Hawaii’s county police departments join the Hawaii Department of Transportation, Hawaii Department of the Attorney General, American Academy of Pediatrics-Hawaii chapter, Coalition for a Drug-Free Hawaii, and many residents in opposing the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes.

It is important to know that today’s marijuana is not the same substance that was prevalent in the 1980s and ’90s. The level of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the main active ingredient of cannabis), has skyrocketed. An analysis of 38,681 marijuana samples taken from Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) drug busts from 1980 to 2012 shows that THC content has quadrupled from 3 percent to 12 percent. This poses serious health consequences for users of all ages, and especially for teens whose brains are still developing and who are most likely to be exposed to the drug.

We have seen what has happened in the states that have legalized recreational use. In Colorado, traffic deaths involving drivers who tested positive for marijuana more than doubled in the five years following legalization, from 55 in 2013 to 138 in 2017. The majority of those killed were drivers, while nearly 20 percent were passengers or pedestrians.

Colorado also reported a 45 percent increase in marijuana use, a 52 percent increase in marijuana- related visits to hospital emergency rooms, and a 148 percent increase in marijuana-related hospitalizations. Many patients were children who had accidentally ingested marijuana edibles. At the same time, the number of pets requiring medical attention for marijuana poisoning also increased.

There is also the issue of federal law. Under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), cannabis is classified as a Schedule I drug which means that the federal government considers marijuana to have a high potential for abuse and no recognized medicinal value. Until this classification changes, individuals who use marijuana could be found in violation of the law. (To be clear, it’s rare that a person would be arrested solely for a minor marijuana violation. The overwhelming majority of marijuana offenses are only discovered after an individual has been arrested for a more serious crime.)

As a community, let’s be prudent and practical about the true social cost and financial gain of legalizing recreational sales. What is collected in taxes will be spent many times over for substance abuse education and treatment, loss in worker productivity, and long-term health care. In Colorado, tax revenue generated from recreational sales represented less than 1 percent of the state’s 2017 annual budget. Is this what Hawaii can expect? If so, is it worth it? The voters in hundreds of cities and counties in Michigan, Oregon and Colorado, didn’t think so, and they voted to ban marijuana businesses from opening in their communities.

State lawmakers have introduced bills that seek to increase taxes and restrictions on tobacco and e-cigarettes. Other bills support the lowering of the blood alcohol content level for drunken driving. These actions are consistent with making Hawaii a safer place. On the other hand, legalizing a potentially addictive drug that will increase traffic fatalities and send young people to the emergency rooms is not.

The Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai and Maui police departments strongly urge lawmakers to put the public’s safety and health ahead of money and to not legalize the use of recreational marijuana.

Susan Ballard is chief of the Honolulu Police Department; she submitted this on behalf of the county police chiefs.