It's about size

I am far from svelt.  This is probably the heaviest I've been, and it's exhausting.  While I believe that I am "active," you can trace my activity to twice-a-day walks with my senior citizen equivalent dog, and merely keeping up with the kids.  Admittedly, I need to exercise (more), but it's also clear that I am not alone.  

There is an epidemic in our rich society, so much so that the Centers for Disease Control has studied this issue for decades.  To quote the CDC: "The medical care costs of obesity in the United States are high. In 2008 dollars, these costs were estimated to be $147 billion. The annual nationwide productive costs of obesity obesity-related absenteeism range between $3.38 billion ($79 per obese individual) and $6.38 billion ($132 per obese individual).Aug 15, 2016"

So, it's expensive, and it's clearly unhealthy.  Here's the CDC's list of the effects of obesity:

• All-causes of death (mortality)
• High blood pressure (Hypertension)
• High LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, or high levels of triglycerides (Dyslipidemia)
• Type 2 diabetes
• Coronary heart disease
• Stroke
• Gallbladder disease
• Osteoarthritis (a breakdown of cartilage and bone within a joint)
• Sleep apnea and breathing problems
• Some cancers (endometrial, breast, colon, kidney, gallbladder, and liver)
• Low quality of life
• Mental illness such as clinical depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders
• Body pain and difficulty with physical functioning

That sounds like a shit life.  No wonder why it's so expensive.  And, the number of obese adults who are chemically addicted to food is around 25% according to the National Institute of Health.

Now, compare that to marijuana.  The ACLU reports that "Enforcing marijuana laws costs us about $3.6 billion a year, yet the War on Marijuana has failed to diminish the use or availability of marijuana."  That's not the same as treating it, but it's a number.  As with most minor crimes, "enforcement" happens to far more people of color than whites too.  But that's not all, the National Institute of Health's Institute of Drug Abuse reports that "studies suggest that 9 percent of people who use marijuana will become dependent on it."  That figure may creep higher for teens who regularly use the drug.  Simple math says that 9% isn't 25%.  But, addicted is addicted, and that's bad.

However, that's not the only story.  NPR has reported that when weed is legalized for medical use and made readily available for a host of issues like like chronic pain, anxiety or depression, States "saw declines in the number of Medicare prescriptions for drugs used to treat those conditions and a dip in spending by Medicare Part D, which covers the cost on prescription medications."

Marijuana is saving consumers and the insurance industry money when used responsibly in place of heavily addictive opioids.  I would challenge anyone who would argue that obesity studies show clear fiscal and social health benefits.  Which brings me to New Jersey.

Recently, our Governor has indicated that people in favor of legalization are "stupid."  This is the same governor who used his bully pulpit to talk about his dedication to helping those suffering from opioid addiction...an echo from the White House's agenda.  This is the same governor who has had major budget deficits in years and years of past passed State budgets...defunding everything from the State's pension system to our transportation system which repeatedly fails basic safety standards.  This year, Colorado pulled in $200 million in tax revenues from the sales of marijuana.  Now, I know that sales from recreational use differ considerably from sales for medical uses, but revenue is revenue.

The long and the short of it is, if our elected officials really want to improve our societal state of being, reducing dependency on potentially addictive drugs, and filling gaps in the State's mismanaged finances, maybe they should be pouring our funds efforts into the declassifying and decriminalization of marijuana and, for the first time, studying it's true potential effects on our economy and societal health, instead of blindly decrying its evils...from the line at a Cinnabon on Route 95.

I won't dictate to you about your recreational habit, if don't dictate mine.  Mostly, because yours is literally killing you, and mine...well, not so much.