Legalization of Marijuana Should Not Be the Answer to Illinois's Financial Woes

As the State of Illinois looks to increase revenues to avoid bankruptcy, it’s investigating marijuana legalization for tax revenues. From a treatment perspective, this option is rife with problems.

While marijuana use may be gaining acceptance around the country, medical research continues to raise questions about its safety. According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), roughly 9% of all marijuana users become “addicted.” The percentage rises to about 17% in those who start using marijuana at an early age, according to the institute, and reaches up to 50% for people who use marijuana on a daily basis.

It’s also been shown that most people who take hard drugs start with soft ones.

NIDA reports that among people who have tried illicit drugs, about two-thirds began with marijuana. Hardly anyone jumps straight in at the deep end: less than 1% of drug users reported that their first-ever outing was with heroin or cocaine.

Proponents of the “gateway” theory cite two arguments. One is biological: lab rats exposed to THC, the fun bit in marijuana, show greater sensitivity when later exposed to other drugs, such as morphine. Alcohol and nicotine have the same “cross-sensitizing” effect. In other words, rats (and perhaps people) that have tried one gently mind-altering substance seem to get more of a kick out of others.

The other argument is social: smoking marijuana, a banned substance, gets youngsters in with the wrong crowd, making them more likely to flout other laws. Breaking one taboo makes it easier to break another. And knowing a marijuana dealer certainly makes it simpler to acquire other substances: drug pushers are notorious for giving free samples of new drugs to their customers.

Then there’s also the question of the tax revenues generated by the legalization that would come to the state. It’s been just over a year since Colorado became the first jurisdiction in the world to regulate marijuana production and sale. Here’s what we’ve learned. As the Cannabist reports, Colorado brought in about $44 million from recreational marijuana in the first year of sales. The state’s total haul from marijuana for 2014 was about $76 million, which includes fees on the industry, plus pre-existing sales taxes on medical marijuana products. The $44 million represents only new taxes on recreational pot — a 10% special sales tax and a 15% excise tax on wholesale marijuana transfers. Those new taxes were initially forecast to bring in about $70 million. As a result, Colorado has already adjusted downward spending of the taxes, on everything from substance-abuse treatment to additional training for police officers. Says State Senator Pat Steadman, one of the Legislature’s main budget-writers, “Everyone who thinks Colorado’s rollin’ in the dough because of marijuana? That’s not true.”

Further, as Greenwood Village Police Chief John Jackson tells CBS News, there’s still illegal pot on the streets from underground dealers who don’t have to levy 28% in state taxes. “There’s a common belief that by legalizing it, you will get rid of the black market. I can resoundly say that the black market is alive and doing well.”

More important than the financial side of legalization of marijuana, we’re learning about its impact on the state’s residents and tourists. Andrew Freedman --- a Harvard Law grad who was hand-picked by Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper to oversee the rollout of legalized, recreational pot --- shares with CBS News his concerns about the message pot cookies and candies send to kids. “I do worry about if we are irreparably harming Colorado. And it’s something that will take years to suss out.”

One of the things Freedman admits they didn’t see coming was that people were going to overdose on edibles, which account for about 45% of Colorado’s newly legal pot market. Just three months into legalization, a 19-year-old college student visiting Denver leapt to his death from a hotel balcony after eating a pot-laced cookie. The coroner’s reported noted “marijuana intoxication” as “a significant contributing factor.”

As more people are have legal access to marijuana for medical and, in some states, recreational use, people are less likely to perceive it as addictive or harmful. But Illinois government officials should take note: Research ---- and what’s happening in Colorado --- shows that cannabis use can have significant consequences. A whopping 2.7 million people over age 12 already meet criteria for addiction to marijuana (2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health) -- and as views about pot appear to be becoming increasingly lax, this number is poised to skyrocket.

In my view, these findings show that the long-term cost of marijuana addiction to families and society will far eclipse any short-term gain in tax revenue. Much like addiction, this trades a fundamental problem for an instant-gratification solution.

If you think you or someone you know may be addicted to marijuana remember, help from a treatment center is only a phone call away.

#

The trusted resource in addiction treatment, Kiva Recovery’s groundbreaking model focuses on the individual and the strengths within each of us. Kiva’s treatment approach aims to replace addiction with solution-focused, growth-oriented strategies focusing on Lifelong Recovery through Holistic Health, Positive Character Building through Continuous Character Growth, and Life Satisfaction through Contentment. The Kiva Recovery treatment center is located 35 miles from downtown Chicago in the beautiful northern suburbs of Lake County, IL. To learn more, please visit www.KivaRecovery.com.