Legal marijuana opens door to public health harms
Kudos to Sherry Greenfield for getting these two articles on the front page: ”Officials set to discuss recreational cannabis” on Jan. 25 and “Public Hearing set for cannabis rules” on Jan. 27.
Unfortunately, once again, our valiant and fearless County Commissioners are relegated to the difficult task of finding appropriate “restrictions” to a very bad law. One that was passed by the voting citizens of Maryland making cannabis use legal, which became effective July 1, 2023. Our noble commissioners do not even support the legalization of marijuana! Good for them! I wonder how many other Carroll County citizens also voted against the law! I know I did. Cannabis legalization is a boon to big business, but many are paying with their health.
Here are some text quotes from The Epoch Times piece “The Overlooked Risks of Legalized Marijuana” from the Jan. 24-30 edition:
“The hazy narrative of harmless recreation masks darker truths now coming to light. Evidence is mounting that the push for recreational drug use has led to cannabis-related hospitalizations and links to mental health issues such as anxiety. depression, cannabis use disorder, and more.”
“Cannabis use disorder is marked by cravings and inability to quit despite life problems, according to a University of Maryland Review.”
“Cannabis use is leading to more emergency room visits, especially for 18-25-year olds.”
“Heavy Cannabis users make up 10 percent of all drug-related emergency room visits in the U.S.”
“Marijuana today is much more potent than it was 5 to 20 years ago, catching return users off guard. They may experience severe panic attacks, hallucinations, and more.”
An article from HealthDay also says “Pot use increasingly linked to addiction, psychosis.”
“Nearly 1 in 5 Americans aged 12 and older used marijuana in 2021, and more than 16 million meet the criteria for a diagnosis of cannabis use disorder.”
“Nearly half of those with cannabis use disorder have another psychiatric condition like anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder.”
“There are seven recognized disorders related to cannabis use. Some include cannabis-induced anxiety disorder, cannabis-induced psychotic disorder, cannabis-induced sleep disorder, and cannabis-induced delirium. The last one manifests as hyperactivity, agitation, and disorientation with Hallucinations.”
A 2022 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety studies found that after marijuana legalization, the rate of car accidents with injuries increased by nearly 6%, while fatal accidents rose by 4%.
Annette Fleishell, Sykesville
Jozkowski, Dueppen endorsed for school board
The Carroll County Education Association is excited to announce our endorsements for the upcoming school board election this November.
CCEA endorses both Amanda Jozkowski and Muri Dueppen for the two open seats. Both candidates provided completed questionnaires, interviewed exceptionally well, and are fully qualified to meet the challenges that our county faces.
Jozkowski repeatedly has demonstrated an interest in involving all stakeholders in the decision-making process, being data-driven, and doing a better job of communication and transparency.
Dueppen has made it clear that she has done her homework and is well-versed in numerous educational issues. Her preparation and commitment to the broader community has been proven again and again.
CCEA is committed to making the endorsement process as impartial and democratic as possible. Once the Interview Team reviews the completed questionnaires (all questionnaires submitted can be found on our website) and interviews the candidates, they move their recommendation to the Executive Board and then the Representative Assembly (made up of CCEA representatives from each school/worksite in the county). Finally, we use Election Buddy to put a final vote to our entire membership. These two candidates won this poll by a 30-to-1 margin.
We want to thank all of the candidates who participated in our process. This is never an easy decision, but CCEA is committed to endorsing the candidates that best represent our members’ interests.
CCEA represents over 2,000 teachers, school counselors, media specialists, registered nurses, related service providers, and more who work in Carroll County Public Schools.
Celeste Jordan, Westminster
Jordan is the president of the Carroll County Education Association
The evil, Marxist agenda of our librarians
There certainly has been a lot of ink about libraries and librarians lately in the Carroll County Times. The Feb. 6 edition could fairly be described as the library edition with two front-page stories about librarians’ attempts to organize as workers and about the Exploration Commons technology center, an extension of the Carroll County Public Library system.
Then, on page 3, there is an article broadly about the fact that libraries have become “battlegrounds in the nation’s culture wars.” You’re darn right they have.
This is because the left – aka woke Marxists – have infiltrated and captured so many areas of our culture. This is especially true in professional associations. The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom is a classic example of this Marxist tactic called entryism. The article quotes it’s director, Deborah Caldwell,who disparages parent groups like the Iowan nonprofit advocacy group Protect My Innocence, which opposes sexually explicit books aimed at children (no matter what section of the library in which they are placed). Caldwell says “…these partisan groups….demand the removal of books…because they don’t meet [Protect My Innocence’s] political or moral agenda.”
So, what might be the moral and political agenda of a parents group named Protect My Innocence? The answer is to protect the innocence of children. And what might Deborah Caldwell’s agenda be? Well, these are the same people who promote Drag Queen Story Hour for preschoolers in the libraries that they administer. Their agenda is just the opposite – the annihilation of the innocence of children.
They say that their agenda is free speech. They are liars. Another of their Marxist tactics is the dialectic that cunningly adheres a statement of truth to advance an evil agenda i.e . freedom of speech in the interest of destroying the innocence of children.
Our only hope against this evil is the activist outrage of these parents groups and, of course, the grace of almighty God.
Michael Hurley, Eldersburg
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