Our state officials should value the health and well-being of PA families over the addiction-for-profit marijuana industry backed by HB1200.

The following statement may be attributed to Dan Bartkowiak, Chief Strategy Officer, PA Family Council:

“Today’s reckless vote by Pennsylvania House Democrats to rapidly push through a dangerous marijuana commercialization bill underscores an utter disregard for a legitimate legislative process and the health, safety, and well-being of their fellow Pennsylvanians. This largely unexamined 173-page bill emerged just hours before the first vote, with Democrats alone supporting it in a rushed committee meeting and orchestrating a swift passage through the House. This is the worst possible procedure for a policy that will fundamentally alter Pennsylvania. 

But even worse is that the bill would legalize industrialized marijuana, increasing access to harmful THC products. States that have experimented with this type of marijuana commercialization have seen greater consequences of addictive use, particularly among young adults and teens. There are higher rates of mental health issues, more marijuana-related DUIs, and a greater number of families and children negatively affected by today’s highly addictive marijuana, manufactured and marketed to maximize profits. These policies fail to acknowledge the reality that today’s marijuana use inflicts harm; it causes addiction, and government-backed addiction-for-profit efforts through commercialization will spread the damage to many more families.”

Additional Background Information:

• On Tuesday, May 6th, a press conference was held at the PA State Capitol with families that have been devastatingly affected by marijuana use and addiction. “Too many people are naïve to the real harms of today’s commercial marijuana,” stated Crissy Groenewegen, director of the Parent Action Network for Smart Approaches to Marijuana. Click here for more about this press conference.
  
• Open Letter from Faith Leaders to Governor Josh Shapiro: There are 200 church and denominational leaders from Pennsylvania who represent over 1,000 churches across the Commonwealth that have signed an open letter to Governor Josh Shapiro and state elected officials. Signers include Dr. Todd Williams (President and CEO of Cairn University), Dr. Barry Whitworth (Baptist Resource Center), and Dr. Don Immel (PennDel Assemblies of God). “There is substantial evidence that marijuana use is contributing to rising addiction rates and other serious harms, and commercializing its sale will make these issues worse,” writes the open letter.

The following medical associations oppose the legalization of industrialized marijuana for recreational use:

• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) “opposes legalization of marijuana because of the potential harms to children and adolescents.” PA Chapter, AAP: “We can reasonably expect that, with its legalization, the prevalence of marijuana use among both adults and adolescents will increase in our state.” Dr. Sheryl Ryan
• American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) “opposes the recreational use of marijuana.”
• American Medical Association (AMA) “believes that the sale of cannabis for adult use should not be legalized.”
• American Psychiatric Association: “There is no current scientific evidence that cannabis is in any way beneficial for the treatment of any psychiatric disorder. In contrast, current evidence supports, at minimum, a strong association of cannabis use with the onset of psychiatric disorders.”
• American Society for Addiction Medicine “does not support the legalization of marijuana.”
• Association for Addiction Professionals “does not support the legalization of cannabis for recreational use, largely due to the addictive nature of cannabis.”
• Christian Medical and Dental Association: “The cost to society of recreational marijuana legalization is greater than tax revenues produced from its sales.”

Law enforcement agencies and additional groups are also opposed to marijuana legalization for recreational use:

• American Automotive Association (AAA) “opposes legalization of recreational cannabis due to an expected increase in cannabis-involved traffic fatalities.”
• Caron Treatment Centers: “If we continue towards the path of full legalization, we need to prepare ourselves to deal with the increase in problem usage. Far better would be to prevent the problems in the first place.” Dr. Adam Scioli, Medical Director and Head of Psychiatry
• Commonwealth Prevention Alliance: “Legalizing and introducing recreational marijuana are counterintuitive to the health and safety of PA communities.” Jeff Hanley, Executive Director
• Lancaster Newspapers Editorial Board:  “Legalizing marijuana isn’t the answer…there has to be a better way.”
• Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police: “Marijuana is a dangerous drug that poses a real threat to public safety and public health.”
• Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association: “Marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania will pose significant challenges for law enforcement as a result of the unanticipated consequences it has on crime and public safety.” Scott Bohn, Executive Director
• Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association: “Our opposition stems from science, research, and data, as well as information from our drug addiction specialists.” John Adams, Berks County District Attorney
• Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association: “Mass-commercialization of recreational marijuana would be a major setback.” David Taylor, President & CEO
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial Board: “The increasing potency, the new ways it can be used and the growing domination of the market by corporations, has complicated the question of legalization.”

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Pennsylvania Family Council is the state’s leading pro-family policy organization.