City endorses statement condemning marijuana use

Worland City Council members unanimously endorsed a resolution condemning the use of marijuana.

Worland Chief of Police, Gabe Elliott told the council, at its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night, that the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police (WASCOP) is raising awareness of the drug in response to states legalizing marijuana.

Colorado citizens voted to legalize marijuana during the 2012 election.

According to information provided by WASCOP, the goal of the project is to "inform the citizens of Wyoming as to the harmful personal and societal effects of marijuana."

According to a statement released by WASCOP, Wyoming residents are becoming de-sensitized and/or disbelieving of the dangers of marijuana use. Marijuana use/dependence is the No. 1 reason kids are admitted to substance abuse treatment across the nation.

During the meeting, Elliott advised the council of the consequences of marijuana use.

"It's a gateway drug. It's definitely harmful to our society, in my opinion," Elliott said.

Elliott said, with the city's endorsement of the anti-marijuana campaign, state legislators would see that municipalities throughout Wyoming have condemned the drug.

Councilperson Dennis Koch voted for the measure.

"Obviously, there are going to be some people who are not going to be thrilled with us opposing marijuana, but I think it's time for communities and governments to take a stand," Koch said.

At a meeting in February, law enforcement and school officials warned the community about the dangers of marijuana use. Elliott said there is a "new generation of users" in today's world.

Elliott also warned about the new methods of marijuana use.

Dabbing is "the new form of marijuana smoking," according to Elliott.

"Butane oil is used to extract the THC out of marijuana. The high is more intense; the duration is longer and we're seeing a lot of ill effects from it," Elliott said, adding that people don't realize how much THC they are injecting.

Marijuana can also be ingested through dabbing, Elliott said.

"It changes the whole game of what we're seeing these days. Now, they eat a full brownie and bad things happen," Elliott said.

According to the information released by WASCOP, the negative consequences of legalization in Colorado include a 26 percent in youth (ages 12 to 17 years of age) monthly marijuana use.

Also listed as a harm in the report, the number of pets poisoned from ingesting marijuana has increased six-fold. Traffic fatalities involving operators testing positive for marijuana have increased 100 percent in Colorado.

The National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) lobbies legislators for legalization of marijuana for both medical and recreational use.

Wyoming Chapter Director Chris Christian called WASCOP's report false.

"It is nothing but false-faced propaganda with no supporting evidence presented," she said, citing the claim marijuana use has increased 26 percent by youth.

"This is directly in contradiction to every published report there is. I want to know where they got this data, and I want to see it. This is unsupported hearsay. I'm way pissed off about the way they're going about doing this," Christian said.

The report also delves into the ways marijuana is consumed.

"Marijuana is usually smoked in hand-rolled cigarettes (joints) or in pipes or water pipes (bongs). It is also smoked in blunts – cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and refilled with a mixture of marijuana and tobacco.

"Marijuana is associated with a higher likelihood of dropping out of school. Several studies also associate workers' marijuana smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers' compensation claims and job turnover."