With marijuana legalization initiatives making big grounds here in Ohio, a story this morning stuck out at me that will be used by opponents:

ANDERSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio —Emergency crews responded to reports of a child who ate marijuana-laced cookies Friday night.

Dispatch said the call came in at about 9:30 p.m. for reports of a 3-year-old who had just ingested marijuana cookies.

Authorities said units were sent to Gungadin Drive in Anderson Township, but the specific location is unclear.

While that story is troubling, the kid will be fine. But if you follow legalization news in other states that already have it, like Colorado, you quickly see that opponents use these kind of stories as the instant “we need to criminalize” defense. “Oh my God, think of the children!”

Think of the children. Why yes I do. As matter of fact I think of the kids a lot. Like when a 3 year old a couple of miles from me got a hold of mommy’s loaded gun a couple weeks back and killed himself. You know, I don’t recall any kids dying from eating marijuana. Yet we have hundreds of kids dying every year in this country, and hundreds more injured, simply because mommy and daddy can’t lock up their damn guns. 

So if someone tells you that children getting into mommy and daddy’s pot is some huge threat to our children, remind them of the bigger threat – idiots with guns. And tell them if we want to make the kids an issue, then fine, let’s do it. But let’s also address the more serious threat to children, unsecure firearms. After that, how about the kids that get into mommy and daddy’s prescribed happy pills? As matter of fact, let’s address the huge list of bigger threats above marijuana. Then we can talk seriously about the “marijuana threat to kids.”