Legal Medical Pot Does Not Result In Increased Use

[link|http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pot7sep07,1,3527430.story?coll=la-headlines-california|http://www.latimes.c...dlines-california]

Bucking dire predictions by anti-drug warriors, the 10 states that approved medical marijuana laws over the last decade have experienced sharp declines in cannabis use among teenagers, according to a new study by a marijuana advocacy group.

California has seen usage among ninth-graders drop 47% since 1996, the year the state became the nation's first to legalize medical marijuana. Over the same period, the nation as a whole experienced a 43% decline among eighth-graders.

The study, released today, is based on data from national and state surveys, which show a drop in marijuana use by teens.

Although debate over medical marijuana is often shaded by concerns about increasing drug abuse among young people, the report suggested the opposite has been true.

The study's authors were Mitch Earleywine, a State University of New York psychology professor, and Karen O'Keefe, a legislative analyst with Marijuana Policy Project, the organization that commissioned the research based on state and federal data.

That data "strongly suggests" that approval of medical marijuana has not increased recreational use of cannabis among adolescents, Earleywine and O'Keefe concluded. And the decline in many of the states with medical marijuana laws is "slightly more favorable" than trends nationwide, they said.

Post #223,684 by tuberculosis 9/8/05 1:17:51 PM 8/21/07 12:38:11 PM Reply	Legal Medical Pot Does Not Result In Increased Use [link\|http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pot7sep07,1,3527430.story?coll=la-headlines-california\|http://www.latimes.c...dlines-california] Bucking dire predictions by anti-drug warriors, the 10 states that approved medical marijuana laws over the last decade have experienced sharp declines in cannabis use among teenagers, according to a new study by a marijuana advocacy group. California has seen usage among ninth-graders drop 47% since 1996, the year the state became the nation's first to legalize medical marijuana. Over the same period, the nation as a whole experienced a 43% decline among eighth-graders. The study, released today, is based on data from national and state surveys, which show a drop in marijuana use by teens. Although debate over medical marijuana is often shaded by concerns about increasing drug abuse among young people, the report suggested the opposite has been true. The study's authors were Mitch Earleywine, a State University of New York psychology professor, and Karen O'Keefe, a legislative analyst with Marijuana Policy Project, the organization that commissioned the research based on state and federal data. That data "strongly suggests" that approval of medical marijuana has not increased recreational use of cannabis among adolescents, Earleywine and O'Keefe concluded. And the decline in many of the states with medical marijuana laws is "slightly more favorable" than trends nationwide, they said. "Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect" --Mark Twain "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." --Albert Einstein "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." --George W. Bush Edited by tuberculosis Aug. 21, 2007, 12:38:11 PM EDT Expand All History
Post #223,742 by warmachine 9/8/05 7:19:13 PM Reply	Statement of the obvious Teenage usage drops when it's no longer forbidden. Wow. I'd have never guessed that! Why are legislators, who were teenagers themselves, unable to see this? Matthew Greet Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin? - Mark Renton, Trainspotting.
Post #223,761 by inthane-chan 9/8/05 8:07:05 PM Reply	If it was up to me... I'd outlaw teen abstinence from sex, alcohol, and drugs. Oh, and driving stupid as well. Some guy today passed me on the freeway at about 80mph on his crotch rocket, popping a fucking wheelie. Five seconds later, he rear-ended into the truck that was doing 60 in his lane. Dunno if he survived, but if he didn't, that's Darwin award candidate material right there. apt-get install godlike-powers
Post #223,770 by Andrew Grygus 9/8/05 9:24:15 PM Reply	hey man . . . It's MEDICINE - for old folks! Who wants that? That is just NOT kool. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #223,797 by Silverlock 9/9/05 12:18:21 AM Reply	Well, duh. It took a scientist to figure this out? People smoke pot or don't because they want to and making it legal for medical purposes won't change that. ----------------------------------------- George W. Bush and his PNAC handlers sent the US into Iraq with lies. I find myself rethinking my opposition to the death penalty. --Donald Dean Richards Jr.

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