{"id":16387,"date":"2023-03-28T17:58:34","date_gmt":"2023-03-28T17:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=16387"},"modified":"2023-06-06T19:08:26","modified_gmt":"2023-06-06T19:08:26","slug":"separating-marijuana-fact-from-fiction-in-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2023\/03\/separating-marijuana-fact-from-fiction-in-new-york\/","title":{"rendered":"SEPARATING MARIJUANA FACT FROM FICTION IN NEW YORK"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEPARATING MARIJUANA FACT FROM FICTION IN NEW YORK RESPONSE TO THE \u201cASSESSMENT OF THE POTENTIAL IMPACT <\/span>OF REGULATED MARIJUANA IN NEW YORK STATE\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

AUGUST 2018<\/span><\/p>\n

Executive Summary<\/span><\/strong>
\nRecently, New York State (NYS) released what they claimed to be \u201can extensive assessment of current research and literature to evaluate the cost-risk benefit of legalizing the recreational adult use of marijuana.\u201d <\/span>
\nThe overall conclusion of this assessment was that marijuana poses little public health risk and should be considered for legalization. But a closer look finds several flaws in the report that questions its purpose and conclusions. Unfortunately, it appears that the conclusion of the NYS report was written before the data were analyzed. The legalization of recreational marijuana is presented in the introduction as a fait accompli: \u201cIt has become less a question of whether to legalize but how to do so responsibly.\u201d Much of the report discusses how to decrease the dangers of legal recreational marijuana. The best way to lessen the danger is to keep it from being commercialized, normalized, promoted \u2013 and legalized.<\/span>
\nThe report conflates the issues of medical marijuana and commercial sales of recreational marijuana. The potential medical benefits of medical cannabis are already available in New York. Adding indiscriminate recreational use does not increase any health benefit to New Yorkers.<\/span>
\nSmart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) is advised by a scientific advisory board of researchers from institutions such as Harvard and Johns Hopkins. SAM believes in the need for rational, well-informed public policy \u2013 legislation that maximizes public health benefits and minimizes harms. <\/span>
\nThis state-issued report reads more like a marijuana lobbyist\u2019s manifesto, as we found no credible opposing evidence cited. <\/span>
\nBased on our findings, the reference to unlisted \u201csubject-matter experts\u201d that the report apparently relied on, and the fact that state medical groups like the New York Society for Addiction Medicine (NYSAM) were not consulted with, we are formally requesting that the state of New York publicly disclose all sources that were consulted and those that contributed to creation of the document. We believe that National Institute of Health (NIH) scientists, NYSAM physicians, and other experts should have the chance to review these findings. <\/span>
\nBelow are the top claims from the report and rebuttals.<\/span><\/p>\n

CLAIM:<\/span> \u201cA 2017 Marist Poll showed that 52 percent of Americans 18 years of age or older have tried marijuana at some point in their lives, and 44 percent of these individuals currently use it.\u201d<\/span>
\nCORRECTION:<\/span><\/span>
\nThe best usage data are not found in polls, but rather scientific studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health. According to the most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data, 10.58% of Americans 12 or older and 10.84% of New York State residents reported being current users and 44% of Americans have tried marijuana at some point in their life (NSDUH, 2016).<\/span><\/p>\n

CLAIM:<\/span> \u201cIn 1999 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) found a base of evidence to support the benefits of marijuana for medical purposes.\u201d <\/span>
\nCORRECTION:<\/span><\/span>
\nThis report is supposed to be about non-medical marijuana. We should not conflate the two issues. Still, there have been several reviews since this was published almost twenty years ago. The 1999 IOM report stated: \u201cBecause of the health risks associated with smoking, smoked marijuana should generally not be recommended for long-term medical use\u201d and called for a \u201cheavier investment in research.\u201d<\/span>
\nReleased at the beginning of 2017, the most recent National Academy of Sciences report said: \u201cDespite increased cannabis use and a changing state-level policy landscape, conclusive evidence regarding the short- and long-term health effects\u2014both harms and benefits\u2014of cannabis use remains elusive.\u201d The July 24, 2018 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine stated that \u201cAmericans’ view of marijuana use is more favorable than existing evidence supports.\u201d<\/span>
\nAgain, this NYS report recommended recreational legalization, and we should separate the issue of the possible <\/span>therapeutic benefits from this study.<\/span><\/p>\n

CLAIM:<\/span> \u201cMost women who use marijuana stop or reduce their use during pregnancy.\u201d<\/span>
\nCORRECTION:<\/span><\/span>
\nDr. Nora Volkow, NIH\u2019s drug abuse director, published a report last year in response to an alarming trend being seen across the country of increased cannabis use during pregnancy and warned of the detrimental health risks of in utero cannabis exposure (Volkow et al., 2017).<\/span>
\nEven more alarming is a recent study that was not included in this report where researchers found nearly 70% of 400 Colorado dispensaries surveyed in a scientific, undercover study were recommending cannabis products to mothers experiencing morning-sickness in the first trimester (Dickson et al., 2018).<\/span>
\nA clinically-controlled study published this year found that mothers vulnerable to mental illness who smoked during pregnancy put their child at higher risk to develop significantly more psychotic symptoms earlier in life compared to mothers who didn\u2019t smoke marijuana, but had similar vulnerabilities (Bolhuis et al., 2018).<\/span><\/p>\n

CLAIM:<\/span> \u201cData from multiple sources indicate that legalization in Colorado had no substantive impact on youth marijuana use.\u201d<\/span>
\nCORRECTION:<\/span><\/span>
\nDespite widely publicized reports by the state of Colorado, pro-legalization lobbyists, and others with revenue-producing interests; reliable data sources say otherwise. According to NSDUH state estimates, Colorado now leads the nation in the percentage of 12- to 17-year olds who have tried marijuana for the first time (NSDUH, State Estimates, 2017). In adolescents and adults, Colorado is well above the national average.<\/span>
\nAll state-collected data related to adolescent substance use is done via the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey \u2013 a state sponsored assessment to replace all other national and state surveys administered in school. Until 2017, these data have not met the CDC\u2019s standard qualifications for sampling methodology since 2011 \u2013 the year before recreational marijuana became legal in Colorado. The 2015 HKCS has been widely criticized for misrepresenting and promoting misleading messages surrounding adolescent drug use (Murray, 2016). <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\nAs a result of questionable reports publicized by the state of Colorado and pro-legalization activists, local investigative journalists at the Denver Post interviewed numerous law enforcement officers, educators and advocates; in addition to analyzing databases. They ultimately concluded that state-produced data appears to be unreliable (Migoya, 2017). \u201cRecords do not account for many young offenders who either are not reported to police, are not ticketed because police say there\u2019s too little to cite or have infractions that are not tabulated because of programs designed to protect minors from blemished records.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

CLAIM:<\/span> \u201cThere has been no increase in violent crime or property crime rates around medical marijuana dispensaries.\u201d<\/span>
\nCORRECTION:<\/span><\/span>
\nThe relationship between marijuana establishments and crime is mixed at best. A study funded by the National Institutes of Health showed that the density of marijuana dispensaries was linked to increased property crimes in nearby areas (Freisthler, et al., 2017). Colorado Public Radio reported similar findings \u2013 particularly in Denver and Pueblo \u2013 and noted the visible association with increased gang violence seen in both cities likely due to a high density of dispensaries and illegal activity, including the black market (Markus, 2017).<\/span><\/p>\n

CLAIM:<\/span> \u201cMarijuana is an effective treatment for pain, greatly reduces the chance of dependence, and eliminates the <\/span>risk of fatal overdose compared to most opioid-based medications.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

CORRECTION:<\/span><\/span>
\nThis is inaccurate and is confounding medical and recreational use. This statement was based on a survey that 17 medical marijuana patients took while being prescribed opioids. Self-report data can be useful but have no value in informing serious public health risks. Several recent and widely-circulated studies show strong contradictory evidence to this claim.<\/span>
\nResearchers found that patients reporting marijuana use actually experienced more pain on average when admitted to the hospital following a traumatic injury than those that did not. Compared to non-users, they required more opioid medication to cope with the pain and consistently rated their pain higher during the duration of their stay (Salottolo et al., 2018).<\/span>
\nA 4-year prospective study in the highly respected Lancet journal followed medical marijuana patients with a dual opioid prescription and found that marijuana use did not reduce opioid use or prescribing. Users reported greater pain severity and more day-to-day interference than those that did not use marijuana (Campbell et al., 2018).<\/span><\/p>\n

CLAIM:<\/span> \u201cRegulated marijuana introduces an opportunity to reduce harm for consumers through labeling.\u201d <\/span>
\nCORRECTION:<\/span><\/span>
\nNon-FDA approved commercially-produced products have received only minimal regulatory attention. Recent studies have shown rampant mislabeling of the active cannabinoid ingredients in concentrates and edibles (Peace et al., 2016).<\/span>
\nThe FDA has published warning letters on the severe mislabeling of commercial products consistently seen on the market since 2015 (FDA, 2015-17). This claim was cited from the Drug Policy Alliance website. The DPA and its affiliates have directly funded campaigns to legalize all forms of marijuana including edible products throughout the US. They also call for the legalization of all drugs. This is not a credible source. <\/span><\/p>\n

CLAIM:<\/span> \u201cThe status quo (i.e., criminalization of marijuana) has not curbed marijuana use.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

CORRECTION:<\/span><\/span>
\nNon-public, personal use of Marijuana is not criminalized in NYS nor are possession of small amounts for personal amounts – often a reason for imprisonment. In 2016 23.5% Americans reported using legal drugs compared to 10.6% using illegal ones \u2013 signaling that the law matters in preventing drug use (NSDUH, 2016). In 2017 in New York State, marijuana made up 0.003% of non youthful-offender felony sentences to prison. There were no youthful offender felony marijuana sentences for prison. Misdemeanor marijuana arrests made up 8.5% of all state <\/span>
\nmisdemeanor arrests (NY State Division of Criminal Services, 2018). The recent rush to legalization across the country has pushed marijuana to the number one spot for recent first-time drug users aged 12 or older in 2016 compared to any other illicit drug (NSDUH, 2016).<\/span><\/p>\n

CLAIM:<\/span> \u201cLegalizing marijuana results in a reduction in the use of synthetic cannabinoids.\u201d<\/span>
\nCORRECTION:<\/span><\/span>
\nThis claim is inaccurately attributed to the report Global Drug Survey which indicates that countries that decriminalize marijuana have lower rates of synthetic marijuana use. The claim cannot be found in that reference. And, even if there is an association between decreased synthetic use and decriminalized marijuana, it does not follow that legalizing marijuana will cause a reduction in synthetic use. We emailed Professor Adam R Winstock, Founder & CEO of the Global Drug Survey, to ask his opinion. He replied, \u201dIt\u2019s not clear cut,\u201d indicating uncertainty. There is not much data on decreased synthetic use in countries with decriminalization (Zucker doesn\u2019t even say \u201ccountries with legalization\u201d which is actually the issue at hand because only Uruguay would fall into that category).<\/span><\/p>\n

CLAIM:<\/span> \u201cThe over-prosecution of marijuana has had significant negative economic, health, and safety impacts that have disproportionately affected low-income communities of color.\u201d<\/span>
\nCORRECTION:<\/span><\/span>
\nMarijuana does not need to be legalized to address valid social justice concerns. Although overall drug-related offenses have decreased in states that have legalized; minorities have still disproportionately been targeted for the arrests that do still occur. Such as in 2014, two years after legalization in Colorado, the marijuana arrest rates for African\u2010 Americans (348 per 100,000) was almost triple that of Whites (123 per 100,000) (Co. Dept. of Public of Safety, 2016).<\/span>
\nColorado has seen an increase in crime in regions that attract recreational users. Although the rise in crime cannot be attributed to legalization of marijuana alone, much of the violence has been attributed to increased gang violence where dispensaries are densest (Markus, 2017). Current drug policies can be changed without legalization.<\/span><\/p>\n

CLAIM:<\/span> \u201cThe negative health consequences of marijuana have been found to be lower than alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs including heroin and cocaine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

CORRECTION:<\/span><\/span>
\nThis statement is questionable because it was based on a theoretical model that estimated human consumption averages for each substance and calculated a risk ratio using lethal doses reported in animal studies. Basic research is necessary for understanding the biology underlying addiction; however, the transferability of dosing schedules between species has not been conclusively established. Much of the reason alcohol and tobacco exert more costs to society than many illegal drugs is because those two drugs are legalized and commercialized. As Dr. Nora Volkow, head of NIH\u2019s drug abuse institute stated, \u201cRepeated marijuana use during adolescence may result in long-lasting changes in brain function that can jeopardize educational, professional, and social achievements. <\/span>
\n\u201cHowever, the effects of a drug (legal or illegal) on individual health are determined not only by its pharmacologic properties but also by its availability and social acceptability.\u201d \u201cIn this respect, legal drugs (alcohol and tobacco) offer a sobering perspective, accounting for the greatest burden of disease associated with drugs not because they are more dangerous than illegal drugs but because their legal status allows for more widespread exposure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

CLAIM:<\/span> \u201cThe impact of legalization in surrounding states has accelerated the need for NYS to address legalization.\u201d <\/span>
\nCORRECTION:<\/span><\/span>
\nThis statement reads as if two wrongs somehow make a right. NYS should not be forced into legalizing marijuana because other states are considering it (several surrounding states, it should be noted, have considered and then defeated proposals to legalize marijuana). Even if a surrounding state or two legalizes marijuana, NYS can stand out as the state promoting health, well-being, family-centered tourism \u2013 not more drug use.<\/span>
\nThis statement totally ignores newer polls such as the 2018 Emerson College poll that found that the majority of New Yorkers do not support the legalization of marijuana. A plurality support either decriminalization or the current policy.<\/span>
\n“The poll — conducted by the same college that recently conducted a poll for pro-marijuana groups Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) and the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) — reported that 56% of respondents did not favor legalizing the recreational sales of marijuana.”<\/span><\/p>\n

REFERENCES<\/span><\/span>
\nBolhuis, K., Kushner, S. A., Yalniz, S., Hillegers, M. H., Jaddoe, V. W., Tiemeier, H., & El Marroun, H. (2018). Maternal and paternal cannabis use during pregnancy and the risk of psychotic-like experiences in the offspring. Schizophrenia research.<\/span><\/p>\n

Campbell, G., Hall, W. D., Peacock, A., Lintzeris, N., Bruno, R., Larance, B., … & Blyth, F. (2018). Effect of cannabis use in people with chronic non-cancer pain prescribed opioids: findings from a 4-year prospective cohort study. The Lancet Public Health, 3(7), e341-e350.<\/span><\/p>\n

Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. (2017). 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Rockville, MD.<\/span><\/p>\n

Commissioner, O. O. (n.d.). Public Health Focus – Warning Letters and Test Results for Cannabidiol-Related Products. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/newsevents\/publichealthfocus\/ucm484109.htm<\/span><\/p>\n

Colorado Dept. Public Safety. (2016, March). Marijuana Legalization in Colorado: Early Findings. Retrieved from https:\/\/cdpsdocs.state.co.us\/ors\/docs\/reports\/2016-SB13-283-Rpt.pdf<\/span><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2018 National Academy of Sciences. All Rights Reserved. (2017, November 08). Retrieved from http:\/\/nationalacademies.org\/hmd\/Activities\/PublicHealth\/MarijuanaHealthEffects.aspx<\/span><\/p>\n

Dickson, B., Mansfield, C., Guiahi, M., Allshouse, A. A., Borgelt, L., Sheeder, J., … & Metz, T. D. (2018). 931: Recommendations from cannabis dispensaries on first trimester marijuana use. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 218(1), S551.<\/span><\/p>\n

Emerson College. (2018, June). June 2018 Public Opinion Survey of New York Registered Voters Attitudes on Marijuana Policy. Retrieved from https:\/\/learnaboutsam.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/nyspoll-1.pdf Commissioned by Smart Approaches to Marijuana<\/span><\/p>\n

Freisthler, B., Ponicki, W. R., Gaidus, A., & Gruenewald, P. J. (2016). A micro\u2010temporal geospatial analysis of medical marijuana dispensaries and crime in Long Beach, California. Addiction, 111(6), 1027-1035.<\/span><\/p>\n

Green, M. C. (2018, June). Criminal Justice Case Processing Arrest through Disposition New York State January – December 2017. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.criminaljustice.ny.gov\/crimnet\/ojsa\/dar\/DAR-4Q-2017-NewYorkState.pdf<\/span><\/p>\n

Keyhani, S., Steigerwald, S., Ishida, J., Vali, M., Cerd\u00e1, M., Hasin, D., . . . Cohen, B. E. (2018). Risks and Benefits of Marijuana Use. Annals of Internal Medicine. doi:10.7326\/m18-0810<\/span><\/p>\n

Markus, B. (2017, July 31). A Dive Into Colorado Crime Data In 5 Charts. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.cpr.org\/news\/story\/a-dive-into-colorado-crime-data-in-5-charts<\/span><\/p>\n

Migoya, D. (2017, December 22). Police across Colorado questioning whether youths are using marijuana less. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2017\/12\/22\/police-across-colorado-questioning-youth-marijuana-use\/<\/span><\/p>\n

Murray, D. W. (2016, July 2). Misrepresenting Colorado Marijuana – by David W. Murray. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.hudson.org\/research\/12615-misrepresenting-colorado-marijuana<\/span><\/p>\n

National Families in Action. (n.d.). Colorado | The Marijuana Report.org. Retrieved from http:\/\/themarijuanareport.org\/colorado\/.<\/span><\/p>\n

Peace, M. R., Butler, K. E., Wolf, C. E., Poklis, J. L., & Poklis, A. (2016). Evaluation of two commercially available cannabidiol formulations for use in electronic cigarettes. Frontiers in pharmacology, 7, 279.<\/span><\/p>\n

Salottolo, K., Peck, L., Tanner II, A., Carrick, M. M., Madayag, R., McGuire, E., & Bar-Or, D. (2018). The grass is not always greener: a multi-institutional pilot study of marijuana use and acute pain management following traumatic injury. Patient Safety in Surgery, 12(1), 16.<\/span><\/p>\n

Volkow, N. D., Compton, W. M., & Wargo, E. M. (2017). The risks of marijuana use during pregnancy. Jama, 317(2), 129-130.<\/span><\/p>\n

Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) is a nonpartisan, non-profit alliance of physicians, policy makers, prevention workers, treatment and recovery professionals, scientists, and other concerned citizens opposed to marijuana legalization who want health and scientific evidence to guide marijuana policies. SAM was co-founded by former Congressman Patrick Kennedy and former Obama Administration senior drug policy advisor, Dr. Kevin Sabet. SAM has affiliates in more than 30 states.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source: NY-Rebuttal-Absolute-Final.pdf (learnaboutsam.org)<\/a> August 2018<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SEPARATING MARIJUANA FACT FROM FICTION IN NEW YORK RESPONSE TO THE \u201cASSESSMENT OF THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF REGULATED MARIJUANA IN NEW YORK STATE\u201d AUGUST 2018 Executive Summary Recently, New York State (NYS) released what they claimed to be \u201can extensive assessment of current research and literature to evaluate the cost-risk benefit of legalizing the recreational […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,90,12,60,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cannabis-marijuana","category-global-drug-legalisation-efforts","category-legal-sector","category-marijuana-and-medicine","category-social-affairs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16387\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}