Editors note: Bombarded by negative comments, Gov. LePage has deleted the video from his Facebook page. We found another version, however, through Newsmax.com.
Maine Gov. Paul LePage has stepped up his prohibitionist rhetoric against legalizing cannabis in the state, posting a video to Facebook in which he doubles down on egregious anti-marijuana lies.
“THC levels in marijuana snacks are so high they could kill children and pets,” LePage, a Republican, says in the video. “…People will smoke marijuana in pot stores right next to schools, daycare centers and churches. They will smoke weed and sell pot at state fairs.”
LePage also claims that traffic fatalities have increased “dramatically” in Colorado, which according to a recent study by the Drug Policy Alliance is patently false: in both Colorado and Washington, traffic fatalities have decreased in the last decade and have remained stable in the years during which cannabis has been legal.
The governor closes out the video, which has more than 100,000 views, by urging the audience to educate themselves “on this dangerous issue.”
Comments on the video have reached more than 1,000, with most comments disparaging LePage’s message, pointing out that not a single death has ever been linked to cannabis ingestion – unlike alcohol, which, according to the National Institute of Health contributes to 88,000 deaths annually, and is already sold at state fairs.
Mainers are voting on legalizing cannabis for adult use in next month’s general election.
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