Pubdate: Sat, 26 Mar 2016
Source: Wakefield Observer (MA)
Copyright: 2016 GateHouse Media, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.wickedlocal.com/wakefield/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3791
Author: Peter Urban

WHITE HOUSE DRUG CZAR: LEGALIZED POT NOT OK

WASHINGTON - The White House's focus on treatment for drug addiction 
instead of criminal prosecution of addicts has not altered the Obama 
administration's stance on legalization of marijuana.

Michael Botticelli, the director of the Office of National Drug 
Control Policy, this week reiterated the administration's opposition 
to state efforts to legalize marijuana. He testified before a House 
panel examining federal and state responses to the heroin and opioid crisis.

Botticelli, who previously was director of Massachusetts substance 
abuse services, told the House Oversight and Government Reform 
Committee that he and the White House do not support legalization of 
marijuana, something Massachusetts voters are considering.

"I do believe that when you look at the data in terms of the high 
levels of marijuana use that we have among youth in the country ... 
that we are in for more significant problems in the United States," he said.

Massachusetts would become the fifth state in the nation to fully 
legalize recreational use of marijuana if voters approve a ballot 
initiative in November. Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska have 
already legalized it.

Botticelli said there has been an increase in marijuana use among 
young people in recent years, and a rising belief by them that 
marijuana is not harmful.

"We have historically high levels of marijuana use among youth and we 
also see historically low levels of perception of risk of marijuana 
use among the youth in our country," he said.

That perception is reinforced by public efforts to legalize marijuana 
and a marijuana industry that markets to the young with mascots and 
other promotions, Botticelli said.

"We have an industry that is quite honestly targeting our youth with 
things like funny cartoon characters and edibles," he said.

Botticelli stressed that marijuana can be harmful to young users and 
can serve as a "gateway" to harder illicit drugs for those prone to 
addictive disorders.

"I think the evidence is pretty clear that early use of alcohol, 
tobacco and marijuana - often used together - significantly increases 
the probability that someone will develop a more significant 
addictive disorder later in their life," he said. "Early substance 
use actually effects brain development and predisposes people for 
more significant vulnerabilities later in their life."

That claim was disputed at the hearing by Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., 
who suggested that it is a myth that marijuana is a gateway drug to 
heroin or other illicit drugs.

Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-South Boston, who serves on the committee, 
agreed with Botticelli. He, too, opposes legalizing marijuana in the 
state - saying that at the Cushing House in Boston, a treatment 
center for youth, every young person he has questioned said they 
began with marijuana.

"While I don't know if marijuana is a gateway drug to heroin, every 
single kid that I'm dealing with who is on opioids or on heroin 
started with marijuana. So there is a perfect match - 100 percent," 
Lynch said. "So it deserves a cautionary note in terms of some of 
this marijuana legalization. I think we are buying ourselves a huge problem."

Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 
says that marijuana can be addictive, and its use during adolescence 
"may make other forms of drug abuse or addiction more likely."

The White House spells out its opposition to legalizing marijuana on 
its website at whitehouse.gov/ondcp/marijuana, saying it steadfastly 
opposes legalization because it would "increase the availability and 
use of illicit drugs, and pose significant health and safety risks to 
all Americans, particularly young people."

"Confusing messages being presented by popular culture, media, 
proponents of 'medical' marijuana, and political campaigns to 
legalize all marijuana use perpetuate the false notion that marijuana 
is harmless. This significantly diminishes efforts to keep our young 
people drug free and hampers the struggle of those recovering from 
substance use disorders," the Obama administration writes.

More than 18 million Americans age 12 and older reported using 
marijuana within the past month, making it the most commonly used 
illicit drug in the United States. In 2010, marijuana was involved in 
more than 461,000 emergency department visits nationwide - nearly 39 
percent of all those involving illicit drugs, according to the White House.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom