Teen Marijuana Use Down in States With Medical Marijuana Laws

[Psycho4Bud]

(Albany, N.Y.) A newly updated analysis released today, co-authored by Dr. Mitch Earleywine, associate professor of psychology at the Albany campus of the State University of New York, shows that state medical marijuana laws have not increased teen marijuana use, despite fears that have been raised when such measures are considered. Teen marijuana use has consistently declined in states with medical marijuana laws, and generally more markedly than national averages.

The report, based entirely on data from federal and state government-funded drug use surveys, is available at Teen Use Report (http://www.mpp.org/teens).

In New York, medical marijuana legislation passed the state Assembly last year, and the issue awaits Senate action.

â??Opponents of medical use of marijuana regularly argue that such laws â??send the wrong message to children,â?? but there is just no sign of that effect in the data,â?� said Dr. Earleywine, a substance abuse researcher and author of the acclaimed book, â??Understanding Marijuanaâ?� (Oxford University Press, 2002). â??In every state for which thereâ??s data, teen marijuana use has gone down since the medical marijuana law was passed, often a much larger decline than nationally.â?�

In California, which passed the first effective medical marijuana law in 1996, marijuana use has declined sharply among all age groups. Among ninth-graders, marijuana use in the past 30 days (â?�current useâ?� as defined in the surveys) declined by 47 percent from 1995-96 to 2005-06, the latest survey results available.

A similar pattern is emerging in the states with newer medical marijuana laws. Vermont and Montana, whose medical marijuana laws were enacted in 2004, have seen declines in current marijuana use of 15 percent and 9 percent, respectively. In Rhode Island, whose medical marijuana law took effect in January 2006, current use declined 7 percent from 2005 to 2007. There are no before-and-after data available yet from New Mexico, whose medical marijuana law was passed last year. Overall, declines in teen marijuana use in the 11 medical marijuana states for which data are available have slightly exceeded the national trends.
New Report Co-Authored by SUNY Albany Researcher: Teen Marijuana Use Down in States With Medical Marijuana Laws : NewsLI.com - Long Island News, News Long Island (http://www.newsli.com/2008/06/16/new-report-co-authored-by-suny-albany-researcher-teen-marijuana-use-down-in-states-with-medical-marijuana-laws/)

So much for that myth.......:thumbsup:

Have a good one!:jointsmile:

[Sir Bliss]

Hopefully this will help more politicians open their damn eyes to the truth.

This is definitely good news.

[killerweed420]

Yeah but is it because use has gone down or is it because its easier to get in MMJ states so less kids are getting busted on the streets and getting it from friends instead? Or are kids just getting smarter and learning to play the game to keep from getting busted.

[SnSstealth]

take that drug czars....lol
WT

[Aristotle]

Yeah but is it because use has gone down or is it because its easier to get in MMJ states so less kids are getting busted on the streets and getting it from friends instead? Or are kids just getting smarter and learning to play the game to keep from getting busted.

I believe the statistics are based on willing participants of the survey who answer questions on whether or not they smoke and how often, not derived from criminal statistics of marijuana law violations.

[painretreat]

Use is down, price is up; how can teens afford it!
Do without! could be a good thing! But, teenage sex it up, substitution? Interesting information!

I know, we know, our president's now have tried pot! It was a weed rampant in Viet Nam, that is where my brother discovered it :stoned:! I doubt McCain missed it, unless he was so dumb he was captured his first day over there. Dah, found a pretty weed, smelled so good he could taste it , looked good, needed a smoke :rastasmoke:, I'll try this one! Ooops, here come some short little guys, with odd lookin eyes--:jointsmile: who are they;; Oh Oh the enemy and here I go, off to :wtf: P.O.W!

I don't think McCain or Obama will, or could deny they have not used it or at least tried it. Has either expressed any views about it? If they have no experience with medical use, it may be a problem. Then McCain, he has had medical issue's, he may have used for! Who knows, but one thing is for sure--we need to be legal in all 50!

They most likely will never legalize it federally, or our insurance would have to assist in paying for it! Not to mention, the FDA would not turn a blind eye to it anymore, and it will get tested, extensively!

Interesting information: unable to get full report open on dial-up. Will try later!

I do not condon use by minors, without proper medical testing first! When young, we feel invincable and do things we ought not. At least I did. Pot would have lowered my inhibitions-my life would have been different. But, I know kids that have done it all their lives and are very responsible citizens. I have a brother that screwed up his career by using! It owned him!

There are a lot of small childhood psychiatric disease's I feel it is absolutely necessary. If I had a kid, I think would benefit from using it, brownieville! I recall in past few months a video of a young child, toddler, smoking with his mom and friends, it was videoe taped and all over the news! I kinda thought it was funny, men give their kids beer all the time. That was not use for medicine though, so it will hurt getting help for the kids that need it! :cool:I don't know! We need better medicince and controlled use for children!

[jsknow]

It's time to remove ALL the politicians that promote prohibition.

How many more lives have to be needlessly devastated or lost?

PROHIBITED DRUGS ARE WAY EASIER FOR KIDS TO GET THAN REGULATED DRUGS!

PROHIBITION never works it just CAUSES CRIME & VIOLENCE.

The USA spends $69 billion a year on the drug war, builds 900 new prison beds and hires 150 more correction officers every two weeks, arrests someone on a drug charge every 17 seconds, jails more people than any nation and has killed over 100,000 citizens in the drug war.

In 1914 when there were NO PROHIBITED DRUGS 1.3% of our population was addicted to drugs, TODAY 1.3% of our population is STILL ADDICTED TO DRUGS BUT THEREâ??S WAY MORE CRIME AND VIOLENCE BECAUSE OF THE HUGE PROFITS PROHIBITION GENERATES. DRUGS TODAY ARE MORE POTENT, MORE READILY AVAILABLE AND LESS EXPENSIVE THAN THEY WERE IN THE EARLY 70â??S WHEN RICHARD NIXON STARTED THE WAR ON DRUGS.

Thereâ??s only been one drug success story in history, tobacco, BY FAR THE MOST DEADLY and one of the MOST ADDICTIVE drugs. Almost half the users quit because of REGULATION, ACCURATE INFORMATION AND MEDICAL TREATMENT. No one went to jail and no one got killed.

DEMAND your Constitutional rights. The right; to freedom of religion, free speech, a free press, to keep and bear arms, to be secure in your person, house, papers and effects against unreasonable search and seizure, to life, liberty and property, to be protected from having your property taken by the government without due process of law and without just compensation, to confront the witnesses against you, to be protected from excessive bail, excessive fines, cruel and unusual punishment, to vote and many others have been denied to millions of Americans in the name of the drug war.

TAKE ACTION. JOIN THE EMAIL LIST, WATCH THE VIDEOS:
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