Local Press
Sausalito must not sidestep process for retail cannabis storefronts
Marin IJ, 7.30.2021
"I strongly support the legalization of marijuana... That said, the undeniable elephant in the room is the real impact on youth – which I’ve seen firsthand. My peers, friends and family members are using cannabis more often primarily due to the industry’s profit-seeking push and our community’s buy-in. During high school, I observed students talking about using pot as though it was a self-prescribed antidepressant. It seemed like they smoked weed to self-medicate feelings of stress, anxiety, frustration or any other normal emotion."
Pot store ban will help protect health of youth
Marin IJ, 12.20.2020
"Colorado kids rank No. 1 in the nation for marijuana use. That’s no surprise given there are more cannabis shops than Starbucks and McDonald’s combined. Decades of research from the alcohol and tobacco industries shows that neighborhood retail outlets are related to higher rates of youth use."
Critics call for transparency in Sausalito cannabis ordinance
Marin IJ, 12.2.2020
“At this point, we are just hoping that Sausalito will slow the process down,” Dubin said. “There has been a complete lack of transparency about what has happened in the past year between the council vote in October 2019 to ban cannabis businesses and September 2020 when the Council suddenly reversed course.”
Sausalito beware, today’s cannabis is different
Marin IJ, 11.27.2020
I know better than anyone that it’s always been easy to get pot here. During the 1960s and 1970s, Marin was a mecca for hippies and rock ’n’ rollers, as well as the drug scene that came with them. The THC content of marijuana during those years ran from 2% to 5%. This is different. I’ve never seen anything like it in terms of the potency, delivery systems, flavors and how quickly it is hooking our kids. I no longer consider marijuana to be a “soft” drug.
Marin Voice: Cannabis not a solution for economic crisis caused by COVID-19
Marin IJ, 09.07.2020
Community health is the most important determinant of economic health of communities, including Marin. Research shows that when governments collect tax revenues from harmful products, the result is often high fiscal and social costs, leading to net losses in both government budgets and community health.
Marin Voice: My vibrant son is dead, but if one young life can be changed then his legacy is worth everything
Marin IJ, 05.11.2020
There is tragically continued stigma, gossip, judgment — about amazing, beautiful young people who get lost. And often of their parents — sometimes justified but I believe most people are just doing the best they can. Genetics? Youth? Addiction? Depression? All of it I believe. But the access to drugs makes it very easy.
Marin Voice: In San Anselmo, pro-cannabis does not mean support for storefronts
Marin IJ, 10.05.2019
We would argue that the de facto sanctioning of marijuana and its THC-derivatives via the granting of any retail cannabis licensure would betray an indifference to the physical and emotional well-being of our youngest citizens ... Furthermore, we submit that such indifference would primarily be ultimately rendered in the pursuit of consumer convenience and economic self-interest. For us, when a choice comes down to principled example, on the one hand, and consumer or fiscal expediency on the other, the choice is easy.
National Press
Weed users nearly 25% more likely to need emergency care and hospitalization
CNN Health, 6.27.2022
"A number of studies have shown an association between marijuana use and injury, both physical and mental.
Heavy use of marijuana by teens and young adults with mood disorders -- such as depression and bipolar disorder -- has been linked to an increased risk of self-harm, suicide attempts and death, according to a 2021 study.
Another 2021 study found habitual users of cannabis, including teenagers, are increasingly showing up in emergency rooms complaining of severe intestinal distress that's known as 'cannabis hyperemesis syndrome,' or CHS."
Psychosis, Addiction, Chronic Vomiting: As Weed Becomes More Potent, Teens Are Getting Sick
New York Times, 6.23.2022
In 1995, the average concentration of THC in cannabis samples seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration was about 4 percent. By 2017, it was 17 percent. And now cannabis manufacturers are extracting THC to make oils; edibles; wax; sugar-size crystals; and glass-like products called shatter that advertise high THC levels in some cases exceeding 95 percent.
Cases of Cannabis-Induced Psychosis Rise. Lawmakers Want to Add Mental Health Warnings to Pot Products
KQED, 6.7.2022
"(R)esearch confirms people who use cannabis are four times more likely to develop chronic psychosis, or schizophrenia, compared to people who don’t. For people who smoke every day or use higher potency products, the risk is up to six times higher. One study found eliminating marijuana use in adolescents would reduce global rates of schizophrenia by 10%. Doctors and lawmakers in California want cannabis producers to warn consumers of this and other health risks on their package labels and in advertising, similar to requirements for cigarettes."
A founding father of legal pot in Colorado reveals regrets
The Gazette, 4.9.2021
"Editor’s note: Robert Corry played a prominent and pivotal role in the movement to legalize marijuana in Colorado... Yet, nearly a decade after voter approval of his handiwork, he now professes deep disappointment and wide-ranging regrets... he issues a searing indictment of how legalization has turned out. He decries the legal marijuana industry’s 'crony' capitalism and its cozy relationship with government. He lets on, 'I wish I could be proud of what we created, but I’m not. The outcome of 64 is shameful, hurts people, and Colorado is not safer.'"
Teenage Brains May Be Especially Vulnerable to Marijuana and Other Drugs
New York Times, 3.29.2021
Most troubling to the authors of the new study was how many people went on to develop a substance use disorder, indicating that their experimentation had spiraled into an addiction. The researchers found that within a year of first trying marijuana, 11 percent of adolescents had become addicted to it, compared to 6.4 percent of young adults. Even more striking was that within three years of first trying the drug, 20 percent of adolescents became dependent on it, almost double the number of young adults.
Legalizing marijuana is a step backwards for social justice
Hartford Courant, 3.10.2020
New Jersey State Senator and Chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus Ron Rice put it plainly: “Seeing first-hand how drugs eviscerate urban communities — and understanding how marijuana legalization will impact the health, education, economics, business, liability and litigation complexities of our densely-populated, metropolitan-bookended state — I fully oppose it.”