Why some conservatives are vaccine ‘hesitant’

Published in The Washington Post, April 26, 2021

Regarding the April 21 Politics & the Nation article “ ‘I’m still a zero’: A warning from vaccine skeptics.”:

Conservatives who value limited government, federalism and checks on individual power will disdain what they view as vaccination propaganda from partisan politicians who have used the pandemic as a blatant power grab. Trump supporters won’t abide vaccination rhetoric of public health officials such as Anthony S. Fauci, who publicly dissed President Donald Trump.

Conservatives also respect conscience convictions. While I have received the Moderna vaccine and have written of ethical and practical reasons for taking the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, I understand the apprehensions of conservative colleagues who voice concerns about the use of a fetal cell line in testing, the new mRNA technology and the lack of longitudinal studies.

Conservative vaccine resisters view the “impending doom” pandemic rhetoric of this administration as alarmist, manipulative, condescending and coercive. Some, however, may still respond to respectful, common-sense messages from trusted faith leaders and local health experts who can reasonably and transparently lay out the risks of coronavirus vaccination vs. infection.

Jonathan Imbody

The writer is a federal policy analyst for the Christian Medical Association.

Purple Haze: The Dangerous Illogic of Politicians Pursuing Pot Profits

 

A Washington Times editorial, "Pot is growing like a weed" rightly calls out politicians "racing to earn their trendy credentials" by "commoditizing and taxing vice" and legalizing marijuana commerce. As usual, in the pursuit of pot profits, the politico-economic calculus ignores the costs of increased government social services and human risk and loss.

As to human risk and loss, the data is clear and compelling. The National Institute on Drug Abuse cites studies finding that "9% of people who use marijuana will become dependent on it, rising to about 17% in those who start using in their teens" and that "30% of those who use marijuana may have some degree of marijuana use disorder."

The CDC reports that marijuana users are three times more likely to become addicted to heroin. A study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that marijuana users were more than twice as likely to abuse prescription opioids.

Besides the human toll, these addictions and disorders also increase government costs for health and social services.

Marijuana use can be deadly. Studies of Colorado found that "marijuana-related traffic deaths increased 48% in the three-year average since Colorado legalized recreational marijuana."

Pot profits are both bad government business and bad social policy. The reasoning of politicians and activists suggesting otherwise in the face of the overwhelming evidence is best described by the late Jimi Hendrix:

"Yeah, Purple Haze all in my eyes
"Don't know if it's day or night
"You've got me blowing, blowing my mind
"Is it tomorrow or just the end of time?"