As we approach the fifth anniversary of the first two states to legalize marijuana Washington and Colorado its instructive for other states to learn from their example.

In March 2017, Washingtons Office of Financial Management produced a PowerPoint presentation entitled, Monitoring Impacts of Recreational Marijuana Legalization .

From that presentation are charts that contradict the predictions of failure from opponents of Initiative 502, the ballot question in 2012 that legalized marijuana in Washington.

In this Part I, Ill break down the biggest fears offered about the effect of marijuana legalization on childrens use. In Part II , Ill give you the a look at how legalization has affected children who do use marijuana. In Part III , Ill show you what effect marijuana legalization had on traffic safety. Finally, in Part IV , Ill show you how much marijuana tax revenue the state of Washington has earned.

Legalization Did Not Increase Marijuana Use by Youth

What about the children?!? is shorthand for the exaggerated concern by opponents of marijuana legalization that no longer fining, arresting, and imprisoning adults over marijuana will somehow lead to an increase in the use of marijuana by teenagers.