Homeless in Arizona

While Dr Will Humble did run the Arizona Department of Health Services for a while, again he is NOT a medical doctor. I think his degree ins in business.

Last sadly while Will Humble was running the Department of Heath Services he didn't look out for the interests of the public when it came to medical marijuana. Will Humble seem to look out for the interests of the prohibitionists. The police, the prosecutors, and of course his boss Jan Brewer, who was a big time hater of medical marijuana.

Will Humble routinely refused to honor Prop 203 and add new illnesses to those that can be treated with medical marijuana. The only illness Will Humble added was PSTD and he had to forced to do that with a lawsuit.

Ask a Doc: Legalized marijuana has public health impact

Will Humble, Special for The Republic | azcentral.com 5:04 a.m. MST August 19, 2016 Proposition 205 poses public health risks and benefits

Question: Proposition 205 will be on the ballot this fall, and if it passes, it would legalize small amounts of marijuana. Would the Initiative be good or bad in terms of public health?

Answer: Like most things in public health, and life for that matter, there’s no simple answer. Proposition 205 poses public health risks and benefits. Which side the scale tips is in the eye of the beholder.

There could be potential public health benefits to monitoring and regulating the production, potency, testing and labeling of marijuana before sale. None of those things are happening in today’s black market for marijuana.

Tax revenue from the retail sale of marijuana distributed to schools and for substance abuse education could also have a positive public health impact.

Felony convictions for possession of small amounts of marijuana also have a public health cost because convictions can result in a lifetime of lower earnings and poorer health outcomes.

But there are clear public health risks, including the potential for increased access to marijuana among adolescents, accidental marijuana ingestion among young children, increased potential for marijuana abuse among adults, and risks to the public from impaired driving and workplace accidents.

Q: As a public health official, what do you think?

A: I haven’t decided yet. One thing for sure is that how well Proposition 205 is implemented will affect the law’s net impact on public health.

If it passes, it will be really important for the new state regulatory agency to strictly enforce the 21-year-old purchasing age limit, implement robust product labeling, packaging and potency standards, regulate advertising and place of use restrictions, engage employers to address workplace policies and work with law enforcement regarding motor vehicle operation restrictions and penalties.

Q: Where can people go for more information?

A: The Arizona Public Health Association has some good information on their website, including a descriptive PowerPoint about how Proposition 205 would work, public health data from Colorado and other informative resources. Their website is www.azpha.org.

Will Humble is a board member of the Arizona Public Health Association and has an appointment with the University of Arizona Center for Population Science and Discovery.