PHOTO BY CLAIRE MITCHELL
Umatilla County Undersheriff Jim Littlefield spoke at a meeting of the Greater Hermiston Area Republican Women’s Club this week about the medical and social effects of recreational marijuana use.
Littlefield gave his presentation in light of the upcoming Oregon Ballot Measure 91, an initiated state statute which, if approved by voters this November, will legalize recreational marijuana use for people ages 21 and older.
Littlefield has been in law enforcement for almost 27 years, eight of which he spent with the Blue Mountain Enforcement Narcotics Team.
“I hear one of the arguments (in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana): people say it’s not a gateway drug. Well, my experience tells me different,” said Littlefield. “In my tenure, out of all the drug houses I’ve been in when we do a search warrant for meth or cocaine or heroin, I would say, conservatively, nine out of 10 of those houses also have marijuana, marijuana paraphernalia, or some indication that there’s marijuana use along with the other drugs.”
So far, Colorado and Washington are the only states to have legalized recreational marijuana. “Colorado in particular has been seeing increases in drug-related driving accidents, increases in theft, an increase in crime in general,” Littlefield said.
In 1973, Oregon became the first state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, making the possession of less than an ounce a violation instead of a crime. In 1998, Oregon was the second state to legalize medical marijuana use.
Another Measure 91 obstacle that Littlefield explained is the current lack of regulation in the medical marijuana industry. “There’s a small percentage of people in Oregon who have the medical marijuana card that have it for a specific ailment. The majority have them just for what they call ‘chronic pain.’ That’s part of what we believe comes from the inability of the state to regulate it.”
Medical marijuana also lacks the dosage restrictions of other prescription drugs, Littlefield said. “You just take as much as you want for as long as you want.”
One argument in favor of legalization is that it would allow the state to control, regulate and tax recreational marijuana and would help remove marijuana dealers from the streets.
“That’s not what Colorado and Washington have been finding,” said Littlefield. “Regarding taxing it, the research says that for every one dollar that we will gain in tax revenue, we will spend 10 dollars on the social problems related to the use of marijuana – whether it’s in treatment, counseling, (or) public health.”
According to Littlefield, Washington’s law enforcement is finding that recreational users are more likely to continue buying from illegal sources because their prices are so much lower than those in stores.
“In Colorado what they’re finding is a lot of these legal marijuana stores are now getting their marijuana from illegal sources (because) they have a better supply and because regulations aren’t what they should be,” he said.
“From what I get from some of our legal counsel at Oregon Association of Counties, (Measure 91) is still going to give counties and cities the ability to decide whether they want to do moratoriums on marijuana businesses,” Littlefield added.
Another pro-legalization argument is that tobacco and alcohol are already legal, and that marijuana is no more harmful than those substances.
“Look at all the social cost we’ve paid because of that,” said Littlefield. “Drunk driving deaths, tobacco-related deaths – now you want to add another component to that mix. Making it legal doesn’t make it any less harmful.”
Research has shown that marijuana use has negative effects on learning and mental development, productivity, academic achievement and job performance, and that persistent and heavy use during adolescence lowers the user’s IQ by six to eight points.
Research also indicates that when a person begins using marijuana as an adult, he or she has a one in 10 chance of becoming addicted. When use begins during adolescence, the chances of becoming addicted are one in six.
Colorado and Washington have seen an increased number of drivers under the influence of marijuana. According to Littlefield’s PowerPoint presentation, which was produced by the Oregon State Sheriffs Association, marijuana-impaired driving offenses in Washington have increased 40 percent in just one year.
Due to these health and safety concerns as well as the difficulty of regulating marijuana usage and sales, Measure 91 opponents have also shown great concern for the well-being of children.
“We know how easy it is for our children to get alcohol and cigarettes now,” said Littlefield.
“Making marijuana that readily available is going to make it that much easier for them to get.”
Littlefield’s presentation contained multiple news articles about children in Colorado and Washington who took marijuana to school and dealt it to other students or who were hospitalized due to marijuana use.
There are also FDA-approved food products infused with THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the main psychoactive constituent of the cannabis plant, which are available in marijuana dispensaries and intended for medical use.
“If that’s your intent and purpose,” Littlefield said, “why are we seeing (THC-infused) products that are marketed toward kids?” Such products include Kandy Care – THC-infused cotton candy – and Pot-Tarts.
Littlefield encouraged meeting attendees to do their own “homework”. He recommended that those who want to learn more about the effects of marijuana start by visiting the Drug Free America Foundation website (www.dfaf.org), the National Institute on Drug Abuse website (www.drugabuse.gov), and Smart Approaches to Marijuana (www.learnaboutsam.org).
“It’s a big subject to cover,” he said. “There’s a lot of data out there. We need to educate ourselves, determine what we believe is the right course, and then we make our voices heard at the voter’s box.”
To learn more on this topic, feel free to call the Umatilla County Sheriff’s office at 541-966-3600.
