Objectives
Discussion of issues related to
youth marijuana use
• Data on Youth Marijuana Use & Perception of Harm
• Consequences of Youth Marijuana Use
• Effects of Marijuana Legalization on Communities
Presentation created February 2014
• Any views or opinions from this presentation are
those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect
the views of Tonka CARES or Minnetonka Public
Schools
• Tonka CARES will not take an official position on any
specific legislation but will disseminate information
and be an avenue for discussion.
What Does the Data Tell Us
About Youth Marijuana Use?
2013 Minnesota Student
Survey – Statewide Results
35
12 Month Marijuana Use – Minnesota Student
Survey
30
25
20
State
15
Minnetonka
10
5
0
Grade 8
Grade 9
Grade 11
National Survey Data
Monitoring the Future, 2013
Marijuana Use
Monitoring the Future, 2013
Last 12 Months Use
Nationally, 6.5% of
high school seniors
smoke marijuana
every day, the highest
rate in 30 years. 6
Marijuana is the most common
illicit drug used among youth
Perception of Risk
Monitoring the Future, 2013
More than 60 percent of high
school seniors don't view
regular marijuana use as
harmful, according to
the 2013 Monitoring the
Future Survey. In addition,
marijuana use over the past
decade has continued to
trend upwards among all
three grades.
Increased Access, Decreased Stigma, Increased Use
• Increased access and availability results in decreased perception of
harm and increased use.
Rabin, R. C. (2013). Legalizing of marijuana raises health concerns. The New York Times. Retrieved from
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/legalizing-of-marijuana-raises-health-concerns/
Age of Initiation is Decreasing
• In the 1970’s the average
age of initiation for
marijuana was 19.
• In 2011, the average age of
initiative was 17.5
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Available: http://www.samhsa.gov/data/mjinitiation/highlights.htm and
http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k11Results/NSDUHresults2011.htm
What are the consequences
of youth using marijuana?
Marijuana can be addictive
• Long-term marijuana use can lead to addiction. Approximately 9
percent of users will become addicted to marijuana. This number
increases to 17 percent among those who start young – that is in 1
in 6 users. 1
• The EARLIER marijuana use begins, the HIGHER the risk of drug
abuse and addiction. 2
• 62% percent of teens in drug treatment are addicted to marijuana. 3
• Each year, more teens enter treatment with a primary diagnosis of
marijuana addiction than for all other illegal drugs combined. 4
1.
2.
3.
4.
Budney AJ, Vandrey RG, Hughes JR, Thostenson JD, Bursac Z. 2008. “Comparison of cannabis and tobacco withdrawal: Severity and
contribution to relapse.” J Subst Abuse Treat, e-publication ahead of print.
National Institute of Health
Office of National Drug Control Policy
Partnership for a Drug-Free America
Marijuana & Mental Health
• Marijuana use can worsen depression and has been
associated with other serious mental health issues,
e.g. schizophrenia and anxiety
• Weekly use of marijuana
DOUBLES a teen’s risk of
depression and anxiety.
National Institute of Drug Abuse
The Teen Brain & Marijuana
•A study by 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.
CADCA (Community of Anti-Drug Coalition’s of America) Position Statement on “Medical” Marijuana
and Marijuana Legalization August 9, 2012 www.CADCA.org
SCHOLASTIC, NIDA, NIH, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HHS
Marijuana & The Body
Marijuana use can negatively affect:
The Heart
• Increases heart rate 20 – 100% shortly after smoking.
This could last up to 3 hours.
• 4.8x greater risk of heart attack in the first hour after
smoking.
The Lungs
• Marijuana smoke contains 50 – 70% more cancer
causing chemicals than tobacco smoke.
• Regular use can create respiratory problems
(cough, phlegm, acute chest illnesses, greater risk
of lung infection) over time.
National Institute of Drug Abuse
Potency: Increased THC Content
in Seized Marijuana
PERCENT THC FROM 1983 TO 2009
10%
9%
8%
7%
6%
5%
4%
3%
2%
1%
0
’85
’90
’95
’00
’05
The potency of marijuana (concentration of THC) has more than doubled
Kevin A. Sabet, Ph.D.,
between 1983 and 2009.
www.kevinsabet.com
Sources: The University of Mississippi Potency Monitoring Project
Academic Performance
Marijuana Use:
•
Negatively affects learning
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.1
The more a student uses marijuana, the lower
their grade point average is likely to be. 2
•
Is linked to higher dropout rates
A teenage marijuana user is 2 times more likely to
drop out of school than a non-user. 3
1 SAMSHA
2 Ibid
3 National Institute of Drug Abuse
Marijuana and IQ
• A recent study found that those
who used cannabis heavily in their
teens and continued through
adulthood showed a permanent
drop in IQ of 8 points.
• A loss of 8 IQ points could drop a
person of average intelligence into
the lowest third of the intelligence
range.
M.H. Meier, Avshalom Caspi, et al. 2012. “Persistent cannabis users show neuropsychological decline from childhood to
midlife.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Effects of the Normalization
and Legalization of Marijuana
Diminishing Perception
as a Harmful Drug
Due to recent legalization efforts, marijuana’s
stigma as a harmful drug is diminishing,
creating a more favorable perception among
youth.
Rabin, R. C. (2013). Legalizing of marijuana raises health concerns. The New York Times. Retrieved from
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/legalizing-of-marijuana-raises-health-concerns/
Drug Use - The Cost to Society
•
Total overall cost of substance abuse in the U.S. (productivity, health, and crimerelated costs) exceeds $600 billion annually.
o $235 Billion for Alcohol1
o $193 billion for tobacco1
o $181 billion for illicit drugs, including marijuana2
•
Fed and state alcohol taxes raise $14.5 billion, covering only about 6% of the total cost
to society.3
•
Fed and state tobacco taxes raise $25 billion, covering only about 13% of cost to
society.4
•
For our legal drugs, every $1 gained in revenue forces us to spend $10 in social costs!5
1 Office
of National Drug Control Policy. The Economic Costs of Drug Abuse in the United States, Executive Office of the President (Publication No. 207303).
2004. Available at www.ncjrs.gov/ondcppubs/publication/pdf.economic_costs.pdf
2U.S.,
Department of Justice, National Drug Intelligence Center. (2011). The Economic impact of illicit drug use on American society. Available:
http://www.justice.gov/ndic/pubs44/44731/44731p.pdf.
3Dupont,
Robert M.D., Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (1973-1978), “Why We Should Not Legalize Marijuana.” April 2010. Available:
www.cnbc.com/id/36267223/Why_We_Should_Not_Legalize_Marijuana
4 Ibid
5Rehm J, Mathers C, Popova S, Thavorncharoensap M, Teerawattananon Y, Patra J. 2009 Jun 27. “Global burden of disease and injury and economic cost
attributable to alcohol use and alcohol-use disorders.” Lancet ;373(9682): 2223-33. [Table 4].
Most “Medical” Marijuana
Users Aren’t Sick
According to Colorado’s State Department of
Health, only 2% of users reported cancer, and
less than 1% reported HIV/AIDS as their reason
for cannabis. The vast majority (94%) reported
“severe pain”.
Colorado Department of Public Health, http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hs/medicalcannabis/statistics.html
Average Medical User
The average “medical” marijuana user is a 32
year old white male with a history of alcohol,
cocaine and meth use, but NO history of a life
threatening illness.
1O'Connell,
T and Bou-Matar , C.B. (2007). Long term marijuana users seeking medical cannabis in California (2001–2007): demographics, social characteristics, patterns of cannabis and other
drug use of 4117 applicants. HarmReduction Journal, http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/4/1/16 Nunberg, Helen; Kilmer, Beau; Pacula, Rosalie Liccardo; and Burgdorf, James R.
(2011) “An Analysis of Applicants Presenting to a Medical Marijuana Specialty Practice in California,” Journal of Drug Policy Analysis: Vol. 4: Iss. 1, Article 1. Available at:
http://www.bepress.com/jdpa/vol4/iss1/art1 See Colorado Department of Public Health, http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hs/medicalmarijuana/statistics.html
Marijuana as Medicine
• There is medical value in marijuana, but so does Opium, which
we deliver through Morphine – not by smoking heroin.
• Marijuana is Schedule I because it meets the legal criteria for
that –there is currently no FDA-approved product of whole, raw
marijuana – smoked, eaten or vaporized.
• There are Schedule III products based on marijuana - like
Marinol and the THC pill. Others, like Sativex, are being
developed.
Smart Approaches to Marijuana
Marijuana State of
Affairs
Current Legislative Efforts
States with Medical Marijuana
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Hawaii,
Illinious, Maine, Massachusets, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont,
Washington
States with Recreational Marijuana
Colorado
Washington
Upcoming legislation for 2014
Medical: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, New York
Recreational: None currently but several in the works (ie. Alaska,
California and others)
February 2014
A Snap Shot
• States that have legalized medical marijuana have double the
rates of youth marijuana use.1
• 40 percent of Seattle public school students who use marijuana said
they got it from a medical marijuana dispensary.2
• There are now more medical marijuana dispensaries in California
and Denver, CO than Starbucks (1,000 in L.A. alone).3
• States that have “medical” marijuana have marijuana
abuse/dependence rates almost twice as high as states without
such laws.4
1The Partnership at Drugfree.org. (2013).
2 1Swenson, Ty. June 21, 2013. Coalition explores link between teen pot use and rise in dispensaries. West Seattle Herald. Available:
http://www.westseattleherald.com/2013/06/21/news/coalition-explores-link-between-teen-pot-use-and3 True Compassion. What’s Really Medical About Marijuana? 2011. Available: www.truecompassion.org/images/TC1%20-%20Pages%204.pdf
4 Cerda, M. et al. (in press). Medical cannabis laws in 50 states: ‘Investigating the relationship between state legalization of medical cannabis and cannabis
use, abuse and dependence.” Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Available at http://www.columbia.edu/~dsh2/pdf/MedicalCannabis.pdf
Drug-Related Suspensions/Expulsions - Colorado
6000
Medical MJ
Dispensaries/
Commercializaition
5000
4000
#
4112
4057
4172
3984
3988
3833
3779
4956
5417 5279
3736
3000
2000
1000
0
01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12
Source: Colorado Department of Education
Marijuana & Driving
• According to the
Colorado Department of
Transportation, drivers
who tested positive for
marijuana in fatal car
crashes DOUBLED
between 2006 and 2010.
• Marijuana is the most
prevalent illegal drug
detected in impaired
drivers, fatally injured
drivers, and motor
vehicle crash victims.
CADCA
CADCA
Colorado Fatality Analysis Reporting
System (FARS) August, 2011
National Highway Traffic Association , Drug
Involvement of Fatally Injured Drivers, US
Dept. of Transportation, 2010
Food for Thought…
Samples of current Medical Marijuana
Advertisements
33
Thurstone, Christopher, M.D. The Impact of Legalization on Colorado’s Youth. 3rd World Forum Against Drugs. May 22, 2012.
Other Marketing ….
Cashing in on “The Green Rush”
Marijuana is big business in the United States, with
“pot barons” reaping millions.
Dokoupil, T. (2012). The new pot barons: Businessmen bank on marijuana. Newsweek. Retrieved from
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/10/21/will-pot-barons-cash-in-on-legalization.html
Pro-Legalization Organizations
• NORML
o A pro legalization group that attempts to shape and
introduce legislative initiatives at both state and
federal levels;
• Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)
o Working to pass Federal medical marijuana legislation
o “Working in Minnesota”
Current MN Legislative Efforts
• Medical Marijuana legislation in MN
o HF 1818 in the House
o Companion is SF 1641 in the Senate
• Will go to the floor in February
• Has maximum number of authors