WHEREAS, the Food and Drug Administration has studied the effectiveness of smoked marijuana and determined that it is not suitable for use as a medicine; and

WHEREAS, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has reported that there are a number of studies that have shown an association between chronic marijuana use and increased rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and schizophrenia; and

WHEREAS, the National Institutes of Health found that a person who smokes 5 marijuana cigarettes (joint) per week may be taking into their lungs as much tar and cancer-causing chemicals as a person who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day; and

WHEREAS, a 2007 Yale School of Medicine Study found that long-term exposure to marijuana smoking is linked to the same health problems as tobacco smoke, such as increased respiratory symptoms; and

WHEREAS, a study conducted by Columbia University found smoking marijuana weakens the immune system and raises the risk of lung infections; and

WHEREAS, the University of Mississippi found that the average THC content of marijuana has risen from 2.83 percent in 1985 to 9.96 percent in 2008; and

WHEREAS, on May 8, 2008, the British Government reclassified marijuana to higher, more restrictive drug classification , after observing an increase in crime and various health problems when marijuana was downgraded to a Class C drug; and

WHEREAS, the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) reported on July 31, 2008, that the great majority of males arrested for any violation in America have drugs in their system at the time of arrest, with marijuana being the most often detected;

WHEREAS, the White House National Drug Control Strategy 2009 Annual Report confirms that marijuana has long been the mainstay of drug trafficking organizations, accounting for much of their illicit revenue; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police, duly assembled at its 117th Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, continues to oppose any and all efforts to legalize the cultivation, sale and possession of marijuana in the United States and countries throughout the world..