The Boston Globe: on Drugs

Charlie Baker: Don't legalize marijuana: it's unsafe & lowers IQ in kids

Where marijuana is legal, young people are more likely to use it: while use among minors has declined nationwide in recent years, states like Colorado have seen an increase. Kids in states that have legalized marijuana have easier access to the drug. And many believe that, since the drug is legal for adults, it must be safe to use.

What the evidence shows us, though, is that marijuana is not safe. Regular use that starts in adolescence has been shown to impair brain development, and even lower IQ. And increasingly, medical science is also showing a frightening correlation between regular marijuana use and severe mental health issues.

Marty Walsh: Don't legalize marijuana: it's unsafe & lowers IQ in kids

Where marijuana is legal, young people are more likely to use it: while use among minors has declined nationwide in recent years, states like Colorado have seen an increase. Kids in states that have legalized marijuana have easier access to the drug. And many believe that, since the drug is legal for adults, it must be safe to use.

What the evidence shows us, though, is that marijuana is not safe. Regular use that starts in adolescence has been shown to impair brain development, and even lower IQ. And increasingly, medical science is also showing a frightening correlation between regular marijuana use and severe mental health issues.

Elizabeth Warren: Opposes the outright legalization of marijuana

Warren said Monday she looked forward to a public hearing on the ballot question. Warren said she opposes the outright legalization of marijuana.

The Legislature's Committee on Public Health held a hearing Tuesday on the question that would allow patients with debilitating medical conditions such as cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis to get permission from their doctors to use marijuana.

George W. Bush: Congressional limit on troops in Colombia is “advisory” only

Dec. 23, 2004: Forbids US troops in Colombia from participating in any combat against rebels, except in cases of self defense. Caps the number of US troops allowed in Colombia at 800.

Bush’s signing statement: Only the president, as commander in chief, can place restrictions on the use of US armed forces, so the law will be construed ‘’as advisory in nature.“

Al Gore: Clinton-Gore drug policy: spending up; drug use down

Gore aides dismissed the Bush statistics, saying they did not take the overall picture into account. Since 1992, the number of drug users ages 25 to 34 has dropped 39%, and drug use by teenagers ages 12 to 17 declined 21% between 1997 and 1999, a Gore spokesman said: He added, “Al Gore and this administration proposed the largest antidrug budget ever and under this administration drug arrests are up while drug use is down.”

George W. Bush: $2.8B more for Drug War, for state treatment & abroad

Clinton has requested $19.26 billion for antidrug measures in the fiscal 2001 budget, and has increased the drug-fighting budget more than $6 billion since 1993. A Bush aide said the governor’s five-year, $2.8 billion plan would be in addition to the current baseline budget laid out by the Clinton White House. Gore is proposing antidrug measures that would cost $5.3 billion over 10 years.

Among Bush’s proposals are providing $1 billion to states for treatment programs and conducting a state-by-state inventory of treatment needs and capacity, and increasing funding for the Western Hemisphere Drug Elimination Act by $1 billion over 5 years.

George W. Bush: Clinton-Gore drug policy is inconsistent and has failed

Gore aides dismissed the Bush statistics, saying they did not take the overall picture into account. Since 1992, the number of drug users ages 25 to 34 has dropped 39%, and drug use by teenagers ages 12 to 17 declined 21% between 1997 and 1999, a Gore spokesman said: He added, “Al Gore and this administration proposed the largest antidrug budget ever and under this administration drug arrests are up while drug use is down.”

George W. Bush: Parents make up for past by warning kids against drugs