Marijuana #1 reason youth enter substance abuse treatment

While alcohol is the drug of choice among high school students who use, marijuana is, by far, the primary reason kids enter substance abuse treatment.  Below are charts from King County and Washington of publicly-funded youth substance abuse treatment admissions over the past several years.

King County

 Washington

Youth substance abuse treatment admissions are different from adult admissions -- alcohol is, by far, the primary reason adults enter treatment.

When I show people these charts, they often ask me if these high rates of youth treatment for marijuana are because they were referred to treatment by the courts.  While the juvenile justice system does play a role in these numbers, they are not the primary original referral source -- schools are.

In most school districts, if a student is caught with drugs/alcohol at school, he/she is referred to a community agency for a substance abuse assessment.  The assessment agency then usually recommends either drug/alcohol education or treatment.  Most students are referred to an educational program.  The same process is true for the courts.

A third psychoactive drug should not be legalized

One of the questions I often get when discussing marijuana legalization is about the harms of alcohol use versus the harms of marijuana use.  I think the American Academy of Pediatrics summed up my thoughts on this matter best:

That alcohol and tobacco cause far more harm in our society than marijuana is undeniable, but it does not follow logically that yet a third addictive psychoactive drug (marijuana) should be legalized.  Many of the harms associated with alcohol and tobacco use stem from the widespread acceptability, availability, and use of these substances.  Still other harms result from lax enforcement of current laws regulating their use or sale, especially to underage youth.

Veteran political observer takes stand against marijuana legalization

Over at Crosscut, they discuss the initiatives facing Washington voters, including I-502.  Here is part of what is written:

On this one I am hopelessly old school. Marijuana dulls the brain, leads to overeating, causes inattentive behavior, and reduces sex drive. There are those who love it but I fail to see the social benefits that would derive from I-502. It no doubt would generate tax revenues but so, no doubt, would cocaine legalization. Medical marijuana use is legal here. Possession laws are not enforced unless you are carrying the product in bails. Yes, I know alcohol does more harm than marijuana. But that does not mean marijuana should be easily grown, sold, obtained, and used. Society has to set limits somewhere; I'd leave marijuana in its present in-between status. If you want it, you know you can get it. But don't promote its widened use. I voted No.

Marijuana is "the dream tobacco companies have"

Over at The Reality-Based Community blog, they discuss the eagerness of big tobacco to gain a new market: marijuana.  Here's an excerpt:

I dug through the internal documents that the government forced big tobacco to release and found evidence of the industry’s longstanding interest in selling pot . . . 

This is the dream tobacco companies have had since at least the 1970s, when consultants issued a secret report to Brown & Williamson touting a future product line in marijuana. “The use of marijuana today by 13 million Americans is socially the equivalent of the use of alcohol by some 100 million Americans,” said the report, found among millions of documents turned over to plaintiffs during the tobacco lawsuits of the 1990s. “It is the recreational drug; the choice of a significant minority of the population. The trend in liberalization of drug laws reflects the overall change in our value system. It also has important implications for the tobacco industry in terms of an alternative product line.”

The tobacco companies, the report concluded, “have the land to grow it, the machines to roll it and package it, the distribution to market it. In fact, some firms have registered trademarks, which are taken directly from marijuana street jargon. These trade names are used currently on little-known legal products, but could be switched if and when marijuana is legalized. Estimates indicate that the market in legalized marijuana might be as high as $10 billion annually.

The report was a long time ago, and no doubt the industry has more modern ideas for selling marijuana today. Maybe that’s why, during the run up to the 2010 election in which marijuana legalization was on the ballot in California, Altria took control of the web domain names AltriaMarijuana.com and AltriaCannabis.com. For those not in the know, Altria is the parent company of Phillip Morris, the manufacturer of Marlboro, Players, Benson & Hedges and many other popular brands of tobacco cigarettes.

Plenty of money for drug and alcohol initiatives

Last year, Costco spent a record $22 million in support of Initiative 1883 which was approved by voters.  Though not as much has been spent this year in support of Initiative 502, "backers of I-502, the marijuana legalization initiative, have spent $5.7 million, with opponents spending only $18,000" according to KING 5.


KING 5 reports, "Spending to influence Washington voters on initiatives on the 2012 ballot has topped $30 million, according to filings with the state Public Disclosure Commission."

Yakima Herald: Legalize pot? We don't need to go there.

In  their editorial, "Legalize pot? We don't need to go there", the Yakima Herald says:

The public safety side, including Yakima County Sheriff Ken Irwin and the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, opposes the measure for fear of increased drug use, compromised traffic safety and involvement by organized crime. Gov. Chris Gregoire is against it, as are gubernatorial candidates Rob McKenna and Jay Inslee, with all noting that marijuana-related activities would remain a federal crime.

. . . Critics from both sides believe that in tight budget times, legislators will be tempted to "sweep" dedicated public-health funds into the general fund, and recent history supports that view.

We stand on the public-safety side, and proponents don’t offer a rejoinder about federal illegality except to say that if enough states take steps to legalize it, the federal government eventually will come around. That leap of faith attempts to cover too much of the middle ground for our tastes. We would also like to see the Legislature clarify provisions of Washington’s hazy medical marijuana laws, approved by voter initiative in 1998, before we try to take any steps toward legalization.

We also have a hard time with the argument that by regulating and taxing pot, the drug cartels will lose their economic incentive and move on somewhere else. The crop is too lucrative for cartels to simply walk away from their large, untaxed illegal grows in Eastern Washington if marijuana is legalized.

There will be enforcement costs associated with the measure, as well as to police use by people under 21 and those who may toke and drive. We are also swayed by arguments that making an intoxicating substance more available increases the prospects for drug abuse and its resulting health and law-enforcement problems.

Initiative 502 simply takes us a bit too far; the safest ground lies with a "no" vote.

Marijuana snacks and beverages: a growth industry

Anyone who believes that legal marijuana would not turn into a large industry just like big tobacco and alcohol should watch this report from 60 Minutes that highlights how Colorado's medical marijuana industry has attracted entrepreneurs, at least one of whom plans to launch products in other states in the coming years.

No tax revenue from marijuana grown in corn fields or in homes

According to a recent story about a group of people who were arrested for growing marijuana in a corn field near Yakima, "the suspects reportedly told the agents they had medical marijuana cards, but card holders are limited to only 1½ pounds of marijuana . . ."

Initiative 502 allows individuals to buy up to one ounce of marijuana, 16 ounces of marijuana infused products in solid form, or 72 ounces of marijuana infused product in liquid form.  What if people who use marijuana decide that this is not enough?

Many people who support I-502 say it will bring in much needed tax revenue.  But to gain that revenue, users must be willing to buy marijuana in stores.  Taxes cannot be collected on marijuana grown in homes or in corn fields not licensed by the Liquor Control Board.  Marijuana is cheap and easy to grow and it is unclear how the law against home grows and non-licensed farms will be enforced if I-502 is approved.  

Marijuana infused beer sold to minors

Serving as a preview for what is in store for our state if I-502 is approved, the seizure of marijuana infused beer highlights that regulating marijuana is more complicated than the "treat it like alcohol" slogan.  

Last week, the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) served a search warrant at a medical marijuana cooperative in Tacoma for alleged sales of alcohol without a license and sales of alcohol to a minor. The Hashford Compassion Club is a medicinal marijuana outlet and does not have a liquor license. The WSLCB seized an indeterminate number of cases of beer.

The WSLCB acted on a complaint that a minor was sold alcohol. The beer (pictured)  was in a re-purposed Corona Light bottle with a label that read “Northern Light,” and advertised as “Cannabis Enriched Honey Beer.”  While the beer is apparently enriched with marijuana, the WSLCB is acting on the liquor sales violation only.

“This is a public safety concern, “said Chief of WSLCB Enforcement and Education Justin Nordhorn. “Selling alcohol to minors without a license is the equivalent of selling alcohol out of the trunk of a car.” 

This story highlights the many questions that will need to be answered if I-502 is approved.  Is marijuana infused beer an alcohol product or a marijuana product?  Will grocery stores be able to sell marijuana infused alcohol?  And what about marijuana infused foods?  Are they food products (and therefore exempt from sales taxes) or are they drug products?  If they are food products, will the Liquor Control Board still have regulatory authority over them?

Several proponents of I-502 and state legislators acknowledge that I-502 is not perfect and that it will need to be tweaked by the legislature.  The issue about marijuana infused products is just one of the imperfections that will need to be tweaked.  If I-502 is approved, Washingtonians can expect the next several legislative sessions to be filled with contentious debates about how to actually implement the initiative.  Meanwhile, with or without the tweaks, marijuana would be fully legal one year from December.  

The Liquor Control Board's role in marijuana legalization

Considering that the Liquor Control Board (LCB) is still working to establish regulations for the implementation of I-1183, the initiative that privatized and deregulated the sale of spirits/hard alcohol in the state, Initiative 502 has a tall order in store for them if it is approved next month.  At least there was an already established alcohol industry for the LCB to build upon.  I-502 will create a whole new industry that has never been established anywhere before.  

Initiative 502 states that by December 1, 2013 the LCB will have to establish a regulatory system that includes, but is not limited to :

•       Licensing growers, manufacturers, and retailers.

•       Determining retail outlet density.

•       How much marijuana a business can keep on premises.

•       Security and safety requirements.

•       “The provision of adequate access to licensed sources of marijuana . . . to discourage purchases from the illegal market.”

•       “Economies of scale and their impact on a licensees’ ability to both comply with regulatory requirements and undercut illegal market prices.”

•       What marijuana containers should look like and include on the label.

•       Establish “classes” of marijuana and marijuana-infused products.

•       Advertising restrictions.

•       The time and method for the transport and delivery of marijuana within the state.

•       Accreditation for labs to determine if marijuana businesses are following standards.

•       Procedures for eliminating marijuana not up to standards.

Who is in prison for marijuana?

According to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, prison inmates sentenced for "marijuana possession only" account for 0.7% of state prisoners and 0.8% of federal prisoners.

As the graphic below from True Compassion shows, many prisoners who are in jail for marijuana "pled down from more serious charges and . . . the true incarceration rate for simple marijuana possession is negligible."

More national experts weigh in against marijuana legalization

"Legalizing and normalizing marijuana will be a public health disaster," according to John Walter, Former Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

"Marijuana use has been linked to mental illness and violence.  Its use also interferes with the cognitive development in adolescents.  Marijuana use has significant impacts on our school scores and drop-out rates, accidents and vehicle fatality rates, employment productivity, healthcare and treatment costs, and the potential escalation of further illicit drug use.  In fact, more young people are in treatment for marijuana than any other drug," says Calvina Fay, Executive Director of the Drug Free America Foundation.

Marijuana legalization "would reduce productivity of a significant segment of our workforce"

Yesterday, the Institute for a Drug-Free Workplace released a statement opposing the ballot initiatives in Washington, Colorado, and Oregon that would legalize marijuana.  According to their press release:

• "Those who engage in illicit drug use are one-third less productive according to a Department of Health and Human Services report."

• "With the economy the #1 issue facing our country and the #1 issue in this election, enacting laws that would reduce productivity of a significant segment of our workforce by one-third would further undermine our economy and impede recovery." 

• "Legalization would mean more use, and more use would mean a greater detrimental impact on the workplace, less productivity, and a less safe working environment for millions of American workers."

•  . . . those who engage in illicit drug use are 3.6 times more likely to be involved in a workplace accident that injures themselves and/or another person or people."  

Alcohol marketed to youth . . . is marijuana next?

What is the difference between these three products?

The first picture (above left) shows two pouches containing alcopops.

The second product (above right) is a juice pouch.

The set of bottles (left) contain marijuana-infused beverages.  Potpops?

In 2006, 30 people arrested in Seattle for marijuana only

Below are two charts from the Final Report of the Marijuana Policy Review Panel on the Implementation of Initiative 75 which made the enforcement of marijuana laws the lowest priority for Seattle Police.

Table 1 shows that in 2006, there were 125 "total marijuana cases filed" by the Seattle Police Department.  Of those, 30 (24%) were "marijuana only" charges.

Table 7 shows that 0.8% of all misdemeanor filings in Seattle were for marijuana in 2006.

Here is another link to the report.

Watch the KYVE discussion about marijuana legalization

Check out David Rolfe from Safe Yakima Valley discussing marijuana legalization on KYVE: http://kcts9.org/insiders-roundtable/i-502-marijuana-law-reform.

Easy access to marijuana and alcohol

Okay, I am getting tired of the media spin about teen access to marijuana.  Here is what the Washington State Healthy Youth Survey tells us.

In 2010, when Washington 10th grade students were asked how easy it would be to get alcohol and how easy would it be to get marijuana,

• 56% said it would be easy to get alcohol
• 54% said it would be easy to get marijuana.

Now let's look at use rates:

• 28% report using alcohol within the last 30 days
• 20% report using marijuana within the last 30 days.

In other words, though Washington 10th graders say alcohol and marijuana are easy to get, they use legal and regulated alcohol at higher rates.  And that's what really matters -- how much kids are actually using.  The data is easily available at www.AskHYS.net.

I kept writing "Washington high school students" above because national data tells a different story.  Nationwide, teenagers find it easier to get legal and regulated alcohol and tobacco than illegal marijuana.

Another nationwide study shows that even when teenagers know of a peer who sells marijuana, they still use legal and regulated drugs at higher rates.  

Child psychiatrist's top ten reasons not to legalize marijuana

When it comes to marijuana policy, Colorado and Washington seem to be fairly similar.  Both states have legal medical marijuana industries and both states will vote on full marijuana legalization next month.  Therefore, I think a video of Dr. Christian Thurstone, from the University of Colorado at Denver, providing his "Top Ten Reasons Not to Legalize Marijuana" to the Colorado Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Society is pertinent to Washingtonians, as well.

Unfortunately, the video ends just as Dr. Thurstone starts talking about marketing marijuana to youth.

According to the Colorado Child and Adolescent Psychiatry website:

Recently, Colorado has seen staggering increases in adolescent marijuana use. Many parents, teens and teachers are confused about marijuana as both medicine and drug of abuse. Here is a link to materials written by our president, Dr. Thurstone, and the Colorado Department of Education called Understand the Big Deal: How Marijuana Harms Youth. This resource includes a one-page info sheet, a brochure and a slide set. Feel free to make copies and distribute.

Recent I-502 debates

With a month to go before the elections, debates about I-502 are heating up.  Check out two of the latest ones to appear in Seattle media:

Seattle Times Live chat about legalizing marijuana in Washington

KCTS-9 Initiative 502 Debate.

Yesterday, an op-ed appeared in the Seattle Times: Don't legalize marijuana.  It's addictive.