A UK study published in the December issue of the Journal of Public Health found that premature death occurred in this group not just from the obvious consequences of antisocial behaviour.

The data, the first to examine how a wide range of early antisocial behaviours, as well as parental factors, affect various health outcomes 40 years later found that among boys who engaged at age 10 in antisocial behaviour such as regularly skipping school or being rated troublesome or dishonest by teachers and parents, and who then went on to be convicted of a crime by the age of 18, 16.3% (1 in 6) had died or become disabled by the age of 48. That compared with 2.6% (1 in 40) of the boys from the same lower socioeconomic South London neighbourhood who were not delinquent or offenders – an almost seven-fold difference.

“We were surprised to see such a strong link between these early influences and premature death and this indicates that things that happen in families at age 8-10 are part of a progression towards dying prematurely,” said the study’s leader, Professor Jonathan Shepherd, Director of the Violence and Society Research Group at Cardiff University in Wales. “It was also surprising that the increase was not limited to substance abuse or other mental health problems known to be linked with an antisocial lifestyle, but included premature death and disability from a wide variety of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and cancer.”

“At this point, we don’t know exactly why delinquency increases the risk of premature death and disability in middle age, but it seems that impulsivity – or lack of self-control – in childhood and adolescence was a common underlying theme. It may be that the stresses and strains of an antisocial lifestyle and having to deal with all the crises that could have been avoided with more self-control takes their toll. It fits with the biological evidence of the effects of chronic stress on illness.” Professor Shepherd said.

The research is the latest update of a long-running study called the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development that started following 411 boys at the age of eight or nine to investigate the influences on, evolution and long-term consequences of juvenile delinquency.

The researchers interviewed the children, parents and teachers and verified criminal records to collect information on antisocial behaviour patterns, family dynamics and health status at various stages of life. The study started in 1961 and follow-up investigations were performed at ages 16-18, 27-32 and 43-48. By the time of the latest follow-up, 389 of the men were still in the study.

A total of 17 men had died by the age of 48 and 17 of the remaining 365 men followed had become disabled. Of 21 potentially important influences, six were significantly associated with premature death and disability, the researchers found.

Antisocial behaviour at age 10 was linked to a more than threefold chance of dying or becoming disabled by 48 (odds ratio: 3.5), early death or disability was also at least three times more likely in boys who had been convicted of a crime between the ages of 10 and 18 (odds ratio 3.0), in those convicted between the age of 10 and 40 (odds ratio:

3.5) and in those who at age 10 had a convicted parent, were separated from a parent or had poor parental supervision (odds ratio: 3.2). Impulsivity  – or lack of self-control – at age 18 was associated with double the risk of death and disability by age 48 (odds ratio: 2.1). At age 32, self-reported criminal activity not picked up by the police, such as burglary, shoplifting, car theft, violence or vandalism, more than quadrupled the risk of death and disability by age 48 (odds ratio: 4.3).

“These findings indicate that by intervening in the development of delinquency we may be able to achieve more than a reduction in the likelihood of later offending, which is currently the goal of such interventions,” Professor Shepherd said. “We should focus on improving parenting and tackling impulsivity in the early years, which may well improve long-term health, reduce costs to the health service and save lives.”

Source: www.onmedica  Dec.2009

An intensive intervention programme for disruptive young children could help prevent drug and alcohol abuse in adolescence, according to a new study.

Canadian researchers writing in the British Journal of Psychiatry set out to examine whether a two-year prevention programme in childhood could stop substance misuse problems in later life.

Some 172 boys for poor socio-economic backgrounds and all with disruptive behaviour participated in the study. They selected 46 boys and their parents for the two-year intervention programme, when they were aged between 7 and 9 years old. The programme included social skills training for the boys at school, to help promote self-control and reduce their impulsivity and antisocial behaviour, as well as parent training to help parents recognise problematic behaviours in their boys, set clear objectives and reinforce appropriate behaviours. A further 42 boys received no intervention and acted as the control group.

The remaining 84 boys were assigned to an intensive observation group, which differed from the controls in that their families were visited in their homes by researchers, attended a half-day laboratory testing session, and were observed at school. All the boys were followed up until the age of 17, to assess their use of drugs and alcohol.

The researchers found that levels of drug and alcohol use across adolescence were lower in those boys who received the intervention. The reduction in substance use continued through the boys’ early adolescence right up to the end of their time at high school.

Researcher Natalie Castellanos-Ryan, of the Department of Psychiatry at Université de Montréal and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte Justine, Canada, said: “Our study shows that a two-year intervention aimed at key risk factors in disruptive kindergarten boys from low socioeconomic environments can effectively reduce substance use behaviours in adolescence – not only in early adolescence but up to the end of high school, eight years post-intervention. This finding is noteworthy because the effects are stronger and longer-lasting than for most substance use interventions that have been studied before.”

Dr Castellanos-Ryan added: “The intervention appeared to work because it reduced the boys’ impulsivity and antisocial behaviour during pre-adolescence – between the ages of 11 and 13. Our study suggests that by selectively targeting disruptive behaviours in early childhood, and without addressing substance use directly, we could have long-term effects on substance use behaviours in later life. More research is now needed to examine how these effects can generalise to girls and other populations, and to explore aspects related to the cost/benefit of this.

Source: www.onmedica.com  9th August 2023

Huffington Post – Colorado Fails to Regulate Marijuana – and Colorado Springs Decides Not to Take Their Chances With Legalization At All – Dr. Kevin A. Sabet

 

Though voters in Colorado and Washington officially legalized marijuana in November, most of us have known for a while that marijuana has enjoyed de facto legalization status in a few places for a long while now (you know who you are). One of those places is Colorado, where anyone with a little back pain and some cash can get a legal recommendation for pot shielding them from any legal sanction. But unlike in California, some Colorado officials have taken it upon themselves to try and regulate this trade, hoping for tax revenue and some control over the very strange and wild world of medical marijuana.

 

Their hopes have been dashed.

 

Two reports published within days of each other last week are enough to be a real buzz-kill for anyone high on legalizing marijuana in Colorado. Both reports, which closely examined the medical marijuana regulation business in Colorado, reveal that Colorado has failed their citizens by, well, not regulating marijuana at all. It serves as a troublesome warning for officials earnestly trying to implement a law filled with loopholes and special interest (read: marijuana industry) concessions.

And to add insult to injury, major cities like Colorado Springs – Colorado’s second largest city – have decided to ban recreational marijuana stores altogether (thanks to 5 city officials who resisted heavy lobbying by marijuana interest groups). And there’s good reason to think they just saved themselves from a big headache.

In the first of two major audits released last week, the Colorado State Auditor concluded the following about the Department of Public Health’s oversight:

 

* “Public Health does not sufficiently oversee physicians who make medical marijuana recommendations. We found evidence suggesting that some physicians may be making inappropriate recommendations.”

* 12 physicians made recommendations for 50% of the 108,000 patients; with one physician making a whopping 8,400 recommendations.

* “Some physicians have recommended what appear to be higher than-reasonable amounts of medical marijuana. In one case, a physician recommended 501 plants for a patient.” 501 plants is enough pot for an entire city, let alone one patient.

* “Public Health has not established a process for caregivers to indicate the significant responsibilities they are assuming for managing the well-being of their patients or for documenting exceptional circumstances that require a caregiver to take on more than five patients.”

* “It is not clear whether Public Health was adhering to the Colorado Constitution when it allowed staff of contract firms and other state agencies to access the confidential Registry. ”

* “Legal restrictions on Registry access create barriers for law enforcement agencies to effectively and efficiently enforce the State’s medical marijuana laws. ”

* “The Medical Marijuana Cash Fund has been out of compliance.”

 

The second audit reviewed the city of Denver’s medical marijuana licensing practices by the Department of Excise and Licenses. In many ways it was even more damming than the previous report, concluding that the city of Denver “does not have a basic control framework in place for effective governance of the… medical marijuana program.” The auditors wrote how the medical marijuana records are “incomplete, inaccurate, inaccessible,” and that many medical marijuana businesses are operating without valid licenses. Moreover, the Department does not even know how many medical marijuana businesses are operating in Denver. In addition, the audit reported that the Department’s personnel lacked formal policies and procedures to govern the licensure process. Finally, the auditors concluded that the medical marijuana licensure fee was established arbitrarily and the Department does not know the extent to which the marijuana license fees cover the costs of administering the program.

 

Taken together, these reports show that the state gets an F for “regulating” marijuana as medicine in Colorado. And it is not just the auditors who are worried. Treatment centers in Colorado are reporting more and more problems with marijuana, and emergency room admissions for the drug are skyrocketing among kids. The journal JAMA Pediatrics reported that unintentional marijuana poisonings among kids have risen significantly since marijuana as medicine has been available. Other peer-reviewed papers are finding that medical marijuana is easily diverted to youth. The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in 2012 surveyed 164 Denver-area teens in treatment, and 121 of them — or nearly 74 percent — said they had used someone else’s medical marijuana. The average number of times they had done so? 50 times. Researchers also found that after adjusting for gender and race/ethnicity, teenage patients who used medical marijuana had more symptoms of marijuana dependence and conduct disorders than those who did not use medical marijuana.

 

Additionally, according to the Department of Health, only 3% of users in Colorado reported cancer, and less than 1% reported HIV/AIDS as their reason for marijuana. The vast majority (94%) reported “severe pain.” New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg best summed up marijuana as medicine when he said that it is “one of the greatest hoaxes of all time.”

 

Add this to other law enforcement reports showing that more than 70 instances of the diversion of medical marijuana to criminal drug operations, and the picture is not good.

 

And a new, nationally representative survey released on July 16 confirms that parents who support legalization of marijuana expect strict regulation of the substance’s availability. While 40 percent of adults say they are in favor of legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes, a majority of them oppose any form of legal marijuana for use among kids and teens. Almost everyone surveyed expects no advertising or commercialization of the drug in a legal environment. Legalization advocates in Colorado, who stand to make millions off of this new industry, insist on sweeping aside any concerns by saying “we’ll learn from the past and do it better.” But, given the vast influence of Big Marijuana involved in the current process to draft marijuana regulations — we shouldn’t count on it.

Source: Colorado Fails to Regulate Marijuana

THE FOLLOWING PAPER SHOWS EXTRACTS FROM A REPORT PUBLISHED IN AUGUST 2013 – SHOWING THE IMPACT OF MARIJUANA LEGALISATION AND SO-CALLED MEDICAL MARIJUANA FROM 2009.  THIS REPORT IS SHOCKING AND SHOULD BE CAREFULLY READ IN FULL BY ANY POLITICIANS CONSIDERING CHANGING DRUG POLICY LAWS.

NDPA SUGGESTS YOU GO ONLINE TO ACCESS THE FULL REPORT.

THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA IN COLORADO: THE IMPACT Vol. 1/August 2013 Executive Summary

2006 – 2008: There were between 1,000 and 4,800 medical marijuana cardholders and no known dispensaries operating in Colorado.

2009 – 2012: There were over 108,000 medical marijuana cardholders and 532 licensed dispensaries operating in Colorado by November 2012.

 

Colorado Youth Marijuana Use: In 2011, the national average for youth 12 to 17 years old considered “current” marijuana users was 7.64 percent which was the highest average since 1981. The Colorado average percent was 10.72.

 

Colorado Adult Marijuana Use: In 2011, the national average for young adults ages 18 to 25 considered current marijuana users was at 18.7 percent. The Colorado average was 27.26 percent.

 

Colorado Emergency Room – Marijuana Admissions: From 2005 through 2008 there was an average of 741 visits per year to the emergency room in Colorado for marijuana-related incidents involving youth. That number increased to 800 visits per year between 2009 and 2011.

 

Colorado Marijuana-Related Exposure Cases: From 2005 through 2008, the yearly average number of marijuana-related exposures for children ages 0 to 5 years was 4. For 2009 through 2012, that number increased 200 percent to an average of 12 per year.

 

Diversion of Colorado Marijuana (General): From 2005 to 2008, compared to 2009 to 2012, interdiction seizures involving Colorado marijuana quadrupled from an average per year of 52 to 242. During the same period, the average number of pounds of Colorado marijuana seized per year increased 77 percent from an average of 2,220 to 3,937 pounds. A total of 7,008 pounds was seized in 2012

 

Beginning in the spring of 2009, Colorado experienced an explosion to over 20,000 new medical marijuana patient applications and the emergence of over 250 medical marijuana dispensaries (allowed to operate as “caregivers”). One dispensary owner claimed to be a primary caregiver to 1,200 patients. Government took little or no action against these commercial operations.

By the end of 2009, new patient applications jumped from around 6,000 for the first seven years to an additional 38,000 in just one year. Actual cardholders went from 4,800 in 2008 to 41,000 in 2009. By mid-2010, there were over 900 marijuana dispensaries identified by law enforcement.

In 2010, law enforcement sought legislation to ban dispensaries and reinstate the one-to-five ratio of caregiver to patient as the model. However, in 2010 the Colorado Legislature passed HB-1284 which legalized medical marijuana centers (dispensaries), marijuana cultivation operations, and manufacturers for marijuana edible products. By 2012, there were 532 licensed dispensaries in Colorado and over 108,000 registered patients, 94 percent of who qualified for a card because of severe pain.

 

Traffic fatalities in Colorado decreased 16 percent1, from 2006 to 2011, which is consistent with national trends. During the same six years in Colorado, traffic fatalities involving drivers testing positive for just marijuana increased 114 percent.2

• In 2006 in Colorado, traffic fatalities involving drivers testing positive for marijuana represented 5 percent of the total traffic fatalities. By 2011, that percent more than doubled to 13 percent.2

• In 2006, drivers testing positive for marijuana were involved in 28 percent of fatal vehicle crashes involving drugs. By 2011 that number had increased to 56 percent.2

 

DUID (Driving Under the Influence of Drugs)

Victim Voice President Ed Wood shares his perspective on drugged driving:

“Drivers on drugs are involved in a remarkably high proportion of fatalities. When we look at only collisions where drivers’ blood tests were reported, we see that 36 percent of the fatalities involved drivers testing positive for drugs, and 20 percent tested positive for marijuana. These percentages held steady from 2006 through 2009 (averaging 29 percent and 12 percent respectively), but the marijuana numbers took a big jump to 17 percent in 2010 and again to 20 percent in 2011 after dispensaries were established.”

 

 

The French National Institute for Transportation and Safety Research, in a study published in 2005 by the British Medical Journal, concludes that even small amounts of marijuana could double the chances of a driver suffering a crash and larger doses could more than triple the risk.

• According to the Columbia University School of Public Health, the risk of an automobile crash is almost 2.7 times higher among marijuana users than non-users. The more marijuana smoked in terms of frequency and potency, the greater likelihood of a crash.4

 

• Glenn Davis, Highway Safety Manager, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Office of Transportation Safety, said that of drug-related deaths, half involved marijuana. He stated, “You have a substance [marijuana] that causes impairment that is more readily available than it was two years ago.” Davis said that was because of the increasing use of medical marijuana in Colorado.5

 

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2009) found more people are driving on weekend nights under the influence of marijuana (8.3 percent) compared to alcohol (2.2 percent).6

 

• Close to one out of four teens admit to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and, of those, 75 percent do not believe smoking marijuana adversely affects their driving.7

 

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2004) found that marijuana significantly impairs one’s ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. They cite: decreased car handling performance, inability to maintain headway, impaired time and distance estimation, increased reaction time, lack of motor coordination and impaired sustained vigilance.8

• An article published in the Volume 34, 2012 edition of Epidemiologic Reviews examined nine studies conducted over the past two decades on marijuana and car crash risks. Their conclusion: “Drivers who tested positive for marijuana, or self-reported using marijuana, are more than twice as likely as other drivers to be involved in motor vehicle crashes.”

 

A study published by the National Institute of Health Public Access in 2009 showed that the effects of marijuana vary more between the individual than the effects of alcohol. The study also states that laboratory tests and driving studies show, “Cannabis may acutely impair several driving-related skills in a dose-related fashion but the effects between individuals varies more than they do with alcohol because of tolerance, the difference in smoking techniques and different absorption of THC.” The study warns that patients who smoke marijuana should be counseled to have a designated driver if possible or to wait at least three hours after smoking.10

• A 2009 study published by the Institute for the Study of Labor in Germany claimed that states with legalized medical marijuana actually had a drop in traffic deaths. This study was not peer reviewed. The states selected were Vermont with only 400 cardholders, Rhode Island with only 3,000 cardholders and Montana which had only 6,000 cardholders.11

• A study by Dalhousie University (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) Associate Professors Ashbridge and Hayden published in the British Medical Journal on February 9, 2012 showed: “Driving under the influence of cannabis was associated with a significantly increased risk of motor vehicle collisions compared with unimpaired driving.

 

Students’ Current Marijuana Use

In 2011, nearly one out of four of the Boulder County School District high school students (9th – 12th grade) surveyed indicated that they were current marijuana users.  This is more than three times the national rate.

o In academic school years 2008 – 2010, an average of 20.75 percent of Adams County high school students surveyed indicated they were current marijuana users (at least once in the last 30 days). That number increased 39 percent during academic years 2010 – 2012 to 28.85 percent.

 

In the academic school years 2008 – 2010, an average of 5.65 percent of Adams County middle school students surveyed indicated they were current marijuana users (at least once in the last 30 days). That number increased 50 percent during academic years 2010 – 2012 to 8.5 percent.11

 

 

Colorado Springs Drug Testing High School Referrals o Drug-related referrals for high school students testing positive for marijuana have increased each year from 2007 – 2012. During 2007 – 2009 an average of 5.6 students tested positive for marijuana.

During 2010 – 2012 the average number of students who tested positive for marijuana increased to 17.3 students per year.

 

In 2007, tests positive for marijuana made up 33 percent of the total drug screenings, by 2012 that number increased to 57 percent.

 

Detected THC levels in the students increased by 76 percent after 2009. § 2007 – 2009 the average THC level quantified = 225 nanograms.

2010 – 2012 the average THC level quantified = 396 nanograms.

 

Current Marijuana Use Rates for 12th-Graders

In 2011, the average of 12th graders using marijuana in the last 30 days:  Nationally – 28.0 percent12 (22.6 percent2 according to the National Institute for Drug Abuse [NIDA])

Colorado – 31.2 percent10

Denver Public Schools – 32 percent6

Boulder County High Schools – 36 percent3

 

High School Senior Daily Use of Marijuana o Nationally in 2011, of the 12th grade respondents, 6.6 percent reported smoking marijuana daily, which is the highest level since 1981 when the rate was 7 percent. In 2011, 7.8 percent of Colorado’s high school seniors reported using marijuana 40 or more times per month.  Another 2.9 percent reported using marijuana between 20 and 39 times a month.

 

Colorado Department of Education- Drug Related Suspensions and Expulsions

There was a 32 percent increase in drug-related expulsions and suspensions from the 2008 – 2009 academic year to 2009 – 2010 academic year.7

For the academic years ending in 07, 08, and 09, drug related expulsions/suspensions remained stable with an average of 3,782.7

For the academic years ending in 10, 11, and 12, drug-related expulsions/suspensions increased to an average of 5,217.7 This is a 37 percent increase.

 

“Drug violations shot up dramatically in Colorado schools during the 2009-2010 school year, reversing a decade of steady decline…”9

Rebecca Jones, reporter, EdNews Colorado

 

 

• The average reported past month marijuana use for young adults (ages 18-25) in 2011: o The national average = 18.78 percent

o The Colorado average = 27.26 percent

 

• The average reported past month marijuana use for adults (ages 26+) in Colorado has increased from 5.32 percent in 2008 to 8.19 percent in 2011. That is a 54 percent increase.

 

 

Drug Abuse Warning Network (Ages 12 – 17) Data: o Colorado ER visits per year related to marijuana only:

2005 – 2008 = 741 average visits per year

2009 – 2011 = 800 average visits per year

 

In 2011, Colorado ER data showed that marijuana-related incidents accounted for 26 percent of the total ER visits, compared to 21 percent nationally.

 

 

• Young children (ages 0 to 5) marijuana-related exposures in Colorado

 

During the years 2006 – 2008, the average number of marijuana-related exposures for ages 0 to 5 was 4 per year.1

For the years 2009 – 2012, the average number of marijuana-related exposures for ages 0 to 5 was 12 per year.1 § This is a 200 percent increase.

 

 

El Paso Intelligence Center, National Seizure System

NOTE: This only includes those cases in which Colorado marijuana was actually seized and reported. It is unknown how many

Colorado marijuana loads were not detected or, if seized, were not reported.

 

El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) has established the National Seizure System (NSS) for voluntary reporting interdiction seizures throughout the country.

 

 

Many state highway patrols have done a good job reporting their highway seizures. RMHIDTA was able to identify the number of interdiction seizures involving marijuana from Colorado destined for other states in the country.

 

• In 2012, there were 274 Colorado marijuana interdiction seizures destined for other states compared to 54 in 2005. This is a 407 percent increase.

 

• Of the 274 seizures in 2012, there were 37 different states destined to receive marijuana from Colorado. The most common destinations were Kansas (37), Missouri (30), Illinois (22) Texas (18), Wisconsin (18), Florida (16) and Nebraska (13). There were some seizures in which the destination state was unknown.

• From 2005 – 2008, compared to 2009 – 2012, the average number of interdiction seizures per year involving Colorado marijuana more than quadrupled from 52.2 to 242.

• From 2005 – 2008, compared to 2009 – 2012, the total average number of pounds of Colorado marijuana seized from interdictions increased 77 percent from an average of 2,220 pounds to 3,937.

 

• In 2012, there were 7,008 pounds of Colorado marijuana seized by interdictions that were destined for other states in the country.

 

• The top three Colorado counties identified as the source for the marijuana in 2012 were Denver (141), Boulder (27) and El Paso (24).

 

Dispensary “Patient” Sells Fifty Percent of His Dispensary Marijuana to Juveniles: On May 31, 2012, North Metro Task Force executed a residential search warrant in Thornton, COLORADO where a 19-year-old male was selling marijuana. The suspect admitted to selling marijuana for two years but recently expanded his business after getting his medical marijuana card. He stated that he gets the marijuana he sells from a dispensary in the Denver Metro area. The suspect admitted he purchases approximately 5 to 6 ounces of marijuana per week. He sells 60 percent while using or sharing the other 40 percent. He estimated that his profit is approximately 30 percent. He admitted to three to four drug sales per day, seven days per week. He also stated that 50 percent of these sales are directly to juveniles. He said dispensary marijuana is easy to get and is of high quality.

Impaired Driver Cites Ease of Getting Dispensary Marijuana: In April 2012, the Thornton Police Department (COLORADO) contacted a driver who admitted to smoking marijuana while driving. She failed voluntary roadside tests and was arrested. During a search of her vehicle officers found 3 ounces of marijuana with dispensary stickers. In an interview she admitted she does not have a medical marijuana card. She stands in front of dispensaries and asks people to buy her marijuana. She admitted that she had done this multiple times and had never gone away empty handed. When asked why she goes to dispensaries, she stated that the marijuana is better but the main reason was availability. She said she never had to wait more than two hours to get a couple ounces of marijuana. Conversely, when she was buying from other sources she sometimes would have to wait and never get what she wanted. She noted the ease and certainty of buying marijuana has made using dispensaries well worth it.

 

In a press release dated August 13, 2012, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers stated, “It is becoming clear that as predicted in the 2010 legislative hearings, Colorado is becoming a significant exporter of marijuana to the rest of the country.”

A 2011 report from the Drug Enforcement Administration – Denver Field Division states, “Colorado’s medical marijuana system allows for a widespread exportation and illicit marijuana distribution…. Colorado is on track to become a primary source of supply for high-grade marijuana throughout the country.”2

Nebraska State Patrol Sergeant Dana Korell: “Marijuana out of Colorado is having a local impact. It is flooding, just flooding the marketplace. It’s everywhere.”3

Cheyenne County (Nebraska) Sheriff John Jensen claims legalizing marijuana in Colorado changed local drug trafficking in a way not seen in his seventeen years in law enforcement. “Now you have dispensaries, you have grow houses in our neighboring states that are growing a much better product.” “Now we’re getting the high-grade marijuana” coming across the border.3

The Intelligence Center’s analysis of the illegal drug market in the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, which includes Nebraska, found “demand for high-potency marijuana has increased during the last three years, fueling both increased indoor hydroponic grows and importation from California and Colorado.”4

 

United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) “Prohibited Mailing of Narcotics”

(PMN) drug database:

This database does not capture parcels with smaller amounts of marijuana which are handled administratively.

 

• From 2010 – 2013, the number of intercepted parcel packages of marijuana from Colorado, has increased each year:

2010: 15 parcels

2011: 36 parcels

2012: 158 parcels § Over ten times the number seized in 2010

2013: 209 parcels – only as of May 2013 (five months)

 

• From 2010 – 2012 the total pounds of marijuana seized from packages mailed from Colorado has increased each year:

In 2010: total of 57 pounds were seized

In 2011: total of 68 pounds were seized

In 2012: total of 262 pounds were seized § Nearly five times the amount seized in 2010

These figures only reflect packages seized. They do not count packages of Colorado marijuana that were mailed and reached the intended destination.

 

In 2013: 205 pounds have been seized – as of May 2013 (five months)

 

• Between 2010 and 2012, the number of states destined to receive marijuana mailed from Colorado has increased each year:

In 2010 – 10 states

In 2011 – 24 states

In 2012 – 29 states

In 2013 – 23 states in only the first three months

LARGE numbers of children in Scotland affected by their mothers drinking alcohol during pregnancy have not been diagnosed, experts suspect.

Estimates suggest more than 100 children a year in Scotland could be born with foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) – the most severe form of disability caused by alcohol use among pregnant women.

However, a monitoring project has received just 37 confirmed reports of the disorder in three-and-a-half years.  Experts said lack of awareness and low rates of diagnosis meant children were missing out on special care to deal with their disabilities, while it could also mean missed opportunities to prevent other babies being born to mothers who abuse alcohol when pregnant.

Based on worldwide estimates that FAS affects between 0.5 and two in every 1,000 births, Scotland would expect to see between 29 and 117 affected children born each year.

However, the 37 confirmed reports in more than three years suggests many are being missed. This included just eight cases from Scotland’s biggest health region, Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Dr Chris Steer, a paediatrician in Fife involved in the monitoring project, said based on the prevalence estimates, his team would expect to see more cases of the condition being identified in Scotland.

“There is a lack of familiarity with clinical presentation, or sometimes lack of reliable information about maternal drinking habits in pregnancy, either because you haven’t taken your enquiries far enough or there has been some evasion and people not giving a truthful account of their drinking,” Dr Steer told The Scotsman. “It is sometimes difficult for people to admit they have been drinking more in pregnancy.”

Symptoms of FAS can vary, but in many severe cases includes distinct facial features such as a small head and short nose. Babies may also be small when they are born and remain so.

Other signs include developmental delay and emotional, behavioural and learning difficulties, but symptoms are not always obvious.

Dr Steer said the figures also showed huge variation in diagnosis across Scotland.“That probably reflects that clinician awareness in some areas is at a more alert level,” he said.

As well as those with FAS, an estimated five to nine times as many children are thought to suffer from foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), where disabilities may be less severe but also require extra help and support.

Dr Maggie Watts, the Scottish Government’s co-ordinator on foetal alcohol disorders, said identifying children with these disorders was not always easy in cases where symptoms were not obvious or the mother’s history was not known.

“In Canada and the US, they have had established services specifically around FASD for a considerable number of years and they are demonstrating that you can get the diagnosis and you can make a difference,” she said.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has been running workshops in Scotland to raise awareness of alcohol disorders in children. More are planned.

Source:  www.scotsman.com  29th July 2013

MARIJUANA IS NOT MEDICINE. The FDA, which must approve all medicines, has reviewed scientific studies of marijuana for over 50 years and concludes it is not a safe or effective medicine, has the potential for harm and is addictive. It cannot be legally prescribed by any doctor.

National medical associations for cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and others oppose using marijuana as a medicine, other than synthetic marijuana called Marinol, which is FDA approved and available in pill form.

CAN CAUSE PERMANENT BRAIN DAMAGE by disrupting development of the brain.

It reduces the amount of white matter by as much as 80%, and shrinks the hippocampus, the learning, cognition and memory center of the brain. This can create a loss of 8 points of IQ by age 38.1 Marijuana is a major factor in the one-third high school dropout rate in America, and why America is 26th in the world academically. The brain isn’t fully developed until the mid-twenties, so adolescent use is particularly damaging.

CAUSES HEALTH PROBLEMS INCLUDING CANCER of the head, nose and throat, and is a major cause of testicular cancer in young males.2 It causes chronic bronchitis and respiratory problems, and elevates the risk of heart attack 4 times 1 hour after smoking.3

CAUSES MENTAL ILLNESS, CRIME AND VIOLENCE. Marijuana use exacerbates mental illness. In addition to observed links between marijuana use and mental illness,4 marijuana affects brain systems that are still maturing through young adulthood, its use by teens has been associated with schizophrenia, paranoia and other psychosis leading to depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.5 Jared Loughner, the Tucson shooter, is one of many examples. ONDCP’s ADAM II report indicates 52-87% of male arrestees test positive for drugs. 33% of prisoners are mentally ill.6 Research in Canada showed 72.2% of all individuals who used cannabis and 81.8% of those with CUDs (Cannabis Use Disorders) had a mental illness.7 Young people are 6 times more likely to develop psychosis, 3 times more likely to have hallucinations, and 4 times more likely to have delusions.

72.2% of all individuals who used cannabis and 81.8% of those with CannabisUse Disorders (CUDs)had a mental illness.19

Young people are 6 times more likely to develop psychosis, 3 times more likely to have hallucinations, and 4 times more likely to have delusions.

Side effects can appear years after smokers quit.

Teens who smoke marijuana at least once a month are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than are non-users.8 Side effects can appear years after smokers quit.9 To prevent crime, one must prevent the onset of alcohol and drug use before it begins, on average at age 12 or 13.

CAN KILL OR permanently HARM A FETUS. Today’s high potency pot (20% plus) can cause fatal brain damage to a fetus only 2 weeks after conception, before the mother even knows she is pregnant. She can quit using pot, but it’s too late for the baby. Research from forty years ago showed that marijuana with 1/2 to 2% THC caused a rise in still births from 12% normal to 44%. Many babies that survived child birth had physical deformities and brain damage that altered their behavior well into the teens.10 Babies of mothers who smoked pot during pregnancy had an 11 fold increase in nonlumphobiastic leukemia. Behavioral problems exist in babies who were exposed to THC, including deficits in attention.11

CAUSES DNA DAMAGE. Marijuana causes more cellular damage than even heroin.12 It also causes mutations to sperm and chromosomal abnormalities that can carry forward and affect future generations. It affects the pituitary gland, a pea size structure at the base of the brain, that is the control center for sex and reproductive hormones and in turn, sexual dysfunction.13

 

IS ADDICTIVE. Research tells us that 1 in 6 people who start using it (marijuana) as adolescents become addicted.14 Currently about 24% of high school seniors smoke pot regularly, impervious to the harms. According to ONDCP, 17% of those under 18 will become addicted to it, 9% who start after 18 will become addicted, and many will move on to the hard drugs that kill 3,200 Americans monthly by overdose (SAMHSA). 68-90% of those started their drug journey with marijuana. Teen ”Heavy” marijuana use is up 80% since 2008.15

 

DOUBLES THE RISK OF TRAFFIC DEATHS. Of drivers in a Maryland Trauma Center, 27% of injured drivers tested positive for marijuana, second only to alcohol at 33%. 50% of drivers under 21 tested positive for pot, compared to 33% for alcohol.16 Fat soluble THC marijuana will ”…accumulate and persist in the brain, at its receptors, at higher levels17 than can be predicted from blood levels.” In California, driving deaths from marijuana impairment have doubled since 2004.18

 

 

 

ENDNOTES

1. Seal, Dr. Marc, Melbourne University, APP article Marijuana Causes Brain Damage August 2012.

2. Marijuana, Cocaine and Testicular Tumors/Lacsson, et.al. (2012)

3. The Health Effects of Marijuana. About.com. September 30, 2002.

4. NIDA Research Report: Marijauna Abuse (2012) http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/rrmarijuana.pdf

5. Madras, Bertha, M.D., Harvard Medical School

6. Behind Bars II research project. The National Center of Substance Abuse and Addiction. (www.casacolumbia.org)

7. Cowen, Mark. Sr Report medwirenews, 4/12/2013. Compr Psychiatry 2013 Advance Online Publication.

8. ONDCP, 2008 Marijuana Sourcebook – July 2008 as reported by Dr. Robert DuPont

9. Pickett, Dr. Mary, Harvard Medical School. March 2010

10. Mann, Peggy. MARIJUANA. The Myth of Harmlessness goes up in smoke. (1987)

11. Sassenrath, Dr. Ehtel, U of Davis Primate Research Center. Reported by Peggy Mann (1987).

12. Miroshima, Dr. Akira. The Myth of Harmlessness Goes Up In Smoke. (1987)

13. Mann, Peggy. MARIJUANA. The Myth of Harmlessness Goes Up In Smoke. Pg 12 (1987)

14. National Institution of Drug Abuse. The Science of Drug Abuse and Addiction. www.drugabuse.gov and/or NIDA Dr. Nora Volkow

referencing 2010 Monitoring the Future Study http://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/news-releases/2010/12/teen-marijuanause-

increases-especially-among-eighth-graders

15. Institute of Behavior and Health. Robert DuPont, M.D. Stopdruggeddriving.com.

16. MetLife Foundation

17. Madras, Dr. Bertha K, Professor of Psychobiology, Dept of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School postulating.

18. Crancer, Alan. Calif MJ study. (2012)

19. National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (2002)

Source:  www.drugfreecalifornia.org.  July 2013

Teens who regularly use marijuana may be at risk for developing serious psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, a new study suggests.

This is because regular marijuana use in adolescence, but not adulthood, may permanently damage brain function and cognition, according to new research.

Scientists from the University of Maryland School of Medicine hope that the latest findings will help warn policy makers contemplating legalizing marijuana about the potential long-term dangers of the drug.

“Over the past 20 years, there has been a major controversy about the long-term effects of marijuana, with some evidence that use in adolescence could be damaging,” senior author Asaf Keller, Ph.D., Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine said in a news release.

Previous studies have suggested that children who start using marijuana before the age of 16 are significantly more likely to develop permanent cognitive deficits and psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia.

“There likely is a genetic susceptibility, and then you add marijuana during adolescence and it becomes the trigger,” Keller explained.

The current study wanted to identify the biological evidence and determine whether marijuana use during adolescence really comes with permanent health risks.

In the study, researchers examined the cortical oscillations in mice. Cortical oscillations, or patterns of neuronal activity, are believed to underlie the brain’s various functions.  Researchers say that these oscillations are very abnormal in people with schizophrenia and in other psychiatric disorders.

The study revealed that mice exposed to very low doses of the active ingredient in marijuana for 20 days had “grossly altered” cortical oscillations in adulthood.  Researchers said these mice also exhibited impaired cognitive abilities.

“We also found impaired cognitive behavioral performance in those mice. The striking finding is that, even though the mice were exposed to very low drug doses, and only for a brief period during adolescence, their brain abnormalities persisted into adulthood,” lead researcher Sylvina Mullins Raver, a Ph.D. candidate in the Program in Neuroscience

in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said in a statement.

After repeating the experiment in adult mice, researchers found that the cortical oscillations and ability to perform cognitive behavioral tasks remained normal in mice exposed to the drug only after they’ve fully matured. Researchers said this suggests that it was only marijuana exposure during the critical period of adolescence that impaired cognition through this mechanism.

Further analysis revealed that that the frontal cortex, the brain area that controls executive functions such as planning and impulse control, is significantly more affected by the drugs during adolescence. Researchers noted that the frontal cortex is also the area most affected in schizophrenia.

While the latest study was on mice, researchers believe that the findings have implications for humans as well. They say the next step is to continue researching the underlying mechanisms that cause these changes in cortical oscillations.

“The purpose of studying these mechanisms is to see whether we can reverse these effects,” explained Keller. “We are hoping we will learn more about schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders, which are complicated conditions. These cognitive symptoms are not affected by medication, but they might be affected by controlling these cortical oscillations.” The latest findings are published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

Source:  http://www.counselheal.com/articles/6163/20130724/marijuana-use-adolescence-adulthood-linked-permanent-brain-damage.htm   24.07.13

Underage drinkers are more likely than alcohol users ages 21 or older to use illicit drugs within 2 hours of alcohol use, according to data from the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. One in five (20.1%) underage drinkers reported using at least one illicit drug the last time they used alcohol, compared to 4.9% of those ages 21 or older. Marijuana was the most commonly reported illicit drug used in combination with alcohol by both underage (19.2%) and older (4.4%) drinkers. In contrast, illicit drugs other than alcohol, including cocaine, heroin, and prescription drugs used non-medically, were used with alcohol by only 2.2% of underage drinkers and less than 1% of drinkers ages 21 and older. Future research will be needed to study if the co-occurring use of alcohol and marijuana changes among residents of Colorado and Washington, which have both recently enacted laws legalizing the recreational use of marijuana by adults.

Source: Adapted by CESAR from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables, 2012. Available online at http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2011SummNatFindDetTables/Index.aspx

In a hidden corner of the web, the Silk Road site quietly earns millions as an illegal-drug marketplace – a kind of ‘amoral eBay’. But start-up Atlantis wants a share, and it’s pulling in business fast with ads on YouTube. Paul Peachey reports on a cybercrime turf war.  It has all the hallmarks of a drugs turf war. The don is under threat, wounded by a series of attacks, with key players swapping sides and prices undercut by a hungry young rival. He lashes back: the newcomer “gets no respect from me” and the dealers watch carefully for shifts in power.

This, however, is not a battle fought with weapons on street corners. The fight is for ownership of one of the darkest corners of the internet, where high-grade drugs at street-level prices are available at the click of the button.

After more than two years of undisputed leadership, Silk Road – the one-stop shop for drugs, porn and dodgy documents described as an “amoral eBay” – is facing a challenge from a rival hungry for a slice of its multimillion-pound revenues. Established in 2011 by a shadowy founder known as Dread Pirate Roberts, Silk Road has been a business success story. It has provided anonymity to its users and sellers on a sub-layer of the internet unreachable by normal search engines such as Google.

Now a new start-up, Atlantis, has copied many of its features but changed the rules with an unexpectedly public promotional campaign and financial incentives to dealers to switch to its marketplace.   Founded by libertarian activists with backgrounds in business, technology and drug dealing, Atlantis stepped up its offering last month with a YouTube advertising campaign and a question and answer session with its anonymous chief executive officer. The advert – featuring an animated figure called Charlie the stoner – led to rapid growth with 500 sign-ups a day and 50,000 registered users, according to a senior figure at Atlantis, “Heisenberg2.0”, in response to a series of questions from The Independent on Sunday. Among its selling points: next-day delivery, no hidden fees and an “eBay-style feedback system”.

“If we continue growing at the pace we are now we will be bigger than Silk Road this time next year, but we are playing the long game and know a lot will change in the world around us between now and then,” said Heisenberg2.0. “Maybe when the world’s leaders are ready to give up the prohibition game we will be ready to come out of the shadows and help clean up the mess they made. In the meantime we are quite happy to operate outside of the current legal frameworks that exist.”

The site is set up like a typical online marketplace offering forgeries, porn, memorabilia, sports shirts and a deal to “buy” Twitter followers for the online narcissist. Items banned from sale include “anything related to paedophilia, poisons, loans, investment opportunities, assassination services or anything which can inflict harm on another person”.

But its staple is drugs. Though the sums represent a tiny fraction of the multibillion-pound global market, the sites represent an emerging threat to law enforcement and an end to the reliance on street-corner deals. High-grade cocaine with purity claimed at more than 80 per cent is sold at £65 a gramme, and shipped from Belgium. Average street price in the UK is £46 a gramme, according to the charity DrugScope, but for inferior purity.

“If people can become aware of being able to source cocaine of that purity … then we will see a change,” said Allen Morgan, an expert witness and former police officer. “There’s definitely a market for high-grade cocaine among professionals, and people are

fed up of getting ripped off with low-quality cocaine. I think we will see a seismic shift in the UK drugs market and it will take the police a long time to get a grip on this.”

Atlantis is just the latest example of anonymous online markets – offering illegal merchandise or services – which are beginning to prosper and proliferate. Only The Armory – which sold weapons – was scrapped, because of low sales. Operators use the cloaking anonymity of the Tor network – known as the hidden web – created by the US military and designed to hide the identity of users and sellers.

Nicolas Christin, of Carnegie Mellon University, who has studied Silk Road, says the proof of its success is the emergence of competition. “You don’t have to interact with shady characters, you just click on a few buttons and you get what you want in the mail,” he said. “Silk Road was always under the radar. Atlantis is very aggressively marketing itself. It’s a very different approach.”

Deals on Atlantis are done via encrypted software and paid for with cybercurrency, an internet cash equivalent. Sellers are encouraged to “creatively disguise” shipments as business mail, and vacuum-pack them to avoid sniffer-dog detection.  The identity of those behind Atlantis is a mystery, and Heisenberg2.0 declined to reveal even the nationality of its founders. The Serious Organised Crime Agency said it was “aware of the so-called ‘hidden’ areas of the internet, and has the capability to investigate organised criminal groups seeking to exploit them”.

Police have successfully targeted sellers on such sites. In April 2012, US authorities busted a secret drugs marketplace known as the Farmer’s Market, resulting in eight arrests in the US, the Netherlands and Colombia. Officials said the ring handled over $1m (£655,000) in drugs sales from 2007 to 2009. It had customers in every US state, and in 34 countries, according to court documents.

Peter Wood, the founder of the ethical hacking firm First Base Technologies, said breaking open the networks depended on identifying individuals, then seizing their computer equipment. “It’s a case of tricking the person into engaging with them to get access to a computer,” he said. “It’s the same sort of techniques as traditional police work, and conning the conmen.”

Global crime goes online

Organised gangs are increasingly switching from traditional crimes to cyber scams to tap lucrative new opportunities through the relative anonymity of the web, statistics showed this week – with a sharp rise in online crimes recorded in England and Wales.

The cracking of criminal rings involved in child sex abuse, fake credit cards and online drug sales have led to gangs going deeper into the so-called Darknet to avoid the law. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre this month revealed its concern over the growing use of anonymous online encrypted networks, with use in Britain increasing by two-thirds, one of the largest increases globally.

Europol warns that new technologies adopted by criminals mean that previous investigative methods “will prove ineffective”.   Deputy Chief Constable Jeff Farrar, of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: “Crime is moving to the online world.”

The advantages for criminals are clear: the web allows greater penetration of global markets without the risk of border security, and profit potential is huge through the activities of small numbers of criminals. The 27 per cent rise in frauds last year was accompanied by falls in most other crimes.

The benefits were highlighted by the tiny operation that ran a “Facebook for fraudsters” from an internet café but acted as a supermarket for a global network of cyber criminals that led to losses of tens of millions of pounds. A Sri Lankan-born Briton, Renukanth Subramaniam, was jailed for nearly five years for orchestrating the Darkmarket site, where  2,000 fraudsters traded credit cards and viruses. Prosecutors said that the scam utilised modern technology with “no more than a dishonest will, a laptop, a mouse and internet access” to commit theft on an unprecedented scale.

But Darkmarket is dwarfed by what US authorities claim is a £4bn money-laundering project by a firm that hid proceeds of crimes such as theft, drug trafficking and child porn. Liberty Reserve was the front for 55 million illegal transactions, according to an indictment lodged in the US courts after its founder was arrested in Spain in May.

The Serious Organised Crime Agency said it had sent “cyber liaison officers” to key locations abroad to work with other agencies.

Source:  www.independent.co.uk  24th July 2013

But there may be some benefit to those at the lower end of the disability scale

The first large non-commercial clinical study to investigate whether the main active constituent of cannabis (tetrahydrocannabinol or THC) is effective in slowing the course of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), shows that there is no evidence to suggest this; although benefits were noted for those at the lower end of the disability scale.

The study is published in The Lancet Neurology.

The CUPID (Cannabinoid Use in Progressive Inflammatory brain Disease) study was carried out by researchers from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry.

The study was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Multiple Sclerosis Trust, and managed by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) on behalf of the MRC-NIHR partnership.

CUPID enrolled nearly 500 people with MS from 27 centers around the UK, and has taken eight years to complete.

People with progressive MS were randomized to receive either THC capsules or identical placebo capsules for three years, and were carefully followed to see how their MS changed over this period.

The two main outcomes of the trial were a disability scale administered by neurologists (the Expanded Disability Status Scale), and a patient report scale of the impact of MS on people with the condition (the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale 29).

Overall the study found no evidence to support an effect of THC on MS progression in either of the main outcomes.

However, there was some evidence to suggest a beneficial effect in participants who were at the lower end of the disability scale at the time of enrollment but, as the benefit was only found in a small group of people rather than the whole population, further studies will be needed to assess the robustness of this finding.

One of the other findings of the trial was that MS in the study population as a whole progressed slowly, more slowly than expected. This makes it more challenging to find a treatment effect when the aim of the treatment is to slow progression.

As well as evaluating the potential neuroprotective effects and safety of THC over the long-term, one of the aims of the CUPID study was to improve the way that clinical trial research is done, by exploring newer methods of measuring MS and using the latest statistical methods to make the most of every piece of information collected.

This analysis continued for several months and has provided important information about conducting further large scale clinical trials in MS.

Professor John Zajicek, Professor of Clinical Neuroscience at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, said: “To put this study into context: current treatments for MS are limited, either being targeted at the immune system in the early stages of the disease or aimed at easing specific symptoms such as muscle spasms, fatigue or bladder problems.

At present there is no treatment available to slow MS when it becomes progressive.

Progression of MS is thought to be due to death of nerve cells, and researchers around the world are desperately searching for treatments that may be ‘neuroprotective’. Laboratory experiments have suggested that certain cannabis derivatives may be neuroprotective.”

He added: “Overall our research has not supported laboratory based findings and shown that, although there is a suggestion of benefit to those at the lower end of the disability scale when they joined CUPID, there is little evidence to suggest that THC has a long term impact on the slowing of progressive MS.”

Source:  www.redorbit.com/news/health/1112904623/  July 23rd 2013

Much has been written and argued about the legalization of marijuana. Media outlets have recently reported that anywhere from 40 percent to 52 percent of U.S. adults are in favor of the drug’s legalization. In the study for the first figure, overall public support among adults for medical use, decriminalization and legalization of marijuana was 70, 50 and 40 percent respectively and — surprisingly — only slightly lower among parents. Many of these adults — and much of what has been written in favor of legalization — believe that legalizing this drug will bring in increased tax revenue and lesser emphasis on criminalizing its users, allowing law enforcement officers more time to focus on our bigger problems in this country and solve our overcrowded prisons issue. But is that actually true and what are some of the real costs our country would pay for legalizing pot?

Tax Savings — At What Cost?

Pro-legalization groups are often comparing the potential tax revenue of marijuana with alcohol and tobacco; it is true that nothing is more heavily taxed in our society than these two substances. Yet, under closer examination, it is clear that this revenue doesn’t even come close to covering the enormous costs to our society from these products: alcohol misuse results in increased traffic accidents, ER visits, domestic violence and lost work productivity, while both substances lead to substantial and costly medical problems, and even death. In 2010, there were 15,990 alcohol liver deaths and 25,692 alcohol-induced deaths excluding alcohol-related accidents and homicides. In the prior year, there were 10,839 traffic fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. These are just the figures for fatalities — quite obviously the costs to society soar even higher when figuring in those “lucky” enough to just be injured in accidents or still living with emphysema, lung or liver disease.

There are still many people who believe that a person high on marijuana can function properly at home or work and can operate a motor vehicle without impairment. But the reality is that in 2011, marijuana was involved in 455,668 emergency room visits nationwide, and marijuana has been proven to impair motor coordination and reaction time, being the second most prevalent drug (after alcohol) implicated in automobile accidents.

Criminal Justice Relief — Are There Better Ways?

 Many believe that prisons are overcrowded with people who have been arrested and convicted for using marijuana. The first part is true — there are many people in prison related to their marijuana use, however, they are not there because they were arrested or convicted of any marijuana-related legal offense. The prisons are overcrowded with marijuana users due to policies that send a person who is on probation/parole back to jail if they test positive for any illegal substance, including marijuana. Essentially no one is in jail for solely using marijuana, but for testing

positive while on probation for another crime. This is, quite frankly, a misguided and unnecessary policy. We can — and should — seek to modify this policy to address prison overcrowding without having to legalize marijuana. Legalizing the drug will only increase its use and result in added costs to our various systems.

Perhaps one of the biggest prices we would pay for legalizing marijuana has to do with the message we send to our youth and the negative effects we now know are caused by its use. Recent NIH reports show that fewer adolescents believe that regular marijuana use is harmful to their health. At the same time, adolescents are initiating pot use at younger ages, are more likely to use it on a daily basis, and are using marijuana that is much more potent than that used by previous generations.

Most unfortunately, research has shown that persistent marijuana use is associated with neuropsychological decline and more cognitive problems. It has an impact on mental development and is associated with the onset of major mental illness, including psychosis, schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. Impairment is worst when marijuana use begins in adolescence, with more persistent use associated with greater decline. Even more disheartening, stopping use does not fully restore neuropsychological functioning among adolescent-onset users. In addition, marijuana use is consistently associated with poorer academic grades and reduced likelihood of graduating from high school. Heavy adolescent marijuana use (defined as using more than 20 times) may lead to drug and property crime and criminal justice system interactions.

Legalizing marijuana sends the explicit message to our youth that this drug is okay, that it is harmless, when it is addictive and can destroy their lives.

A person under the influence of marijuana has a diminished cognitive capacity, regular use leads to persistent decreases in cognitive abilities, and — for young people — its use can delay cognitive development, and its users are more likely to be involved in an accident or perpetrate a crime. Legalizing marijuana will increase users, increase frequency and have long-term consequences for our youth. The tax revenue it would generate would be dwarfed by the costs to our society. Isn’t that enough to make us just say no to legalization?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deni-carise/legalizing-marijuana-the-_b_3620472.html   23.07.13

Otherwise known as pink ecstasy, paramethoxyamphetamine has been linked to a spate of recent deaths of young people

PMA is already a class-A drug in the UK.  Last week, an inquest into the death of Travis Barber, a 19-year-old gym instructor from Salford Greater Manchester, highlighted the danger of a drug called PMA. Then, at the weekend, another teenager – 15-year-old Martha Fernback – died in Oxford. Although it is far too early to say what caused Fernback’s death, police have said that she took a drug she believed to be ecstasy. But, according to reports, her friends have said that it was PMA. A number of other recent deaths have been linked to the drug, including those of seven young people in Scotland in the last few months. As a recent piece on PMA in the dance music publication Mixmag put it: “This is not just another drug scare story.”

PMA is already a class-A drug; but is it much more dangerous than other illegal substances? “If you compare it to MDMA-related deaths, far fewer people are taking PMA, and there does seem to be the suspicion that people are disproportionately affected,” says Harry Sumnall, professor in substance use at the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University.

PMA – the common name for paramethoxyamphetamine – is usually sold in pill form, sometimes stamped with a crown, or M and sometimes pink (hence the nickname “pink ecstasy”). People who take PMA often believe they are taking ecstasy. The drug’s effects are similar but they can take up to an hour to be felt, so users may take another pill in the mistaken belief that the first has not worked, resulting in a massive dose.

“PMA is a potent releaser of serotonin,” says Sumnall. “It also prevents the reuptake of serotonin back into neurons and inhibits the enzymes which are responsible for the breakdown of serotonin. This increase in serotonin, especially when PMA is taken in combination with other drugs, can lead to hyperthermia and subsequently, organ failure. Basically people are overheating and collapsing.”

PMA is believed to have been first identified in the United States in the early 1970s. The drug soon became controlled and, says Sumnall, “pretty much disappeared. It then reappeared in the mid-1990s in Australia and there were a few deaths associated with it, then it disappeared again. Now it seems to have reappeared in northern Europe, but particularly in the UK.”

Sumnall adds that other countries, such as the Netherlands, are not reporting deaths associated with PMA. “The Dutch have localised drug testing. Perhaps the distributors think the UK market is less discriminatory.” In Britain, he says, “we don’t have an effective, localised early-warning system that predicts the arrival of these sorts of drugs. Most of the warnings come after someone has died, which is too late. We don’t allow localised tablet testing, where users can identify harmful tablets. It’s difficult to know, without a major change in the law, how we’re going to implement an effective response to drugs such as PMA.”

Source:  www.guardian.co.uk  22nd July 2013

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Abstract

In March 2012, the Wyoming Department of Health was notified by Natrona County public health officials regarding three patients hospitalized for unexplained acute kidney injury (AKI), all of whom reported recent use of synthetic cannabinoids (SCs), sometimes referred to as “synthetic marijuana.”

SCs are designer drugs of abuse typically dissolved in a solvent, applied to dried plant material, and smoked as an alternative to marijuana.

AKI has not been reported previously in users of SCs and might be associated with

1) a previously unrecognized toxicity,

2) a contaminant or a known nephrotoxin present in a single batch of drug, or

3) a new SC compound entering the market.

After the Wyoming Department of Health launched an investigation and issued an alert, a total of 16 cases of AKI after SC use were reported in six states. Review of medical records, follow-up interviews with several patients, and laboratory analysis of product samples and clinical specimens were performed.

The results of the investigation determined that no single SC brand or compound explained all 16 cases. Toxicologic analysis of product samples and clinical specimens (available from seven cases) identified a fluorinated SC previously unreported in synthetic marijuana products: (1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indol-3-yl)(2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropyl) methanone, also known as XLR-11, in four of five product samples and four of six patients’ clinical specimens.

Public health practitioners, poison center staff members, and clinicians should be aware of the potential for renal or other unusual toxicities in users of SC products and should ask about SC use in cases of unexplained AKI.

Source:  MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2013 Feb 15;62(6):93-8.

Bipolar disorder patients who also have substance misuse disorders are at an increased risk of suicide compared with patients who are non- drug dependent or do not abuse drugs, suggest Canadian and Italian scientists.

It is estimated that between 25 and 60 per cent of patients with bipolar disorder make at least one suicide attempt during the course of their illness. Despite this, few studies have examined the clinical predictors of suicide attempts in these patients.

Researchers administered the Structural Clinical Interview for DSM-IV to 336 patients with a diagnosis of bipolar I, bipolar II or schizoaffective disorder (bipolar type).

The team, from the University of Toronto and the University of Milan, then compared clinical predictors of suicide attempts in attempters and non-attempters. They found that 26 per cent of the subjects had made at least one suicide attempt.

Lifetime co-morbid substance use disorders were diagnosed in 34 per cent of the subjects, while lifetime comorbid anxiety disorders were diagnosed in 26 per cent of the subjects.

Significantly, patients with a lifetime comorbid substance use disorder (that is, drug abuse and dependence) had a 40 per cent lifetime rate of attempted suicide compared with a rate of 24 per cent for those without the comorbidity.

The team speculates that the relationship between lifetime comorbid substance use disorder and suicide attempts may have a genetic origin and/or may be explained by severity of illness and trait impulsivity.

They add that further research is needed to examine severity of illness, impulsivity and the temporal link between substance use and suicide attempts.

Source: www.thealmagest.com  21.07.2013

A report by the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS on harm reduction programs and Insite released last month is not science; it’s public relations.  Authors Drs. Julio Montaner, Thomas Kerr and Evan Wood have produced nearly two dozen papers on the use of Insite. They boast of good results in connecting addicts to treatment but convincing evidence is lacking.

The current campaign reports significant reductions in drug overdoses, yet the Government of British Columbia Selected Vital Statistics and Health Status Indicators show that the number of deaths from drug overdose in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside has increased each year (with one exception) since the site opened in 2003. In addition, the federal government’s Advisory Committee on Drug Injection Sites report only five per cent of drug addicts use the injection site, three per cent were referred for treatment and there was no indication the crime rate has decreased, as well as no indication of a decrease in AIDS and hepatitis C since the injection site was opened.

Claims of success for Insite made in The Lancet, the British medical journal, in 2011 were challenged in a 15-page, heavily-documented response penned by addictions specialists from Australia, the U.S. and Canada, and by a former VPD officer who worked the DTES for years.

In A Critical Evaluation of the Effects of Safe Injection Facilities for The Institute on Global Drug Policy, Dr. Garth Davies, SFU associate professor wrote: “The methodological and analytic approaches used in these studies are compromised by an array of deficiencies, including a lack of baseline data, insufficient conceptual and operational clarity, inadequate evaluation criteria, absent statistical controls, dearth of longitudinal designs, and inattention to intrasite variation. None of the impacts attributed to SIFs can be unambiguously verified.”

The doctors evaluating Insite are the same people who created Insite and who have been awarded more than $18 million of taxpayers’ money for their initiatives in recent years. Dr. Colin Mangham, on our Board of Directors, has been a researcher in this field since 1979.

“The proposal for Insite was written by the same people who are evaluating it – a clear conflict of interest. Any serious evaluation must be independent. All external critiques or reviews of the Insite evaluations, there are four of them – found profound overstatements and evidence of interpretation bias. All of the evidence – on public disorder, overdose deaths, entry into treatment, containment of serum borne viruses, and so on – is weak or non-existent and certainly does not support the claims of success. There is every appearance of the setting of an agenda before Insite ever started, then a pursuit of that agenda, bending or overstating results wherever necessary.”

Our President, Chuck Doucette, asks to see an independent and unbiased cost/benefit analysis.

“The four pillar approach only works when each pillar is properly funded. Prevention reduces the flow of people into addiction. Treatment reduces the number of addicts including those living in the DTES. Policing keeps a lid on the open drug dealing and the

affects of the associated problems on the community. Only after these three pillars are properly funded can we afford to spend money on Harm Reduction initiatives that do not encourage abstinence. Putting HR first is like running up debt on your credit card and never paying more than your minimum payments.”

No one would object to free needles, crack pipe kits, methadone, heroin and places to shoot up if only they were the side show and not the main event, if only they ever led to real health.  Harm reduction and Insite are palliative. They both spring from a deeply cynical and arrogant world view: You are an addict and you are hopeless. We will keep you “comfortable” while you continue to die.

This is a curious position considering the millions of men and women who admit they are addicts and choose every day not to pick up their poison. I know many such clean and sober citizens.  We owe one another a chance at dignity. To offer less is not only costly, it is monstrous.

David Berner is the executive director of the Drug Prevention Network of Canada.

Source:  Vancouver Sun July 19, 2013 

By Anthony Evans,

To what end?

When it comes to radical shifts in public policy, this is the single most important question that must be asked, because actions don’t take place in a vacuum.  Instead, they take place in a society that consists of all of us, from the very young to the very old.  We’re all inextricably linked in a gigantic causal chain, and as Americans our fates are interconnected.

So when contemplating radical shifts to American drug laws – specifically, the legalization of marijuana: To what end?

The unfortunate truth of the human condition is that most of the time, we can’t foresee all the consequences of our actions.  Not everything can be anticipated.  This lack of foreseeability is why people, businesses and yes, even governments often make decisions that aren’t in their own best interest.  Businesses fail, governments collapse and societies disintegrate because hindsight alone is 20-20.

Sometimes, it’s the unintended consequences that carry the most weight.

What we do know is large, far-reaching decisions have more unknown variables than smaller ones.  Large decisions are the most unpredictable.

It doesn’t get much larger than radicalizing our drug laws.

To be fair, a number of Americans would personally benefit if marijuana was legalized.  First and foremost for drug users, it would allow them to continue to enjoy drugs without the threat of arrest.  Clearly, this is a key incentive; in countless interviews, the pro-legalization demonstrators have been very candid about being motivated by personal self-interest. Various economic benefits have also been touted by marijuana proponents, although it should be noted that the annual state and federal tax revenue for alcohol is $15.3 billion – yet alcohol costs $237.8 billion in health care, treatments, lost productivity and criminal justice.

But what are the other consequences?

Nicotine and Alcohol: The two most heavily abused recreational drugs in America are nicotine and alcohol – and what nicotine and alcohol have in common is that they’re both legal.  That’s probably not coincidental: Shortly after Los Angeles legalized marijuana under the guise of “medical marijuana,” there were suddenly more licensed marijuana dispensaries in the city than Starbucks!  The Obama Administration has stated: “It is therefore fair to suggest that decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana might not reduce the drug’s burden to our justice and public health system with respect to arrests, but might increase these costs by making the drug more readily available, leading to increase use, and ultimately to more arrests for violations of laws controlling its manufacture, sale and use.”

Genetically-Strengthened THC:We know that marijuana plants have been genetically engineered to produce higher levels of THC, the plant’s inebriating agent.  By some estimates, today’s marijuana has between 600 percent and 1,300 percent higher levels of THC than plants from the mid-1970s.  What this ultimately means is unclear, but it

does suggest that Baby Boomers who are basing the legalization argument on their past experiences might be underestimating today’s societal impact.

Violent Crimes and Hospital Visits: Roughly 500,000 people are arrested for violent crimes each year in America – and 98,000 people are arrested for marijuana-related crimes not including simple, nonviolent possession.  Furthermore, a study of shock-trauma patients reported 15 percent of those injured while driving a car or a motorcycle had been smoking marijuana; another 17 percent tested positive for both THC and alcohol in their blood.  And if this wasn’t enough, 450,000 annual visits to the hospital emergency room involve marijuana.  If marijuana is legalized and its availability increases, it seems reasonable to assume that these numbers will rise. – as will the respective costs to society

There is an undeniable statistical link between marijuana usage and violent crimes, although we don’t fully understand the causal relationship.  But it’s worth noting that there was more gun violence at Denver’s recent “4/20” pro-marijuana rally than at any Tea Party rally – ever.  In fact, there’s actually been more gun violence at pro-marijuana rallies than at pro-Second Amendment rallies!

So again we ask: To what end?

Source: www. sun-sentinel.com/2013-07-16

New Zealand have passed new legislation which will make the production and selling of ‘legal highs’ and synthetic cannabis much more difficult since suppliers will have to prove the substances for sale are low risk.  Offences will result in a large fine or even prison.

 

Mike Sabin, MP for Northland says he is hoping to see ‘backyard chemists’ who manufacture psychoactive substances, commonly sold as legal highs and synthetic cannabis, put out of business following the passing of the Psychoactive Substances Bill this afternoon.

 

“Over the last 20 years, countries all over the world have been dealing with an acceleration in the development of new forms of synthetic so-called ‘legal highs’ with the psychoactive compounds being ones that fall outside of drug classifications. This creates a cat and mouse effect for legislators and authorities trying to respond to the impacts of these drugs, says Mr Sabin.

 

“This Bill is unprecedented in that it responds directly to the exploitation of this anomaly, thus reversing the burden of proof to the manufacturers and suppliers of substances, meaning they will have to demonstrate that what they want to supply is low risk – or it won’t be able to make it to market.

 

“Scores of products with unknown effects and unknown risk profiles have made their way through this gap in the regulatory net and ended up on dairy counters alongside lollies,” says Mr Sabin.

 

“This new legislation is not in any way legitimising drug taking. It is specific to the particular nature of synthetically manufactured drugs, by beating the chemists at their own game through putting the onus on them; something I hope will drive them out of business and turn Kiwis off these products.

 

The new legislation includes provisions for:

·        A regulatory authority within the Health Ministry to

o consider and approve or decline psychoactive substances

o issue a manufacturing code of practice

o issue importation, manufacturing and sale licences

o conduct post-marketing monitoring, audit and recall functions

* Establish an expert advisory committee to provide the authority with technical advice

* Set offences and penalties under the Bill, including up to two years’ imprisonment for some offences, and fines of up to $500,000

·        Restrict sales of approved products to those over 18, remove sales from dairies and other non-specialty shops and restrict advertising to point of sale only.

·        Prescribe retail restrictions (including advertising, labelling, and packaging restrictions), health warnings, signage, display, and other requirements.

 

“We should all remember that the only safe drug use is no drug use. Far from being an example as to how to deal with other drugs, as some opposition Parties are suggesting, this law change is simply the best way to stop chemists from altering the chemical compounds to beat the legislation, says Mr Sabin.

 

“These drug manufacturers have made a lot of money and caused a lot of misery in New Zealand. I hope the new law will put them out of business, because society doesn’t need what they have to offer.”

 

Source:  Media Statement by Mike Sabin National MP for Northland NZ  July 2013

Colorado and Washington state’s middle class social experiment on the poor.

The People have spoken. And soon they’ll be tokin’.

After the success of two popular initiatives last fall, cannabis is now legal for recreational use (like squash, I suppose) in the wild and blue states of Colorado and Washington state. Federal law, which trumps state law, still considers marijuana an illegal substance, but with 99 percent of all cannabis prosecutions at state or local levels, the Obama Administration has shown little desire to force the issue.

Those of us who believe direct democracy is the tool of the devil have been proven right again. Public referenda, initiatives, and recalls undermine the kind of deliberative, representative government the Founders, in all their glorious 18th century wisdom, intended. We have state legislatures for a reason — one being so that farmers and other country folk have the same voice as marketing directors, rap singers, and baseball team owners — in other words, so the song of the rural minority is not overwhelmed by the roar of the urban majority.

Instead the Democratic-controlled legislatures of Washington state and Colorado, knowing they lacked the votes to legalize cannabis and override their governor’s certain veto, allowed the question to go before the people in the kind of direct democratic ballot that would have given John Adams nightmares, and which avoids the whole extravagance of a governor’s veto.

Coloradans and Washington staters believe they can legalize pot and bear the consequences of becoming an international drug scene and popular dope destination. That’s their prerogative. Better the people write policy than the faceless, placeless bureaucrats in D.C. Besides marijuana laws are about as local an issue as one can imagine. Drugs, first and foremost, destroy individual lives, families, streets, and neighborhoods. So it makes sense that states, not the federal government, would be in charge of regulating drugs.

This kind of local lawmaking, however, goes against the American grain. We have grown used to tackling every problem at the national level, no doubt because we think of this nation as a great homogenized mass, not the thousands of unique, diverse towns, villages and regions that we are. We have forgotten that the culture of East St. Louis, Illinois — Miles Davis’ old stomping grounds — has very little in common with the culture of the backcountry near Seney in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula — Ernest Hemingway’s old stomping grounds. But the difference in those cultures is the difference between Bitch’s Brew and In Our Time. What works in Seney is not likely to work in East St. Louis, and vice versa.

THE PEOPLE OF Colorado and Washington can probably survive legal pot, because their states are, by and large, rural middle class states, with strong work ethics and low crime rates. Besides, the middle class is notoriously resilient. That is why a country like the Netherlands, with its mostly white middle class and strong Protestant work ethic, can decriminalize weed and not suffer too greatly from the negative consequences. King County, Washington and Denver are another story. These are multi-ethnic, multi-class metropolises. Some enclaves are extremely poor with high crime rates and suffer all the usual pathologies of the underclass. Resilient the underclass is not. A “social experiment”

(in the words of Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson) in the ghettos, trailer parks, and slums will be much more devastating.

But then governments have a long history of using the underclass as lab rats in their social experiments. Remember the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment? The only difference is that this time it is the majority middle class baby boomers and hipsters who have demanded the “social experiment.”

Earlier I said there is no veto for a public referendum, but that is not entirely true. Fortunately local governments can just say no to the legal marijuana craze. In Colorado, nearly three-dozen cities and towns have banned retail marijuana sales, while 25 have passed moratoriums. That’s a whopping three-dozen cities to choose from if you are looking to start a family in Colorado!

Here is something for the city fathers of King County and Denver to consider. Historically the underclass suffers most from the consequences of radical social engineering. No doubt legal marijuana will only increase the problems their poorest, least educated residents battle day in and day out. However, the middle class will not be unaffected. A stoned, apathetic, unemployable underclass will see to that.

Source:  www.spectator.org  11th July 2013 By Christopher Orlet

Abstract

The following Kaplan/Damphouse hypothesis was tested and cross validated: The use of marijuana either predicts to or has a greater effect on increasing the degree of violent behavior for a group that is low on delinquent behavior, than it does for a group that scores high on these behaviors.

For the conventional, non-delinquent subgroup, a higher degree of significant relationship between degree of marijuana use and degree of violent behavior was found, compared to the degree of this type of relationship than was found for either cocaine/crack use, amphetamine use, or tranquilizer/sedative use. For example, for the commission of the offense of Attempted Homicide/Reckless Endangerment: for the conventional, non-delinquent group there was a highly significant relationship to the degree of marijuana use; but there was a non-significant relationship between this type of offense and the degree of use of each of the other types of drugs. Thus, this special disinhibition effect was found only for marijuana, and not for other drugs, regardless of whether they were stimulant types of drugs, or were sedative drugs.

Source: Journal of Addictive Diseases   Vol 22  Issue 3   2003

The media have recently printed many stories of violent acts which have been carried out by young people who were know users of cannabis (marijuana).  This has led to much discussion as to whether the use of cannabis (marijuana) has caused the violent acts.  The following comment shows that although correlation is not causal it is nevertheless sobering to see how often this occurs and clearly more research is needed.

 Studies showing an ‘Association between  Pot smoking and Violence

There are many correlation studies that find an “association” between two independent variables (e.g., pot smoking and violence). We cannot dismiss the importance of these associations but, at the same time, it would be unscientific to interpret causation from such an association. The latter requires far more than a linear association or correlation. Remember, correlation is NOT causation. There are statistical formulas for measuring correlation (e.g., Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient) and the closer to 1 that the measurement shows, the stronger is the relationship or association between the two variables. Measuring the correlation coefficient is a useful examination of data that intuitively may suggest a direct relationship. Scientists often use such studies to justify more elaborate and costly investigations.

In the 1950s, for example, British and American epidemiologists were concerned about the correlations they observed between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. As the data continued to show this association over time, it inspired additional research that, ultimately, some two decades later, resulted in finding that cigarette smoking “causes” lung cancer by causing changes and mutations at the cellular level.

 

Another example – and one from today – is the “association” or correlation reported between brain tumors and cellular telephone use. Hardly a month goes by without a report that claims one thing or another, usually the polar opposite of each other. Perhaps this mystery will be solved someday but for now, we must live with the uncertainty of the association. It’s much the same with pot and violence. For now we must acknowledge that there is an association, as the authors state in the article cited below. For us to make the leap to causation on the basis of these data, however, would be unscientific and incorrect. We may very well have that ability someday but for now we have to stick with what the data are telling us.

 

Let me give you one final example that I hope may explain the difference between correlation and causation. Tomorrow, I’m giving a presentation to a drug industry group in Washington, DC. In preparation, I obtained unpublished information from DEA on the medical distribution of oxycodone in the U.S. over an eight-year period. I then compared these data with hospital emergency department admissions for the same period in which the misuse or abuse of oxycodone was involved. You can see the results of this comparison below. The correlation coefficient when measured was 0.9796 – very close to 1, meaning a very strong linear association between the two variables (oxycodone and emergency department admissions). The probability of this relationship being a result of mere chance only was found to be one in ten-thousandths (p = 0.00001). This, I’m sure you would agree, is a very close relationship between these two variables. Would it be correct to assume causation? NO! The reason that this would be incorrect is quite simple.

The majority of oxycodone distributed for medical use in the U.S. is used properly and as directed to address a therapeutic need. We would be pushing the interpretation of these data into very troubled areas if we were to assume on the basis of the association we found that the use of oxycodone “causes” people to be admitted to hospital emergency departments for misuse or abuse of the drug. Nonetheless, as the graph shows quite clearly, there is a very close relationship between the two phenomena that warrants further research and attention.

Source:   John Coleman   Drugwatch International July 2013

Violent Behaviour as Related to Use of Marijuana and Other Drugs

Abstract

The relationship of the degree of use of each of ten types of illicit drugs with each of eight types of violent criminal offenses, is reported for an African-American, inner-city, low SES, young adult study sample (N = 612). Prospective data from the time of birth was available for the statistical analyses, to provide 51 control variables on factors other than substance use which might predict to later violent behavior.

Findings: Greater frequency of use of marijuana was found unexpectedly to be associated with greater likelihood to commit weapons offenses; and this association was not found for any of the other drugs, except for alcohol. Marijuana use was also found associated with commission of Attempted Homicide/Reckless Endangerment offenses. Cocaine/crack and marijuana were the only two types of drugs the frequency of use of which was found, for this sample, to be significantly related to the frequency of being involved in the selling of drugs. These findings may not apply to a middle-class African-American sample.

Source:  Journal of Addictive Diseases  Vol.20 Issue 1   2001

The Differential Disinhibition Effect of Marijuana Use on Violent Behaviour

Abstract

The following Kaplan/Damphouse hypothesis was tested and cross validated: The use of marijuana either predicts to or has a greater effect on increasing the degree of violent behavior for a group that is low on delinquent behavior, than it does for a group that scores high on these behaviors.

For the conventional, non-delinquent subgroup, a higher degree of significant relationship between degree of marijuana use and degree of violent behavior was found, compared to the degree of this type of relationship than was found for either cocaine/crack use, amphetamine use, or tranquilizer/sedative use. For example, for the commission of the offense of Attempted Homicide/Reckless Endangerment: for the conventional, non-delinquent group there was a highly significant relationship to the degree of marijuana use; but there was a non-significant relationship between this type of offense and the degree of use of each of the other types of drugs. Thus, this special disinhibition effect was found only for marijuana, and not for other drugs, regardless of whether they were stimulant types of drugs, or were sedative drugs.

Source: Journal of Addictive Diseases   Vol 22  Issue 3   2003

Click to download or view PDF File:

USA Going to Pot Researchers fret about long and short term health effects in States where it is legal June 2013

Pro drug groups, or as they prefer to call themselves ‘drug policy reform groups’ are constantly

quoting the ‘success’ of Portugal’s more liberal drug laws.  They are not correct – the use of heroin

has tripled,  as the following figures from ‘Publico’ show:

 

 

“Publico” today´s edition: “regresso ao consume de heroína”

means ” return to heroin use has tripled”

1008 cases in 2010

1843 in 2011

2881 in 2012

Source : www.publico.pt    4th July 2013

The stereotype of pot smokers as lackadaisical loafers is supported by new research: People who smoke marijuana regularly over long periods of time tend to produce less of a chemical in the brain that is linked to motivation, a new study finds. Researchers in the United Kingdom scanned the brains of 19 regular marijuana users, and 19 nonusers of the same sex and age, using positron emission tomography (PET), which helps measure the distribution of chemicals throughout the brain.

They found that the long-term cannabis users tended to produce less dopamine, a “feel good” chemical in the brain that plays an important role in motivation and reward-driven behavior. [Trippy Tales: The History of 8 Hallucinogens]

Study participants who smoked marijuana regularly, and those who began using the drug at a younger age, had lower levels of dopamine in a part of the brain called the striatum, which could be why cannabis users appear to lack motivation.

However, “whether such a syndrome exists is controversial,” said study lead author Michael Bloomfield, a researcher at the Institute of Clinical Sciences at Imperial College London.

The people in the study used cannabis quite heavily, they all began using the drug between ages 12 and 18, and they all had experienced symptoms of psychosis while under the influence, the researchers said. Some of these symptoms include experiencing strange sensations while on the drug, or having bizarre thoughts, such as thinking they were being threatened by an unknown force.

Because increased dopamine production has been linked with psychosis, the researchers expected to find higher levels of dopamine in the cannabis users, but instead, their findings suggested the opposite.

Previous studies looking at marijuana’s effects on the brain have shown that chronic marijuana use may trigger inflammation in the brain, which could affect coordination and learning, and that cannabis users have a higher risk of schizophrenia.

But the new results suggest more research is needed to understand the potential links between chronic marijuana use and mental illnesses.

“It has been assumed that cannabis increases the risk of schizophrenia by inducing the same effects on the dopamine system that we see in schizophrenia, but this hasn’t been studied in active cannabis users until now,” Bloomfield said in a statement. The results tie in with previous addiction research showing that substance abusers have altered dopamine systems.

The findings could explain behaviors commonly seen in marijuana users, not only those who may suffer psychosis symptoms or dependence, although further study is needed to better understand the link, the researchers said.

They also said the brain changes are likely reversible — previous studies did not find differences in dopamine production between former marijuana users and people who were never regular users of marijuana.

The detailed results of the study were published online June 29 in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

Source:  Biological Psychiatry  June 2013

Abstract

School factors are associated with many health outcomes in adolescence. However, previous studies report inconsistent findings regarding the degree of school-level variation for health outcomes, particularly for risk behaviours. This study uses data from three large longitudinal studies in England to investigate school-level variation in a range of health indicators. Participants were drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, the Me and My School Study and the Research with East London Adolescent Community Health Survey. Outcome variables included risk behaviours (smoking, alcohol/cannabis use, sexual behaviour), behavioural difficulties and victimisation, obesity and physical activity, mental and emotional health, and educational attainment. Multi-level models were used to calculate the proportion of variance in outcomes explained at school level, expressed as intraclass correlations (ICCs) adjusted for gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status of the participants. ICCs for health outcomes ranged from nearly nil to .28 and were almost uniformly lower than for attainment (.17-.23). Most adjusted ICCs were smaller than unadjusted values, suggesting that school-level variation partly reflects differences in pupil demographics. School-level variation was highest for risk behaviours. ICCs were largely comparable across datasets, as well as across years within datasets, suggesting that school-level variation in health remains fairly constant across adolescence. School-level variation in health outcomes remains significant after adjustment for individual demographic differences between schools, confirming likely effects for school environment. Variance is highest for risk behaviours, supporting the utility of school environment interventions for these outcomes.

Source:    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23793374

People who take “Molly,” the powder or crystal form of MDMA, the chemical used in Ecstasy, don’t know what they are actually ingesting, experts say. They warn many powders sold as Molly do not contain any MDMA.

“Anyone can call something Molly to try to make it sound less harmful,” Rusty Payne, an agent at the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) national office, told The New York Times. “But it can be anything.” The DEA considers MDMA to be a Schedule I controlled substance, which means it has a high potential for abuse, and no accepted use in medical treatment.

Dr. John Halpern, a psychiatrist at Harvard who has conducted several MDMA studies, said some powders sold as Molly are synthetic versions that are designed to imitate the drug’s effects. The drug is now thought to be as adulterated as Ecstasy once was, he noted, adding, “You’re fooling yourself if you think it’s somehow safer because it’s sold in powdered form.” Molly has been a popular drug at music festivals. It has also been popularized by rappers. The drug costs between $20 and $50 a dose.

Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency room physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, says he now sees about four patients a month who come in with common side effects of Molly, including teeth grinding, dehydration, anxiety, insomnia, loss of appetite and

fever. More serious side effects can include uncontrollable seizures, high blood pressure, elevated body temperature and depression, the article notes.

“Typically in the past we’d see rave kids, but now we’re seeing more people into their 30s and 40s experimenting with it,” he told the newspaper. “MDMA use has increased dramatically. It’s really a global phenomenon now.” According to the national Drug Abuse Warning Network, MDMA-related emergency department visits increased from 10,227 in 2004 to 22,498 in 2011.

Source:  By Join Together Staff | www.drugfree.org    June 24, 2013

U.S. National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske told an international meeting this week that legalizing drugs will not be a “silver bullet” that will make organized crime disappear.

Instead of arresting more users and building prisons for them, Kerlikowske said governments should focus on “a science-based approach to drug addiction as a disease of the brain that can be prevented, treated and from which people can recover,” Reuters reports.

Kerlikowske told the meeting that the U.S. federal government now spends more on drug prevention and treatment than domestic law enforcement. However, the United States is continuing its efforts to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations around the world, he added. Some Latin American countries are considering relaxing penalties for personal drug use. Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina favors legalization as a way to reduce crime and violence. Uruguay has considered a proposal to legalize marijuana.

On Wednesday, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Executive Director Yury Fedotov said the agency’s new drug report found a decline in the use of traditional drugs such as heroin and cocaine in some parts of the world, and an increase in the use of prescription drugs and new psychoactive substances.

Source:  Join Together Staff | www.drugfree.org  June 27, 2013

It is called dabbing, and it is something the marijuana legalization movement would rather you didn’t know about. As crack is to powdered cocaine, so a dab is to a joint of marijuana: the same drug, in a much more concentrated form. But butane hash oil, or BHO, the end product of dabbing, is seen by many in the movement as a potential public relations disaster.  It’s easy to find instructions on the Internet for making butane hash oil. (Not to be confused with the hash oil of the 1970s produced, most commonly, using sieves, ice, naphtha, or acetone to separate the THC-rich trichomes from the rest of the plant material.) Butane hash oil, produced by “blasting” butane through top-quality marijuana, then “purging” away the butane, looks a bit like beeswax and allegedly boosts THC content to a mind-blowing 70 to 90 per cent. The most potent of today’s varietals rarely reach or exceed 20 per cent. The result is known as wax, shatter, honey oil, and about a dozen other monikers. It is smoked using a glass tube and a red-hot piece of metal, not unlike the hippie “hot knives” method of smoking. As Andrew Sullivan wrote at his blog, The Dish: “Going on the basis of such super high purity alone, even the funkiest colored trichome crystal encased high-grade leaf starts to look like steam punk technology in a fossil fuel world.”  Or, in the pithy phrasing favored by High Times: “A quantum leap forward in stoner evolution.” In a High Times magazine article last year, author Bobby Black wrote about the central problem, namely that “the techniques used to make and consume BHO bear an eerie resemblance to those used for harder drugs like meth and crack.” This creates “a fear that seeing teenagers wielding blowtorches or blowing themselves up on the evening news might incite a new anti-pot paranoia that could set the legalization movement back decades.” It happened when wine and ale became whiskey and gin, according to one school of thought. It happened again when hand dried, hand rolled tobacco became the machine rolled cigarette. And it happened when powdered cocaine became crack. Increasingly concentrated forms of plant drugs became more potent, more addictive, more expensive—and more socially disruptive. Has it happened in a high-tech way with good old friendly organic backyard marijuana? And is BHO any more dangerous to users than regular weed? The butane technique is controversial, and the effects of ingesting marijuana that has previously been supersaturated with that particular solvent are intensely debated in the weed world. Marijuana collectives in California have been selling “butane honey oil” to qualified medical marijuana customers for some time now. There are tasting parties called “Wax Wednesdays.” But the state has made it illegal to produce BHO. David Downs, writing last month in Oakland’s East Bay Express, reported on a state appellate courting hearing in San Francisco, “in which an attorney for defendant Ryan Schultz worked to overturn the San Francisco resident’s three-year probation sentence for operating a BHO ‘drug lab.’ Meanwhile, several blocks away at permitted pot dispensaries, the fruits of such drug labs are on sale for upwards of $50 per gram.”  The defendant’s case was not helped when, in January, “two blasters blew themselves up in a San Diego motel, resulting in hospitalization, followed by drug lab charges.” And just to confuse the matter a bit more, BHO production is legal in Colorado, and other medical marijuana states are considering it. The health verdict on all this isn’t in yet. The primary danger of BHO may be its manufacture, and in all the Richard Pryor-type explosions that lie ahead. Even High Times seems to be a bit wary of it. The magazine “strongly discourages anyone who has not been professionally trained from making BHO on their own.” Ventilation, it seems, is the key.  It’s unlikely, but not impossible, that the amount of residual butane inhaled could constitute a health threat. Cheap butane contains various impurities, and there has been at least one reported case of chemical epiglottitis, a condition in which inflammation caused by a chemical blocks off the windpipe. But as one marijuana backer told High Times, “you can actually get epiglottitis from hot coffee if you swallow it incorrectly.” In February, The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was moved to issue a formal bulletin on the matter: “Butane is highly explosive, colorless, odorless and heaver than air and therefore can travel along the floor until it encounters an ignition source…. Reported fires and explosions have blown out windows, walls, and caused numerous burn injuries.”  Bob Melamede, an associate professor of biology at the University of Colorado and the CEO of Cannabis Science Inc., told High Times: “If you have contaminants (i.e., pesticides, herbicides, fungi) on your plant, that’s going to come off into the extract. Then, when you evaporate the solvent, you’ll actually be concentrating those things—and THAT’S the real danger.”

Source:  ADDICTION INBOX

THE SCIENCE OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE JUNE 2, 2013 Photo Credit: http://www.hightimes.com/