cannabisnews.com: Rise in MJ Use Among Youth May Not Lead to Crack





Rise in MJ Use Among Youth May Not Lead to Crack
Posted by FoM on January 31, 2001 at 15:00:43 PT
Breaking News
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch 
The alarming rise in marijuana use among youth in the mid-1990s may not lead to a new and equally alarming crack epidemic, as was seen in a previous generation, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health.The study also found that kids who started using marijuana at early ages, progressed to cocaine at rates higher than those who started using marijuana in their late teens.
A central message to policy makers and parents from this study is that ``we should not panic about an impending crack epidemic, but we need to focus our energies on getting a better understanding of the changing nature of drug problems in this country,'' said Andrew Golub, Ph.D., principal investigator of the study.The progression from alcohol or tobacco to marijuana, and then to drugs like heroin, cocaine powder, and crack was observed primarily among baby boomers. This phenomenon became known as the ``Gateway Theory.'' Many researchers and national drug policy experts have held the view that when drug use progresses, it generally follows a pathway from non-use to tobacco or alcohol, and only afterwards to the possibility of marijuana and then to cocaine powder, crack, or heroin, with each drug opening a gateway to the next level of harder substances.Golub, a researcher with the National Development and Research Institute, said ``our study shows that children born before World War II rarely ever progressed to hard substances, and those born since the early 1970s were only about half as likely to progress from marijuana to cocaine powder, crack, or heroin, than those who were born in the 1960s. Most importantly, all indications are that the rate of progression to harder drugs may be continuing to decline even today. This strongly suggests that a new epidemic of crack use is unlikely in the near future.''Golub and his colleague, Bruce Johnson, Ph.D., examined adolescent drug use reported by more than 100,000 respondents from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) from 1979 to 1997. The Substance Abuse Policy Research Program (SAPRP) of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded the study.``A careful analysis of all of the data suggests that the gateway phenomenon characterized the drug use sub-culture of some baby boomers, but does not apply in the same manner to the generation that started using marijuana in the mid-1990s,'' Golub said.Golub and Johnson said that starting in the mid 1990s, youthful marijuana use started to increase, and while the increase is alarming, ``drug policy should recognize the changing patterns of drug use and address the comprehensive, social, cultural, and educational needs of children who are drawn to marijuana and other drugs.''``Our experience suggests that the drug sub-culture among inner city youth today encourages marijuana use but discourages use of hard drugs. Many of these kids witnessed the devastating effects of crack and heroin on their own families and their neighborhoods,'' Johnson said.The NHSDA data also shows that children born between 1956 and 1971 who reported using marijuana before the age of 11 had an 80 percent probability of progression toward cocaine powder, crack, or heroin. That figure dropped below 50 percent among kids who started using marijuana in their mid-teens. The progression rate was below 10 percent among those who started using marijuana in their early 20s.The NHSDA data used by Golub is based on a questionnaire administered by trained interviewers who visit homes, apartments, college dormitories, rooming houses, shelters, and other residential facilities. Collected by the federal government, NHSDA has become one of the standard surveys for measuring drug use trends in the United States.SAPRP is a $54 million research program that funds policy studies in alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs.Complete Title: Rise in Marijuana Use Among Youth May Not Lead to Crack or Cocaine Epidemic, Says Study Media Contact: Ellen Wilson or Amy Ekola, Burness Communications, 301-652-1558Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) Published: January 31, 2001Address: 900 North Tucker Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63101 Copyright: 2001 St. Louis Post-Dispatch Contact:  letters post-dispatch.com Website: http://www.postnet.com/ Forum: http://www.postnet.com/postnet/config.nsf/forumsRelated Articles:Teen Drug Use Holds Steady in Y2Khttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8002.shtmlMarijuana Use by Teens Declines, Survey Finds http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7781.shtmlReport: Club Drugs, Pot on Rise http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7768.shtml 
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Comment #1 posted by greenfox on February 02, 2001 at 07:11:13 PT
Crack, huh?
You mean the CRACK the CIA created and sold to pay for their dirty little war? This country makes me sick.
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