COLORADO’S GRAND EXPERIMENT Bob Troyer Former United States Attorney, Colorado
THE EXPERIMENT What will happen if we commercialize an addictive substance without federal health and safety regulation? 2
THE LAB RATS 3
WHAT’S IT LIKE IN COLORADO NOW? 4
EXPERIMENT RESULTS Youth Decreased IQ, decreased school achievement, increased depression - 200 more suicides by 10-24 year olds - 21% of youth suicides involve pot - Youth poison control center admissions up 500% - Up to a 9-fold increased risk of schizophrenia/psychosis - More than 1 in 5 high schoolers is a regular drug user - Highest youth vaping rate in US – 2x the national average - 5 50% of newborns in Pueblo hospital test positive for pot -
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EXPERIMENT RESULTS Public Health Traffic fatalities 151% - 56% of drugged-driving cases involve pot - Pot ER visits 52% - Pot hospitalizations 148% - 70% of licensed stores recommend pot to treat morning sickness - 60+ recalls, 93% of samples contain banned pesticides - Increased alcohol use - Increased opioid deaths each year 8 -
EXPERIMENT RESULTS Environment Nerve-agent pesticides in mammal food chain - Water diversion and contamination - 2.7 liters of water per day per plant - 17x more electricity than a residence - 9
EXPERIMENT RESULTS Communities Degraded houses, neighborhoods, parks, property values - Greatest impact on blacks and Latinos - Daily life impacts (homelessness, pet poisoning, sanitation, odor, - fencing, hostility) Theater of operation for international drug trafficking organizations - 10
CRIME AND THE 2 BLACK MARKETS 11
El Paso County Over 650 Cuban grow properties identified in DEA Colorado Springs cases 12
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WHY? They produce 3 lbs. per plant per 60-90 day growing cycle. For 100 plants, that’s about 1,500 lbs. per year. Sold out-of-state, that’s $5 to 7 million per year. 14
BUT WHY COLORADO? “It’s just business. Minimize risk, maximize profit.” Transport Obtain Plant Harvest Cultivate Crop to Site Crop Crop Crop Market 15
OTHER CRIME • Murders, armed robberies, aggravated assaults • Investment fraud, securities fraud, tax fraud, public corruption • Deputy Zach Parish 16
BUT THE BENEFITS! • For each $1 it gets, State spends $4.57 to mitigate • Pot tax money does not go to education • Pot taxes add less than 1% to State budget • About 16,000 jobs added statewide, $15/hour • Employee positive drug tests tripled; employer losses increased • Does not cure opioid addiction • Does not reduce crime • Does not reduce alcohol abuse • Does not elevate the disadvantaged 17
INDUSTRY’S MINDSET • “Concentrates are wildly popular. This is an exciting age of development of the big concentrate companies that will become household names.” • “I think the industry would very much like to figure out the potential impacts of regular consumption of high-potency products on an adult brain. Right now, the truth is we don’t know.” 18
BEND THIS ARC • “It takes people applying knowledge, reason, and science to reduce suffering. ‘The arc’ does not bend itself.” • “Coalitions and networks of people who know the impacts of a bad practice are the ones who can best change that practice.” 19
QUESTIONS? Bob Troyer Former U.S. Attorney, Colorado troyergsp@gmail.com (303) 507-4075 20
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