Recreational Marijuana Done Well. Guest MINDSETTER™ Cerullo
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Both the outgoing and incoming governors as well as the Senate President have indicated that marijuana for recreational use will likely be legalized this year. They also believe legalization has been adequately studied and the time is right. Essentially, moving from medicalization and decriminalization to outright legalization will be an endorsement of another addictive substance in addition to tobacco and alcohol.
However, House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi has said he will convene a study commission before deciding whether to proceed. Perhaps this is because he is aware that the issue has never had the benefit of a thorough, evidence-based, independent and objective study.
Supporting the Speaker’s caution, is the fact that the 2019 Joint Legislative Commission to Study Marijuana for Recreational Use was inexplicably and summarily disbanded. This despite the fact that two Massachusetts legislators cautioned us to “do the research” before making the decision. Our three brief working sessions were dominated by marijuana industry affiliated advocates. Just one witness presented evidence-based data. No “findings and recommendations” were published.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTOne example of what we need to explore more rigorously in Rhode Island involves marijuana use among youth and their well-documented addiction trajectories.
Consider these data points:
- 1 in 6 teens who use Marijuana become addicted.
- 38% of individuals using it Daily or Near Daily (DND), i.e. 20 to 30 days monthly become addicted.
- Colorado reports that in 2015 after they legalized it, 19.8% Middle Schoolers and 26.8% of High School students were DND users.
When we extrapolate these data to RI’s 130,000 middle and high school youth and factor in our youth use rates, our “addiction pipeline” has from 1400 to 5400 youth already in it and between 350 and 600 will join it every year.
Yet, in RI there is not one adolescent residential rehab bed! In fact, over the past 18 months I have had to refer six youth with private insurance out of state. Sadly, for youth from less affluent families with state insurance, there is nowhere to send them.
Many other concerns including public health; school or job performance; and public safety are the reasons we must ask before we decide, “What should a well-conceived and implemented evidence-based recreational marijuana program look like here in RI?”
The just released (October 10, 2020) Public Policy Statement on Cannabis of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) addresses this question. It references 70 scholarly sources; provides five pages of findings in non-technical language; and offers 25 recommendations regarding medicalized, decriminalized and recreational marijuana.[1]
The report is organized around four basic concepts. For the past seven years, What’s the Rush, RI? has advocated that we explore these same factors. They are:
A Public non-commercial business model to ensure, among others, these goals:
- Stable, predictable and sustainable revenue.
- Control of marketing practices that encourage high levels of DND use.
- Eliminate supply driven commercial strategies and tactics similar to those that drove the prescription opioid epidemic.
- Elimination of regulatory capture by commercial interests.
Governor Raimondo expressed a preference for a state-controlled business model, President Ruggiero supports a commercial approach. Governor McKee may find ASAM’s recommendations helpful in evaluating the legalization issue as he goes forward.
Social Justice and Equity.
- Decriminalize possession of small amounts.
- Eliminate civil fines and fees.
- Establish no-cost expungement for past marijuana possession.
- Education, prevention and treatment instead of punishment.
- Equal access to treatment.
RI decriminalized in June 2012. Civil fines for possession continue to be imposed for first and second offenses. Expungements are available but associated costs can be a barrier.
Establish an independent cannabis control body that is empowered to:
- Eliminate and monitor conflict of interest.
- Establish evidenced-based safe potency levels.
- Prohibit advertising encouraging non-medical use in print, digital and broadcast media.
- Require health risk warnings that cover a substantial portion of the display area on packaging, promotional material and displays.
Modeled on Federal Tobacco Regulatory and Control System. Consisting of experts on addiction, pharmacology, medicine, treatment and other specialties. Prohibits industry involvement other than non-voting advisory roles.
Adequate, Sustainable Cannabis Revenue Designated to Treatment, Education, Public Safety and Prevention
- Revenue is designated to ameliorate individual and societal costs of cannabis addiction.
- Adequate cannabis revenue is designated for regulation, enforcement, traffic safety, illegal production and cartel activity.
- Designated funds are protected from “scooping” to other uses.
A Colorado cost/revenue analysis has found that there are $4.50 of health, treatment, productivity, etc. costs for every dollar of cannabis generated revenue. Will an RI program address this concern and its contribution to structural deficits? Numerous administrators in legalized states have indicated that legislatively designated funds for the purposes described above seldom materialize.
Therefore, given the above and until a thorough and evidence-based analysis implicit in ASAM’s report is completed, we must continue to ask, “What’s the Rush, RI?”.
[1] The complete ASAM statement can be found HERE
Michael C. Cerullo, Jr. is the leader of What’s the Rush, RI?
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