Opponents of the move to legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona are marshalling arguments citing the dangers of using the drug and arguing that the push is being driven by the interests of industry insiders and not the general public.
The visit of a former New York Times journalist who has investigated the links between the use of marijuana and mental illness helps reveal the "dark side" of the drug, argued Cindy Dahlgren, a communications specialist, in a post published by the Center for Arizona Policy. The center promotes and defends "the foundational values of life, marriage and family, and religious freedom."
In the piece, Dahlgren cited the work of Alex Berenson, who said he would listen to his forensic psychiatrist wife speak of the "link between marijuana use, mental illness, and violent behavior .
"Shocked at what he discovered, Berenson now travels the country sharing a dark truth many do not want revealed," Dahlgren wrote of his book “Tell Your Children the Truth: About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence.”
"Marijuana industry insiders are, again, trying to convince Arizona voters to legalize recreational marijuana," Dahlgren said. "The effort includes a deceitful ballot measure ironically titled, 'Smart and Safe Arizona Act..In addition to the negative consequences of marijuana use today, there are serious problems with the measure itself."
She argues there is nothing in the measure to discourage teen use or addressing use prior to driving.
"The measure was written by the marijuana industry, for the marijuana industry, creating a monopoly for medical marijuana insiders," Dahlgren added. "Two main donors to the initiative— contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars already—own 27 dispensaries in Arizona and stand to make a fortune by monopolizing the licenses.
"Only municipalities that don’t currently have a medical marijuana shop can ban retail pot shops. Conveniently, nearly all Arizona municipalities have at least one medical marijuana shop."
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