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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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US: Washington State Cannabis Legalization: A Questionable Model Bailey Rahn Hawaii Daily News Monday 16 Apr 2012 Opponents of I-502 are urging voters, particularly medical cannabis patients, to take a closer look at the details of the initiative and consider how these conditions may affect them. If I-502 does pass, other states may refer to it as a model for their own future legalization measures. For this reason, voters outside of Washington state should be aware of its advantages and disadvantages as recreational use of cannabis popularizes. The primary concern of I-502 opponents is changes to the Washington state driving laws that would determine impairment based on the driver's THC concentrations in their blood. Drivers over the age of 21 exceeding concentrations of 5 ng/mL could face DUI penalties (or 0 ng/mL for those under 21). But what does this figure mean? According to researchers and opponents, not even the lawmakers truly know. Washington state lawyer Craig Platt sides with I-502 opponents and argues, "This [figure] may seem reasonable to some–representing a quid pro quo of sorts. However, this change in the DUI statute may lack a scientific basis and therefore may be unfair to medical cannabis patients." Recent scientific research performed on cannabis and impairment has concluded that "the evidence from epidemiological studies on cannabis and accident risk is still much less conclusive than for alcohol and alone is insufficient for adopting a science-based legal limit for THC in blood" (Grotenhermen 2005). This underdeveloped figure of 5 ng/mL has frequent users, especially medical cannabis patients, worried that 502 will put unimpaired drivers at risk of DUI penalties. In this sense, I-502 is a stride backward as it still criminalizes cannabis users, just under different conditions. Undoubtedly this limit implemented by I-502 serves to consider public safety, but this may come at a cost. THC is traceable in the blood hours, sometimes even days, after consumption, and this established "per se" limitation does not account for that. As demonstrated by a 2009 study, researchers determined that "THC concentrations persist multiple days after drug discontinuation in heavy cannabis users. It is currently unknown whether the neurocognitive impairment occurs with low blood THC concentrations" (Karschner EL, Schwilke EW). The assumptions made by Washington state lawmakers in inventing this 5 ng/mL limit are problematic; felony convictions should be based on consistent, scientifically-based facts that will accurately convict the dangerous, impaired drivers. Another fear medical cannabis patients have of allowing the state to regulate cannabis is the inevitable price increase that it will undergo in the process of taxation. It is difficult to predict the exact price of cannabis once it is regulated, but one researcher from the Seattle medical cannabis magazine The Northwest Leaf anticipates the price of cannabis to triple (up to $600/oz.) as the product is transported from state-sanctioned cultivation sites to distributors (March 2012 issue). If this expected economic reaction does unfold, I-502 would further disadvantage patients by greatly increasing the cost of their medication. Some opponents of I-502 are wondering if this price increase will prompt black market activity once again. With cannabis navigating through producers, processors, distributors, and consumers, illegal growers and sellers who bypass these taxes may be able to offer their product for a significantly lower price. For these reasons, opponents of I-502 encourage voters and cannabis enthusiasts to be patient and wait for research to produce accurate scientific data to inform legal decisions on cannabis. I-502 erases much of the progress that Washington has made in legalizing the medical use of cannabis. With unaffordable product and DUI laws prohibiting many users from driving, "legalization" pertains to a very strict demographic of occasional users. Other states looking at legalizing the recreational use of cannabis should consider these issues and perhaps wait until enough conclusive research has been conducted to determine reasonable parameters for DUID statutes. See the full text of Washington I-502 for more information and details. http://sos.wa.gov/_assets/elections/initiatives/i502.pdf http://cannabis.hawaiinewsdaily.com/2012/04/16/washington-state-marijuana-legalization-a-questionable-model/
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