Children will die, according to Ricketts

If you care about the safety of your children, legalizing marijuana probably shouldn’t be on your agenda, according to Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts. During a news briefing last week, Ricketts pushed back against states legalizing medical marijuana not allowing marijuana dispensaries in the State of Nebraska. “If you legalize marijuana, you’re gonna kill your kids,” he suggested. “That’s what the data shows from around the country.” His comments stemmed from two studies concluding that teens who died by suicide in multiple states that have legalized marijuana used it more frequently. 

Nebraska is one of the few states remaining that haven’t moved towards legalizing medical cannabis. Currently, lawmakers are considering legislation that would allow patients to consume medical marijuana in the form of pills or oils. Smokable marijuana will remain illegal under the newly proposed bill, which was highly recommended by a practicing physician. 

Continuing marijuana prohibition on the basis that the lack of freedom prevents undue harm on our children is an outdated, aged argument that only gains momentum in Republican primaries. Recreational marijuana legalization is gaining popularity across the country. Medical marijuana legalization has the votes in NE necessary to pass if put up to a vote as a ballot initiative. 

If the bill does pass, and Ricketts signs it into law, expert physicians will have the ability to regulate marijuana based on medical expert opinion. If the state is forced to put the initiative on the ballot, physicians would have less control and marijuana would be more difficult to regulate. In turn, the people of the state will decide how medical marijuana should be handled. 

Is Ricketts considering a Presidential run in 2024, or are his conservative constituents silly enough to believe that legalizing medicine will lead to increased suicides? The two studies referenced by Ricketts’ team study states with higher populations than Nebraska, where teen suicides would be more likely, regardless of marijuana legalization. Fear tactics have kept the failing War on Drugs alive and well for over 50 years. How long will the propaganda prevail?