Time for more talks about legalizing pot

It’s time to have the conversation.

Should New Mexico legalize, regulate and tax marijuana for recreational use by adults 21 and over?

An Albuquerque Journal Poll, which surveyed 501 likely New Mexico voters in late September, found that 61 percent said yes, it’s time, and 34 percent said no, it’s not. The other 5 percent were undecided or didn’t know, according to the survey conducted by Research & Polling Inc.

A national Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll in February also found 61 percent of Americans supported some degree of legalization of marijuana, but 43 percent of those supporters say there should be restrictions on purchase amounts and a quarter of them approve of its use only for medical treatment.

What these surveys show is that attitudes about marijuana have changed, locally and nationwide. And younger people are more likely than their elders to embrace changing state law.

Marijuana, both for medical and recreational uses, is still illegal at the federal level, although there are indications Congress may be softening in this regard.

Locally, there are many factors to be considered, including what supporters see as an economic boon to the state. They estimate taxing marijuana could generate $20 million to $60 million annually for New Mexico.

That is an attractive prospect for New Mexico lawmakers who are still faced with making difficult decisions to plug a massive budget shortfall.

But there are other considerations than revenue to weigh.

The medical marijuana industry in New Mexico is booming and the number of conditions it can be prescribed for has been greatly expanded from its original intent. Many patients claim it has been effective for chronic conditions, such as pain control, cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Opponents of legalization for recreational use cite some down-side factors, such as the possibility of more people driving and working while impaired, impacts on pregnant women’s unborn babies and on children who may ingest products with cannabis in them.

And the big-time question involves its long-term effects on the mental capacity of long-time users. Some people believe the legal age to buy or use marijuana should be 25 because that’s when people’s brains are fully developed, which could limit possible negative effects on cognitive development.

A 2014 published study based on research conducted in part at the Mind Research Network at the University of New Mexico found that chronic marijuana use causes significant abnormalities in brain function and structure, and may lower IQ.

Long-time users tend to have less gray matter in a part of the brain associated with decision-making and addiction, and an increase in brain connectivity, which researchers say may be the brain’s attempt to compensate for the decreased gray matter, the study said.

With four states and Washington, D.C., having legalized pot and 25 states allowing medical marijuana or decriminalizing its use, the tide appears to be running toward wholesale legalization.

If New Mexico is to take that step, first it should look carefully at available medical studies on its health benefits and/or detriments, including the effects of second-hand smoke and whether legalization’s overall impact on the state is worth its potential downside costs.

And protections must be established for businesses that do not tolerate the presence of drugs or alcohol in an employee’s system.

Before marijuana is legalized — if it is — state leaders must agree on smart regulations and options for addressing unintended consequences.

— Albuquerque Journal