In 2012, Colorado voters approved Amendment 64, which legalized recreational marijuana for anyone 21 or older. As Colorado was one of only two states to make this move (the other was Washington), the impact of this legalization was unknown.
To address this question, in 2013, Colorado’s General Assembly passed Senate Bill 13-283, which requires the Division of Criminal Justice in the Colorado Department of Public Safety (CDPS) to release a biennial report on how the legalization of marijuana impacts Colorado. And, on June 24, 2021, the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice released its latest report titled, “Impacts of Marijuana Legalization in Colorado.” Here’s what it found.
The Findings – Traffic Incidents
As stated above, CDPS released its latest report in Jun 2021, but it’s essential to recognize that the data from the report is retrospective — meaning it’s only looking at data up to 2019.
Still, these points give us a good idea of trends in Colorado, especially when we combine them with data points from other reports like the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area report (HIDT). With this in mind, let’s look at marijuana’s impact on impaired driving.
- CDPS reports that DUI’s in which drugs are a factor on impairment increased 120 percent between 2014 and 2019.
- CDPS reports that fatalities with cannabinoid-only or cannabinoid-in-combination positive drivers increased from 55 in 2013 to 132 in 2019. That’s an increase of 140 percent.
- Rocky Mountain HIDT, on the other hand, reports traffic death where drivers tested positive for marijuana increased 135 percent, and all Colorado traffic deaths increased 24 percent.
The Findings – Underage Drug Usage
Clearly, legalized marijuana is having a negative impact when it comes to driving and traffic incidents. But that’s not the only area with reported problems.
In Colorado, you must be 21 or older to use marijuana without a prescription. Still, when it comes to underage drug usage, marijuana consumption has increased since 2013. That usage leads to an increase in suicides and other issues. Consider the below:
- CDPS reports that in 2018 and 2019, 34.4 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds reported using marijuana in the past 30 days. That’s up from 21.1 percent in 2005.
- CDPS reports that The Healthy Kids Colorado Survey (HKCS) past 30-day use of marijuana in youth increased slightly from 19.7 percent in 2013 to 20.6 percent in 2019.
- According to CDPS, youth use of marijuana in Colorado is 9.8 percent, which is slightly higher than the national average (CDPS doesn’t report the national average).
- CDPS reports that 30 percent of all Colorado public school expulsions, and 34 percent of all law enforcement referrals, were due to marijuana procession. Note: Due to targeted reform in 2012, “zero tolerance” policies in school are no longer a factor, leading to lower drug expulsion rates but not lower usage rates.
- In stark contrast to CDPS, however, Rocky Mountain HIDT reports that since 2013, past 30-day marijuana use in youth (ages 12+) increased 30 percent and is 76 percent higher than the national average.
- Rocky Mountain HIDT reports the percent of suicide incidents in which toxicology results were positive for marijuana has increasedfrom 14 percentin 2013 to 23 percentin 2018.
- Rocky Mountain HIDT reports frequent marijuana use is associated with increased rates of suicide attempts for youth aged 12 to 25.
- Rocky Mountain HIDT reports 27 percent of Colorado high school students used marijuana at least once in the past 30 days, and 47 percent of high school students tried it at least once in their lifetime. Of those students who used it, 54 percent said they dabbed it, concentrating THC levels to 70 percent or higher.
Is Legalization Worth It?
When marijuana was first legalized, Coloradoans didn’t know what impact it’d have, if any. That unknown is no longer a factor. Statistics show that legalized marijuana has led to an increase in traffic incidents and deaths. Further, youth drug use has increased, leading to a rise in youth suicide attempts.
Moreover, the above-listed problems are just the tip of the iceberg for legalized marijuana. Thanks to comprehensive medical studies, we now know marijuana use before the age of 15 increases your chances of schizophreniform and other psychotic disorders.
Consequently, one should ask themselves: Is legalized marijuana worth it?
Check out “The Truth About Marijuana: What They Don’t Want You to Know” for more information on Colorado’s marijuana industry.
