Public Health Framework of Legalized Marijuana in Colorado

Public Health Framework of Legalized Marijuana in Colorado
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The state of Colorado is one of the few states in the US that have legalized recreational marijuana. Given that the law allowing for the sale and use of recreational marijuana only came into effect in 2014, the state has discovered many gaps regarding its distribution and the laws governing its use. For this reason, the state of Colorado through the Colorado Department of Public Health in conjunction with other stakeholders deemed it fit to come up with the ‘Public Health Framework of Legalized Marijuana in Colorado.’ The framework outlines procedures and policies which include assessment, policy development, and assurance that will help reduce the potentially harmful impact of legalized recreational marijuana on the public.
One of the methods used to advance the framework is assessed through monitoring and investigation. In this regard, the public health department has been tasked with the duty to monitor the trends in use and the health impact of recreational marijuana. To realize this, the department is adding new relevant questions into the current population-based surveys coupled with the use of existing data on the effects of marijuana on various groups. Additionally, a scientific review panel comprising of various health experts has been organized by the department to help in monitoring the trends and health effects of marijuana and consequently offering recommendations. However, many challenges are facing the assessment approach with regards to implementation of the framework.

The absence of reliable primary data on marijuana use and attitudes prior to its legalization is one of the key challenges in Colorado. Also, the state faces challenges in the collection of data even after the legalization of recreational marijuana (Ghosh et al., 2016).
Policy development is the other approach being used to actualize the public health framework. In this regard, the department has in the past developed policies and regulations and continues to do so to safeguard the safety and health of the public. The policy strategies which range from tax laws to age and sale restrictions are contained in the ‘Community Guide.’ For instance, the ‘Community Guide’ outlines the recommended tax rates, distribution outlets, and the limit on hours of sale and much more. The public health department has also been mandated to create public awareness through a statewide education program which was started in 2015. The education program seeks to teach the residents about the responsible, safe and legal use of marijuana. The main challenge facing policy development is the conflicting laws for medical and recreational marijuana (Ghosh et al., 2016).
Lastly, the state of Colorado through the health department uses assurance to advance the public health framework. In this case, assurance refers to the enforcement role undertaken by the department. The department conducts environmental and restaurant inspections to ensure that marijuana products are free of contaminants. It also ensures that the packaging adheres to the packaging and labeling standards. The department also organizes periodical conferences to educate its workforce about and discuss public health issues about marijuana. This ensures the workforce is educated and competent to carry out enforcement. To measure the effectiveness of the framework, the department collects and evaluates data about the use and the effects of recreational marijuana. In conjunction with universities, they also evaluate the effectiveness of awareness and education campaigns. The key challenge facing assurance is lack of enough funding from the state government (Ghosh et al., 2016).
Even as the state of Colorado continues to address the challenges resulting from the legalization of recreational marijuana, the public health framework offers a good basis to tackle future hurdles in relation to marijuana. Also, the framework will help in the formulation of other policies in the coming days as it teaches policymakers the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration. It also teaches policymakers the importance of collecting data about a subject before passing any laws on that subject.

References
Ghosh, T., Van Dyke, M., Maffey, A., Whitley, E., Gillim-Ross, L., & Wolk, L. (2016). The public health framework of legalized marijuana in Colorado. American journal of public health, 106(1), 21-27.