Safe pot? Tell that to the 62 kids who died

My Turn: More youth deaths are linked to marijuana than alcohol or methamphetamine.

Marijuana is an addictive and hazardous drug. But lately, some have taken to proclaiming that "marijuana is safer than alcohol," a message that is not only wrong but dangerous.

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, in a study that examines all deaths in Arizona of children under the age of 18, a disturbing number of child deaths resulted from substance use. It was linked to the deaths of 128 of Arizona's children in 2013.

Guess which substance was the most prevalent? Not alcohol, not methamphetamine (although they were close seconds), but marijuana. In 2013, marijuana use was associated with the tragic and needless deaths of 62 children in Arizona.

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The point is this: Prevention, not legalization, remains the...

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URL: 
http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2015/06/15/safe-pot-tell-kids-died/71267330/