Vote, and vote no on CI-118 and I-190

Please vote. (I know many of you already have. Thank you!)

That said, please vote no on CI-118 and I-190.

Proponents of these initiatives receive millions and millions of out-of-Montana dollars. … over two-thirds of it.

They say that marijuana is "just like alcohol." It's not ... it's opposite. The classic "Bell-Shaped Curve" exists for alcohol use: a few use none (or very little); most have "moderate" use; only a few are "heavy" users. There is a "U-shaped Curve" for marijuana: there is either no or rare use, or there are heavy users. There are almost no "moderate" users of marijuana.

They say that marijuana is "not addictive." It is. One of every 11 (9 percent) of adults will at some point meet the criteria for a Substance Use Disorder diagnosis. One in 6 teens (17 percent) under age 18 will meet the criteria for a Substance Use Disorder. One in 3 (25-50 percent) of those who use daily will at some point meet these criteria, one of which is the presence of withdrawal symptoms. (By the way, check out "1 in 6"... that is like playing Russian roulette with a six-shooter.)

They say "nobody ever overdosed or died from marijuana." They have. Look at the mental distress of those who have over-indulged ... which is easy with the much more potent compounds in circulation now. Anxiety, depression, cyclic vomiting, are all very real consequences of use. Emergency room visits related to marijuana have increased 92 percent since legalization in Colorado, over 2014-2018.

And when a child gets into THC-infused gummy candy (which looks really fun), they readily could receive an overdose ... and children do get into things that adults wish they wouldn't. Underage use of alcohol and tobacco are perennial problems. If we cannot keep alcohol and tobacco away from young people, what makes us think we can keep marijuana away from them? We can't.

Check out wrongformontana.com where you find the real story, on the money, on the harms, and who gets damaged in the process.

One other thought: Montana has one of the highest suicide rates in the nation, yet here is Big Tobacco all over again, this time pushing marijuana on us. "Marijuana, which can cause depression and suicidality, particularly in young users, was found in the toxicology screens of 200 suicide victims in the state (of Colorado) in 2017, up from 83 in 2012 (Colorado Violent Death Reporting System, 2019)."

Please vote no on CI-118 and I-190.

Thank you.

——

Carley Robertson, MD, lives in Havre