Source: @norml @WeedConnection
Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com
media :: news - Tue, 29 Apr 2014 04:20:21 PST
Study: Medical Cannabis Laws Not Associated With Increased Use By Adolescents
Providence, RI: The enactment of state laws legalizing the physician-recommended use of cannabis therapy is not associated with increased levels of marijuana use by young people, according to data published online in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Researchers at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University assessed the impact of medical cannabis laws by examining trends in reported adolescent drug use over a 20-year period in a cohort of states before and after legalization. Researchers compared these trends to geographically matched states that had not adopted medical marijuana laws.
Authors reported "no statistically significant differences in marijuana use before and after policy change for any state pairing," and acknowledged that some states that had adopted medical cannabis laws experienced a decrease in adolescent's self-reported use of the plant. "In the regression analysis, we did not find an overall increased probability of marijuana use related to the policy change," they stated.
Investigators concluded, "This study did not find increases in adolescent marijuana use related to legalization of medical marijuana. ... This suggests that concerns about ‘sending the wrong message' may have been overblown. ... Our study ... may provide some reassurance to policy makers who wish to balance compassion for individuals who have been unable to find relief from conventional medical therapies with the safety and well-being of youth."
A 2013 study published in the American Journal of Public Health similarly concluded that the passage of statewide medical marijuana has had no "statistically significant ... effect on the prevalence of either lifetime or 30-day marijuana use" by adolescents residing in those states.
A 2012 study by researchers at McGill University in Montreal reported: "[P]assing MMLs (medical marijuana laws) decreased past-month use among adolescents ... and had no discernible effect on the perceived riskiness of monthly use. ... [These] estimates suggest that reported adolescent marijuana use may actually decrease following the passing of medical marijuana laws."
Full text of the study, "The impact of state marijuana legislation on adolescent marijuana use," appears online in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Alaska: Election Officials Postpone Marijuana Legalization Vote To November
Juneau, AK: Alaska voters will decide this November on a proposed initiative to regulate the production and retail sale of cannabis to adults.
Although the measure was initially scheduled to go before voters during the state's primary election in August, state officials this week decided to push back the vote to the November general election. The postponement was required because lawmakers failed to adjourn this year's legislative session within 90 days, the standard time allotted under state rules. Under Alaska law, ballot initiatives must go to voters no less than 120 days after the end of that year's legislative session.
If enacted by voters this November, the measure would legalize the adult possession of up to one ounce of cannabis as well as the cultivation of up to six-plants for personal consumption. It would also allow for the establishment of licensed, commercial cannabis production and retail sales of marijuana and marijuana-infused products to those over the age of 21. Public consumption of cannabis would be subject to a civil fine.
According to the results of a statewide Public Policy Polling survey released in February, 55 percent of registered voters "think (that) marijuana should be legally allowed for recreational use, that stores should be allowed to sell it, and that its sales should be taxed and regulated similarly to alcohol." Only 39 percent of respondents oppose the idea.
More information @ https://regulatemarijuanainalaska.org
Minnesota: African Americans Six Times More Likely Than Whites To Be Arrested For Marijuana Possession
Saint Paul, MN: African Americans are arrested for marijuana possession offenses in Minnesota at a rate that is more than six-times higher than that of Caucasians, according to an analysis of 2011 FBI arrest data conducted by the nonpartisan think-tank Minnesota 2020 and commissioned in part by Minnesota NORML.
Although African Americans comprise less than six percent of the state's population, they represented over 27 percent of those persons arrested for violating marijuana possession laws in 2011. By comparison, whites comprise some 87 percent of the state's population and constituted 69 percent of those arrested for violating marijuana possession laws. "Thus, the black arrest rate for marijuana possession was 687 (per 100,000) and the white arrest rate was 107 (per 100,000), making blacks 6.4 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites," the study found.
In 2010, blacks in Minnesota were arrested for cannabis possession at 7.8 times the rate of whites. Both African Americans and Caucasians consume cannabis at approximately similar rates.
A variety of factors contribute to the disparity in arrest rates, the study found. These include "over-policing in communities of color, cultural differences in where or how marijuana is used and purchased, and [the prevalence] of grants and seizure policies that incentivize volume over quality in drug arrests," the think-tank acknowledged in a press release.
The report estimated that the collateral costs of a low-level marijuana arrest may total as much as $76,000 over the course of a decade, including attorney fees, fines, costs associated with attending mandatory drug treatment, lost income and job prospects, and barriers to public assistance and federal aid.
Full text of the study, entitled "Collateral Costs: Racial Disparities and Injustice in Minnesota's Marijuana Laws," is available @ https://mn2020.org/assets/uploads/article/collateral_costs_web.pdf
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