Dear Supes – Consider the impacts seen in other areas
Dear Supervisors:
I’m aware of the huge volume of literature you must review as you attend to your official duties and wish to advise you about lessons which we need to learn and be aware of as you proceed to address the growing Cannabis industry and its impact on Sonoma County. For a number of years, I was Susan Gorin’s appointee to the Community Advisory Board and have continued to try to keep making Santa Rosa and Sonoma County a wonderful place to live.
The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact Volume 5 September 2018 which is available at:www.RMHIDTA.org has serious implications.for our future as we move toward the legalized growing and recreational use of Marijuana.
* Marijuana-related traffic deaths increased 151 percent while all Colorado traffic deaths increased 35 percent.
*Since recreational marijuana was legalized, traffic deaths involving drivers who tested positive for marijuana more than doubled from 55 in 2013 to 138 killed in 2017.
* The percentage of all Colorado traffic deaths that were marijuana-related increased from 11.43% in 2013 to 21.3% in 2017.
* Colorado marijuana use for ages 12 and older is ranked 3rd in the nation and is 85% higher than then the national average.
* The yearly rate of emergency department visits related to marijuana increased 52 percent after the legalization of recreational marijuana (2012 compared to 2016)
* Marijuana tax revenue represents approximately nine-tenths of one percent of Colorado’s FY 2017 budget while violent crime increased 18.6 percent and property crime increased 8.3 percent in Colorado since 2013.
There’s more about the prices falling 62 percent 2014 to 2017. $14.04 to $5.34 per gram and the potency of concentrated extract increased from 56.6 percent THC content by weight in 2014 to 68.6 percent at the end of 2017.
This is from the Executive Summary, and I’m sure that our auto insurance companies are taking all of this into consideration as they steadily increase our costs.
* As of June 2017 there were 491 retail marijuana stores in the state of Colorado compared to 392 Starbucks and 208 McDonald’s
I ask that you take a strong stand on regulating the Cannabis Industry and weigh heavily the lessons we can learn from other localities that have allowed Cannabis into their domain and the huge negative impact it has on the residents and the economy and our safe well being. Please feel free to share this information with other supervisors and interested parties.