cannabisnews.com: Survey Shows Marijuana Use Has Not Risen In States





Survey Shows Marijuana Use Has Not Risen In States
Posted by FoM on October 15, 1999 at 08:44:30 PT
NORML's Weekly Update News
Source: NORML
Oct. 14, 1999, Washington, DC: In 1996, medical marijuana initiatives passed in California and Arizona. Prohibitionists were quick to claim that by allowing marijuana use for medicinal purposes recreational marijuana use would rise, especially among young people. 
"Teens stop using drugs when they become aware of the risks involved. Sending them the wrong message that marijuana is medicine will cause drug use to skyrocket," said Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey before 1996's California and Arizona elections.  The Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR), funded by grants from the University of Maryland and the Maryland Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention, published last week that, "The percentage of California residents who reported using marijuana in the past month has remained unchanged at around 6 percent."   CESAR analyzed the data from the 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, the annual survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  The survey estimates that in 1995, 5.2 percent of all Californians were current marijuana smokers (defined as having smoked within the last month). In 1998, 5.5 percent were current marijuana smokers, a figure consistent with the national level at 5 percent.   The drug czar's claims were again proven wrong by this government study. In 1995, 6.5 percent of 12-17 year-olds in California were current marijuana smokers which was less than the national average of 8.2 percent. In 1998, 7.4 percent of 12-17 year-olds in California were current marijuana smokers which was still less than the national average of 8.3 percent.   "More often than not, the wild-eyed rhetoric of prohibitionists like General McCaffrey is contradicted by readily available data," said Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director.   For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director at (202) 483-8751. The survey can be viewed at: http://www.samhsa.govNORML's News Bulletin:http://www.norml.org/news/index.shtml   Medical Pot Back as Ballot Initiative - 10/14/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3274.shtmlCannabis News NORML Related Articles:http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/list/NORML.shtml
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