In November, Maine residents will cast their vote on Question 1, which seeks to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Its passage would create a loophole that makes it legal for children to possess marijuana, unless the Legislature acts to correct the discrepancy in the law, according to an analysis from Maine Attorney General Janet Mills.
To understand the consequences of the path Maine is considering, perhaps it is best to examine the devastating impact of legalization in Colorado, where the commercial sale of marijuana began in January 2014. In Colorado, marijuana-related traffic deaths have increased by 62 percent and marijuana-related hospitalizations have increased by more than 30 percent, according to a comprehensive report by the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, released last month.
The past month use of marijuana among youth of Colorado has increased since legalization, according to federal health survey data, with 12.6 percent reporting use for the 2013-2014 survey while 10.7 percent did in the 2011-2012 survey — a 20 percent increase. The young people in Colorado rank first in the nation for marijuana use, an illegal activity for anyone under the age of 21. It should come as no surprise that drug-related expulsions have risen since the commercialization of medical marijuana.
Do we really want to bring these issues to Maine families, schools and communities? Legalization would have a negative impact on our families and communities.
Marijuana represents a significant part of substance use in America and adversely affects the health of millions of Americans. The widespread use of marijuana, particularly by young people under the age of 18, is steadily increasing while scientific evidence links its long-term damaging effects on brain development. The National Institute on Drug Abuse states that, “When marijuana users begin using as teenagers, the drug may reduce thinking, memory, and learning functions and affects how the brain builds connections between the areas necessary for these functions. Marijuana’s effects on these abilities may last a long time or even be permanent.”
Legalizing a drug for recreational use that causes these effects on the human body, particularly our youth, is not a path that civil society should choose to take. Maine is waging a losing battle against opioid abuse. Our attention must not be diverted from that health crisis, nor should we add fuel to the problem by increasing the number of marijuana users who might one day move on to other illegal substances. The legalization of marijuana can only serve to worsen this crisis.
The Catholic Church teaches “the use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense.” The diocese hopes that voters will listen to doctors, public safety agencies and substance-abuse professionals who have expressed their opposition to this dangerous referendum.
Legalizing marijuana sends a message to our young people that this recreational drug use is acceptable. I join the Maine Medical Association, the Maine Chiefs of Police Association, the Maine Association of School Nurses, the office of the attorney general and many others in opposing the legalization of marijuana. I urge the voters of Maine to vote no on Question 1 in November.
Robert Deeley is the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.