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The Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University recently published a study to better understand the economic and social costs of legalized marijuana. No matter your beliefs, we all deserve to know what the effects will be to our economy and society at large. The push for legalization has been coined “big tobacco 2.0” and to be honest, we couldn’t have named it better. Unfortunately, like tobacco, we will not see the true long-term health and economic repercussions of marijuana commercialization for decades to come.
However, this report found serious and disturbing short-term consequences that should not be ignored.
Here are some of the important findings from the report:
- For every dollar gained in tax revenue, Coloradans spent approximately $4.50 to mitigate the effects of legalization.
- Costs related to the healthcare system and from high school drop-outs are the largest cost contributors.
- Research shows a connection between marijuana use and the use of alcohol and other substances.
- Calls to Poison Control related to marijuana increased dramatically since legalization of medical marijuana and legalization of recreational marijuana.
- 69% of marijuana users say they have driven under the influence of marijuana at least once, and 27% admit to driving under the influence on a daily basis.
- The estimated costs of DUIs for people who tested positive for marijuana only in 2016 approaches $25 million.
Click here to read the full report.
