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Marolt: We know there will not be fewer children smoking marijuana

Roger Marolt
Roger This

This much we know for sure: Because we legalized recreational marijuana use in Colorado, there are not going to be fewer of our children smoking pot.

Because there are pot shops opening their doors between the town’s burger joints and clothing shops, a block away from the grocery store, up the street from the post office, within sight of City Hall and the police station, near the library, and just a short walk from the churches, there are not going to be fewer of our children smoking pot.

Because our newspapers now are sprinkled with attention-getting, colorful, enticing advertisements for good deals on all varieties of marijuana that make experimenting with drugs look like fun, there are not going to be fewer of our kids smoking pot.



Because we have argued that marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol, there are not going to be fewer of our children smoking pot.

Because it is now common to see people lighting up joints on our ski mountains and every other gondola car and public restroom reeks of residual marijuana smoke, no fewer of our children are going to be smoking pot.




Because selling marijuana is now a legal business and the aim of successful business is to grow by expanding its customer base, and new “mom-and-pop” marijuana businesses will become more sophisticated or sell out to operators that are and will succeed at this goal, no fewer of our children are going to be smoking pot.

Because Colorado now has the reputation of being a cool, hip, progressive-thinking, marijuana-friendly place, where legal marijuana is touted as a tourist attraction, no fewer of our children are going to be smoking pot.

Because we will collect sales taxes from the sale of marijuana to fund our schools so our kids can get better educations, no fewer of our children are going to be smoking pot.

Because we have said that marijuana use is harmful to the developing brain through about age 25, but is safe for adults, no fewer of our children are going to be smoking pot.

Because our well-liked, widely respected sheriff is working diligently to ensure that sales and use of legal marijuana in our town will be orderly, safe and sensible, no fewer of our children are going to be smoking pot.

Because there is now a Valley Marijuana Council, implying a collaboration between pot-shop owners, local law enforcement agencies, and substance-abuse prevention and treatment organizations ostensibly working together to ensure that the transition to legalized marijuana can be a smooth one for our community, no fewer of our children are going to be smoking pot.

Because more than three-quarters of the voting residents of Aspen believe that the legalization of recreational marijuana is appropriate, no fewer of our children are going to be smoking pot.

Because more parents are going to be using marijuana legally and responsibly in the privacy of their own homes, no fewer of our children are going to be smoking pot.

If no fewer of our children are going to be smoking pot, there are not going to be fewer future adults who will fight for the rest of their lives against the insidious grip of addiction. There will not be fewer people struggling in personal relationships against the sinister draw of substance abuse. There will not be fewer hours lost in productive work as a result of the effects of drug and alcohol binges. We will not have fewer unhealthy people in this world. We will not have less crime. There will not be fewer accidents. There will not be fewer ruined lives. We will not have fewer lost souls. There will not be fewer cases of depression, feelings of helplessness or suicides.

What I have no idea about is, will we ever again have fewer kids smoking pot?

Roger Marolt is recommending the film “Anonymous People,” which will be put on at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Wheeler Opera House at no charge by the Valley Partnership for Drug Prevention. Contact him at roger@maroltllp.com.