El Dorado County Supervisors oppose Prop 64, Marijuana Legalization Initiative

The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors have unanimously voted in favor of a resolution opposing the passage of California Proposition 64 which would legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and over in the state.

In opposing the proposition, the Supervisors said that evidence shows marijuana use and secondhand exposure pose health risks, including increased risk for cancer, heart attack, stroke, reproductive toxicity, respiratory impairment, long-lasting detrimental changes in brain function, and increased risk of addiction. In addition, the Board has concerns about the accessibility to teens, as the full effects of marijuana use on their short and long term health are still unknown.

The Board of Supervisors follows the lead of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the California State Sheriffs' Association in stating their opposition.

Marijuana remains a Schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act and is defined as having a high potential for abuse.

In a statement, the Supervisors said California has in place laws allowing the compassionate use of marijuana for those with specified medical conditions making Proposition 64 a non-urgent proposal. Further study and analysis are needed to determine the full consequences of the legalization of recreational marijuana use in other states before it is allowed by the State of California. For example, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics found in Colorado that pediatric cases of marijuana increased at a higher rate in the state than in the rest of the United States (the time period is from 2009 through 2015).

"More studies, like the JAMA Pediatrics study, are needed to understand the consequences of the legalization of recreational marijuana before it occurs," said Creighton Avila of El Dorado County in a press release.