Polls will show by a slight majority, Vermonters think legalizing pot is a good idea - but you can look at another factor – consumption.
In 2014, Vermonters consumed somewhere between 15 to 25 metric tons of marijuana – and spent at least $125 million on that. Per capita, we’re one of the highest pot-consuming states in the nation.
All this info comes from a detailed and nuanced report by the Rand Corporation, authorized by the legislature in 2014, and published last year.
The findings in the report have been influential, but not always conclusive.
For example, the data shows legalizing pot could bring in a big chunk of tax money – from 20 to 75 million dollars annually. It could, at least for a time, make Vermont even more of a tourist destination – known not just for maple syrup and skiing, but weed.
Still, just as the money side looks promising, the public health side is murky.
Data for drug treatment admissions shows, in Vermont, marijuana stands number three behind alcohol and opiates. And what’s not yet known - is if you can buy joints at a convenience store, how strong will that pot be?
Governor Shumlin is trying to find a balance. He’s advocating a yes to legal pot, but a no to edible marijuana which is often much stronger. And he wants a plan that would prevent teens from buying.
But as things stand now, the quality and potency of the pot of tomorrow here isn’t clear. So neither are the health consequences. And that makes me nervous.
Sure, there’s the general context of a heroin epidemic that sets the stage. And with pot, I worry more access will lead to even more consumption, more stoned drivers, more students who are high in my classes.
To be fair, I should say I haven’t seen overwhelming evidence that legalization leads to more use – or abuse. And while I think it will, there’s another argument that says, pot is so available now anyway - that legalization shifts the money away from the black market to the public sphere, with all the benefits of taxation.
Well, maybe.
But I remain skeptical.
Because I think legal pot in Vermont is coming.
And I suspect that when we ultimately make that decision, we’ll know more about the benefits of the money – and not enough about the downfall of too many people stoned in the wrong places.
