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Is medical marijuana a public safety threat?

A district attorney in Northern Nevada says medical marijuana poses a new threat to public safety. Reno Public Radio’s Michelle Bliss reports it’s at the top of the list for Washoe County at an upcoming summit hosted by the state’s attorney general.

Sheriffs, chiefs and district attorneys from across the state will come together at the event in early February to collaborate on ways to make their communities safer.

Washoe County District Attorney Christopher Hicks will share what he’s learned from other states about the public safety issues caused by marijuana.

“In some of the studies out of Colorado, we’ve seen accidental ingestion of medical marijuana by children or even by pets that have resulted in emergency room visits," Hicks explains. " We’ve seen an increase in those studies: in DUIs and in fatalities on the highways and so those are very big concerns from a public safety perspective.”

But advocates for medical marijuana say the risks may be overstated.

Hicks says he’ll also meet with other members of law enforcement in Washoe County to develop crime prevention programs for child and elder abuse, and domestic violence, among other issues.

Michelle Billman is a former news director at KUNR Public Radio.
Anh Gray is a former contributing editor at KUNR Public Radio.
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