Myth: Legalizing Marijuana Will Kill Kids

On March 12, The Recount posted a video of Governor Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) at a press conference claiming that marijuana is a dangerous drug and legalizing it would kill kids. Specifically, Ricketts said, "So this is a dangerous drug that will impact our kids. If you legalize marijuana, you're gonna kill your kids. That's what the data shows from around the country." 

The short video clip racked up almost 10,000 retweets, with a few accounts backing up the claim – but the vast majority of users appeared to disagree with Ricketts. 

The press conference was held ahead of a unicameral committee hearing on whether or not medical marijuana will appear on the ballot in Nebraska in 2022. 

Other users on Twitter backed their commentary up with graphs.