“…I don’t know what it is about 2023, but we have seen a HUGE spike in [driving under the influence cases].” Deputy State’s Attorney Edward Tarbay made a brief statement at the August 1, 2023 County Commission meeting during the State’s Attorney report. “I believe that we have charged out…I believe that we are up to 17 just in July….I’d say the ratio of alcohol to drugs is pretty well standard, but I mean, we’re seeing more alcohol dui’s, we’re seeing more methamphetamine dui’s, we’re seeing more THC (Marijuana) dui’s, but they all appear to be in the same ratio as we’ve seen in the past, we’re just trying to figure out why we’re seeing so many right now.” (See video at the bottom of this article)
Knowing that Butte County has the most marijuana-related businesses in the state of South Dakota and they have now been in operation for a year, I hypothesized that the increase in all of these DUIs could be related to the sudden amount of marijuana businesses in the county over a span of 12 months. I looked up statistics in Colorado and California to see what happened in those states after the legalization of marijuana. Both states had decreases in arrests, which I assume to be expected after legalizing marijuana.
According to this impact study done in California in 2022, the statistics show that from potency to price to poison control calls, increases are across the board, some by astronomical amounts since marijuana legalization:
Nationally, the average potency of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary
psychoactive found in marijuana concentrates has risen from 13.23% in 1995 to 53.63% in
2019. This represents an increase of over 300%.
❖ Nationally, the average potency of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary
psychoactive found in raw marijuana flower, has risen from 3.96% in 1995 to 13.85% in
2019. This represents an increase of nearly 250%.
❖ The price of a pound (lb.) of marijuana in California can vary from $100 to $2000
depending on THC potency level.
Section Two: Vaping
❖ Nationally in 2021, the daily use of nicotine vaping is higher than the daily use of smoking
tobacco across all grade levels: 1.10% vs. .04% in 8th grade, 2.5% vs. .8% in 10th grade,
and 5.4% vs. 2% in 12th grade.
❖ In California between 2017-2019, 6% of 7th graders surveyed reported vaping as their
main mode of (marijuana) consumption while 9th and 11th graders favored smoking
(marijuana).
Section Three: California Youth Marijuana Use Ages 12-17
❖ California youth have predominantly had a lower perception of risk of smoking
marijuana once a month, compared to the national average (2014-2020).
❖ From 2018 to 2020, California’s rank increased nationally in past month usage of
marijuana by 12-17 year-olds (by state).
❖ California lifetime use of drugs and alcohol for 7th, 9th and 11th grades has been decreasing
since the 2011-2013 survey period.
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❖ Drugs continue to be among the leading reasons for California public school expulsions
(2016-2020).
Section Four: California Marijuana Use Ages 18-25
❖ Since 2015-2016, California’s marijuana use by 18 to 25 year olds continued to surpass
their use of cigarettes.
Section Five: California Marijuana Use Ages 26 and Older
❖ In 2019-2020, California’s marijuana and cigarette use for individuals 26 years and older
was lower than the national average.
Section Six: California Arrests for Drug Sales, DUI, Possession of Cannabis While Driving
and Arrest Data
❖ In California, the percentage of driver fatalities testing positive for legal and/or illegal
drugs increased from 43% in 2018 to 50% in 2019.
❖ In California, arrests for the sale of marijuana has decreased from 2015 (8,368) to 2020
(1,274).
Section Seven: Public Health
❖ National marijuana edibles exposure calls to Poison Control, for ages 0-12, from 2016
(187) to 2021 (4329) has increased by 2215%.
❖ In California in 2021, the highest number of marijuana exposure calls to Poison Control
Centers were for indiviuals 5 years of age and under.
❖ Nationally in 2021, marijuana was the most prevalent drug present in alcohol-related
polysubstance emergency department visits (30.6%).
❖ From 2008 (2,030) to 2020 (13,568) there was a 568% increase in California emergency
department visits and admissions for primary marijuana use.
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Section Eight: Treatment
❖ Nationally from 2016 to 2019, the highest percentage of marijuana treatment admissions
were amongst those 26 years and older.
❖ In California in 2020, 44.4% of marijuana treatment admissions were amongst those 26
years of age, and older, compared to 51.4% nationally .
Section Nine: Diversion, Eradication and Related Crime
❖ California eradicates more illicit cannabis cultivation sites than any other state; it seizes
more illicitly cultivated cannabis plants than any other state; it arrests more individuals
associated with illicit cultivation; and it seizes more weapons from illicit cultivation sites
than any other state in the country.
❖ In 2020 and 2021, most illegal marijuana plant seizures occurred on private land (trespass
grows).
❖ Marijuana was the most seized drug (in pounds) by U.S. Border Patrol from FY19-FY21.
❖ Marijuana was the most seized drug (in pounds) by Nationwide Air and Marine
Operations in FY21.
Section Ten: THC Extraction Labs
❖ There were 194 reported clan lab incidents in California in 2019. Out of the 194 reported
labs, 72.6% were honey oil/THC extraction (141), followed by 9.3% precursor chemicals
(18).
❖ There were 132 reported clandestine (clan) lab incidents in California in 2020. Out of the
132 reported labs, 64% were honey oil/THC extraction (82), followed by 19%
methamphetamine (24).
Section Eleven: Environmental Impacts of Marijuana Cultivation
❖ Outdoor marijuana grows consume an estimated 29.4 million gallons of water per year.
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❖ Researchers estimate over 1.4 million pounds of fertilizers and toxicants used annually at
outdoor marijuana grow sites in California.
Here’s the statistics from an impact study done about Colorado in 2021:
Traffic Safety
• The increase in law enforcement officers who are trained in recognizing drug use, from 129 in
2012 to 221 in 2020, can increase drug detection rates apart from any changes in driver
behavior.
• Traffic safety data were obtained from a number of different sources. Please note that traffic
safety data may be incomplete because law enforcement officers may determine that alcohol is
impairing the driver, and therefore additional (time consuming and costly) drug testing may not
be pursued.
• The number of DUI summonses issued by the Colorado State Patrol in which marijuana-alone or
marijuana-in-combination was recorded increased by 120% between 2014 (n=684) and 2020
(n=1,508). The prevalence of marijuana alone increased from 6.3% in 2014 to 8.7% in 2020. The
percentage of marijuana polydrug (marijuana and alcohol or marijuana and other drugs) as the
perceived impairing substance increased from 5.7% of all DUIs in 2014 to 22.7% in 2020.
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• In 2018, the most recent data available, 26,255 cases were filed in court that included a charge
of driving under the influence; 16,943 of these were matched with either a breath or blood
test.
1
o Of these, 5,032 had blood samples screened for the presence of marijuana: 3,335 cases
(66.3%) had a positive cannabinoid screen and a follow-up confirmation for other
cannabis analytes, and 49.6% detected Delta-9 THC at 5.0 ng/mL or above.
• According to CDOT, the number of fatalities in which a driver tested positive for Delta-9 THC at
or above the 5.0 ng/mL level increased from 52 (14% of all fatalities) in 2016 to 56 in 2019 (13%
of all fatalities).
▪ The number of fatalities with cannabinoid-only or cannabinoid-in-combination
positive drivers increased 140%, from 55 in 2013 to 132 in 2019.
▪ However, note that the detection of any cannabinoid in blood is not an indicator
of impairment but only indicates presence in the system. Detection of Delta-9
THC, one of the primary psychoactive metabolites of marijuana, may be an
indicator of impairment.
o A 2019 survey conducted by the Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment found that 3.5% of adults reported driving within two-to-three hours of
using marijuana in the past-30 days, while 18.6% of recent marijuana users reported this
behavior.
Probationers testing positive
• The proportion of 18- to 25-year-old probationers testing positive for THC increased, from 32%
in 2012 to 47% in 2019. The proportion of 36 and older probationers testing positive for THC
also increased, from 14% in 2012 to 27% in 2019.
Illegal cultivation on public land
• The number of plants seized on public lands has fluctuated significantly over time, from 46,662
plants in 2012, to a high of 80,826 in 2017, down to a low of 1,502 in 2018.
Diversion to other states
• The Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC), located in the Department of Public Safety,
compiled data from the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), manages a database in which law
enforcement agencies can voluntarily report drug seizures. The number of seizures for
Colorado-sourced marijuana reported to EPIC increased from 286 in 2012 to 673 in 2017, but
has since gone back down to 266 in 2019.
o The types of marijuana products seized has changed over time, with marijuana
concentrates accounting for 22% of seizures and edibles accounting for another 10% in
1 Please see http://cdpsdocs.state.co.us/ors/docs/reports/2018-DUI_HB17-1315.pdf for more information.
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2019. In 2012, both of those categories combined accounted for 10% of marijuana
seizures reported to EPIC.
Public Health
Adult usage rates
• The Colorado Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a statewide telephone survey
conducted by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). In 2014, the
BRFFS was expanded to include questions about marijuana use.
o In 2019, 19.0% of adults reported marijuana use in the past 30 days, compared to
13.4% in 2014, a significant increase.
▪ Males have significantly higher past 30-day use (22.9%) than females
(15.1%).
▪ Adults 26-34 year reported the highest past 30-day usage rates (29.4%),
followed by 18-25 year-olds (28.8%), 35-64 year-olds (17.3%), and those 65
years and older (9.3%).
▪ The marijuana usage rates of those 65 and older has more than tripled since
2014.
▪ Those reporting smoking marijuana flower decreased from 87.2% of users in
2016 to 76.1% in 2019. This compares to increases in eating/drinking (35.2%
in 2016 to 43.0% in 2019, vaping (22.9% in 2016 to 32.0% in 2019), and
dabbing (16.8% in 2016 to 19.6% in 2019)
• According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, administered by the federal
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the prevalence rates for marijuana
use in the past 30 days increased for young adults (18- to 25-years old), from 21.2% in 2005/06
(pre-commercialization) to 31.2% in 2013/14 (post-commercialization), but has stabilized at
34.4% in 2018/19. Reported 30-day marijuana use by adults ages 26 years and older increased
from 5.4% in 2005/06 to 15.6% in 2018/19.
Hospitalizations and emergency department visits
• The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) analyzed data from the
Colorado Hospital Administration (CHA) with these findings:
• During the era of non-commercial medical marijuana the hospitalization rate of those
with marijuana-related billing codes rose 17% (826.8 in 2003 to 963.5 in 2009). The era
of medical marijuana commercialization (2010–2013) reflected a 100% jump, to 1,780.9
per 100,000 hospitalizations. The period from 2014 to 2016 reflects a transition from
the ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM billings codes. While there is an increase during that period
it should be interpreted with caution, as many more possible codes were included in
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the new methodology. Since the complete transition to ICD-10 codes in 2016, there
have been no significant changes in the hospitalization rates.
• There was a significant rate increase of marijuana-related emergency department visits
during the era of medical commercialization, from 617.7 in 2011 to 1039.5 in 2014. In
the period after the transition to ICD-10-CM there was an initial increase which
reversed in 2019.
Poison control
• The number of calls to poison control mentioning human marijuana exposure increased over the
past 10 years. There were 41 calls in 2006 and 276 in 2019. Between 2014 and 2017, the
frequency of calls reporting human marijuana exposure stabilized but then increased again in
2018.
Treatment Admissions
• The overall rate of treatment admissions for those reporting marijuana as their primary
substance of use has decreased from 222 admissions per 100,000 population in 2012 to 182 in
2019.
• Nearly three-quarters (73.5%) of youth (10 to 17 years-old) in treatment for substance use
report marijuana as their primary substance of use.
Youth Impacts
Usage rates
• Data on youth marijuana use was available from two sources. The Healthy Kids Colorado Survey
(HKCS), with 46,537 high school and 6,983 middle school students responding in 2019, and the
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), with 447 respondents in 2018/19.
o HKCS results indicate no significant change in past 30-day use of marijuana between
2013 (19.7%) and 2019 (20.6%). Also, in 2019, the use rates were not different from the
national 30-day use rates reported by the Youth Risk Behavior Survey.2
In 2019, 20.6% of
Colorado high school students reported using marijuana in the past 30-days compared
to 21.7% of high school students nationally that reported this behavior.
o The 2019 HKCS found that marijuana use increases by grade level, with 13.3% of 9th
graders, 18.6% of 10th graders, 24.3% of 11th graders, and 26.9% of 12th reporting use in
the past 30-days.
o The 2015/16 NSDUH, with many fewer respondents compared to HKCS, indicated a
gradual increase in youth use from 2006/07 (8.1%) to 2013/14 (12.6%); however, the
2 The YRBS is the comparable survey overseen nationally by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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reported use declined since then, with 9.8% reporting use in 2018/19. The NSDUH
showed that youth use of marijuana in Colorado (9.8%) was above the national average
(7.0%).
Arrests
• The number of juvenile marijuana arrests decreased 37%, from 3,265 in 2012 to 2,064 in 2019.
The rate of juvenile marijuana arrests per 100,000 decreased 42%, from 599 in 2012 to 349 in
2019.
o The rate of White juvenile arrests decreased 47%, from 667 per 100,000 in 2012 to 352
per 100,000 in 2019.
o The rate of Hispanic juvenile arrests decreased 26%, from 489 per 100,000 in 2012 to
364 in 2019.
o The rate of Black juvenile arrests decreased 41%, from 727 per 100,000 in 2012 to 429 in
2019.
School suspension/expulsion rates
• Data from the Colorado Department of Education show that that drug suspension rates
increased from 391 (per 100,000 registered students) in the 2008-09 school year to 551 in
2010-
11. The drug suspension rate fluctuated somewhat since then and was 426 in the 2019-20
school year. The drug expulsion rate was 65 (per 100,000 registered students) in the 2008-09
school year, increasing to 91 in 2010-11, and then decreasing to 23 by 2019-20.
o School discipline data for 2019-20 indicated that marijuana infractions accounted for
30% of all expulsions and 34% of all law enforcement referrals in Colorado public
schools. Given the arrest and fillings data, it can be assumed that these were almost all
for possession.
o Note that Senate Bill 12-046 and House Bill 12-1345 targeted reform of “zero
tolerance” policies in schools, and appear to have decreased expulsions,
suspensions, and referrals to law enforcement.3
Drug-endangered children
• To assess drug-endangered children, as required in S.B. 13-283, data from CDPHE’s Child Health
Survey (targeting parents with children ages 1-14) and Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring
System was obtained.
o Of parents with children ages 1–14 who responded to the survey, 14.0% reported some
type of marijuana product around the house. When asked about where it was kept,
89.6% reported storing it in a location the child cannot access.
3 See Rosa, J., Krueger, J., and Severson, A. (May 2015). Moving from Zero Tolerance to Supportive School Discipline Practices.
Office of Dropout Prevention and Student Re-engagement, Colorado Department of Education.
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o The proportion of women reporting use before pregnancy in 2019 (18.7%), during
pregnancy (8.2%), postpartum (8.5%), or postpartum and currently breastfeeding (4.7%)
was not significantly different from the 2017 or 2018 survey results.
Additional Information
• In June 2020, 2,709 licensed marijuana businesses were registered in Colorado. Nearly 60% of
the licenses for marijuana businesses were concentrated in the counties of Denver (994), El Paso
(292), and Pueblo (276).
• Total revenue from taxes, licenses, and fees increased from $67 million in 2014 to $387 million
in 2020 (+473%). The amount of taxes transferred to the school capital construction fund and
public school fund increased 264%, from $33 million in 2015 up to $120 million in 2020.
• In December 2020, there were 85,814 individuals registered as medical marijuana cardholders.
The most common conditions reported were severe pain (90%), muscle spasms (36%), and
severe nausea (20%).
Looking for impact studies about Oregon, I couldn’t find any right off the bat, but did find this economic study done for anyone interested.
I also came across this study given by MADD in 2018 about Colorado and showed a huge increase in 2017.
I also found this study in PubMed from the National Library of Medicine website and what they found concerning legalizing recreational marijuana throughout North America and the world and its impacts in various countries. In conclusion, they found what medical marijuana users told me: this is so new that long term research still needs to be done. A user also told me that the parts of the plant itself has so many different functions that require research also and how each of those parts can effect every unique person, cautioning against sudden influx of recreational use. Lastly, it was an agreed conclusion that marijuana use does have negative impacts on the brain which in turn has negative impacts for driving (accidents, deaths, etc).
The increase in crime in this way is also consistent with what Buck Casey, a former law enforcement officer who moved here from California, warned about in his presentation given to the Butte County Commission. He also talks about it in detail during our interview.
So, in my thinking and hypothesizing, I believe that inviting in marijuana businesses to the point that Butte County is one of the leading drug hubs in the state with a total of 10 marijuana businesses(with ratio to population), with said businesses having practically no oversight by the local government, the county commission allowing variances so they can operate outside of the ordinance they were approved under, and approving their annual renewals without ensuring they passed state inspection and their information is correct and verified (residency, water source, etc), it creates the perfect conditions for increased crime across the board.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments and God bless!
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