Pubdate: Fri, 31 Jul 2015
Source: Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA)
Copyright: 2015 The Press-Enterprise Company
Contact: http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/letters_form.html
Website: http://www.pe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/830
Author: Paul Chabot
Note: Paul Chabot is running for Congress in California's 31st District.

PROTECTING OUR KIDS FROM POT

Research has yet to show that marijuana cures a single disease. In 
fact, it is a disease of addiction that is deceiving America's youth, 
who, without intervention, will likely end up with poor grades, lack 
of motivation and, as research clearly shows, significant mental illnesses.

Today's marijuana is not your daddy's pot. THC, the intoxicant in 
marijuana, was roughly 2 percent to 3 percent a generation ago. Not 
today. New forms of marijuana on the market have skyrocketed to 
levels reaching 80 percent THC potency.

The research is clear - psychotic effects can be seen in marijuana 
users. "Persistent cannabis use was associated with 
neuropsychological decline broadly across domains of functioning," 
according to the National Academy of Sciences. Casual users of 
marijuana were found to have brain abnormalities. Because the human 
brain continues to develop until roughly the age of 25, we should no 
longer be surprised to learn that children and young adults are 
dangerously susceptible to limited potential in life when using any 
drug, including marijuana.

We have to remember that much of the research on marijuana is fairly 
new. What we are learning today may be just the tip of the iceberg 
regarding long-term effects of marijuana use. For example, research 
shows that marijuana users average an 8-point IQ decline from 
childhood to adulthood. We don't know yet if these same users will 
function well in their later years in life. Only time will tell.

Through research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, we know 
that even mild pot use affects motivation, memory, concentration and 
learning. Equally alarming is that one in five kids is using pot, and 
daily users are 66 percent more likely to drop out of high school, 
according to a study published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Marijuana use today is on the rise under the Obama Administration. In 
2002, national marijuana use was just 4.8 percent; today, we are 
above 8 percent. And the numbers are even worse in states that 
reduced marijuana penalties, like California, which did just that in 2010.

We have to address the tired old arguments used to legalization weed 
in America. We now should know that it's not a benign herb, but 
rather a potent drug that is negatively impacting the lives of 
families across America. But fighting back is hard. In the U.S., we 
have the explosion of "Big Marijuana," which sees major profits in pot.

The challenges before us are enormous. Yet, in California, there 
remains hope. Voters rejected Proposition 19 in 2010, which would 
have legalized marijuana statewide. In 2012, the marijuana 
legalization movement failed to garner enough signatures to have a 
measure placed on the ballot. Over 90 percent of California's cities 
have banned medical pot stores and two Inland Empire cities 
(Riverside and Yucca Valley) voted overwhelming against pot stores.

As a parent with four young kids, I take this issue personally  and 
all parents should. We have a role to lead by example. It's time we 
take a hard look around us and ask ourselves, "What kind of America 
do we want to see children raised in?"
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom