Off the Editor’s Desk 6-7-2023

Are we a nation of drug users?

That question has been on my mind for some time and just recently Minnesota governor Tim Walz signed into law allowing for the recreational use of cannabis (Marijuana) in that state.

According to information that I could get, Minnesota is the 37th state allowing for recreational use of that drug. Most allow for use for medical purposes.

Marijuana may remain illegal federally, but in most states it’s accessible for adult medical or recreational use. In 37 states plus Washington D.C. there are comprehensive medical programs allowing for access.

But, in Wisconsin, the use of cannabis is illegal for any reason. I am in no position to comment about the use of cannabis for any medical reason. So smoke away.

According to a report from FoxNews6 out of Milwaukee comes this statement. “After years of opposition to any form of marijuana legalization in Wisconsin, Republican lawmakers are now working privately to build support for a medical cannabis program that could win bipartisan backing and enacted into law later this year.”

Just to say that because there is no law allowing for use, Wisconsinites wanting to have Marijuana, we are getting it anyway. According to a report that I found, it stated that Illinois collected some $36 million in tax revenue from Wisconsin residents purchasing marijuana in the Land of Lincoln where cannabis use is legal.

But, what I am concerned about, is that this nation is either high on drink or stoned on drugs. You just have to watch any TV news account of the amount of drugs coming into the United States across the southern border to know that we are big users. Look at the legal columns in newspapers about the number of people paying fines for having or pushing drugs. So over the course of many years of drug use, what type of country will we have? We are now faced with challenges from China, North Korea, and some middle-east countries that would like to see us destroyed and drug use is one of the methods that they would like to put on our backs.

According to the Surgeon General’s Report; “Alcohol and drug misuse can have a wide range of effects; a single instance of alcohol or drug misuse can have profound negative consequences. The specific effects associated with substance misuse depend on the substance used, how much and how often they are used, how they are taken (e.g., orally vs. injected), and other factors.”

I would like to bring up the fact that Drugs can kill you or Drugs will kill you.

The latest federal data shows more than 109,680 drug deaths occured in the United States in 2022, many from fentanyl, with 1,427 in Wisconsin. So far this year, Dunn County has had eight drug deaths while five drug deaths were recorded in St. Croix County.

So, live long, don’t do drugs, is my advise.

Thanks for reading!     ~Carlton