Legalization of marijuana puts tax revenue ahead of health

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In November of 1998 the Attorney's General of 46 states including Rhode Island filed a class action lawsuit against the leading tobacco industries that tobacco is harmful and addictive.

As a result of this lawsuit the tobacco industry after a court battle agreed that tobacco was habitual and addictive and agreed to pay $206 billion to the 46 states over a period of 25 years.

The settlement is called The Master Settlement Agreement of 1998. In 2000 the major tobacco companies began to distribute the settlement money to the 46 states including Rhode Island.

Each year since 2000 Rhode Island receives millions of dollars under the MSA of 1998 and will continue receive these monies until the year 2025.

The purpose of the lawsuit was to recoup monies spent under the State Medicaid program for illnesses treated by the States for individuals who became ill due to tobacco use over time prior to 1998.

In addition to receiving these settlement monies, Rhode Island also taxes and currently receives $3.50 per pack of cigarettes and other tobacco products sold in Rhode Island.

As we speak there is legislation this session to increase the cigarettes tax again. This increase as proposed would make Rhode Island the second highest cigarette excise tax in the country with only New York ahead of Rhode Island.

These high taxes on tobacco products adds millions to the General Treasury and its intent is to discourage Rhode Islanders to stop smoking for health purposes by paying more for tobacco for a smoke free environment.

Now comes the 2016 General Assembly again a bill to legalize for recreational purposes a certain amount of marijuana to grow and smoke.

The legislation as proposed would remove Rhode Island's prohibition on adults using, possessing and cultivating a certain amount of marijuana for personal use.

It establishes a system of regulated marijuana retail distributors to sell marijuana to adults 21 and older and impose taxes at both the wholesale and retail level.

No matter what spin is used to support smoking marijuana, the fact remains that marijuana smoke is ingested into the lungs and into the blood stream.

According to the organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) an organization where marijuana policies are aligned with the scientific understanding of marijuana harms and the commercialization and normalization of marijuana are no more.

Their mission is to educate citizens on the science of marijuana and to promote health first smart policies and attitudes that decrease marijuana use and it's consequences.

According to SAM, marijuana poisoning has significantly increased in Colorado since legalizing marijuana use.

In 2015 drug crimes increased 12 percent in the city of Denver and County of Denver. I urge readers to research what the medical and public safety effects are in using marijuana in Colorado and the number of negative consequences using this drug.

It is also true that Oklahoma and Nebraska have filed lawsuits with the Supreme Court of the United States to abolish Colorado marijuana laws because of the negative crossover effect it is having on those two states.

The federal government still considers marijuana an illegal substance which means any evidence from a back-round check that you have purchased marijuana from a legal retailer could effect a young persons federal student loan application, certain city, state and federal employment positions and social benefits such as food stamps and public housing.

Rhode Island lawmakers sponsoring this legislation and their research personnel should examine what the long term health and mental effects smoking this Federal illegal scheduled one substance will have on there constituency without penalty for personnel use.

Will this illegal substance create sickness long term and what will be their health care source for those who cannot afford health care and depend on the system.

Passing this legislation as proposed should not be just about the money added to the Rhode Island General Fund, it should be about rejecting this legislation for the health and safety of Rhode Islanders and neighboring States crossover effects.

On one hand, Rhode Island is receiving millions of dollars from the Master Settlement Agreement of 1998 of which the tobacco industry admitted that tobacco is a health risk and addictive.

On the other hand members of Rhode Island General Assembly are sponsoring legislation to allow a Federal illegal controlled smoking substance to become law without penalty to increase tax revenues and ignoring the health risks of their constituencies.

There is a definite inconsistency or a contradiction here.

Some would argue that alcohol abuse creates problems and I simply say, why is it necessary to legally add more drug abuse to society that already exist?

Putting tax revenue ahead of the health and welfare of the people of Rhode Island especially the younger generation and the poor is not a healthy way to add to the General Fund.

I urge Rhode Islanders to contact their State Representatives and Senators and tell them that you reject any legislation that legalizes marijuana to grow and possess this illegal substance to become law. Do it for Rhode Island families especially young families do it for yourself.

Rhode Island should be marketed as business friendly not pot friendly.

A South Kingstown resident, Robert T. Kells is a retired Lincoln police chief.

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