NO!! TO LEGALIZE RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA IN ARIZONA

[quote]By Lea Marquez Peterson
THCC President/CEO[/quote]

The Board of Directors of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber has voted unanimously to oppose the proposed initiative to legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona. Our chamber represents over 1800 businesses in Arizona and Sonora.

“We believe that our State’s efforts to curb substance abuse and addiction in our workplaces, health care, education, and public safety institutions will be negatively impacted by this initiative.” states Lea Marquez Peterson, President/CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber and its affiliate chambers in Sierra Vista, Nogales and Douglas. “The social and economic costs of this initiative outweigh any benefits to our state.”

Key data for our businesses:
-Workers who use marijuana are more likely to experience tardiness, accidents, workers’ compensation on claims, a job turnover, and a 75% increase in absenteeism. (**)

-Workers who test positive for marijuana use have 55% more industrial accidents and 85% more injuries. (**)

Proponents of legalization are led by a national marijuana advocacy group that is targeting certain state. Visit www.ArizonansforResponsibleDrugPolicy.com for more facts on how this initiative can impact your business.

An increasing body of medical evidence indicates adverse short- and long-term consequences for even occasional marijuana use. That medical evidence, coupled with new evidence suggesting that legalizing recreational marijuana will result in wider use of the drug, especially by adolescents, suggests that the legalization of recreational marijuana exposes Arizona’s citizens to an array of significant health risks. Visit www.ArizonaChamber.org for more from the Arizona Chamber Policy Brief

The Tucson Hispanic Chamber is hosting employer forums in English and Spanish on this initiative to educate our community on the harmful effects of marijuana and the increased liability to the businesses in our state.  Please join us at the Chamber (823 E Speedway) in partnership with Arizona Bilingual Newspaper on Wednesday, February 23rd from 10:30a – 11:30a to learn more. Register at www.TucsonHispanicChamber.org.

** The Efficacy of Pre-Employment Drug Screening For Marijuana & Cocaine in Predicting Employment Outcome, Zwerling, et.al., JAMA.