Legalizing marijuana will decrease black market sales, help keep people off opiates
Editor:
The only reason cannabis is a gateway drug is because it’s illegal. Giving people a safe option to buy cannabis from a dispensary will decrease black market activity.
This will lead to less people progressing to harder drugs. I’ve seen it, I’ve lived it and will say cannabis is extremely effective at keeping people off opiates.
If Republicans want to tackle the opiate crisis, they should look toward cannabis as a tool for harm reduction.
States that have implemented medical marijuana laws have seen a 5.88% lower rate of opioid prescribing, and when they implemented recreational marijuana laws, there was a 6.38% reduction in opiate prescribing. Used in combination with opioid pain medications, marijuana can lower opioid side-effects, cravings and withdrawal severity as well as enhance the analgesic effects of opioids, thereby allowing for lower doses and less risk of overdose.
I don’t believe government should legislate morality when it comes to what adults choose to do with their own bodies.
Greg McCarthy
Medina
