Source: @norml @WeedConnection
Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com
media :: news - Tue, 22 Sep 2015 04:20:21 PST
Federal Survey: Teen Marijuana Use Flat, Use Of Alcohol, Cigarettes at Record Lows
Washington, DC: Current use of marijuana by those between the ages of 12 to 17 has remained largely unchanged over the past decade, while young people's self-reported consumption of alcohol and cigarettes has fallen to record lows, according to federal data compiled by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and released Friday.
According to SAMHSA's 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the percentage of respondents ages 12 to 17 who reported past-month use of marijuana remained steady from 7.6 percent in 2004 to 7.4 percent in 2014. By contrast, teens' use of tobacco, cigarettes, and alcohol fell dramatically during this same period. Over the past ten years, adolescents' use of tobacco fell from 14.4 percent to 7 percent, their use of cigarettes fell from 11.9 percent to 4.9 percent, and their use of alcohol fell from 17.6 percent to 11.5 percent. Binge drinking by young people fell from 11.1 percent in 2004 to 6.1 percent in 2014.
Self-reported marijuana use by older respondents, particularly among those age 26 and older has increased in recent years. By contrast, since 2012, when voters in Colorado and Washington decided to permit the commercial production and sale of cannabis to adults, youth marijuana use in the past 30 days is virtually unchanged (7.2 percent in 2012, 7.4 percent in 2014).
Of all estimated past-month illicit drug consumers, 82 percent are users of marijuana, the survey reported.
Commenting on the findings, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said, "The data once again undermines the concern that liberalizing marijuana laws for adults will inherently increase youth marijuana use." He added, "These findings affirm that a pragmatic regulatory framework that allows for the legal, licensed commercial production and retail sale of cannabis to adults but restricts its use among young people - coupled with a legal environment that fosters open, honest dialogue between parents and children about cannabis' potential harms - best reduces the risks associated with the plant's use or abuse."
Despite the study's findings, several prohibitionist organizations - including the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) and Project SAM - issued press releases falsely stating that youth cannabis use had risen.
California: Legislative Package Seeking To Clarify, Regulate Medical Cannabis Sent to Governor
Sacramento, CA: California lawmakers approved a series of bills in the final hours of the 2015 legislative session that seek to establish statewide rules and oversight governing the commercial cultivation and distribution of medicinal cannabis. The three bills - Assembly Bill 266, Senate Bill 643, and Assembly Bill 243 - now await final approval from Democrat Gov. Jerry Brown.
Much of the measures' finalized language was amended and approved by lawmakers at the close of the session and was not subject to public testimony or significant floor debate.
Specifically, the legislative package creates a Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation within the Department of Consumer Affairs to develop rules and licensing procedures for authorized medical cannabis dispensaries. Dispensaries will be required to operate in accordance with local guidelines prior to receiving a state license. State-licensed dispensaries will be permitted to operate on a 'for profit' basis. However, the new regulations do not override municipal moratoriums that are already in place prohibiting such operations in various jurisdictions throughout the state, nor do they prohibit the collection of local sales taxes on marijuana purchases in communities that presently impose them.
Separate language in the bills seeks to regulate the licensed production of cannabis and imposes rules in regard to growing, testing, and labeling cannabis like other agricultural products. The bills also seek to provide additional oversight to physicians who recommend cannabis therapy. However, the measures do not limit physicians from recommending cannabis at their own discretion -- activity which is codified under Proposition 215/the Compassionate Use Act.
Proposed language seeking to impose an excise tax on various cannabis products was not included in the final bill package.
If signed into law, the new regulations will take effect in 2017.
California voters initially approved Proposition 215 in 1996, which permits qualified patients to possess and/or grow marijuana for therapeutic purposes. However, the measure did not provide language explicitly providing for third-party providers outside of assigned caregivers, instead calling upon state lawmakers "to implement a plan of safe and affordable distribution of marijuana to all patients in medical need of marijuana."
Michigan: Majority Of Voters Support Alternatives To Marijuana Prohibition
Lansing: A majority of Michigan voters endorse legalizing marijuana and having its sales regulated by state or local governments, according to statewide polling data commissioned by Michigan Public Radio and released last week.
Fifty-six percent of respondents backed some form of legalizing cannabis. Of these, 27 percent endorsed a proposal to allow for both the commercial production and home cultivation of the plant. Twenty-one percent endorsed state-imposed regulations but opposed home cultivation. Eight percent supported legalization but endorsed local controls, not state controls, in regard to how the plant ought to be regulated.
Forty percent of respondents said, "Recreational marijuana use should not be legalized in Michigan."
The poll possesses a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.
Previous statewide polls from 2013 and this past spring also show majority support for ending marijuana prohibition.
Michigan is one of several states where advocates are considering 2016 ballot initiatives to regulate the adult use of cannabis.
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