Letters to the editor of the Pahrump Valley Times

Is legal weed a blessing and potential opioid solution?

Monday, Gov. Brian Sandoval’s new state agency, the Opioid State Action Accountability Agency, met to discuss the opioid crisis in Nevada. The core takeaway from the meeting was; (1). Reliable timely and accurate data is a hindrance to fighting opioids problems, and (2). Nevada ranks above the national average in opioid prescriptions per resident.

But missing from the conversation is how cannabis could be part of the solution. Now legal in Nevada, it deserves a closer look.

It is clear from the data that was presented Monday, the opioid overdose epidemic in Nevada has its roots in the over-prescription of high-potency painkillers. We know now that these drugs carry an extremely high risk of dependence and can lead to fatal overdose.

Cannabis contains several compounds including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the primary psychoactive component of cannabis) and cannabidiol (CBD, one of at least 113 active cannabinoids identified in cannabis). Beyond the well-known psychoactive effects of cannabinoids, new research has shown that they also interact with systems in the body involved in the regulation of pain.

Nevada has a real opportunity to embrace the legalization of cannabis, and embark upon research that mirrors some of the groundbreaking discoveries from around the globe. We could set the stage for current and ongoing research like the landmark 2014 study, in which a team of researchers analyzed data from across the United States over a 10-year period. They found that states that had legalized medical cannabis saw 25 per cent fewer opioid-related deaths compared to states where medical cannabis remained illegal.

While these findings broke ground for others in the field to find associations between U.S. medical cannabis laws and reduced state-level estimates of opioid use and dependence, we need to study larger populations, over a longer period of time, and look at trends among different sub-populations of people affected by the opioid crisis. Why not study the large opioid population in Nevada?

We think Nevadans deserve such a study. The legalization of cannabis in Nevada may be the perfect response to our opioid crisis.

Pete Findley

CEO, Exhale Brands LLC

Bell Vista-160 intersection should have been made safer

What happened at the intersection of 160 and Bell Vista? Did whoever designed the road with almost no change, bother to look at all the crashes that have happened there?

Spend the money now and make it safe. That’s the problem when common sense is being bred out.

Besides that fact, Bell Vista should be maintained by NDOT. It is more traveled to get to Death Valley by buses that the state should be taking care of it.

Maybe they could do a better job than the county. Have I missed anybody?

Shelley Johnson

Thank you to VEA for excellent, courteous service

We were so excited to think we could subscribe to Valley Electric Wi-Fi service when it first came to our neighborhood. However, the area we live in is completely surrounded by TALL trees.

When the young man came out to install it, he tried many different angles and options. He really went out of his way to accommodate us but just could obtain a good signal. After us trying different ideas and suggestions and three or four visits from VEA installers, all at no extra cost to us, we were FINALLY able to get a good signal and hooked up.

Our connection and quality of Wi-Fi is excellent. The VEA employees we dealt with through all this turmoil were all so helpful, pleasant and polite. We just want to say a “BIG THANK YOU” to Valley Electric Association!!!

Gary and Dixie Holbrook