Marijuana Legalization Impeding Fight Against Prescription Drug Abuse: Botticelli

The national trend toward legalizing marijuana is impeding the fight against prescription drug abuse, according to the Acting Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Michael Botticelli says one in nine people who use marijuana will become addicted to the drug. He noted early use of marijuana increases the risk a person will develop dependency on other drugs, including prescription painkillers and heroin, the Associated Press reports.

“It’s hard to say at one level that we want to think about prescription drug abuse and heroin abuse without looking at how to prevent kids from starting to use other substances from an early age,” he said at a town hall forum on opioid abuse in Maine. At the forum he announced 19 Maine communities will receive $7.5 million over the next five years to fight drug abuse.

Botticelli is in long-term recovery from a substance use disorder, celebrating more than 25 years of sobriety. He said he began drinking at an early age, and struggled with alcoholism. “My personal story is very illustrative of what we see with people who go on to significant addiction later in life,” he told the AP.

Last year, voters in Portland, Maine approved a measure that legalizes the possession of marijuana by adults 21 years or older. Portland became the first city on the East Coast to legalize marijuana. This November voters in two other Maine cities will decide on similar measures.

Maine has been dealing with prescription drug abuse for years, the article notes. Dozens of pharmacies were robbed in 2012 and 2013. More recently, the state has also been grappling with an increase in heroin cases.