New England’s Opioid Abuse Epidemic Stalls Marijuana Legalization Efforts

Efforts to legalize marijuana in New England are stalling in the face of the region’s opioid epidemic, The New York Times reports.

Legislators and public officials are shying away from the idea of legalizing a banned substance at a time when people are dying of opioid overdoses, impacting both families and law enforcement.

“The shadow of the heroin epidemic is something that people think about when they think about the legalization, and they ask themselves, ‘Are we sending the right message about legalization?’” said Shap Smith, the Speaker of the House in Vermont. “I think in the public’s mind, it’s making passage of this bill more difficult.” Smith said he is open to the idea of legalizing marijuana, the article notes.

The Vermont State Senate approved a bill to create a regulated market for recreational marijuana. Governor Peter Shumlin supports the bill. The Vermont House stripped the bill of the sections that would allow legalization. Currently it only contains a provision that would permit home-growing and legalized possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Opponents of the bill say they are concerned about use and abuse of marijuana by young people, as well as drugged driving and commercialization.

“At a time when we are trying and working so desperately hard to get help to those who need it, telling young people to not do drugs, trying to eliminate some of the barriers to treatment and to promote recovery, this effort at legalization seems to be directly at odds with those efforts,” said Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

She opposes a measure that is expected to be on her state’s ballot in November that would permit adults to possess up to 10 ounces of marijuana at home. It would also allow marijuana edibles and create a regulated market.