SHOULD YOU VOTE NO TO RETAIL MARIJUANA SHOPS IN YOUR TOWN THIS YEAR?
Regarding allowing marijuana shops in your neighborhood, town or city (Ballot question number 6 in Burlington) … Do you know that allowing the retail sale of marijuana increases rates of addiction in teens, increases ER visits and increases the incidence and severity of psychosis/mental illness?
Did you know that the more marijuana shops in your neighborhood, the more high potency pot and edible use by your teens? (Borodovsky) (1) and
The more high potency [cannabis/THC] used by youth the more cannabis addiction results? (Bidwell)(2)
And when head shops were closed in Ireland, ER admissions for psychosis decreased by a striking 20% (3)
Under Vermont law today, if you allow pot shops in your town, you may not ever be able to reverse that decision even if later significant health harms are created for your townspeople.
WARNING: Surgeon General of the United States …has determined that smoking or eating marijuana with higher levels of THC causes increased incidence of anxiety, paranoia and psychosis among adults.
The Vermont Medical Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics as well as the Medical Societies of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania — have all taken positions which show concern for or oppose the sale of cannabis for recreational use, noting that the “cost to the public health system from cannabis use will likely far outweigh any revenue” citing significantly increased ER visits, link to increased suicide risk, and data showing increased youth use rates in communities with commercialized marijuana
1.“U.S. cannabis legalization and use of vaping and edible products
among youth”
Borodovskya, J. et al https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28662974/
“higher dispensary density, … associated with younger age of onset of edibles [and ]..with younger age of onset of vaping.”……data indicate that
adolescents and young adults receive diverted legally-purchased cannabis (Boyd et al., 2015; Lankenau et al., 2017; Salomonsen-Sautel et al., 2012; Thurstone et al., 2011) despite qualifying medical condition or minimum purchase age (21 and up)(Hall and Lynskey, 2016) requirements.”
2. “Exploring cannabis concentrates on the legal market: User profiles, product strength, and health-related outcomes” C. Bidwell, et al https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30167450/
“Concentrate users endorsed higher symptoms of cannabis use disorder..” using THC concentrates was associated with greater cannabis addiction.
Surgeon General of the United States WARNING
Surgeon General of the United States has determined that marijuana use during pregnancy can harm the developing fetus, including harm to the fetal brain, and that smoking or eating marijuana with higher levels of THC causes increased incidence of anxiety, paranoia and psychosis among adults.
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Do you want your representative to sponsor giving towns the right to regulate cannabis grows, run off, ground water use, factories, bakeries?
If so tell Representative to support “REGULATION BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT” ________________________________________________
Do you want your representative to sponsor a bill requiring cannabis/marijuana to be labeled with the Surgeon General’s WARNING, like tobacco is?
If so, tell your Representative to co-support a bill titled “ADVERTISING A ND PACKAGING OF CANNABIS PRODUCTS”
If you would like to become a member, please write to us at : Physicians Families and Friends, Education Fund, PO Box 4521, Burlington, Vermont 05406–4521 Thank you!
