Just lately, the Republican Examine Committee (RSC), a gaggle of 156 members of the Grand Outdated Get together (GOP) Home Caucus, launched a controversial Household Coverage Agenda.
A part of what’s indicated on the agenda is a dialogue on marijuana legalization and the way it’s tied to suicide and violence. Entitled, “Defending Kids From Risks of Medication,” the part discusses how marijuana continues to be federally unlawful “however that has not stopped an increasing number of states and localities from legalizing it below their very own legal guidelines,” it reads.
What’s ironic is that the aim of this agenda paper is to “restore the American household”. Their makes an attempt to criticize hashish legalization contains recommending the abolishment of hashish edibles. “As well as, Congress ought to cross the Defending Youngsters from Sweet-Flavored Medication Act, launched 3 by RSC Chairman and Congressman Jim Banks (R-IN), which might enhance felony penalties for anybody who manufactures or distributes medication which might be disguised as sweet,” it reads.
One other ironic facet is that the committee says the prohibition isn’t sufficient to cease youngsters from consuming hashish. It signifies unfounded lies: “This has led to an explosion of marijuana use amongst kids, which is having a vastly unfavourable influence on their well being,” the report reads.
Based mostly on the agenda, what the GOP actually needs is for felony penalties for marijuana in addition to different Schedule 1 substances that come within the type of sweet or drinks to be elevated. It’s ludicrous that they assume these things are being offered to minors! After all, these aren’t true, however it’s no secret that GOP lawmakers are nonetheless towards marijuana legalization.
GOP Nonetheless In opposition to Hashish Legalization
In April earlier this yr, the Home handed a regulation that seeks to decriminalize marijuana federally. This has been a very long time coming, although the invoice has met quite a few bumps on the highway. Greater than 200 Home Republicans opposed the laws, and simply three of them supported it. Once you take a look at the opposite aspect, over 200 Home Democrats backed it up and simply two voted towards the invoice. This gorgeous a lot ensured the loss of life of the invoice in Senate.
The GOP nonetheless chooses to go towards the tide as most Individuals are already in favor of marijuana legalization. The truth is, many citizens additionally assist hashish for leisure use.
There are a lot of theories why there may be nonetheless such a powerful opposition from Republicans in relation to marijuana legalization — in addition to many different urgent points. A fast take a look at congressional Republicans will present that almost all of them are spiritual and considerably older. These teams of individuals are not progressive in relation to drug reform and the advantages of marijuana, which is why they’re so conservative about it in addition to different issues of household and morality.
As well as, lots of the Republicans should not conscious of how fellow Republicans’ opinions have advanced via the years. It isn’t far-fetched for a lot of Reps to go towards federal legalization of marijuana just because they assume they’re doing proper in representing their voters’ opinions.
The truth is, a latest nationwide ballot performed by the Nationwide Hashish Roundtable revealed that greater than three quarters of self-identified Republicans imagine that leisure or medical legalization that has been supported by voters shouldn’t be opposed. They imagine that the federal government as a substitute ought to be focusing their efforts on eliminating hurdles for these markets. Moreover, 17% of respondents don’t assume the federal authorities ought to be fully hands-off in relation to state-legal markets.
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In response to former Colorado Sec. Cory Gardener, a Republican and a brand new board member of the Nationwide Hashish Roundtable, “there’s been an enormous shift in opinion, and it’s evidently clear that Republicans have extraordinarily constructive attitudes towards authorized hashish.”
A latest Gallup ballot echoes the identical sentiments, with outcomes demonstrating that fifty% of Republicans again legalization whereas 49% didn’t. “Twenty years in the past, you couldn’t get a majority of Republicans that supported medical hashish. Now, it’s overwhelmingly supportive,” explains Tony Fabrizio of Fabrizio, Lee & Associates to Politico.com.
Take a look at the Numbers
All one has to do is solely lookup the info.
How can the GOP say that hashish legalization is tied to a rise in suicide and violence when information reveals the alternative is true? Hashish helps psychological well being, thus lowering suicide and violence charges the place it’s authorized.
In a 2021 research analyzing outcomes of a 2013 investigation which discovered no affiliation between medical marijuana legalization and psychological well being, researchers confirmed: “We discovered that leisure marijuana entry was related to a 6.29% discount in suicide charges for males aged 40 to 49, however no different psychological well being outcomes had been in any other case affected by liberalization of marijuana legal guidelines,” the authors wrote.
“Antagonistic psychological well being outcomes don’t comply with hashish liberalization on the state degree, confirming the findings,” they add. “As well as, there may be proof that leisure marijuana reduces suicide charges for middle-aged males” — and this is only one research out of many.
In the meantime, different research present that hashish legalization advantages the felony justice system by decreasing violent crime. In a single research amongst a number of, researchers discovered that authorized medical hashish isn’t an indicator of elevated crime charges. Dr. Robert Morris, lead creator of the research and an affiliate professor of criminology, acknowledged that hashish might in truth result in reductions in sure sorts of crime.
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“We’re cautious about saying, ‘Medical marijuana legal guidelines positively scale back murder.’ That’s not what we’re saying,” he defined. “The primary discovering is that we discovered no enhance in crime charges ensuing from medical marijuana legalization. The truth is, we discovered some proof of lowering charges of some sort of violent crime, specifically murder and assault,” he mentioned.
Conclusion
We hope the GOP opens their eyes and will get a great actuality examine. With their assist, at some point, we hope the federal legalization of hashish will lastly occur as latest bulletins by President Biden appear to be pointing that course.
This text initially appeared on Hashish.internet and has been reposted with permission.
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