cannabisnews.com: Iowa Drug Czar Says Pot Still a Big Concern





Iowa Drug Czar Says Pot Still a Big Concern
Posted by CN Staff on December 14, 2004 at 22:46:26 PT
By Todd Dorman 
Source: Quad-City Times
Des Moines -- Methamphetamine dominates the headlines, but Iowa’s top drug policy official said marijuana remains a major problem around the state.“Marijuana concerns me simply because the purity is skyrocketing,’’ Marvin Van Haaften, the director of the Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy, said during the taping of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press’’ program.
“Our (number of) people in addiction treatment (for marijuana) is going up. It is to the point now where I think we have to take a real serious look at marijuana again for its addictive qualities,’’ he said.Van Haaften said Iowa investigators are regularly seizing and testing potent marijuana varieties that contain 24 percent tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the substance that produces the drug’s effects. Some plants being developed, he said, that contain up to 37 percent THC.Parents who may have grown up in the days of weaker marijuana may not fully understand the threat posed by today’s brand of pot, he said. “When I was in the Army in 1963 in Fort Riley, Kan., it was at best 2 percent pure,’’ he said.Stronger pot is more addictive, Van Haaften believes. He said 23 percent of Iowans receiving substance abuse treatment are trying to kick a marijuana habit, compared with 16 percent who are addicted to meth. Alcohol addiction tops the substance abuse list, afflicting 52 percent of those in treatment.And while efforts to keep alcohol and tobacco away from young people are yielding results, marijuana is still easy to get in some communities. He did say, however, that a recent Iowa Youth Survey showed a 3 percent drop in overall drug use.“Some of our students do not have access to cigarettes because of ‘We Card,’ he said, referring to a retail business awareness program. “They do not have access to alcohol because you have to show an ID,’’ Van Haaften said. “Some of the school counselors are saying it’s easier for our students to get marijuana than it is to get cigarettes or alcohol. It’s a scary thought.’’ Source: Quad-City Times (IA)Author: Todd Dorman Published: Wednesday, December 15th, 2004 Copyright: 2004 Quad-City TimesContact: opinions qctimes.comWebsite: http://www.qctimes.comCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #26 posted by rchandar on December 17, 2004 at 15:34:13 PT:
Hope
I agree--It's stupid! Once upon a time, a lot of people (still, of course) smoked hashish instead! It's a stupid discussion! Like they're even phased by the sale of grain alcohol, as opposed to beverages with maybe 3-10% alcohol content! But no one can argue the point, it's weed, and its super-demonized. And no one can say otherwise. Why? Because the Government said so, and that's that.--rchandar
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Comment #25 posted by Hope on December 17, 2004 at 07:05:18 PT
"Not the same marijuana"
My husband just made me so mad this morning. I was telling him the spew the prohibitionists spew about "today's marijuana is not the same marijuana you smoked in the 60s and 70s." He looked at me and said, "Well, it's not. They're right." I was shocked and horrified that he said that and was starting to tell him that they were lying. He said, "Well, it's not. It can't be the same marijuana. That was smoked up a long time ago. So, literally, they are right." Prevaricating scoundrels. (The prohibs...not my husband.)
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Comment #24 posted by kaptinemo on December 16, 2004 at 19:44:30 PT:
They feel it is safe to lie to the public, now
Since the election, that is. I guess the prohibs think that this situation will maintain so long as all 3 branches of the government are under Republican control. So the lies will become more blatant and obviously hysterical until they are successfully challenged on a level debating field...and since they know that, they avoid the "D" word like the plague.But I'll bet Mr. van Haaften has had a 'talking to' as to how close he admitted the the core of our statements about the laws producing the drug crime were true. Just one more logical step, and the rhetorical bear-trap would have slammed shut on his leg. This just demonstrates once again how intellectually spent the antis are.
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Comment #23 posted by Hope on December 16, 2004 at 09:27:09 PT
Bored
I'm not prone to being bored at all...unless what other people describe as boredom is what I feel and have always felt as a sense of hopelessness and being overwhelmed...about everything. Everyday is about trudging on through whatever is before me. Trudging. Trudging. Trudging. One step in front of the other...always looking down and the huge effort to raise that foot and put it in front of the other. Cannabis was a nice reprieve from that and I'm sure it has been for many. It's not right to make that illegal or a reason to persecute anyone.I've accepted doing without the herb. I have not accepted that people are caged, humiliated, and robbed because they choose to use it.
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Comment #22 posted by Hope on December 16, 2004 at 09:14:22 PT
Potpal
Good description of the situation. I'm "naturally" a very morose individual. Very morose. Famously morose, in fact. A cloud seems to follow me where ever I go. Cannabis has caused that cloud to disperse before. It was nice. Some years ago when it had actually been dark and cloudy, weatherwise (for everyone) for days, at the very moment I opened "a brand new bag", the sun burst force brilliantly at the moment the bag opened. That's a nice memory."Signs and wonders follow believers."
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on December 16, 2004 at 08:58:27 PT
Hope
Glad the picture helps. I saw it the first time way back years ago and when you said about keep on truckin I just had to check and see if it was still online and it was. 
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on December 16, 2004 at 08:56:17 PT
potpal 
I like your comment and it's so true.
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Comment #19 posted by potpal on December 16, 2004 at 08:51:21 PT
fom / re: tolerance
You are so right. I think cannabis helps one 'to purr'. A welcomed feeling of contentment. When I go stretchs without any herb, I often become jaded, boredom sets in, not to say this is how it be all the time, but if it is at the time when you happen into some kind bud (A friend with weed is a friend indeed), just like that some things are interesting again, optimism returns, warm thoughts bubble up, you find ways to 'entertain yourself' (and I'm not talking about the ancient ways). Anyway, its such a pleasant experience,a can of bliss, if you will. Thanks for tolerating my ramblings...
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Comment #18 posted by Hope on December 16, 2004 at 00:18:59 PT
Thanks, FoM
I was just the other day trying to describe the Keep on Trucking guy with his "leg sticking out" and all, to my grandson and granddaughter. Now I can show them! I tried to show them the stance...and "one leg sticking way out front" didn't make them see it in their minds. They thought it was bound to be funny from my efforts to illustrate. A picture will be worth a thousand "contortions" and explanations.Thanks. I didn't think about searching the net for it.
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on December 15, 2004 at 19:14:37 PT
Keep On Truckin'
http://www.vipgrafx.com/hippy/hippy.html
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Comment #16 posted by Hope on December 15, 2004 at 18:55:28 PT
"Don't trust anyone over thirty"
That little motto of our generation, specific to "being cool"...specific to "smokin", made turning thirty much harder than turning forty or even fifty.Another one from that era and one that we have apparently taken to heart is "Keep on Truckin".We have.You "keep on truckin", Siege!Oh...and "keep on keepin on".
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on December 15, 2004 at 12:17:01 PT
siege
I hope you have many many more great years ahead of you! Maybe we need a new motto instead of don't trust anyone over 30. How's this sound? Don't trust anyone under 65! That sounds cool to me.
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Comment #14 posted by fearfull on December 15, 2004 at 12:02:26 PT
Perhaps
Perhaps we should forget about growing weed all together, and just grow THC instead. Hey Billybob, I done grew this here THC myself. It was tested 99% pure by the Director of the Iowa Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy himself!
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Comment #13 posted by siege on December 15, 2004 at 11:58:53 PT
{ 65 yr young } 
A Can of Prince Albert cost250 back then 1963, I started smoking in 1953 { 65 yr young } 
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on December 15, 2004 at 11:21:20 PT
tokenitallup4162 
Oh how I can relate to withdrawal from drugs made and approved by our FDA. Legal prescription drugs are bad for many reasons in my opinion. The one that is so annoying is most addicting approved drugs aren't as fun as illegal drugs but the withdrawal is the worst. Fun must be the biggest sin in this holy holy society we must live in.
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Comment #11 posted by tokenitallup4162 on December 15, 2004 at 11:14:08 PT:
Pain VS Withdrawals
 I have experienced the withdrawals of many medicines and they all have a really hard setback. Now, when I run out of my medicinal meds, I just have a very mild setback compared to the hard narcotics. I have explained this to many doctors,senators,and the public only to have my family and some friends turn against me and my teaching of marijuana for medicinal purposes. My goal in this life is to educate the truth to as many people as possible!!! "MY HEART IS READY", YEHSHUA!
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on December 15, 2004 at 10:28:16 PT
When Someone Stops Using Cannabis
I only have a very simple answer. Cannabis is such a pleasant Herb that when a person stops using it they down right miss it. Cannabis makes life a little more tolerable. It helps to wear rose colored glasses now and then in this day and age.That's all. Just my 2 cents.
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Comment #9 posted by dongenero on December 15, 2004 at 10:25:22 PT
thanks siege
Thanks siege, I knew high potency cannabis existed in 1963...or 1063 for that matter. This argument they keep trotting out is so ridiculous. I can't believe people buy it.I imagine that in the US there is a greater volume of quality available now but, the genetic potential of a cannabis plant is surely much the same over the last thousand years.Speaking of thousand years, how old are you siege? :)
I'm older than dirt, yet I was but a wee toddler when you were smoking Black African in 1963!
Thanks for the info friend.I was mostly wanting to poke fun at the Iowa drug czar for seemingly implicating himself in the smoking of marijuana. lol!
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Comment #8 posted by JoeCitizen on December 15, 2004 at 10:14:35 PT
runderwo
"Marijuana? The only 'withdrawal' I know of is missing or longing for getting high, not being sick or non-functional over it."Speaking as someone who has smoked cannabis on a daily basis for over 22 years, there can be a bit of withdrawal when you stop. It is VERY mild compared with other substances (at least I assume so from watching video of detoxing junkies and the like. I don't use strongly addicting drugs, so I can't compare directly.)If I smoke good quality cannabis daily for several months and then stop cold-turkey, my body takes a few days to readjust. For about a day, I feel a little sick and nauseous, and have a very poor appetite. For about two or three days I have trouble falling asleep at night. And for about a week I am prone to being hyper-aggressive and/or depressed.All symptoms pass within ten days, and only for a day are they ever debilitating enough to make me miss work or duties. Sometimes they are mild enough that I don't miss anything. And I've learned over the years to use supplements to compensate: melatonin to help with the sleep, Sam-e to help with the bad moods, exercise to help stimulate appetite. So, in summary, there are withdrawal symptoms, but they are very mild. Which is pretty much what the IOM report concluded.Just my two cents.JC
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Comment #7 posted by siege on December 15, 2004 at 09:17:06 PT
dongenero 
They had one that was called (African black) and a cross of (Afghan and African) and these where ONE HITERs
in 1963 in calif. and they called me a heavy it took 2 for me. and I was up and gone. to me they where up high, to most they where out for the count. this person shough have gone to the under ground coffee houses 
in cal. there was good pot there. 
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Comment #6 posted by 13th step on December 15, 2004 at 08:20:07 PT
Forgive my ignorance
But I think I read once that if cannabis were really "25%" thc, wouldn't it be mostly liquid?If you were referring to hash, I could see it, but if you're talking about plant matter, then wouldn't it be really mushy?Of course, I'm most certainly misunderstanding this argument, which I am certain is the intent. If we say something is 2%, then now it's a whole 25%, then whoa boy, we better watch out!Propaganda is not new to them, and neither is lying. But to misrepresent the actual science behind this is just plain wrong.I can only add...sheesh...
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Comment #5 posted by dongenero on December 15, 2004 at 07:12:16 PT
Iowa drug czar
“When I was in the Army in 1963 in Fort Riley, Kan., it was at best 2 percent pure,’’ he said.Is he saying he smoked weed in the Army in 1963??? Apparantly he was not well connected however. I'm not sure how he knows what percentage of THC in the pot he smoked in the Army. Ummm...he is indicating he was getting scwag in the Army isn't he? Hmmmmmm  He should have been hanging with the jazz musicians. 
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on December 15, 2004 at 05:31:26 PT
Percentage of "purity"
Speaking of marijuana in terms usually reserved for heroin or hard drugs is just another one of their devices.Speaking of percentage of THC is one thing. Using the term "purity" in this instance is more "device".
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Comment #3 posted by The GCW on December 15, 2004 at 04:53:47 PT
Sky pilot.
the deceit is skyrocketing...A few years ago, people were happy to use regular cannabis but the Gov. helped clamp down on that, forcing people to hide their crops indoors. Thus the cannabis is a bit stronger; It is always interesting when Biblically discredited, Government subsidised cannabis prohibionists create a harm associated with cannabis and then use it as an example to support caging cannabis plant users.But in this example it doesn't pan out because the better cannabis is welcome, rather than unwelcome.420I AM joyful that My prayers of thanksgiving to Christ God Our Father for cannabis help expose those who support the persecution as having the "deluding influence" (2 Thes. 2:11); It helps Me understand why they don't get it. 
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Comment #2 posted by siege on December 15, 2004 at 04:25:26 PT
the rest of the story 
Van Haaften, the director of the Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy
Why are you not like ** Paul harvey ** and tell the rest of the story That would not keep the Money coming IN. so you would have to go home and find new work.Van Haaften said Iowa investigators are regularly seizing and testing potent marijuana varieties that contain 24 percent tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the substance that produces the drug’s effects. Some plants being developed, he said, that contain up to 37 percent THC.There is a Co. that Patent a marijana plant that they say has 50% THC. so I would guss this is where they get this bull S*** and the same co. runs canadas
med. weed program. and they are trying to get it going here.
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Comment #1 posted by runderwo on December 14, 2004 at 23:33:03 PT
sigh
There are 2 components to addiction. Reinforcement and withdrawal. Reinforcement comes from anything. Chocolate, TV, video games, fast food, anything that makes the person feel good and they realize the source of the feel-good is whatever they took. Using that logic you could justify outlawing anything because people put feeling-good ahead of having a life. Withdrawal is the dangerous aspect. Withdrawal is the physical component of addiction and what keeps the user locked in even though they might want to quit. Cigarettes, opium, alcohol have strong withdrawal symptoms to a lot of people. Marijuana? The only "withdrawal" I know of is missing or longing for getting high, not being sick or non-functional over it. So yes, stronger pot might be "more addictive" in the sense that using it is more rewarding, so one might do it more often. But it's still a conscious decision to do that, and not one prompted by physical needs caused by any sort of withdrawal. Maybe life is boring? Maybe people are under a lot of stress these days? Why isn't pot a valid stress relief tool? It's certainly quantifiably less harmful than many other stress vents that people choose to use.This guy cites rehab statistics as proof that marijuana is a problem. How many of these people checked themselves into rehab voluntarily vs how many of these people are in rehab as a plea bargain or as a court mandated feel-good measure? You cannot honestly say that everyone in there is in there because they admit that they have a problem.Finally, the "for the children" argument shows up saying that cigs and alcohol are hard for children to get, but pot is easy to get. It's intended as a scare tactic, but think about the root of that problem - cigs and alcohol are part of a regulated free market where there is not economic motive for a black market, such as the one that provides pot to children, to exist. If there were a legal, regulated free market for pot, it would not be sold to under-21 subjects either, and kids would be relegated to begging an adult to buy them some pot like they do cigs or booze,because the local dealer will either be out of business or making so much money on legal sales that he wouldn't risk going to jail for selling to kiddies.
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