Pubdate: Sat, 03 Nov 2012
Source: Reading Advocate, The (MA)
Copyright: 2005 Community Newspaper Company
Contact:  http://www2.townonline.com/reading/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3792
Author: Elaine L. Webb

RCASA OPPOSES QUESTION 3

In November, voters will have the opportunity to vote on Ballot 
Question 3, Medical Use of Marijuana.

As a community coalition working to prevent youth substance abuse, an 
essential priority is to reduce teen marijuana use through 
environmental strategies that decrease access to marijuana and 
increase perception of harm of the drug.

RCASA unanimously opposes Question 3.

Our position is a NO vote on Question 3.

Marijuana has not been approved as medicine by the United States Food 
and Drug Administration and remains scheduled as a federally illegal 
drug. Medicines are determined through rigorous study, research and 
clinical trial, not through popular vote. Also, medicines are 
dispensed through the highly regulated pharmaceutical system. 
Circumventing the existing processes and infrastructure to determine 
and distribute medicine risks public exposure to fraudulent and/or 
unsafe medicine.

Massachusetts' youth smoke marijuana at a rate 30 percent higher than 
the national average, where one in three high school students 
currently smoke marijuana. Our local youth marijuana use rates 
reflect these state numbers. Ballot Question 3 to legalize marijuana 
as medicine would increase both access to marijuana, and social 
acceptability of the drug - and the research clearly shows that these 
two variables have direct causal link to increased teen marijuana 
use. The risks of medical marijuana laws outweigh the benefits.

. There is a direct correlation between "medical" marijuana 
initiatives and decreases in perception of harm and social 
disapproval. States that have "medical" marijuana programs have among 
the lowest perceptions of harm among youth in the nation. The 2011 
Monitoring the Future Survey reports that 22.7 percent of U.S. high 
school seniors thought that there was a great risk of harm from 
smoking marijuana occasionally, down from 26.6 percent in 2003. 
Efforts to pass "medical" marijuana initiatives further normalize 
marijuana use among youth and thereby lessen the perceptions of its 
dangers and negative effects, which will result in increases in youth 
marijuana use.

. State that have legalized marijuana as medicine are experiencing 
widespread use and abuse of marijuana. States with "medical" 
marijuana laws have higher marijuana abuse and dependence rates 
almost twice as high than states without such laws.

. Medical marijuana is being diverted to youth through increased 
supply and easy access. The 2008-2009 State Estimates of Drug Abuse 
show that four of the top five states, and 14 of the 18 states with 
the highest percentage of past month marijuana users ages 12-17 are 
states with "medical marijuana" programs. A 2012 study shows that 
among adoles-cents in substance abuse treatment in Denver, Colorado, 
74% had used someone else's medical marijuana a median of 50 times.

. Marijuana is addictive. The National Institutes of Health found 
that the earlier marijuana use is initiated, the higher the risk for 
drug abuse and dependence. Those who begin using the drug in their 
teens have approximately a one-in-six chance of developing marijuana 
dependence. In fact, children and teens are six times likelier to be 
in treatment for marijuana than for all other illegal drugs combined. 
Addiction rates among 12-17 year olds are among the highest levels 
nationally in states that have "medical marijuana" programs.

. Marijuana use negatively impacts adolescent brain development. A 
study by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and the National 
Institute on Mental Health, found that adolescents and young adults 
who are heavy users of marijuana are more likely than non-users to 
have disrupted brain development. Researchers found abnormalities in 
areas of the brain that interconnect brain regions involved in 
memory, attention, decision-making, language and executive 
functioning skills. A new, 2012 study indicates an average 
eight-point drop in IQ among teens that use marijuana.

. Marijuana Use Negatively Impacts Academic Achievement. Youth with 
an average grade of D or below were more than four times as likely to 
have used marijuana in the past year than youth with an average grade 
of A. The more a student uses drugs such as marijuana, the lower 
their grade point average is likely to be and the more likely they 
are to drop out of school.

. Marijuana use negatively impacts employability. More than 6,000 
companies nationwide and scores of industries and professions require 
a pre-employment drug test, according to The Definitive List of 
Companies that Drug Test (available at www.testclear.com). 6.6% of 
high school seniors already smoke marijuana on a daily basis would 
fail any required pre-employment drug test at the more than 6,000 
companies that require it. "Medical" marijuana initiatives lead to 
increased teen use and exacerbate this problem.

. States that have approved "medical marijuana" use have experienced 
costly highway safety issues. Drugged driving causes 20 percent of 
crashes in the U.S. Marijuana is the most prevalent illegal drug 
detected in impaired drivers, fatally injured drivers, and motor 
vehicle crash victims. The Colorado Department of Transportation 
found that after passing "medical marijuana" legislation in the 
state, drivers who tested positive for marijuana in fatal car crashes 
doubled between 2006 and 2010. In 2010, six cities in California 
conducted nighttime weekend voluntary roadside surveys and found that 
the percentage of drivers who tested positive for marijuana (8.4%) 
was greater than the percentage that were using alcohol (7.6 percent).

Elaine L. Webb, president, Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom