cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Use by Late-Teen Offenders Rising Marijuana Use by Late-Teen Offenders Rising Posted by FoM on June 29, 2001 at 17:20:13 PT By Mike Glenn Source: Houston Chronicle Marijuana use is on the rise among 18-to-20 year olds who are in trouble with the law, according to a study published today by the National Institute of Justice, part of the U.S. Justice Department. The rate of marijuana use among youthful offenders increased steadily from 25 percent in 1991 to about 60 percent in the late 1990s. Marijuana use in the general population, however, has held steady at about 5 percent. Fewer young lawbreakers use marijuana in Houston than in other large cities, however. Houston was one of 23 municipalities analyzed as part of the study. The rate among youthful offenders went from a low of 19 percent in 1992 to 43 percent in 1995. In 1996 and 1997, the rate slipped to 31 percent but then returned to 49 percent by 1999. That increase, however, may be attributable to sampling procedures, researchers said. Later that year, marijuana use among all people arrested in Houston tracked at 31 percent -- well below the rate observed in the late 1980s. The study, however, indicates troubled youth are turning to marijuana instead of harder drugs. "Unlike previous generations of marijuana users, those affected by the new marijuana epidemic are not expected to go on to harder drugs, like cocaine or heroin," said Andrew Golub , a senior researcher at the New York-based National Development and Research Institute. "It would be good news if the new marijuana epidemic is a rejection of crack and heroin because of the potentially devastating consequences associated with those drugs," Golub said. An official with a group that supports legalizing but regulating marijuana use said he had no figures to rebut or support the study's numbers, but dismissed the report as a scare tactic. "They're getting this data on teenagers so they can scare the soccer moms into thinking there are more kids smoking weed these days," said Steve Nolin with the Houston chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "I think that is a kind of (anti-marijuana) propaganda so the government can get more money." Source: Houston Chronicle (TX)Author: Mike GlennPublished: June 29, 2001Copyright: 2000 Houston Chronicle Contact: viewpoints chron.com Website: http://www.chron.com/ Related Article & Web Sites:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/National Institute of Justicehttp://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/Marijuana Use by Teens Declines, Survey Finds http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7781.shtmlReport: Club Drugs, Pot on Rise http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7768.shtml Report - June 2001Rise of Marijuana as the Drug of Choice Among Arrestees http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/187490.htm END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #10 posted by kaptinemo on July 01, 2001 at 15:20:13 PT: Tick...tick...tick Closer and closer to anti meltdown.Something LookInside said spurred a memory:Back in the bad old early 1980's, a sci-fi writer named Jerry Pournelle wrote that the Soviet Union would collapse, eventually.Big yawn from most people. But when he explained why, it really makes sense.Computers and the Internet. With relatively free, unrestricted access to information is a local phone call away, how do you keep a people hoodwinked into continuing to believe lies? The technology outdistanced the ideology so fast that most grazdaneen (citizens) were well up on the truth before the appratchiki could spin their lies.When more households are 'wired', we will see more grass-roots' (no pun intended) challenges to the status quo regarding cannabis. Because up to now, our DrugWar appratchiki have had no competition. But they do...now.You can't...not for long, anyway. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by freedom fighter on July 01, 2001 at 10:19:41 PT 5 thousand years of cannabis history The rate of marijuana use among youthful offenders increased steadily from 25 percent in 1991 to about 60 percent in the late 1990s. Marijuana use in the general population, however, has held steady at about 5 percentPeople have been using cannabis for five thousand years and we still pay someone to do this research thing. I still do not see how they could get their numbers. The article did not mention that these youthful offenders were probably caught with a doobie. It does not mention that many young will grow old under this repressive system. I have a friend who went through 9 years of hell under prison system. He is out now but yu know what? He still smokes cannabis.Will the antis ever understand that number scare does not work anymore? I want to hear more stories about using children for undercover activities.. Do you know that we are killing children and loudly proclaiming we are saving the children? I have not seen such articles but I know it does happend everyday. Only that you think it is not your child but mine. What gives anybody that right? The true Sickness in our communities are the people who are silent. People who would not stand up and stop this. I may be a deaf man but I try to tell folks about this true actual experience I have with the local narks who threaten me with no charge if my 16 yr old son would snitch for them. They had nothing on my son. I said no and I was charge with growing a plant. Every time I tell this story, the people on the street would say that is exactly what a real father would do for their children. And, every time I tell this story to the other "authorities", I could hear a deafening silence. I do not know how to resolve that feeling of great Silent Sickness that is going on around our communities in the so-called Land of the Free.Free the cannabis for a child's sake!ff [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by lookinside on July 01, 2001 at 08:43:54 PT: 4d... nothing is more dangerous than a cornered and woundedanimal...and we've rarely seen animals as vicious, to beginwith as the WoD machine...i think many saw a turn for the worse coming when the"lowest court in the land" hand the presidency to the shrub.....on the other hand, pandora's box has been opened...thegeneral populace has access to the greatest learning tooland portal of truth the world has ever known...the internet...if they want to win, they'll have to push us back into thedark ages...cut us off from access, which means destroyingour access online via phone, cable and sattelite...i don'tthink they can do it without killing our economy...they've lost...they just can't admit it...the WoD warriorswill thrash around like a beheaded dinosaur for a whilelonger, destroying everything in it's reach...just standback and prepare for the future... [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by dddd on July 01, 2001 at 01:51:38 PT The New Offensive ...Things are kicking into gear at the ONDCPs propagana machine.....,,For some reason,articles like this one,,,with curiously simularwording have sprung up from coast to coast in the last few days...Plus,,the DEAs recently approved move into British Columbia....The drug warriors are in attack mode,,,and I'm afraid it's onlygonna get worse,as the new rulers of Amerika get more evil andunderhandedly bizarre in their modus operandi....I'm tellin' ya,,the next few years aint gonna be pretty....I wish Icould believe that this is some sort of death throe of the drug war,,,but I dont think so.....dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by tamare on June 30, 2001 at 16:19:28 PT: everyone does it WHY NOT MAKE IT LEGAL I BET YOU 5 OUT OF EVERY 10 PEOPLE SMOKE IT OR AT LEAST HAVE TRIED IT SO MAKE IT LEGAL AND DROP THE CHARGES!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Rambler on June 30, 2001 at 16:19:18 PT Notice They are labeled as "offenders".An "offender",that doesnt sound very good!Who were theyoffending?Are we to assume that there is a "defender"of some sort on the other,opposing side,somehow? [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by tasha on June 30, 2001 at 16:13:00 PT: legalize it pot is good just legalize it cuz it's gonna be used either way so just cut the crap and make it legalfrom: all the pot users (there is alot of us)!!!!!!!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by rabblerouser on June 29, 2001 at 19:00:54 PT check it out it will help http://deoxy.org/deoxy.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by lookinside on June 29, 2001 at 18:41:49 PT: and... what percentage were drunk? 90%???pure B*LL SH*T... [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by eieie on June 29, 2001 at 18:14:30 PT: compliance I bet more people are just willing to admit they use it now. I dont think the numbers are growing at this exaggerated number. Lets just legalise it! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment