Rep John Rogers Hosts Chief Carmichael at State House Summit

(Boston) –Legislators from the House and Senate received a briefing on the proposed marijuana ballot questions, a summit which was organized and co-hosted by Walpole state Representative John H. Rogers. The principal speaker the packed forum was Walpole Police Chief John Carmichael, the liaison between the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association and Governor Charlie Baker’s Interagency Council on Substance Abuse & Mental Health. Chief Carmichael, and Norwood’s Chief Bill Brooks, the President of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association have long been leaders in the struggle to curb the addiction crisis in the Commonwealth.

“It is imperative that my colleagues hear what Chief Carmichael has to report from his recent trip with a legislative delegation to Colorado,” said Rogers. “As partners, working together to stem the tide of the opioid addiction crisis, we cannot afford to let this ballot question undermine our efforts.”

Rogers, a longtime advocate for drug treatment programs and funding for prevention and law enforcement , went on to highlight some of the recent achievements of the legislature on this matter. “The recent laws we passed allowing prosecution of those trafficking the drug fentanyl, the 2012 Crime Bill, now law, which allows for wiretapping of drug dealers, and the prescription drug monitoring program we in the legislature implemented will be undermined by the increased drug usage caused by legalization of Marijuana,” said Rogers.

Carmichael agreed. “I don’t believe we should talk about recreational use of marijuana. We should talk about how we as a nation are in an addiction crisis,” he said. The so-called “War on Drugs” is long over, and we as society should only be thinking about awareness, education, prevention, treatment, recovery and enforcement, not increasing access and availability of a street drug to our most vulnerable people in society – adolescents.

Carmichael’s testimony was exhaustive, including several reasons for opposition:

• The proposed ballot questions will not generate revenue for the state,; like Colorado, the small increase in revenues will be dwarfed by the costs to retrain local police forces to detect people operating cars and endangering the public while under the influence of THC
• Increase in adult/child use during a time when Massachusetts ranks amongst the highest in past 30 day use in all age cohorts.
• Increase in traffic fatalities/OUIs as seen in Colorado.
• Hospitalization, drug treatment episodes and addiction rates will skyrocket
• Increased exposure to kids though the black market and diversion.
• Increasing reported cases of intentional poisoning of dogs and other pets as an unintended consequence.
• Black Market home growers selling marijuana for less than licensed dispensaries as they circumvent the regulated and taxed retail establishments.
• There have been countless cases of psychosis triggered by concentrated levels of THC as the potency of each dose is often unknown or within a wide range of potency.
• THC can have adverse effects on those already living with mental illness and can trigger psychosis that has led to suicide and murder.
• We would not only be legalizing pot, we would be legalizing unregulated infused edibles, and high concentrated THC such as shatter, dabs, and oils.
Massachusetts voters will have their chance to approve or defeat the marijuana measures when they vote in the presidential election in November. The question will really be whether Massachusetts is better off by legalizing marijuana and all of its derivatives.