cannabisnews.com: Looking for Ways To Keep Pot Smokers Drug Free





Looking for Ways To Keep Pot Smokers Drug Free
Posted by FoM on October 28, 2001 at 13:10:47 PT
By Kathryn Masterson, Associated Press
Source: Associated Press
On the morning drive to work, John would drink his cup of coffee and light up the first joint of the day. ''I used to love the one in the morning,'' said the 34-year-old drywall worker from southern Connecticut who asked that his last name not be used. At age 31, he'd been smoking marijuana for half his life and never expected to quit because he enjoyed it too much. But something he says he's not sure what made him answer an ad looking for chronic marijuana users for a research project on treatment for cannabis use. 
The treatment from the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington worked for John and others who participated in the three-year study, according to the UConn researchers. Now, UConn is returning to studying chronic marijuana smokers. This time, they're looking for the most effective way get heavy users to quit. Unlike some substances nicotine, heroin that have chemical treatment for addiction, there is no substance that can stop marijuana use. Motivation is the key to stopping pot smoking, researchers say. But what is the best way to get people to bag their bongs and rolling papers for good? The UConn researchers are testing a variety of interventions including counseling, monitoring and working toward incentives selected by the subjects, said head investigator Ronald Kadden, a psychologist and professor of psychiatry at UConn's Health Center. The five-year study, funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, will have 250 participants, said Elise Kabela, a researcher and clinician at the health center. Currently, there are about 50 and researchers hope to gain more through a year-long recruitment. The participants, who range in age from smokers in their 20s to their 40s, come from a wide variety of backgrounds and classes, Kabela said. Many are professional, some are retired and many have children. They haven't faced the same problems as addicts of alcohol or heavier drugs such as heroin that can force people to quit their habits or face serious consequences, Kabela said. ''They're less likely to be divorced, have legal problems,'' Kabela said. ''It's less likely that you lose job after job.'' Instead, the smokers show up because they want to do more with their life and don't feel they're living up to their potential, she said. Too much time is being spent on finding the illegal substance, arranging the buys, and smoking the marijuana sometimes hiding in the basement or garage for people with small children. ''They're coming to us because they're missing out on certain things,'' Kabela said. ''They start to procrastinate. They just can't get certain things done they want to get done.'' Some even procrastinate in answering the ad running in alternative newspapers. When heavy pot smokers call the clinic, some have been holding on to the ad for weeks or months, Kabela said. Advocates for legalizing marijuana are critical of UConn's two studies. Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Foundation, called the descriptions of users ambivalent, procrastinators, people not living up to their potential subjective and out of place in a scientific study. Government-funded studies are often used to back up the country's war on drugs, St. Pierre said. He called the UConn study ''one of the best examples of the government trying to justify the prohibition of cannabis.'' NORML's guidelines for responsible use, includes moderation and not driving while driving while high. Kadden defends his research, saying the heavy marijuana users he has worked with as a clinician find they are in as much trouble as are people dependent on other substances. ''It's not like we're going out and twisting people's arms,'' Kadden said. ''People are coming to us.'' Complete Title: Study Looking for Best Way To Keep Pot Smokers Drug FreeSource: Associated PressAuthor: Kathryn Masterson, Associated PressPublished: October 28, 2001Copyright: 2001 Associated PressRelated Articles & Web Site:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Marijuana Research Project Seeks Treatment http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10154.shtmlMarijuana: a Gateway Drughttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10113.shtml
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Comment #18 posted by Lehder on October 30, 2001 at 07:12:18 PT
"the terrorists within us"
The FBI is warning again that terrorists may attack U.S. interests.......based on credible information, described by others as coming from intelligence sources, that terrorists could strike... what information? from whom? i don't doubt that we may be attacked, but i'd like some substantial information.The information did not specify the type of attack or targets, Ashcroft said. thanks.The alert ``gives people a basis for continuing to live their lives the way they would otherwise live them, with this elevated sense of alertness.......Ashcroft, who canceled plans to travel Monday to Toronto....and I should live normally while you cower in fear?our last set of warnings were coupled with the passage of the anti-terrorism bill. be very alert, people.``Until we root out the terrorists within us....within? are these people crazy? an honest and normal person would have said "terrorists among us". a revealing lapsis lingua, in my opinion, calling for an exorcism, not an attack on central asia. our problems lie in the twisted minds of our rulers.http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011030/ts/attacks_investigation.html
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Comment #17 posted by Lehder on October 30, 2001 at 04:50:28 PT
the purple pill
there are the show politicians whom we elect to appear on TV. there are the power politicians in the background who call the shots and command the government armies and money. and there are the invisible corporate bosses who control it all. they have the money and they determine who gets elected. they control the airwaves and the newspapers and guarantee that the people are duped and deceived. and they have total control of the schools to make sure that the people are ignorant enough to swallow it all.the purple pill is for acid reflux disease ( see its victims  standing on the rocks ). may cause headache, diarrhea, abdominal pain.
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Comment #16 posted by Lehder on October 30, 2001 at 03:28:32 PT
ddddear mr. presiddddent,
you represent me very well, and i havn't paidddd you a dddime; in fact, as a less than idddeal citizen, i mean to short-change you at least a d from every ddime, especially if you're runk!remember, don't by anything. don't consume. take the money away.
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Comment #15 posted by dddd on October 30, 2001 at 00:34:05 PT
I admit,,I am Drunk tonite,and I got some things..
I wanna say.,,,  First off.,the fact that I am drunk will allow me to say stuff that would normally not be acceptable,,this means that if you are offended by raw,world class profanity,,dont read on,,,(my apologies FoM,,I beg your pardon for this one message)....Secondly,,I am not going to be tiptoeing about,trying to avoid some anti-terror natzis' threat of,of getting cyberbusted by some new extreme shithead overlord law that will label me as a terrorist because I speak out against the imbecilic absurdities that the illigitamate bush administration has snuck into law in the last month or so!
...In my opinion,our government has been hijacked in a manner that is both criminal,and treasonous,in the way it has manipulated the media,to further its' own selfish,and twisted agenda....The nation has been getti ng decieved by a program of masterful propaganda that is designed mislead the masses in a most deviouis,and unnacceptable way..........The lies,and deception of the US government through the manipulation and control of the national media ,,make the Taliban look innocent!..In this twisted scheme of the US crackpot warmongers,and their obscene alterior motives,driven by raw greed of oil interests,and their continued raping of American funds,and their creations of fabricated "news"to further their evil agendas,,are high crimes and dispicable acts against the citizens of the USA....No one think this is a big deal,,but alot of people are now afraid to think they can question anything the government is doing.....here's something from another article:" We have a new forbidden word in these United States. Alongside the
 various swear words we cannot use on television, on the radio, or in
 print media, there is another word which has been banned from public
 view. WHY. The most common word out of the mouths of three year olds
 happens to be the one word that the journalists, the politicians, the
 pundits, the disc jockeys, the priests and ministers, the corporate HR
 people, and the WWF wrestlers cannot, will not, dare not, utter out loud.
 When children ask it, Bush scrambles for excuses. When the act itself
 screams it, Katie Couric of the Today Show immediately deems it
 unimaginable. WHY? You can ask HOW (As in "How did they do this?" or "How will 'we'
 retaliate?") You can ask WHAT ("What did they want?" of "What will we
 use: ground troops, aerial bombing, missiles or other countries'
 militaries?"). You can ask WHO ("Who did this?" and "Who is going to get
 bombed in order to slake our thirst for revenge?"). You can ask WHERE
 ("Where did the other bombers target us?" and "Where is Osama bin Laden?"
 or "Where is Afghanistan?"). And you can ask WHEN (as in "When did this
 happen?" and "When will we get revenge?"). But you cannot ask WHY because
 WHY assumes that the people who did this might be real human beings, even
 if their act is monstrous. WHY assumes that rational human beings might
 hate the United States for rational reasons, including the millions of
 Middle Eastern people who had nothing to do with this. WHY raises the
 problem that this act of terror, while inexcusable and murderous, might
 be explicable. WHY. I could list many reasons WHY this happened, and I will. I could list
 many reasons WHY this word is so horrifying to the spin-doctors and
 opinion makers, and I will. I could list many reasons WHY the current
 reaction of the opinion makers and spin-doctors is so rotten, and I will.
 But first spend a moment with me focusing on the word itself. Why. WHY.
 Why? WHY? Now ask yourself, WHY would you kill someone? Because they threatened
 your life? Because they killed people you loved? Because they tried to
 deny you access to the means to live like a human being? Are these good
 reasons? Now ask yourself, WHY would someone want to kill you? Because
 you threatened their life? Because you killed people they loved? Because
 you tried to deny them access to the means to live like a human being?
 Are these still good reasons? WHY?"..Oh well,,,I'm drunk,,,but even if I wasnt,,,I still saythat ;If being an American means that I should blindly approve of the devious Evil,and dishonest, asshole bush administration,then I am ashamed.The bush administration has betrayed its citizens in an unacceptable way,that is treasonous,and goes against all that this country is based upon....."Patriotism",has nothing to do about "rallying" behind the bush administration! .Too many people are under the impression that their government is looking out for the best interests of the citizens,and protecting their liberty,and rights,but if you think about it,that's not necessarily their job,although it should be.We have a government that was supposed to represent "the people",,but the only people who get represented nowdays,are the ones who have the money to be represented.Todays US government,is alot like a large law firm.If you can afford it,you can be represented,but if you are an individual taxpayer,,forget it...Once again,,I think the phrase,"No taxation without representation",should be the mantra of the Sheeple.I dont feel that I am represented by anyone..do you?...dddd
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Comment #14 posted by E_Johnson on October 29, 2001 at 20:17:39 PT
American corporate profits from Bob Marley?
Look at all of those Marley CDs featured by Amazon.com - they're all 2001 rereleases! This man is still making record companies rich long after his death.Maybe they should donate some of those profits to fighting the lies about the herb Marley swore by.
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Comment #13 posted by E_Johnson on October 29, 2001 at 20:11:45 PT
Some famous procrasinating potheads
''They're coming to us because they're missing out on certain things,'' Kabela said. ''They start to procrastinate. They just can't get certain things done they want to get done.'' Some even procrastinate in answering the ad running in alternative newspapers. When heavy pot smokers call the clinic, some have been holding on to the ad for weeks or months, Kabela said. Enter the name Bob Marley in any search box on the Internet and you'll see how much daily marijuana smoking made him procrastinate.http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search/102-3476864-6412111?mode=music&keyword=Bob+MarleyAnd that big old procrastinating pothead Louis Armstrong 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search/102-3476864-6412111?mode=music&keyword=Louis+ArmstrongSnoop Dogg is a big ol'pothead and look how hard that man works, he's branching out into everything. I heard his new movie Bones is pretty good. I have to wonder. The sterotype of what marijuana is supposed to do to people is pretty close to what the racist stereotype of the typical black man was during Armstrong's time. Pot is supposed to make us fuzzy-minded, shiftless, lazy, subservient, and without motivation. It's a pretty strange situation. We obviously have hugely motivated and productive people in the marijuana community, otherwise the mendacious, slanderous and extremely well-funded campaign against us throughout the Clinton years would have produced a decrease in support for legalization, rather than the sizable increases that we have seen.
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Comment #12 posted by lookinside on October 29, 2001 at 20:04:46 PT:
qqqq...
that explains alot about these urges i've been having...i quit smoking cannabis 8 years ago(due to pre employment pee tests...)...ever since then i've been having these daydreams about nuking WARshington D.C....burning all the jails and prisons(after releasing the prisoners and giving them the home addresses of the judges who sentenced them...a little biblical justice)i do my best not to act on these attractive urges(i come from a long line of folks who die of old age)...but ya never know....
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Comment #11 posted by qqqq on October 29, 2001 at 18:18:40 PT
Oh....How Wonderful!...
...Finally,,,they are making some progress in how to prevent people from being incarcerated,because they keep getting busted.
 It has been proven,that people who smoke pot are 98% more likely to get busted,than those who do not smoke pot!...In fact,,the rate of busts amongst non-potsmokers,for possession of Marijuana,was near zero ,but the rate amongst those who used Marijuana was much higher.This makes it obvious that pot smokers are far more likely to break the law,than those who dont smoke pot.....So...If there is any way,we can make pot smokers quit smoking Marijuana,then we can put an end to the terrible trend of locking so many non violent people up,for a victimless crime.....
 Let's all do our part to stand united in freedom,and stop using Marijuana!...With less busts for Marijuana,it will free up law enforcment to concentrate on the war on terror.As Marijuana smokers,we are just hindering the war on terror,,,and if we all quit,then we could win the terror war,,,and after the war on terror is won,,then we can start using Marijuana again,as long as we are careful not to be terrorists.... terrorists dont smoke pot,,but they probably would,if they weren't afraid of getting busted,,,and furthermore, most terrorists who responded to our poll,said that if they would have smoked weed,they might have forgot how to effectivly terrorize,,so,,you see,,Marijuana is bad for everyone..Who knows how many potential terrorists have been ruined by the scourge of pot smoking......So,,I guess,if you know any terrorist type guys,,,try to give them any leftover Marijuana you have,,,and this should effectively neutralize them,and we can win the war on terror,,and then gloriously triumph in the drug war,and then get back to normalness!
"Everybodys talkin' bout a new day in the morning.....new day in the morning never comes".(from an old Roger Whittaker song).
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Comment #10 posted by E_Johnson on October 29, 2001 at 16:08:11 PT
Pot keeps me drug free
My doctor tried me on all of the legal drugs for chronic PTSD. Xanax and Buspar helped a little but MAN do they wipe out the brain! And rubbery legs. And they excited my fear of losing control of my body. It was just not tolerable. I will never take another Xanax again. Do not like! Do not like!Pot just does not do that. People out there who have been on these legal drugs who haven't tried pot probably extrapolate from their own experience to believe that pot must wipe out the brain and reflexes even WORSE than Xanax, because after all, Xanax is Schedule III and marijuana is Schedule I.The experience people have with legal drugs that make them all wacky and rubbery probably contributes a LOT to the prejudice against marijuana.
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Comment #9 posted by Doug on October 29, 2001 at 10:33:17 PT
America Does Not Want Moderation
One of the (unintended?) results of the prohibition mentality (or drugs, sex, or anything else you can name) is the loss of temperance (in its true sense) or moderation. When you insist on abstinance or 'just say no' you will get some people who will do just that. These people are touted as examples that the plan works. But some people will not want to 'just say no' and so for many of them the only alternative is abuse and lack of moderation, since that is what they are told is the only alternative. Thus prohibition creates abuse.
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Comment #8 posted by Lehder on October 29, 2001 at 10:09:39 PT
how to make enemies and influence people
The five-year study, funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, will have 250 participants, said Elise Kabela, a researcher and clinician at the health center. Currently, there are about 50 and researchers hope to gain more through a year-long recruitment.Meanwhile, more than 2,000 people are arrested for cannabis in the U.S. every day. Over the five year "study", that would total 3,650,000 people with freshly issued criminal records. Each of these victims of government hatred has friends and family, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters.
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Comment #7 posted by Sam Adams on October 29, 2001 at 08:59:57 PT
This is one of the best articles I've seen! 
This really shows that we're winning y'all. It's almost comical - put DOWN those rolling papers! This highlights the fact that for many people, smoking and being a productive worker go hand in hand.I wonder how many of the rich McMansion-buying folks in Connecticut are sitting around tonight, upset that this cannabis junkie wasn't doing more with his life than some fine workmanship in their homes?  haha, this is the kind of stuff that shows we're right on the cusp.........
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Comment #6 posted by p4me on October 28, 2001 at 20:06:54 PT:
slick crap
This is the tone the prohibitionist are having to take. When I was in college in the early 70's you heard stuff like if you ever smoke pot you are all but asking to have a deformed baby. They cannot be that extreme anymore. They have to be subtle about saying marijuana is "the evil one" as Grass Weed Bush likes to use now.I knew of people in college that smoked and when they wanted to quit, they quit. When I wanted to quit, I quit. I do not plan to quit forever though. Let's see. They need 250 and they only have 50. It sounds like people are not lining up in any great numbers there UCONN. I think this is just the antis having to be more refined in their message and a hint of things to come. If they give people a physical and medical exams and pay participants like they do in some studies, that may explain the 50 people they have now. Like Richard Cowan says, the main reason for the continuation of marijuana is "bad journalism." More bad journalism.Let us talk for real. Last night a friend of mine went to a halloween party by someone he worked with. These would be people about 40 years old and they had a bonfire and music with on a property of about 30 acres. It was really "for the children" with most being from 12 to 16. There was some alcohol consumed by the children but marijuana was prevalent. So I use this in support of the statement that MJ is everywhere and there is no way it is going to be removed from use in this country. I regard anybody that thinks differently as completely out of touch with reality, stupid, or in denial.Now how is a kid going to support any kind of MJ use at all? These people were too young to have jobs. And if they do not have access to funding from parents or another source they have to deal. And who are their customers? I did this survey that lasted 5 years with 82,000 children from ages 10 to 18 when they entered the study and have scientific evidence that 90 plus percent sell to other children. My findings will be published in Bullsh** America next month.If they want to protect the children as is the main theme which hides some twisted and subversive agenda, the present system is a failure. And who is going to report this activity. No one. It is kind of like MTBE, the additive the oil industry prefers to use as an oxygenator in gasoline. Anybody that knows anything can see it and of course California will be replacing it with ethyl alcohol because they see the light. It is the same way with MJ reform, once you see the light you are not going to go back into the darkness. So the stupidity on the part of the government is to think they can change our minds with there WAR talk-"bomb 'em back to the stone age or nuke 'em till they glow" as they like to say in the hawk camp. The thing is some of us will never change our minds no matter what because we have seen the light. What leaderlessship. Beware the candles antis.
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Comment #5 posted by xxdr_zombiexx on October 28, 2001 at 19:26:13 PT
WHY am I up to my elbows in PROPAGANDA?
I have little idea what sort or how psychwar is being utilized in the war on Terrorism, but they have cranked it UP here at home.I think betweeen "Red Ribbon Week",Military-style DEA Raids on legitimate medical cannabis offices and clubs, Team Bush has escalated hostilities in the wake of the "patriot act".Now I read this story... it seems focused on making pot smokers look bad, even though it's hard to do:
 
**But what is the best way to get people to bag their bongs and rolling papers for good? They haven't faced the same problems as addicts of alcohol or heavier drugs such as heroin that can force people to quit their habits or face serious consequences, Kabela said. ''They're less likely to be divorced, have legal problems,'' Kabela said. ''It's less likely that you lose job after job.'' **well, ain't that just tragic. Because I got high..because I got high...Apparently people want to "do more with thier lives.." 
**Too much time is being spent on finding the illegal substance, arranging the buys, and smoking the marijuana sometimes hiding in the basement or garage for people with small children. **(Loud banging sound) HELLO!!!? ALL of these problems are due directly to cannabis being ILLEGAL. This is another PRISTINE example of the media doing less than half their job? why is it so hard to get? Why must it not be smoked near the kids? People smoke tobacco near kids...people DRINK around kids.This is really very stupid and misleading. When confronted about the rather transparent nature of this attempt to smear cannabis culture, the researcher BACKTRACKS and "defends his research, saying the heavy marijuana users he has (who were just described as having fewer problems) worked with as a clinician find they are in as much trouble as are people dependent on other substances. " One or the other Doc...which is it?Substance abuse treatment in america usually treats "substance abuse" as if its in a vacuum and nothing else is happening with a person. It's almost threatening to them to consider the fact that almost all substance "abuse" - continuing to uses substances when you are aware its detrimental to you - is symptomatic of deeper problems. treating a symptom as the main problem, obviously, AIN'T gonna solve the problem.In this light, this article is pure anti-pothead propaganda. It is worded to make pot use seem detrimental, to reinforce concepts the ignorant already believe, and to try to make pot smokers "feel guilty". for what, though I do not know.WHY should I stop "smoking pot"? To prove I'm not addicted? Prove to whom? Why? can I go back to smoking after I've proved I'm not an addict?It's culture war propaganda... I refuse to stop smoking pot... (at least until theres a jackboot on my neck and a gun in my face telling me that potsmoking is bad for me.FREEDOM (of thought) ENDURES
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Comment #4 posted by lookinside on October 28, 2001 at 15:33:11 PT:
even if...
the government can't be evenhanded, maybe we should try...i don't think studies like this one should be funded until AFTER legalization is a FACT...some people are dependent on pot just as others are dependent to ice cream, chocolate, or pepsi cola...all these things have mild psychoactive properties...all are enjoyable...some folks don't understand the concept of moderation...ANYTHING can become a problem if used or done to excess...if someone is habituated to a behavior, and wants help, seeking that help should be encouraged, not denigrated...one thing that does bother me about this article is the lack of statistics...was this early study published?...how many abusers did this treatment PERMANENTLY help? were these folks payed to participate?(a common practice)will NIDA have the unsuccessful participants arrested? i wouldn't give my real name and address to the UConn folks...
the guvmint has PROVEN it cannot be trusted...
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Comment #3 posted by Frank S World on October 28, 2001 at 14:13:01 PT
prohibition-related
"Too much time is being spent on finding the illegal substance, arranging the buys, and smoking the marijuana sometimes hiding in the basement or garage for people with small children."If cannabis were legal, they could save time by growing their own or buying it at some kind of regulated outlet. And they would not have to hide it from their children or anyone else. They would not be made to feel guilty or ashamed for using pot and coerced into quitting even though they are leading productive and full lives by using cannabis. Why don't they study that?
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Comment #2 posted by aocp on October 28, 2001 at 13:56:09 PT
thoughts
''They're less likely to be divorced, have legal problems,'' Kabela said. ''It's less likely that you lose job after job.''And people that don't get married are less likely to be divorced as well. As for the legal problems, you guys are the ones sending out the cops looking to create such, so of course abstainers will have less trouble. And isn't the insane amount of drug testing pimped in this country helping to further the loss of "job after job"?aocp out
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Comment #1 posted by MikeEEEEE on October 28, 2001 at 13:29:51 PT
Yawn!
They haven't faced the same problems as addicts of alcohol or heavier drugs such as heroin that can force people to quit their habits or face serious consequences, Kabela said. 
''They're less likely to be divorced, have legal problems,'' Kabela said. ''It's less likely that you lose job after job.''An admission that marijuana isn't as harmful as alcohol.Too much time is being spent on finding the illegal substance, arranging the buys, and smoking the marijuana sometimes hiding in the basement or garage for people with small children. When something's illegal the behavior should be obvious, people will hide themselves from arrest. At the end they couldn't resist menioning the children.
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