THE FOLLOWING PAPER SHOWS EXTRACTS FROM A REPORT PUBLISHED IN AUGUST 2013 \u2013 SHOWING THE IMPACT OF MARIJUANA LEGALISATION AND SO-CALLED MEDICAL MARIJUANA FROM 2009.\u00a0 THIS REPORT IS SHOCKING AND SHOULD BE CAREFULLY READ IN FULL BY ANY POLITICIANS CONSIDERING CHANGING DRUG POLICY LAWS.<\/p>\n
NDPA SUGGESTS YOU GO ONLINE TO ACCESS THE FULL REPORT.<\/p>\n
THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA IN COLORADO: THE IMPACT Vol. 1\/August 2013 Executive Summary<\/p>\n
2006 \u2013 2008: There were between 1,000 and 4,800 medical marijuana cardholders and no known dispensaries operating in Colorado.<\/p>\n
2009 \u2013 2012: There were over 108,000 medical marijuana cardholders and 532 licensed dispensaries operating in Colorado by November 2012.<\/p>\n
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Colorado Youth Marijuana Use: In 2011, the national average for youth 12 to 17 years old considered \u201ccurrent\u201d marijuana users was 7.64 percent which was the highest average since 1981. The Colorado average percent was 10.72.<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
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Colorado Emergency Room \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
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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<\/p>\n
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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 \u201ccaregivers\u201d). One dispensary owner claimed to be a primary caregiver to 1,200 patients. Government took little or no action against these commercial operations.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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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<\/p>\n
\u2022 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<\/p>\n
\u2022 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<\/p>\n
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DUID (Driving Under the Influence of Drugs)<\/strong><\/p>\n Victim Voice President Ed Wood shares his perspective on drugged driving:<\/p>\n \u201cDrivers on drugs are involved in a remarkably high proportion of fatalities. When we look at only collisions where drivers\u2019 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.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u2022 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<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2022 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, \u201cYou have a substance [marijuana] that causes impairment that is more readily available than it was two years ago.\u201d Davis said that was because of the increasing use of medical marijuana in Colorado.5<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2022 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<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2022 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<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2022 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2004) found that marijuana significantly impairs one\u2019s 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<\/p>\n \u2022 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: \u201cDrivers 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.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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, \u201cCannabis 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.\u201d 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<\/p>\n \u2022 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<\/p>\n \u2022 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: \u201cDriving under the influence of cannabis was associated with a significantly increased risk of motor vehicle collisions compared with unimpaired driving.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Students\u2019 Current Marijuana Use<\/strong><\/p>\n 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.\u00a0 This is more than three times the national rate.<\/p>\n o In academic school years 2008 \u2013 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 \u2013 2012 to 28.85 percent.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the academic school years 2008 \u2013 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 \u2013 2012 to 8.5 percent.11<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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 \u2013 2012. During 2007 \u2013 2009 an average of 5.6 students tested positive for marijuana.<\/p>\n During 2010 \u2013 2012 the average number of students who tested positive for marijuana increased to 17.3 students per year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 2007, tests positive for marijuana made up 33 percent of the total drug screenings, by 2012 that number increased to 57 percent.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Detected THC levels in the students increased by 76 percent after 2009. \u00a7 2007 \u2013 2009 the average THC level quantified = 225 nanograms.<\/p>\n 2010 \u2013 2012 the average THC level quantified = 396 nanograms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Current Marijuana Use Rates for 12th-Graders<\/strong><\/p>\n In 2011, the average of 12th graders using marijuana in the last 30 days:\u00a0 Nationally \u2013 28.0 percent12 (22.6 percent2 according to the National Institute for Drug Abuse [NIDA])<\/p>\n Colorado \u2013 31.2 percent10<\/p>\n Denver Public Schools \u2013 32 percent6<\/p>\n Boulder County High Schools \u2013 36 percent3<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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\u2019s high school seniors reported using marijuana 40 or more times per month.\u00a0 Another 2.9 percent reported using marijuana between 20 and 39 times a month.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Colorado Department of Education- Drug Related Suspensions and Expulsions<\/strong><\/p>\n There was a 32 percent increase in drug-related expulsions and suspensions from the 2008 – 2009 academic year to 2009 – 2010 academic year.7<\/p>\n For the academic years ending in 07, 08, and 09, drug related expulsions\/suspensions remained stable with an average of 3,782.7<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDrug violations shot up dramatically in Colorado schools during the 2009-2010 school year, reversing a decade of steady decline\u2026\u201d9<\/p>\n Rebecca Jones, reporter, EdNews Colorado<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u0095 The average reported past month marijuana use for young adults (ages 18-25) in 2011: o The national average = 18.78 percent<\/p>\n o The Colorado average = 27.26 percent<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u0095 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Drug Abuse Warning Network (Ages 12 \u2013 17) Data: o Colorado ER visits per year related to marijuana only:<\/strong><\/p>\n 2005 \u2013 2008 = 741 average visits per year<\/p>\n 2009 \u2013 2011 = 800 average visits per year<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 2011, Colorado ER data showed that marijuana-related incidents accounted for 26 percent of the total ER visits, compared to 21 percent nationally.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u0095 Young children (ages 0 to 5) marijuana-related exposures in Colorado<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n During the years 2006 \u2013 2008, the average number of marijuana-related exposures for ages 0 to 5 was 4 per year.1<\/p>\n For the years 2009 \u2013 2012, the average number of marijuana-related exposures for ages 0 to 5 was 12 per year.1 \u00a7 This is a 200 percent increase.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n El Paso Intelligence Center, National Seizure System<\/strong><\/p>\n NOTE: This only includes those cases in which Colorado marijuana was actually seized and reported. It is unknown how many<\/p>\n Colorado marijuana loads were not detected or, if seized, were not reported.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) has established the National Seizure System (NSS) for voluntary reporting interdiction seizures throughout the country.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2022 In 2012, there were 274 Colorado marijuana interdiction seizures destined for other states compared to 54 in 2005. This is a 407 percent increase.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2022 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.<\/p>\n \u2022 From 2005 \u2013 2008, compared to 2009 \u2013 2012, the average number of interdiction seizures per year involving Colorado marijuana more than quadrupled from 52.2 to 242.<\/p>\n \u2022 From 2005 – 2008, compared to 2009 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2022 In 2012, there were 7,008 pounds of Colorado marijuana seized by interdictions that were destined for other states in the country.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2022 The top three Colorado counties identified as the source for the marijuana in 2012 were Denver (141), Boulder (27) and El Paso (24).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dispensary \u201cPatient\u201d 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In a press release dated August 13, 2012, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers stated, \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n A 2011 report from the Drug Enforcement Administration \u2013 Denver Field Division states, \u201cColorado\u2019s medical marijuana system allows for a widespread exportation and illicit marijuana distribution\u2026. Colorado is on track to become a primary source of supply for high-grade marijuana throughout the country.\u201d2<\/p>\n Nebraska State Patrol Sergeant Dana Korell: \u201cMarijuana out of Colorado is having a local impact. It is flooding, just flooding the marketplace. It\u2019s everywhere.\u201d3<\/p>\n 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. \u201cNow you have dispensaries, you have grow houses in our neighboring states that are growing a much better product.\u201d \u201cNow we\u2019re getting the high-grade marijuana\u201d coming across the border.3<\/p>\n The Intelligence Center\u2019s analysis of the illegal drug market in the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, which includes Nebraska, found \u201cdemand for high-potency marijuana has increased during the last three years, fueling both increased indoor hydroponic grows and importation from California and Colorado.\u201d4<\/p>\n <\/p>\n United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) \u201cProhibited Mailing of Narcotics\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n (PMN) drug database:<\/p>\n This database does not capture parcels with smaller amounts of marijuana which are handled administratively.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2022 From 2010 – 2013, the number of intercepted parcel packages of marijuana from Colorado, has increased each year:<\/p>\n 2010: 15 parcels<\/p>\n 2011: 36 parcels<\/p>\n 2012: 158 parcels \u00a7 Over ten times the number seized in 2010<\/p>\n 2013: 209 parcels \u2013 only as of May 2013 (five months)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2022 From 2010 – 2012 the total pounds of marijuana seized from packages mailed from Colorado has increased each year:<\/p>\n In 2010: total of 57 pounds were seized<\/p>\n In 2011: total of 68 pounds were seized<\/p>\n In 2012: total of 262 pounds were seized \u00a7 Nearly five times the amount seized in 2010<\/p>\n These figures only reflect packages seized. They do not count packages of Colorado marijuana that were mailed and reached the intended destination.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 2013: 205 pounds have been seized \u2013 as of May 2013 (five months)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2022 Between 2010 and 2012, the number of states destined to receive marijuana mailed from Colorado has increased each year:<\/p>\n In 2010 \u2013 10 states<\/p>\n In 2011 \u2013 24 states<\/p>\n In 2012 \u2013 29 states<\/p>\n In 2013 \u2013 23 states in only the first three months<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" THE FOLLOWING PAPER SHOWS EXTRACTS FROM A REPORT PUBLISHED IN AUGUST 2013 \u2013 SHOWING THE IMPACT OF MARIJUANA LEGALISATION AND SO-CALLED MEDICAL MARIJUANA FROM 2009.\u00a0 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,78,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-law","category-medicine-and-marijuana","category-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9000","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\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9000"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9000\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}