Letter: Montini's marijuana facts are all wrong

Not surprisingly, EJ Montini was noticeably vague in his recent op-ed (”Blowing marijuana smoke into opponents' faces") accusing Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy of using “questionable” information in its arguments against legalizing marijuana. Nothing could be further from the truth. Consider the following:

-- Since Colorado legalized marijuana, teen use has risen dramatically and is now 74 percent higher than the national average. (2015 SAMHSA report/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

-- Since legalization, Colorado has seen an increase in marijuana-related traffic fatalities, hospitalization and emergency visits, as well as marijuana-related calls to poison control centers. (Rocky Mountain HIDTA)

-- Today’s marijuana is a harmful, psychoactive, addictive substance that is much more potent than ever before -- at least five times more powerful than the marijuana of the 1970s. (National Institute of Drug Abuse)

-- The American College of Pediatricians reported grave risks for youth: “Marijuana is addicting, has adverse effects upon the adolescent brain, is a risk for both cardio-respiratory disease and testicular cancer, and is associated with both psychiatric illness and negative social outcomes.” (ACEP/September 2015)

-- As the U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado reported, illicit or black market activity in Colorado has not subsided since legalization and, in fact, has increased. (AP, Jan. 28, 2016)

Government regulatory statistical agencies as well as peer-reviewed medical journals are hardly “questionable.”

— Seth Leibsohn,chair;and Shelia Polk,vice-chair; Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy

Legal marijuana: Pros and cons