushing their profit off to Illinois in my eyes.
Cannabis is here to stay. So, I hope we can start to move past the notion that it is somehow equally or more dangerous than the much more accessible and acceptable use of alcohol and tobacco/nicotine, especially among youth. In reality, the barriers in place to protect children from both those incredibly harmful substances pale in comparison to cannabis.
Derrick Miles lives in Carson City.
