Rocky Mountain HIDTA – 2013
A report from the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area on the impact of marijuana legalization in Colorado. Presents an introduction to the issue, including a history of marijuana legislation in the state, encompassing both medical and recreational marijuana legalization. Presents detailed statistics on several issues impacted by legal marijuana use. These include: driving fatalities involving drivers testing positive for marijuana; marijuana use rates among youth ages 12-17; marijuana use rates among adults; emergency room admissions related to marijuana use (including several case studies of young children who accidentally ingested marijuana-infused foods); marijuana exposure related calls to the state poison control center (including the growing number of marijuana exposure cases among young children ages 0-5); the diversion of legalized marijuana to other parts of the country; and the diversion of Colorado marijuana using the U.S. Postal Service.
