Background: Facts About Marijuana

CURRENT MARIJUANA RATES AMONG YOUTH

· Research demonstrates that illegal drug use among youth increases as the perception of risk and social disapproval declines.

· According to the most recent Monitoring the Future (MTF) Study in 2015 there are more 12th grade students who smoke marijuana daily than tobacco.

· Also according to the most recent (2015) MTF Study:

· 1 in every 16 high school seniors (6 %) is a current daily or near-daily marijuana user.

· Many more youth living in a “medical” marijuana state used a marijuana edible in the last year as compared to youth living in “non-medical” marijuana states.

· “Medical” marijuana states are clustered at the top of the list in terms of drug addiction and abuse among 12-17 year olds.[endnoteRef:1] [1: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2011). State Estimates from the 2009-2010 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. ]

· Pacula et al found that two features of medical marijuana – home cultivation and dispensaries – are positively associated with youth marijuana use and “have important implications for states considering legalization of marijuana.”[endnoteRef:2] [2: Wall, M., et al., 2011; Johnston, L.D., et al., 2011. and Pacula et al 2013]

Marijuana Is Addictive

· 1 in 11 people who ever start using marijuana become addicted.[endnoteRef:3] In adolescence, the addiction rates jump to 1 in 6.[endnoteRef:4] Increased use rates lead to higher addiction rates. [3: Wagner, F.A. & Anthony, J.C. From first drug use to drug dependence; developmental periods of risk for dependence upon cannabis, cocaine, and alcohol. Neuropsychopharmacology 26, 479-488 (2002). Available: http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/v26/n4/pdf/1395810a.pdf ] [4: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse. 2011. Topics in Brief: Marijuana. Available: http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/topics-in-brief/marijuana]

· More than two-thirds of treatment admissions involving those under the age of 18 cite marijuana as their primary substance of abuse, more than 15 times the rate for alcohol alone.[endnoteRef:5] [5: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2010. Office of Applied Studies. Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS): 2009 Discharges from Substance Abuse Treatment Services, DASIS. Available: http://wwwdasis.samhsa.gov/webt/quicklink/US10.htm Also see Non-medical cannabis: Rite of passage or Russian roulette? 2011.Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, Columbia University.]

age of initiation is critical

· Children who first smoke marijuana under the age of 14 are more than five times as likely to abuse drugs as adults, than those who first use marijuana at age 18.[endnoteRef:6] [6: The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) report. August 23, 2002. Available: http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k2/MJ&dependence/MJdependence.htm ]

· In the 1970s, the average age of initiation for marijuana was 19. In 2011, the average age of initiation was 17.5.[endnoteRef:7] The age of initiation for marijuana use is moving in the wrong direction. [7: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Available: http://www.samhsa.gov/data/mjinitiation/highlights.htm and http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k11Results/NSDUHresults2011.htm ]

MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION WILL INCREASE ACCESS AND AVAILABILITY

· States with medical marijuana laws that have been implemented to include home cultivation and legal dispensaries are positively associated with increased marijuana use in these states.[endnoteRef:8] [8: Pacula, R.L., Powell, D., Heaton, P., Sevingy, E.L. (2013). Assessing the effects of medical marijuana laws on marijuana and alcohol use: The devil is in the details. Available: http://www.nber.org/papers/w19302 ]

Marijuana Use Negatively Impacts IQ

· A recent study found that those who used marijuana heavily in their teens and continued through adulthood showed a permanent drop in IQ of 8 points. This held true when controlled for socioeconomic status.[endnoteRef:9] [9: M.H. Meier, Avshalom Caspi, et al. 2012. “Persistent cannabis users show neuropsychological decline from childhood to midlife.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences]

· A loss of 8 IQ points could drop a person of average intelligence into the lowest third of the intelligence range.

Marijuana Use Negatively Impacts Educational Achievement

· Youth with an average grade of D or below were more than four times as likely to have used marijuana in the past year as youth with an average grade of A.[endnoteRef:10] [10: Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). SAMHSA’s National Household Survey on Drug Abuse Report—Marijuana Use among Youths. July 19, 2002. Available at www.samhsa.gov/oas/nhsda.htm. ]

· High school students who use alcohol or other drugs are up to five times more likely to drop out of school.[endnoteRef:11] [11: Lane, J., Gerstein, D., Huang, L., & Wright, D., (1998) Risk and protective factors for adolescent drug use: Findings from the 1997 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. [Online]. Available at www.samhsa.gov/hhsurvey/hhsurvey.html; Bray, J.W., Zarkin, G.A., Ringwalt, C., & Qi, J. (2000). “The relationship between marijuana initiation and dropping out of high school.” Health Economics, 9(1), 9–18. ]

Marijuana Use Negatively Impacts School Environment

· 66.1% of serious disciplinary actions in public high schools can be attributed to the distribution, possession or use of illegal drugs.[endnoteRef:12] [12: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2009-10 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2010.]

· In Colorado, drug-related suspensions/expulsions increased 32% from school year 2008/2009 through 2012/2013.[endnoteRef:13] [13: Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact. Volume 2, August 2014.]

Marijuana Legalization will Negatively Impact Communities

· The 2015 C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health shows that a representative sample of American adults aged 18 and above now rate drug use as the third biggest health problem facing America’s youth.

· If the marijuana industry is like the alcohol industry, there will be more marijuana outlets and marijuana advertisements found in low-income minority communities.[endnoteRef:14] [14: Alaniz, MA. Alcohol Availability and Targeted Advertising in Racial/Ethnic Minority Communities. Alcohol Health & Research World. 1998; 22(4): 286-289.]

Marijuana Potency Is Increasing

· In the last 30 years (between 1983 and 2013), the average THC level has nearly tripled. Currently, the average level of THC in seized samples is 15.1%. This compares to an average of less than 4% in 1983.[endnoteRef:15] [15: Potency Monitoring Program Quarterly Report Number 120, Reporting Period December 16, 2012 – March 15,2013. Mahmoud ElSohly, Director, NIDA Marijuana Project. P.7.]

· Marijuana concentrates contain between 30-90% THC. They include butane, hash oil, shatter, crumble, dabs, and earwax. The amount of THC can vary widely, even from what is advertised compared to what it actually contains.

· Process for creating a concentrate includes a sturdy pick, a specially crafted bong and a blowtorch for butane-gas extraction, which can be explosive.

Marijuana Is Being Marketed to Children

· Despite the fact that all of the states that have approved “medical marijuana” initiatives or legalized marijuana have regulations restricting its use to those 18 and older, marijuana is clearly being marketed to children in the form of edibles. This is evidenced by the fact that products such as “Pot Tarts;” “Ring Pots,” “Orange Kush” soda; brownies, etc., are being sold – some even in vending machines.

· Edibles that have up to 100mg of THC are being marketed to children.

marijuana and calls to poison control

· Between 2005 and 2011, the call rate to poison centers in states that decriminalized marijuana increased by more than 30% per year, while the call rate in non-legal states did not change.[endnoteRef:16] [16: Wang GS et al. Association of unintentional pediatric exposures with decriminalization of marijuana in the United States. Ann Emerg Med 2014 Feb 7; [e-pub ahead of print]. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2014.01.017)]

Marijuana use negatively impacts highway safety

· According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, drivers who tested positive for marijuana in fatal car crashes DOUBLED between 2006 and 2010 (after the dispensaries were opened) while all other fatal car crashes declined for the same time period.[endnoteRef:17] [17: Colorado Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). August 2011.]

· 1 in 5 (or 19% of) teen drivers report that they have driven under the influence of marijuana. Only 13% of teen drivers report that they have driven under the influence of alcohol.[endnoteRef:18] [18: Hazy Logic: Liberty Mutual Insurance/SADD Study Finds Driving Under the Influence of Marijuana a Greater Threat to Teen Drivers Than Alcohol. Available: http://www.sadd.org/press/presspdfs/Marijuana%20Teen%20Release.pdf ]

· Marijuana is the most prevalent illegal drug detected in impaired drivers, fatally injured drivers, fatally injured drivers, and motor vehicle crash victims.[endnoteRef:19] [19: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Drug Involvement of Fatally Injured Drivers. U.S. Department of Transportation Report No. DOT HS 811 415. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2010.]

· Driving under the influence of marijuana is associated with a 92% increased risk of vehicular crashes.[endnoteRef:20] [20: Asbridge, M., Hayden, JA, Cartwirght, JL. Acute cannabis consumption and motor vehicle collision risk: systematic review of observational studies and meta-analysis. British Medical Journal, 2012; 344 (ePub): e536. PMID: 22323502. ]

· Researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst found 44% of college men said they drove after smoking marijuana in the previous month, compared with 12% who said they drove after drinking.[endnoteRef:21] [21: Jennifer M. Whitehill, PhD; Frederick P. Rivara, MD, MPH; Megan A. Moreno, MD, MSEd, MPH; Marijuana-Using Drivers, Alcohol-Using Drivers, and Their Passengers. AMA Pediatr. Published online May 12, 2014. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.5300]

Marijuana Legalization Will Not Result in Increased Revenue

· Taxes on marijuana will never pay for the increased social costs that would result from more users. Our nation’s experiences with alcohol and tobacco show that for every dollar gained in taxes, we spent 10 on social costs.[endnoteRef:22] [22: Rehm J, Mathers C, Popova S, Thavorncharoensap M, Teerawattananon Y, Patra J. 2009 Jun 27. “Global burden of disease and injury and economic cost attributable to alcohol use and alcohol-use  disorders.” Lancet ;373(9682): 2223-33. [Table 4].]

· Legalizing marijuana will open the doors to a “gray-market”, which would thrive under legalization in order to undercut the legal, taxed market.[endnoteRef:23] That is why the criminal market will not disappear under legalization. [23: Kilmer, B., Caulkins, J. P., Pacula, R. L., MacCoun, R. J., & Reuter, P. H. 2010. “Altered State? Assessing How marijuana Legalization in California Could Influence Marijuana Consumption and Public Budgets.” Santa Monica, CA: RAND Drug Policy Research Center. Available: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/occasional_papers/2010/RAND_OP315.pdf]

· According to a recent RAND study, legalization will cause the price of marijuana to fall and its use to rise, especially among youth.[endnoteRef:24] [24: Kilmer, Beau, Jonathan P. Caulkins, Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, Robert J. MacCoun and Peter H. Reuter. 2010. “Altered State? Assessing How Marijuana Legalization in California Could Influence Marijuana Consumption and Public Budgets.” Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, http://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/OP315. ]

· Colorado is missing $21.5 million in estimated pot taxes because pot smokers are still buying on the black market.[endnoteRef:25] [25: Wood, Robert. Forbes. $21.5 Million In Marijuana Taxes Just Went Up In Smoke. 2014 Sep. 02.]

Marijuana Legalization Will Not Reduce criminal organizations

· Marijuana accounts for only a portion of the proceeds gained by criminal organizations that profit from heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine distribution, human trafficking, and other crimes. Legalizing marijuana would not deter these groups from continuing to operate.[endnoteRef:26] [26: U.S. Sentencing Commission, “2008 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, see: http://www.ussc.gov/ANNRPT/2008/SBTOC08.htm, Table 33.]

Marijuana Legalization Will Not Reduce Incarceration rates

· According to the United States Sentencing Commission, in 2008, 6,337 people were sentenced in federal court for drug crimes related to marijuana. Of these 6,337, only 1.6% were sentenced for simple possession of marijuana.

· According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, only 0.4% of prisoners with no prior offenses are in state prisons for marijuana offenses.

A RECENT AUSTRALIAN STUDY ON INDIVIDUALS PRESCRIBED OPIOID PAINKILLERS FOUND[endnoteRef:27] [27: Degenhardt, Louisa. ,Humphreys, Keith. Medical Marijuana and the Risk of Painkiller Overdose. Scope, Published by Stanford Medicine. January 13, 2015.Experience of adjunctive cannabis use for chronic non-cancer pain: Findings from the Pain and Opioids IN Treatment (POINT) study. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2015 Feb . http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25533893]

· 1 and 6 participants also used “medical marijuana.”

· Were more likely to take opioids in ways not recommended by their doctor.

· Were over twice as likely to have an alcohol use disorder and four times as likely to have a heroin use disorder.

· Medical marijuana users were over 50% more likely to be taking anti-anxiety medications (benzodiazepines), which then combined with opioids are particularly likely to cause an overdose.

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