cannabisnews.com: Arguments In The Marijuana Debate





Arguments In The Marijuana Debate
Posted by CN Staff on September 18, 2007 at 06:47:29 PT
By The Denver Post
Source: Denver Post 
Colorado -- Marijuana is a "gateway" drug that leads directly to use of harder drugs, such as cocaine or heroin. The short answer is no. Police continue to make the claim, although they now acknowledge that their argument is based on gut feeling and anecdotes. Academic researchers, including RAND, note there is a "correlation" but not a "causation." In other words, many people who use marijuana eventually use other drugs as well. But that's like saying many people who drive blue cars have brown eyes - does one cause the other?
Study after study has not proven a causal link, instead stating other likely causes, such as that people who have access to marijuana are likely to have easy access to other drugs. Or some people may be biologically prone to addiction. "We've done a lot of good studies," said Rosalie Pacula, co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center in California, "and the evidence is fundamentally inconclusive." Society must keep marijuana laws in place, or teenage use will grow rampant. Even as more states have decriminalized and sanctioned medical marijuana, and about 85 percent of 12th-graders report easy access to pot, the number of young users has fallen steadily since the 1990s. About 16.6 percent of Colorado teens ages 12 to 17 admitted smoking pot over the past year in 2005, down from 19.6 percent in 2003. Researchers point out, though, that the number of young heavy users has held steady at a worrisome 5 to 6 percent rate nationally. Police defy public will by continuing to harass simple pot smokers. It's true that national arrests for marijuana possession rose to 696,000 in 2005 from 646,000 in 2000, even as the percentage of Americans reporting that they used pot continued to fall. "Anyone who spends any time in courts, like me, knows the current system is an utter disaster," said Denver attorney Robert Corry Jr., who has defended prominent marijuana cases. Yet police and the state attorney general insist they have not stepped up enforcement against small-time users or holders of marijuana. "No one goes to prison just for possessing marijuana," Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said. "You might go to prison if you have 400 pounds with intent to distribute, but even then, it's usually when you have a number of prior offenses. I think in the scheme of things, we have given it the proper priority."  Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_6921879Source: Denver Post (CO)Published: September 18, 2007 Copyright: 2007 The Denver Post Website: http://www.denverpost.com/Contact: openforum denverpost.com Safer Choicehttp://www.saferchoice.org/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #9 posted by terry_d on March 27, 2008 at 04:43:07 PT:
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Comment #8 posted by afterburner on September 19, 2007 at 19:28:52 PT
runruff #5 
I am glad to see and hear that the authorities have not broken your fighting spirit.Welcome back and God bless!
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Comment #7 posted by afterburner on September 19, 2007 at 19:23:44 PT
Trauma
"Researchers point out, though, that the number of young heavy users has held steady at a worrisome 5 to 6 percent rate nationally."5 to 6 percent, very similar to the unemployment rate, eh? 
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Comment #6 posted by Hope on September 19, 2007 at 14:14:43 PT
Cyber hugs and jumping up and down!
I'm so glad you're out of that place. You never belonged there in the first place!The bad news...it's still as bad as ever out here. Except that now you are out of that prison... which makes it at least that much better.
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Comment #5 posted by runruff on September 19, 2007 at 14:03:53 PT:
How they lie. Barefaced and blatant.
It is true that many of the men I was locked up with were baby rapers, murderers, wife beaters, bank robbers, kidnappers et. al. My next door neighbor was the Mafia Don of Boston doing 25-life for 5 murders but more than 75% of prisoners were in on some drug charge. 85% of those were pot. So go stick that in your pipe and smoke it!
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on September 18, 2007 at 11:45:20 PT
News Article from The Associated Press
Anaheim's Ban on Medical Marijuana Dispensaries ChallengedSeptember 18, 2007 
SANTA ANA, Calif. --Claiming it conflicts with California law, a medical marijuana group filed a lawsuit challenging Anaheim's new ban on pot dispensaries.The Qualified Patients Association suit also claims the city's ban violates the civil rights of disabled people, the group's attorney, Tony Curiale, said.Superior Court Judge David Thompson, who temporarily blocked enforcement of Anaheim's ban, will decide Sept. 28 whether he will forbid enacting the law until a trial decision.Anaheim joined a dozen or so Orange County cities that have banned or are considering outlawing marijuana dispensaries. The Anaheim City Council unanimously approved an initial ban on dispensaries in July.Under Proposition 215 approved by California voters in 1996 and a follow-up 2003 law, which clarified the law and ordered counties to issue identification cards to patients, marijuana can be given to people with doctor authorization.Thompson issued a temporary restraining order Sept. 4, two days before the law was to go into effect.Federal law still forbids marijuana possession.Information from: The Orange County Register: http://www.ocregister.comCopyright: 2007 The Associated Presshttp://www.sanluisobispo.com/348/story/145459.html
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Comment #3 posted by Had Enough on September 18, 2007 at 08:04:32 PT
“thinking in the scheme of things”
“"No one goes to prison just for possessing marijuana," Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said. "You might go to prison if you have 400 pounds with intent to distribute, but even then, it's usually when you have a number of prior offenses. I think in the scheme of things, we have given it the proper priority."”Tell that to mr & mrs runruff…Different State same stuff, I’m sure Colorado has their share of runruffs locked away too.Their sources: National Survey on Drug Use and Health; RAND Drug Policy Research Center; U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics; "Marijuana Myths/Marijuana Facts," by Lynn Zimmer and John P. Morgan, M.D.; Denver Post interviews.Our sources: cannabisnews.com.It’s obvious what scheme Colorado Attorney General John Suthers subscribes to. Too bad he can’t hear himself.
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Comment #2 posted by The GCW on September 18, 2007 at 07:28:25 PT
Not true.
"No one goes to prison just for possessing marijuana," Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said.-0-That statement may not be true if citizens are caged because probation or parole is revoked due to cannabis related issues.
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Comment #1 posted by OverwhelmSam on September 18, 2007 at 07:15:48 PT
Teenage Use Will Grow Rampant If Legalized?
What a total lie! Any teenager who wants to use marijuana, is already using it. 
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