Marijuana Legalization in the Midwest: the Potential Impact
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Marijuana Legalization in the Midwest: The Potential Impact March 2019 Jeffrey B. Stamm Executive Director, Midwest HIDTA This page intentionally left blank Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 5 The Midwest HIDTA Region ............................................................................................................... 5 Purpose .................................................................................................................................................... 5 Background ............................................................................................................................................. 6 Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 1: Diversion, Crime, and Traffic Fatalities ........................................................... 12 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................ 12 Overproduction .................................................................................................................................... 13 Inadequate Regulation ........................................................................................................................ 13 Diversion and Trafficking ................................................................................................................... 14 Parcel ...................................................................................................................................................... 14 Crime ..................................................................................................................................................... 17 Traffic Fatalities and Impaired Driving ............................................................................................ 22 Chapter 2: Accessibility and Use ............................................................................................ 25 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................ 25 State Estimates of Youth Marijuana Use ........................................................................................... 25 State Estimates of Adult Marijuana Use ........................................................................................... 28 The Alaskan Example .......................................................................................................................... 29 Chapter 3: Impacts on Health ................................................................................................. 31 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................ 31 Emergency Room Visits, Hospitalizations, and Poison Center Data ........................................... 31 THC Extraction Labs ........................................................................................................................... 34 Pesticide Use ......................................................................................................................................... 35 Contents of Marijuana Smoke ............................................................................................................ 36 Chapter 4: Potency .................................................................................................................... 37 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................ 37 Modern Marijuana ............................................................................................................................... 37 Edible Marijuana .................................................................................................................................. 39 Chapter 5: Marijuana as an Opioid Alternative .................................................................. 41 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................ 41 Research ................................................................................................................................................. 41 Chapter 6: The Inadequacies of Marijuana Reporting Systems ...................................... 44 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................ 44 Midwestern Requirements ................................................................................................................. 44 Seed-to-sale ........................................................................................................................................... 45 RFID ....................................................................................................................................................... 46 Cloning .................................................................................................................................................. 46 Theft ....................................................................................................................................................... 47 Self-reporting Data Quality ................................................................................................................ 47 Chapter 7: Marijuana Revenue ............................................................................................... 48 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................ 48 Estimated Revenue for Midwest ........................................................................................................ 48 Costs and Benefits of Marijuana in Colorado .................................................................................. 49 Additional Costs................................................................................................................................... 50 Falling Marijuana Prices ...................................................................................................................... 51 Chapter 8: Regulatory Overview ............................................................................................ 53 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................ 53 Dosing Concerns and Physician Guidelines .................................................................................... 53 Purchase and Possession Limitations................................................................................................ 54 Packaging, Labeling, and Marketing ................................................................................................. 55 Chapter 9: Terminology ........................................................................................................... 57 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................ 57 “Recreational” Marijuana ................................................................................................................... 57 “Medical” Marijuana ........................................................................................................................... 58 “Medical” Cannabidiol........................................................................................................................ 59 Cannabis: A “Rebranding” of Marijuana ......................................................................................... 59 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 61 Appendices: ................................................................................................................................ 63 Iowa Code Chapter 124E..................................................................................................................... 63 Missouri Amendment 2 ...................................................................................................................... 65 North Dakota Measure 5 ..................................................................................................................... 67 References ................................................................................................................................... 69 Introduction The Midwest HIDTA Region The Midwest HIDTA’s seven-state area consists of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Rock Island County, Illinois. The region spans over 428,000 square miles, encompasses 72 HIDTA-designated counties, and is considered the largest of the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s 28 HIDTA regions. It is as varied as it is vast, and incorporates major urban cities, separated by suburban sprawl and rural bucolic settings. Within the Midwest HIDTA are more than 4,300 miles of interstate highways and an international border stretching