Thread by @MalwareJake

CDC says vast majority of those impacted by vaping illness admit to vaping THC. We now know that black market cartridges are not safe, but store bought (regulated) cartridges are. As a society, we need to address this now. It's a moral obligation. 1/8
nbcnews.com/health/vaping/…

As I see it, we have two choices:
1. Federally legalize and regulate marijuana
2. Engage in "War on drugs v2.0"

Considering that the first "war on drugs" is a case study in abject failure, I'm not supportive of option #2. It will cost the budget of a small country. 2/8

I know people have lots of issues with fully legalizing marijuana. There are serious questions about how this will impact kids and young adults (whose brains are still growing). But we have the same risks with alcohol, so this isn't unique. 3/8

Another big issue with full legalization is the lack of an easily administered field sobriety test. Opponents say impaired driving will increase. I've heard this, but I'm yet to see data that supports it. Proponents of this argument have years of data now from CO, WA, etc. 4/8

"If we legalize marijuana in response to deaths, why not fentanyl, etc?" That's an intellectually dishonest argument IMHO. Hard drugs aren't legal in any state. Legalization of marijuana in some states has unquestionably fueled the counterfeit vape cartridge epedemic. 5/8

In infosec, we try to educate users about risky behaviors. But we know some users will engage in those behaviors, regardless of education. We now have two choices:
1. Make those behaviors safe with technical controls.
2. Clean up the inevitable mess if we don't. 6/8

The difference here is that the "inevitable mess" is claiming lives. This problem won't go away any more than users will stop clicking on phishing links. It's your right to say "I'm against legalizing marijuana," but know that your crusade is killing people. 7/8

Given that, I expect any anti-legalization argument will focus not on feelings, but on the cost of human lives (now and long term). I used to be staunchly anti-legalization too. It was an emotional stance. I changed my mind because of data. Data > feelings. 8/8

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.