Weed Advocates Are Ramping Up Lobbying Efforts And Notching Wins
'Marijuana use isn’t without its health concerns'
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler Can’t Get His Story Straight On His Aimless Drug Policy Withdrawal
This is Wheeler's pattern: Say all the stuff the radical activists say, and then blame others when leftist policies leave downtown Portland to rot.
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Study finds marijuana is as addictive as opioids among teenagers
A new peer-reviewed study has found that cannabis — often referred to as marijuana — is almost as addictive as prescription opioids among teenagers, contradicting widely held beliefs about the drug, which has now been legalized or decriminalized in dozens of states across the country.
The study, published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics, a journal operated by the American Medical Association, found that a year after first trying cannabis, 10.7% of individuals ages 12 to 17 met the criteria of addiction. The results were nearly identical to the addiction rate for prescription opioids, which was 11.2%, Bloomberg reported.
The new findings may cause legislators to rethink efforts amid a broad push to liberalize use of the drug under the assumption that it is not particularly addictive or dangerous. New York is reportedly on the verge of becoming the 15th state to fully legalize the drug, according to DISA Global Solutions, while several other states have adopted measures to decriminalize the drug or allow iits use for medicinal purposes.
Nora Volkow, one of the study's authors and the current director of the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, reportedly characterized the addiction rates as significant, especially given the fact that during the teenage years, human brains are still developing.
"One in 10 teens having a marijuana addiction — that's huge," Volkow said in a phone interview with Bloomberg. She added that marijuana use also gives them a higher chance of becoming addicted to other drugs later.
The study found that the younger the individuals were, generally, the greater the addictive effect the drug had. The addiction rate of cannabis for those ages 18-25 was only 6.4%.
Researchers noted that the findings underscore the need for doctors to ask teenage patients about recreational drug use, a practice that is not always emphasized.
Bloomberg reported that the study was "based on data from 2015 to 2018 collected by national surveys done by an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services."
The news outlet also noted that while marijuana use is restricted to those 21 and over in legal states, its legalization in general may have ties to increased use among younger individuals. That assertion was backed by a survey of marijuana use conducted in Canada in 2019, which found that its use among young people increased after legalization.
Oregon becomes first state to decriminalize possession of hard drugs such as heroin, meth, cocaine
Oregon became the first state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and other drugs when a ballot measure on the issue took effect Monday, the Associated Press reported.
What are the details?
Other decriminalized drugs noted in the measure — which voters passed by a wide margin in November — include LSD, oxycodone, methadone, and MDMA (i.e., ecstasy), the AP said.
Rather than facing serious charges, now those found in possession of such drugs will face a $100 fine, the outlet said.
Matt Sutton — spokesman for the Drug Policy Alliance, which led the ballot initiative — told the AP that the civil citation will be "like a traffic ticket." The other consequence may be a health assessment that could lead to addiction counseling, the outlet added.
"Today, the first domino of our cruel and inhumane war on drugs has fallen, setting off what we expect to be a cascade of other efforts centering health over criminalization," Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, told the AP.
More from the outlet:
Under the new system, addiction recovery centers will be tasked with "triaging the acute needs of people who use drugs and assessing and addressing any on-going needs thorough intensive case management and linkage to care and services."
The addiction recovery centers will be funded by millions of dollars of tax revenue from Oregon's legalized marijuana industry. That diverts some funds from other programs and entities that already receive it, like schools.
The ballot measure capped the amount of pot tax revenue that schools; mental health alcoholism and drug services; the state police; and cities and counties receive at $45 million annually, with the rest going to a "Drug Treatment and Recovery Services Fund."
The fund will be stacked with cash if the trend for marijuana sales continues as projected, the AP said, adding that marijuana tax revenues peaked at $133 million In fiscal year 2020 — a 30% increase over the previous year and a 545% increase over 2016 when pot tax collection from registered recreational marijuana outfits commenced.
The outlet said two dozen district attorneys opposed the measure, saying it was reckless and would lead to an increase in the acceptability of dangerous drugs.
Anything else?
Oregon is a pioneer in liberalizing drug laws, the AP reported, noting that in 1973 it became the first state to decriminalize marijuana possession — and in 2014, voters passed a ballot measure legalizing recreational marijuana use.
But Sutton told the outlet there are no plans to pursue legalization and a regulated market of hard drugs in the state.
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