I wonder how reliable is this White House Office of Drug Control Policy.
_____________________________________________________________

http://article.wn.com/link/WNAT7D6D7A3D ... tories.txt

Feds Sound New Warning About Marijuana Use

By PAULINE JELINEK
Associated Press Writer

May 4, 2005, 7:22 AM EDT

WASHINGTON -- Youngsters who use marijuana are more likely to develop serious mental health problems, the government said Tuesday. A private group said law enforcement increasingly is targeting people who smoke and deal the drug.

Past medical studies have linked marijuana with a greater incidence of mental disorders such as depression or schizophrenia. But questions remain about whether people who smoke marijuana at a young age are already predisposed to mental disorders, or whether the drug caused those disorders.

Government officials say recent research makes a stronger case that smoking marijuana is itself a causal agent in psychiatric symptoms, particularly schizophrenia.

"A growing body of evidence now demonstrates that smoking marijuana can increase the risk of serious mental health problems," said John P. Walters, director of the White House Office of Drug Control Policy.

Administration officials pointed to a handful of studies to make their case. One, from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, found adult marijuana smokers who first began using the drug before age 12 were twice as likely to have suffered a serious mental illness in the past year as those who began smoking after 18.

The ratio was 21 percent to 10.5 percent. Those who first started as teens also were at significantly higher risk.

Also Tuesday, The Sentencing Project released a report that found the government's "war on drugs" has become the "war on drug" as police agencies increasingly target marijuana.

Begun in the 1980s, the war on drugs was aimed at stopping large-scale narcotics traffickers, particularly those selling cocaine. But since 1990 more of the focus has been on catching users and low-level dealers. And more often than ever, the drug targeted is marijuana, according to the group, a national nonprofit organization that works on judicial reform and favors alternatives to jail.

Of some 700,000 marijuana arrests in 2002, 88 percent were for possession, it said. And only one of every 18 of those arrests ended in a felony conviction.

"Arresting record numbers of low-level marijuana offenders represents a poor investment in public safety" and diverts resources from "more serious crime problems," said Ryan King, co-author of the report.

King found that in 1992 arrests for heroin and cocaine comprised 55 percent of all drug arrests and marijuana 28 percent. A decade later heroin and cocaine arrests accounted for less than 30 percent of all arrests, while marijuana's share had risen to 45 percent.

Jennifer deVallance, spokeswoman for the White House drug office, said there are many reasons for the greater focus on marijuana. Among them: Marijuana is the single largest drug of abuse in the nation, the strains are more potent than ever and more is known about health dangers.

"For the first time, more kids are seeking treatment for marijuana use than alcohol," she said.

The Sentencing Project called for renewed national discussion of the war on drugs, an idea echoed by the conservative American Enterprise Institute. The group reported last month that despite spending at about $40 billion a year now and toughening drug sentencing laws, "America continues to experience the Western world's worst drug problems."

An epidemic of heroin use more than three decades ago, followed by a 1980s epidemic of cocaine and crack, prompted a massive intensification in drug enforcement while giving short shrift to prevention and treatment, the institute reported. It decried budgeting that spends two-thirds of drug control funds on enforcement, 25 percent on treatment and just 12 percent on prevention.

Associated Press reporter Kevin Freking contributed to this story.

and the 12% that is spent on prevention? the majority of that goes to programs like DARE which have failed miserably.

"But questions remain about whether people who smoke marijuana at a young age are already predisposed to mental disorders, or whether the drug caused those disorders. "


yeah, that about sums up the Bush Presidency right there.


Show me some fucking facts.......and I'll listen.



end the "war" and spend the money on prevention and treating addicts, and the problem goes away.

spent trillions burning crops in SA and continue to sweep it under the rug and perpetuate the problem.

i can't imagine how they would collect reliable information. it is very very difficult to get people to be honest about drug use in surveys, especially when you have a government taking as hard of a stance against marijuana as the US gov currently has.

I already know the answer!

its true... clearly they are only going to seek information supporting their drug intiatives, hence all the "marijuana is bad press" we get in the US while other countries conducting unbiased research actually seeking information paint a much different picture.

this is one of the things that pisses me off about the war on drugs... sure, it might cause some people to go a bit mental (schizo whatever), but it might cause someone else to stay sane or help them deal... whatever... i know a friend who went schizo after some girl put him through hell, and im sure many men and women do go crazy due to bad relationships... should we ban dating next?

Thats like saying masturbation causes insanity. Its bullshit trying to get people to stop.

No it causes hairy palms and blindness. Thats a proven fact.

Wow. That's really shocking.

Kids that start using drugs at age 10 are more likely to be crazy. Duh.

What about all the people that start smoking pot in between the ages of 12 and 18?

This study is a nice example of manipulating statistics to say whatever the fuck you want them to say.

Everyone I know who has smoked weed for a long period of time (myself included), is a little off center. Insane? No, but a little weird.

This report is probably B.S., but you can't deny that pot smoking affects you.

I've only smoked it 2 or 3 times, but friends of mine smoke it on a regular basis and it doesn't seem to affect them much, but they've all started at 18 or later. It must certainly have more serious consequences if one starts before age 12.
It would be interesting to see this study conducted by independent sources.

I'd have to fall into the "if you're 11 years old and smoking pot, you've already got problems" camp.

Exactly. totally 100% exactly.

I have no problem with people that smoke pot, its their choice and many regular pot smokers are productive members of society. .. and to the majority of people, they probably dont notice any difference in someones behavior after smoking... but no doubt about the fact, someone that knows you very well probably notices the subtle differences.

I dont hate pot, and have been known to use it from time to time, i just HATE the mentality that it doesnt change someone at all- it does, and if you say it doesnt- you're lying to yourself.

where does an 11 year old get money for regular pot use?

Good question. I bet they steal the dope from their parents, which is problem enough.

The really scary part of all of this is how they're targeting users of marijuana over high profile dealers of more lucrative narcotics, folks who are likely engaging in the drug trade and organized crime for a living. It's pretty amazing how by their standards so many "regular" members of society they can make into criminals. The bottom line is that no one should be going to jail over smoking weed, period. And I certainly don't consider myself a criminal.

Since well over half of the country has at least smoked pot, why can't we all finally come to our senses and realize it will never bring about the fall of our society (at least no more than other drugs, i.e. alcohol, have) and legalize it? Or at least decriminalize.

I don't really want to go into how smoking pot can change your perception of things (even when not high) but I will say that for some people the change in perception is not a bad thing.
What I do want to mention is this is exactly the kind of propaganda used in the early 20th century when the government was first looking for ways to discredit the use of this drug in hopes of making it illegal. Fear and paranoia in the general population can do a lot to propel a government into taking the required actions to ban the use of this type of drug, and I hope everyone here has seen "Reefer Madness".
Anyway, there were a number of reasons the government at that time didn't want marijuana being used legally, among them, the fact that they could not control the growing of the plant (it is indeed a weed and can be grown fairly simply by anyone), unlike alcohol which can be controlled (and is) by the government. It was also beginning to be used as other than a way to get high. Useful things like being used to make rope and as well as various industrious ways of using the oil from the plant seeds, which of course would have been competition for other well established industries...
I'm not claiming that smoking pot is good or bad; it's not really for me to say, that's a personal choice, like getting drunk. All I'm saying is I'm always skeptical when the government puts out a report on smoking pot because they always appear (to me) to have a vested (and often hidden) interest in the outcome.

That was my first thought.

I wish you guys could meet some people that not only risk, but give up their whole entire lives to go fight the war on drugs in South America...



Wait a second...it's illegal to grow hops, barley, oats, and other grains that are used in the production of beer? How come I can go into a BEER STORE and get all the necessary tools to MAKE UNREGULATED BEER!



This is a sick joke right? You do realize that one effective way of getting high profile drug dealers is to eliminate their business constituents right? Yeah, as if nobody is targeting more "lucrative" high profile drug dealers through more aggressive measures. Should the government target their messages at these drug dealers? Maybe such articles would make them realize the error in their ways and say, "Gosh, this stuff hurts people. I think I'll stop."



I'm sorry, but I can have a couple beers and not become impaired by it. The whole purpose of smoking weed is TO GET HIGH! It's like any other drug. I'm not sitting here saying that alcohol doesn't hurt people, because it does. However, there are laws that deal with people who abuse alcohol and hurt other people, including themselves. To say "decriminalize it because alcohol hurts people too and it's legal" flies in the face of sound logic.

-PJinmyhead

Yeah, like you're one for caring about lack of bias in a study...



Trillions huh...

Again, I wish you could meet someone that sacraficed a real life in America to keep drugs out of the hands of America.

Why do I always have to explain this to people when these threads pop up. Look, it's really simple. These drugs don't exist as some covert operation to suppress the hemp industry, they're not trying to keep ya down man. Drug laws, and all laws exist to protect people. I say this time and time again. Rape laws exist to protect people by detouring rape. Speeding laws prevent speeding, which prevents fatal accidents. There are laws against drunk driving to protect us from drunk drivers. There are laws against drugs, all drugs, including prescription drugs, to PROTECT MY ASS FROM YOUR ASS.

I refuse to have it any other way.

Now, most pot smokers are responsible. So aren't most drinkers. But if you're stupid enough to get caught with weed, or get caught smoking weed, or to drive while high, then face the consequences. Someone as stupid as that doesn't deserve to be walking the same sidewalks as I do. Just the same goes for belligerent drunk assholes. I don't see what you guys complain about. Most of you do your own little thing, you won't get caught, and nobody cares. You'll never face the consequences of irresponsible actions because you're responsible, and you won't hurt anybody. What are you complaining?

Do you guys realize how shitty the weed will be if it is deceriminalized and government regulated?