January 5, 2015

Study: Marijuana Use Among Soldiers In Colorado, Washington Is Down

January 5, 2015
Veterans Urge the Trump Administration to Allow Marijuana Research

ptsd second amendment military veteran cannabis marijuanaMarijuana opponents act like when marijuana is legalized, a dramatic spike in consumption across all demographics is sure to follow. That actually isn’t the case. Colorado and Washington, which were the first states to legalize marijuana, don’t even lead the nation in marijuana consumption per capita. Rhode Island leads in that category. Legalized marijuana has not led to an increase in consumption by soldiers in Colorado or Washington according to a new study. Per Military.Com:

Fewer soldiers are testing positive for marijuana in two states where recreational use of the drug is legal, an Army study of the issue obtained by The Gazette has found.

In Colorado, the rate of positive drugs tests for marijuana dropped to .47 percent in the fiscal year that ended in Oct. 1. That is down from .79 percent in the same time period two years earlier, before recreational pot was legal. The number of positive marijuana tests at Fort Carson dropped to 422 from 725 over that span.

The same downward trend was evident at Joint Base Lewis McChord in Tacoma, Wash. — the largest Army base in a state that also legalized recreational marijuana. There, the rate of positive drug tests for marijuana dropped over two years to .46 percent from .54 percent — a reduction of 131 positive tests.

The percentages aren’t huge, but they prove that there has been a downward trend. And even if the soldier related numbers were up, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Many soldiers suffer from PTSD, and from various conditions, and they should be allowed to consume marijuana if they choose as long as it’s not ‘on the clock.’ I would much rather have soldiers consume marijuana than I would alcohol, which can lead to many issues.

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