In a few days, we, Oregonians, will decide whether to legalize the use, possession, and growing of marijuana. We rejected a similar proposal two years ago. Sometimes we make choices because it’s politically correct or it’s inevitable. Instead we should calmly examine the facts and decide the positive and negative factors. What affect will legalization of pot have on life in Oregon? Will it affect our children, our education, our safety on highways and our health?

The proponents have over two million dollars to try to convince you to vote for legalization. We the opponents are armed with facts and concerned for the future of our society.

I oppose legalization and here’s why! The real purpose of this initiative is to allow more people to get high on “today’s” marijuana and for Big Marijuana to make lots of money. What is the socially redeeming factor? The legalization will negatively impact every aspect of our life. Today’s marijuana is different from the marijuana in the 70s. Its intoxicating component, THC, has been genetically engineered so the content has gone from 1 percent up to 37.2 percent. Marijuana extract has up to 90 percent THC. Users are literally getting so high they require emergency room help. In Colorado emergency rooms visits have increased 57 percent from 2012 to 2013. One referral is repetitive vomiting, called cannabanoid hyperomesis syndrome. Smoked marijuana has 50 to 70 percent more hydrocarbons than tobacco. Brain cells are affected by its use and IQ decreases eight points if usage starts as a teen. Marijuana addicts up to 17 percent of teen users and 9 percent of adult users.

As a former drug court judge, most participants were cross addicted to multiple drugs, almost always marijuana was one of the addictive substances and the hardest to overcome. Most participants started use in middle school. Marijuana use continues with other drugs such as heroin or methamphetamine.

Marijuana is unique in that it stays in your system for eight to 30 days and clings to fat cells Marijuana affects negatively balance, depth perception, memory, motivation and judgment. As a consequence, traffic accidents, drugged driving and traffic fatalities increase with the use of marijuana.

Oregon has high rates of usage of marijuana in high schools but legalization will further increase those rates. Early returns from Colorado show increased usage, suspensions and expulsions involving students using marijuana. At a time when real progress has been made regarding exposure of children to second-hand smoke, marijuana legalization will expose children to use, second hand smoke and access to the drug.

The current initiative authorizes an extraordinary amount of marijuana, to wit: one-half pound of usable marijuana (eight times the amount allowed in Washington and Colorado), one pound of marijuana edibles, over one-half gallon of liquid marijuana, one ounce of marijuana extract and four marijuana plants. Marijuana edibles include candy bars, gummy bears, and ice pops all currently being sold in Colorado in a blatant attempt to attract children. These edibles have high quantities of THC. Look up on the Internet a report on the Colorado experience (August 2014 HIDTA report).

Ballot measure 91 is impaired with no standards for THC levels, no real mechanism for police to enforce drugged drivers. The OLCC is in charge of licensing, collecting taxes and enforcement.

Proponents claim 17 to 40 million dollars of revenue to the state. Two problems, first Colorado’s experience was the revenues were less than projected and second with addictive substances the social costs are 10 times the revenue. National examples: alcohol revenue, $14 billion and social costs $185 billion and tobacco revenue, $25 billion and social costs $200 billion. The result is the tax payers of Oregon are left holding the bag.

So the choice is yours, do what the pundits say is inevitable or show Oregon independence and judgment and reject Big Marijuana’s multi-million dollar attempt to foist recreational marijuana on you, your community.

— Gary S. Thompson is a retired judge and lives in Prineville.