Survey says VT, NH have high rates of drug abuse

The Free Press printed an article yesterday about a 2002 survey done by the 
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  SAMHSA 
surveyed 68,126 out of an estimated 235.143 million persons ages 12 and over. 
While this figure represents .029% of the population (over age 12),in my 
opinion a statistically flimsy portion, SAMHSA presents a series of tables and 
explanations arguing the correctness of their methods. (1) The authors of the 
study admit it excludes all persons serving in the military, as well as those 
who are currently institutionalized.

The article, written by Beverly Wang of The Associated Press, puts a reefer 
madness spin on the data. (2) 'New Hampshire and Vermont have among the 
highest rates of drug use in the nation - according to responses the states' 
residents gave on a federal survey.' While the study dealt with nine 
substances - marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants, non-medical 
use of prescription pain kilers, tranquilizers, stimulants and sedatives - the 
article spent most of its focus on marijuana, and equating its use to those of 
far more destructive drugs. 

'Alice Bruning, chief of Prevention Services for New Hampshire's Department of 
Health and Human Services, said the drug's easy availability, combined with a 
low perception of its risks, have established an environment of tolerance in 
New England when it comes to marijuana.

"You have a lot of local supply. It's easy to grow in the kind of rural 
forested communities that we have," Bruning said. "We don't have that general 
attitude that we don't want people to smoke marijuana ... (but) if we asked 
someone in the street, 'do you think it's OK for kids to shoot heroin?' They'd 
say, 'Are you crazy?'"

Bruning linked marijuana use to binge drinking, which studies show to be 
highest at small, private colleges in the Northeast - campuses full of well-
off students with the time and the freedom to do what they want.'


The survey cites several states as having the lowest 'perceptions of great 
risk of smoking marijuana once a month.'  Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, 
Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. Not 
surprisingly, 5 out of these 9 states have passed what the Marijuana Policy 
Project have called 'effective medical marijuana laws.' (3)   Call it 
craziness or compassion, the cultures of these states realize the benefit of, 
at the very least, legalizing marijuana for medical use. 

SAMHSA, in addition to maintaining that marijuana is an extremely dangerous 
drug, downplays the benefits marijuana can have on the terminally ill. 'Some 
people with cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other diseases claim to 
experience relief from pain and other symptoms that they attribute to 
marijuana use. However, scientific research has not yet confirmed these 
benefits and more research on this topic is being done. What is known is that 
smoking marijuana can cause lung damage.' (4)

Opponents of medical marijuana argue there are other drugs on the market which 
will do the job just as well.  THC (Marinol) and synthetic progesterone 
(Megace) pills are available to terminally ill patients, but while these drugs 
do promote appetite, they can cause dizziness, lethargy and more severe side 
effects.(5,6) A THC nebulizer, which would deliver an active ingredient mist 
directly to the lung tissue, has yet to become a reality (at least to my 
knowledge).

I suppose someone reading this would think I support the use of marijuana by 
those under 18.  I don't.  Caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, etc, aren't good for 
growing bodies.  In fact, it's not healthy for anyone to smoke anything.  
Having said that, I think the public puritanism toward marijuana is 
hypocritical and harmful to those who would benefit from sane marijuana laws.  




(1) http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/nhsda/2k2nsduh/Results/appG.htm
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/nhsda/2k2nsduh/Results/appB.htm

(2)http://news.findlaw.com/scripts/printer_friendly.pl?
page=/ap_stories/other/1500/8-6-2004/20040806171504_126.html

(3)http://www.mpp.org/pdf/sbs_report_2004.pdf

(4) http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/govpubs/phd641/

(5) http://my.webmd.com/content/article/13/1691_50149

(6) http://www.ameritech.net/users/whitehead/druginfo.html#Megace
http://www.ameritech.net/users/whitehead/druginfo.html#Marinol

-x
--
hey kids,

check out http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/govpubs/phd641/
for some other great marijuana facts like:

In 1998, nearly 77,000 people were admitted to emergency rooms suffering from 
marijuana-related problems.
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