Harvard Medical School together with John Hopkins University and other universities in the SAMS report of October 2016, state “though it is still early, these “experiments” in [dagga] legalization are not succeeding.” The SAMS report further states that the outcomes in Colorado and Washington paint a vastly different reality to that which Professor Nutt wishes South Africans to believe in. Findings from the SAMS reports include the following:
• There are rising rates of pot use by minors• Increasing arrests rates of minors, especially black (+58%) and Hispanic (+29%) children
• More accidents (155%), injuries (185%), absenteeism (178%) and disciplinary problems (155%) among pot users all increase costs for employers.
• Higher rates of traffic deaths from driving while high (a jump from 10.8% in 2013 to 22.1% in 2014)
• More marijuana-related poisonings and hospitalizations ages (+108%)
• A persistent black market that may now involve increased Mexican cartel activity in Colorado. In February 2015, Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman told reporters: “The criminals are still selling on the black market. … We have plenty of cartel activity in Colorado (and) plenty of illegal activity that has not decreased at all.”
• Alcohol consumption has risen in Colorado-post legalization
At the outset, it must be noted that the 2017 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Report states: “the implementation of medicinal use and recreational legalization is causing this widespread perception that dagga is not harmful.” Despite claims to the contrary regularly made pro-cannabis groups and the regular citation of Colorado as an example of successful regulation, reports from Colorado and Washington states in the USA, give a clearer picture of the realities of cannabis legalization and the harm that it has caused.
Follow the link below to read SAM’s report on the result of cannabis legalization in Colorado and Washington:
SAM: COLORADO AND WASHINGTON STATE SINCE LEGALIZATION
Within the South African context, teachers experience great difficulties handling dagga related incidents in schools across South Africa. “…after break, I cannot teach the learners anything, they are all on a high, using dagga,” stated a disgruntled principle. Surveys done at 2 534 schools across South Africa point to the fact that drug abuse is a key reason behind the high failure rates of students and that dagga ranks as the third biggest problem after general drug addiction and teenage pregnancy.
