It has been shown that marijuana, along with other drugs, prescription drugs and alcohol all affect the adolescent mind. All drugs have some sort of negative affect on the brain, even legal ones. His argument does not stand up here because anyone could argue that alcohol and prescription medications effects minds. There are numerous studies published showing the dangers of all drugs and alcohol on the brain no matter the age. His argument also lacks support where he is arguing specifically against adolescents. Legalizing marijuana would not be legal for anyone under 21 in this new bill, the same age someone is allowed to drink alcohol. In some legal states they require you to be 21 while others require you to be at least 18 years old. Legal marijuana is not legal for anyone who is an adolescent in any state.

I can see why the LDS Church and others in the community have reservations about the issue since many see it only as a recreational drug. Marijuana has far fewer side effects than Opioids, no reports of deaths and has shown great results in medical studies for pain relief and other conditions. As I have researched more in the the LDS opposition I have come across the fact that the Church owns $1 billion dollars in big pharma stocks. Because of this, I have to question the LDS church's opposition as an ulterior motive. I wonder if they are worried about losing money if marijuana becomes legal. The church has a great influence on the people of Utah since the majority of our citizens are religious. I feel that instead of merely following the church in fear of other consequences, we should look to the facts and other studies. The benefits of medical marijuana far outweigh the negatives.

This is exactly what supporters of legalization are trying say. No one is forcing anyone to use the drug, they simply want to legalize it to provide another option for those who are suffering. I can see why they are hesitant to oppose legalization as they are against recreation drugs, but marijuana has shown useful medical properties. Every sate that has legalized medical marijuana has required a consultation with doctors. Marijuana would not be treated as a recreational drug, but as any other prescription drug that requires approval and vetting. Our community "deserves the opportunity to try."

In this passage, I feel that Plumb is trying to inflict fear into the community about a "new system of distribution." Creating separate dispensaries is not a bad thing and I believe he is blowing the issue out of proportion. Having a separate building may actually be safer for the community since the dispensaries in other states won't let anyone under the age of 21 walk in the door or without a licensed medical card. At Rite Aid and Walgreen's, everyone in the public is welcome inside no matter the age. There are no security guards or other precautionary measures taken to guard the prescriptions in these pharmacies. In these pharmacies there are far more addictive and life threatening drugs than marijuana. If anything, there needs to be tighter measures taken if at pharmacies if he is afraid of theft. If someone steals a bottle of Opioids form Walgreens, there is a good chance that the person could die, while if someone stole marijuana, there is no chance of causing death. Marijuana would not skip "pharmaceutical safeguards" as he claims. Other states test and monitor the plants to make sure they are clean and consumable. Marijuana, unlike the other medications, do not require chemicals and labs to produce the product. They require sunlight, soil and water, just like vegetables. He is trying to inflict doubt into something that is far safer than the prescription drugs pumped out of labs.

The opposing party here is trying to claim that if medical marijuana is legalized, the community will use it as a drug. He assumes that people only want it to be legal because "big marijuana is attacking our culture, no question about it. Recognizing that it's addictive industry and their revenues are high because people are high." I feel that he is insinuating that people merely want to get high and how everyone wants to take advantage. I believe that some people will take advantage and use it for recreation. But, marijuana has shown to be non- addictive, produces minor side effects and has no reports of death. We need to look at the bigger picture and see how legalizing the plant would help so many who are suffering. I believe that it is a small sacrifice to truly help those and relieve the pain of the people in our community.