Orleck: Marijuana is a threat to gun freedom

By Bob Orleck

Are you a gun owner concerned about passage of restrictive gun laws? Do you support legalization and sale of marijuana in Vermont?

If your answer is “yes” to both questions, there is more you need to consider. If it is “yes” to the first question and “no” to the second, it appears you may understand the dangers.

Do you think the legalization of marijuana issue is the same that your grandparents dealt with in the 1960s?

THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive ingredient of pot, was only 1 percent during the Woodstock era, but today’s plants produce 15-18 percent THC, and in the form of concentrates it can be up to 99.9 percent THC. Did you know that high-potency THC, available as “shatter” or “dabs,” and also in edible form, can be deadly and cause psychosis leading to suicide, homicide and other violence? If you answered “no” to these questions, shouldn’t you now be wondering why you would support legalization? If you answered “yes” to this and support legalization, then you just might be addicted and can’t help yourself, or worse, you could even be a criminal profiting on the addiction of others. If so, you need to repent or hopefully you will be arrested.

By now you may be thinking about why I at first asked about your gun control position. What does the high potency THC marijuana of today have to do with gun rights? The answer is “a lot,” but first consider this. Today’s legalization movement has little to do with the marijuana of the past, but the industry would make you believe it does, and that deception is the foundation for their success. The deception is working. Public opinion is not adamantly opposed to legalization, and it should be. The deception is furthered by the argument that there is no way to prove with certainty that marijuana caused the violent act. With so many life variables, there is no way that causation can ever be proven with certainty, and it should not be necessary. The relationship is there. Over and over, it is there.

We should be hearing alarm bells and calling for an end to this legalization madness. The FDA doesn’t wait for absolute proof of a direct cause-and-effect when evaluating drug safety and whether it can be marketed. Statistically credible causal relationships are what they look for, and public safety is primary in the decision-making.

When killers use guns and bullets the reaction is almost immediate naming of the weapon as the culprit — but the real malefactor, THC, slips away unseen to kill again somewhere else. Are you getting the picture? High potency marijuana is the real killer and the gun is an innocent accomplice. Until we get it, more gun laws will be passed, and the violence — and even the mass killings — will also increase. Those selling the lie will continue to deceive and the body count will continue to rise, but that is OK with them as long as they get paid.

Bob Orleck is a retired pharmacist and former Vermont assistant attorney general. He lives in Randolph.

Image courtesy of U.S. National Guard

14 thoughts on “Orleck: Marijuana is a threat to gun freedom

  1. “Continuity of cannabis use and violent offending over life course ” T. Schoeler et al. Psychological Medicine (2016) 46. 1663-1677. Cambridge University Press “.. results provide strong indication that cannabis use predicts subsequent violent offending, suggesting a possible causal effect..”

    https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-lawyer-mark-phillips-pleads-guilty-in-st-thomas-ont-baseball-bat/

    https://www.necn.com/news/new-england/Vermont-Father-Accused-of-Jumping-From-4th-Floor-Window-While-Clutching-Child-433906923.html

    • They sure do. The last thing that marijuana users want exposed is the tie-in to violent behavior.
      The vice of Intemperance allows the choice of marijuana use. That use then inhibits the voice of right reason. All other vices are then spread out on the table.

  2. I do not support legalizing marijuana.

    And, I hate to say this because Rep/Dem bashing disgust me but still, I have to. This article is twisted Republican logic aimed at killing two birds with one stone.

    • Wow, really George? Then you must lead a secluded life. Here in Colorado, violent psychotic patient are becoming more and more common – with the only substance on board – THC.

  3. Thankfully Mr Orleck is a “former” state AG. His talking points come directly from the movie Reefer Madness. Here are some real facts, because Mr. Orleck can’t seem to locate them. Although there is still many questions regarding the hazardous effects of “dabs” (otherwise known as BHO, butane hash oil for the method of extraction), NO one has died from it. As far as THC content is concerned, without a doubt concentrations are higher today. Was it 1% in 1960? That figure is pure fiction. The Journal of Forensic Science didn’t begin testing until 1972, and even the feds admit their testing methods have been haphazard at best. It’s amusing Mr. Orleck speaks of deception. His opinion piece reeks of it. Tying gun violence and subsequent “knee-jerk” gun laws with cannabis legalization and use is a stretch worthy of CNN or Vox.

    • Dan, I disagree. You made the point that no one has died and then bring up BHO. Um, have you ever seen someone with 2nd and 3rd degree burns over most of their upper torso, face, neck because their BHO blew up? I have – I have seen people die from this due to extensive injuries. Additionally, in Colorado Springs alone, there have been 17 deaths recorded directly related to marijuana incited incidents – drug deals. Hide your head in the sand, but this behavior is coming to a corner near you soon. We in Colorado tried to warn you.

      • and as far as Colorado goes. All the people using cannabis ALREADY WERE using it long before it was legal there. They were also driving on your roads and getting in line with you at Walmart. You never noticed them because they drive SLOWER and try not to be noticed

    • Dan, I seem to recall that 17 people died at Parkland FL… That makes 34 with Karen’s 17 in Colorado… (If you listen carefully you can hear gurgling as they go out)
      Did I miss something…?

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