A President Trump appointed federal prosecutor has issued a statement this week warning Montana voters ahead of the election on the risks of marijuana legalization.
U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme has urged Montana voters to “consider the risks” of approving marijuana legalization measures that appear on their November ballots.
Alme argues that enacting the policy change would have numerous consequences that include increased traffic fatalities and harms to children and claims that cannabis is addictive and peddles the gateway drug theory.
The prosecutor wrote on the Justice Department website in a statement, “In November, Montanans will vote whether to legalize recreational marijuana for state law purposes. Marijuana offenses will still be illegal under federal law. Because of the serious ramifications of this vote for our public safety and health, I encourage all Montanans to review in detail CI-118 and the lengthy 36 sections of I-190 to understand the system it would create.”
“Traffic fatalities and accidents will increase,” the statement reads. “Marijuana significantly impairs judgment, motor coordination and reaction time, and studies have found a direct relationship between blood THC concentration and impaired driving.”
While Alme does not urge voters to vote “no” on the proposal, he points out that THC potency has increased over the years. He also notes that more people will consume marijuana if it’s legalized and that casual cannabis consumption “can increase the risk of severe complications from COVID-19.”
Montana voters will decide on two separate measures on Election Day. One would establish a legal cannabis market for adults in the state, while a separate constitutional amendment would stipulate that only those 21 and older could participate in the program.
“Fellow Montanans, let’s be sure we take a close look at these proposals before voting on CI-118 and I- 190,” Alme said.
“I-190 could dilute state laws protecting children, the public and users from marijuana abuse,” Alme wrote. “One provision states that a person may not be denied custody rights to a minor solely for conduct related to this initiative.”
“A second provision states that a person currently under probation or released awaiting trial may not be penalized solely for conduct permitted by the initiative, apparently regardless of whether the person’s marijuana abuse contributed to their criminal conduct,” he said.
Paul Armentano, deputy director of NORML, told Marijuana Moment, “Today, nearly one in four Americans reside in a jurisdiction where the adult use of cannabis is legal, and 34 states regulate medical marijuana access by statute. Most tellingly, no state has ever repealed a marijuana legalization law (medical or otherwise), and historic percentages of adults—including majorities of self-identified Democrats, Republicans and independents—endorse making the plant legal, according to the latest nationwide Gallup poll.”
“Were the alleged ill effects of legalization as significant or pervasive as the U.S. attorney opines, the real-world ramifications would be readily apparent, and public support would be heading in just the opposite direction. But this has not been the case,” he said.
