Below is my column in today's issue of the Grand Haven Tribune.
Except, the question of recreational marijuana use is increasingly one of the few issues in our country that is based less upon a partisan divide and instead upon generational perceptions.
According to a 2021 study by the Pew Research Center, 91 percent of Americans now believe marijuana should be legal, either for medicinal use only (31 percent) or for medicinal and recreational use (60 percent). Progressives generally do favor legalization more, with 95 percent of Democrats in favor of either recreational or medicinal use, but is not much more than the 87 percent of all Republicans who agree. Indeed, nearly half of all Republicans (47 percent) explicitly favor legalization of recreational use.
The disagreement is much more based upon age. For example, 70 percent of adults under 29 favor legalization of recreational marijuana. That number decreases by age, until you get to those who are over 75, of whom only 32 percent support recreational marijuana.
I believe the current status of marijuana in our country can be likened to another ban on intoxicating substances 100 years ago: the prohibition on alcohol. Prohibition didn’t stop people from drinking; it instead drove it underground where it fostered a criminal empire of producers meeting demand. It also fundamentally changed the way people drink, with a significant increase in spirits. (If you think about it, smuggling a barrel of whiskey is far easier than an equivalent amount of alcohol using multiple barrels of beer.)
We see similar dynamics at play in the current prohibition on recreational marijuana. As Jordan Waldrep noted in a column in Forbes Magazine, with penalties assessed based upon grams in possession, it makes more sense to create a more powerful drug. This is one reason why the amount of THC in marijuana has more than tripled since the mid-’90s. By contrast, many recreational shops have excelled in offering micro-dosing products.
I bring all of this up because a local business in Grand Haven, New Standard, is asking for the city to move forward with allowing recreational marijuana in our community.
When medicinal marijuana facilities were approved in Grand Haven after the success of the 2018 Proposition 1, they were approved in the hope of seeing what kind of impact these new facilities would have upon Grand Haven and surrounding communities. Since 56 percent of the residents of the city of Grand Haven voted in favor of the proposal (including a majority in every single precinct), it stands to reason that a majority of people in Grand Haven want to see the prohibition on marijuana end. Medicinal facilities were a smart first step.
What we have noticed since the approval of medicinal facilities are a few things. First, as Councilmember Karen Lowe pointed out in a recent presentation to City Council, recreational sales have cannibalized medicinal sales, as people who use the drug for medicinal purposes now no longer see a need to renew their cards. Second, we’ve seen that not a single other municipality in our area voted to ban recreational marijuana sales. Furthermore, the current ban means our city does not get the excise tax redistributions from recreational sales from the state – a loss of $25,000 to $30,000 per adult use business.
And the ban on recreational sales doesn’t keep it out of Grand Haven – stores in Muskegon will deliver to your door. It just makes it a bit harder and more expensive for area residents.
The worry expressed by our current mayor is that approval of recreational sales in Grand Haven will make it easier for marijuana to get to area kids. This concern, though, doesn’t make sense when you look at the evidence. From 1975 to 2012, 80-90 percent of 12th-graders consistently reported that marijuana was “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain. However, after legalization began, for the first time the perception of availability has dropped below 80 percent.
This makes sense. If you walk into New Standard, you will meet a friendly person at the welcome desk who will check IDs (and, currently, medical cards) before you can go through a second door into their showroom. However, when the mechanism for purchase is illegal and on the black market, there is nothing to keep it away from teenagers. Ironically enough, by not allowing recreational use, the city of Grand Haven is encouraging the still-existing black market.
There is no government data to indicate that reformed marijuana laws have led to increased use by teenagers. There is only fear. And we must make decisions based upon facts, not upon fears.
Before I close, I’d like to say why I, as a Christian priest, am talking about this issue.
First, all of the data above seems reasonable and compelling to me, no matter someone’s faith commitments. However, as a Christian, I am concerned with equity and justice. The current system is unjust, with a study by the ACLU finding that African Americans are 3.6 more likely than whites to be arrested for possession, despite similar use rates.
But even beyond that, marijuana is far safer than many other medications people take on a regular basis, particularly when it comes to chronic pain, mood disorders and the effects of chemotherapy. Compassion would urge me to make that access by adults easier, not harder. To me, marijuana is similar to alcohol – a mind-altering substance that can be abused and misused, but which should not be illegal. Even St. Paul encouraged a little wine now and then for his protégé, Timothy’s, stomach. To be honest, I have a feeling he would have said the same thing about gummies.
Let’s finally get rid of the approach of prohibition, an approach that has failed and is actually more dangerous to kids. Instead, let’s talk about responsible adult use. Let’s support studies about the long-term impact of marijuana use, particularly when it comes to regulated and consistent commercial products instead of street drugs, so we can know what risks are involved.
To be clear, I’m not promoting the use of marijuana. Like with any mind-altering substance, there are risks involved. I do, however, think it is a decision – like the use of alcohol or other important choices – best left in the hands of responsible adults.
About the writer: The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, Tribune community columnist, serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com.