Families Briefed On The Dangers Of Pot Shops By Executive Director John Redman

St. Petersburg, FL (PRWEB) September 29, 2014

John Redman, Executive Director of Californians for Drug-Free Youth and Director of Demand Reduction for California's High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, spoke to parents and families in Tampa Bay, August 22 – 27th, about the realities of marijuana dispensaries and the grave risks to their children from his work experiences with legalized medical marijuana in California.

These two pictures tell the tale and show what Floridians can expect if Amendment 2 is passed. Medical Marijuana dispensaries or "pot shops" are everywhere and per an NPR story, October 2009, "…in some neighborhoods that are more medical marijuana dispensaries than Starbucks."

Like California, loopholes in Amendment 2 would set up an unregulated pot shop system that translates into thousands of shops opening at the beaches and throughout Florida neighborhoods next to schools and churches, within easy walking distance of children.

"Even more frightening for parents is that Amendment 2 permits our children to be classified as 'qualifying patients' which comes with the constitutional right to obtain medical marijuana without their parents' consent or knowledge. In addition to no parental consent requirements, there are no age limits or limits on the amount of dope and edibles someone can get. This means our kids can get pot without our consent, it can be edible so we'll never smell it and we will never know if they don't tell us, we don't find their stash or we don't catch them using," said Luis Colon, father of 4 and CEO of MGE Management Experts.

"In California, prescriptions for drugs are not required. Only a 'recommendation' from a Pot Doctor or 'Pot Doc' is needed. Their offices are typically within walking distance of the pot shops and recommendations are given for anything from stress to trouble sleeping or a pain in your leg, and there are no age requirements for who can see these doctors," said John Redman.

Mary Pickett, M.D., Harvard Medical School, gives a plain English summary of the risks of Marijuana published by the New England Journal of Medicine in June. Parents in particular should know that, "Health hazards are much greater for people who begin use before age 21, because the brain is still developing during the teen years. Evidence suggests that effects on the brain from marijuana use by adolescents and teens can be permanent." The risks discussed in her article include: addiction, withdrawal symptoms, gateway drug concerns, abnormal brain development, schizophrenia, depression and anxiety, diminished lifetime achievement, motor vehicle accidents, and chronic bronchitis.

Floridians are strongly encouraged to carefully study Amendment 2 and all of its consequences. For more information on marijuana and its health consequences, go to: http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana.

About John Redman

John Redman is an internationally recognized speaker and discussion facilitator on drug policy issues with an emphasis on how they pertain to kids. He is the Executive Director of Californians for Drug-Free Youth, where he works to help people across industries, nonprofit organizations, faith-based institutions and educational campuses connect, communicate and collaborate to develop effective drug-prevention strategies. He also serves the as the Director of Demand Reduction for California's High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas.

Mr. Redman has been honored as an Ambassador of Peace with, the United Nations Middle East Peace Initiative; he was a Delegate to the United Nations Collaboration on Global Drug Policy, 2008; the recipient of the Director's Award for Distinguished Service from the Office of the President's, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP); the recipient of the President's Call to Service Award, 2008 and in 2011 he was honored as the Citizen of the Year from the California Narcotics Officers Association.

MGE Management Experts, Inc.

MGE Management Experts, Inc. has been in operation since 1997 and is located in St. Petersburg, FL. It is a BBB Accredited Business since 2011 with an A+ rating. CEO Luis Colón and his partner Dr. Greg Winteregg have led MGE in training tens of thousands of dentists on such subjects as management, case acceptance, marketing, communication, executive skills, financial planning and leadership. The training is based on the administrative technology of L. Ron Hubbard that is used in more than 100,000 companies and organizations across the globe to their benefit and prosperity. For more information call 727-530-4277 today or visit http://www.mgeonline.com.

Source: NPR - In California, Marijuana Dispensaries Outnumber Starbucks
October 15, 200912:00 PM ET - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113822156

San Francisco Chronicle, "Marijuana 101," April 21, 2008 Mary Pickett, M.D., Harvard Medical School article: http://www.intelihealth.com/article/update-from-the-medical-journals-june-2014?hd=What

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/Dangers-of-Pot-Shops/in-Florida/prweb12204258.htm