As a social worker and public health advocate who has dedicated his life's work to the prevention and treatment of the problems associated with substance use and addiction, I have seen too many suffering individuals, broken families and neglected communities shattered by drug use to remain silent on the anticipated negative consequences of this ballot measure.
The health care community has long been debating the appropriate medical use of marijuana for people suffering from severe and chronic health conditions. With passage of the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, medical marijuana dispensaries are popping up in neighborhoods, and local government officials are struggling with how to provide medicinal access to marijuana while protecting cities' quality of life.
In my view, the legalization of marijuana would make matters worse.
