 | Volume 16 Issue 31 08/08/2013 |
| From NORML.org:
Gallup: Self-Reported Marijuana Use Falling Dramatically Among Young Adults Princeton, NJ: Self-reported use of marijuana by young adults has fallen dramatically in recent decades despite the liberalization of state marijuana laws, according to survey data published this week by Gallup.According to the survey, 36 percent of Americans between the age of 18 and 29 have tried cannabis. That percentage is a marked decline from previous decades. In 1977, 56 percent of those between the ages of 18 to 29 reported consuming cannabis. A similar percentage reported using the plant in 1985, during the height of the Nancy Reagan 'Just Say No' era. In 1999, 46 percent of Americans between 18 and 29 reported using pot. Since 1996, 20 states have enacted laws allowing for the physician-authorized use of medical marijuana. Two states have legalized the plant's broader use by adults. Several other states, including California, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, have decriminalized marijuana possession offenses in recent years. While self-reported marijuana use by young adults has declined, consumption by older Americans has increased. Among those Americans age 65 and older, self-reported use of cannabis rose from three percent in 1999 to 17 percent today. Among those aged 50 to 64, self-reported cannabis use doubled from 22 percent in 1999 to 44 percent today. Overall, Gallup reports that 38 percent of Americans 18 and older have now used marijuana, up from 34 percent in 1999. For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org or Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Director, at (202) 483-5500. Illinois Becomes 20th State To Sanction Therapeutic Cannabis Use Springfield, IL: Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation into law last week making Illinois the twentieth state to authorize the physician-recommended use and distribution of cannabis to qualified patients.The new law establishes a statewide, four-year pilot program regulating the production, distribution, and possession of medical cannabis. The program creates up to 22 state-licensed cannabis cultivation centers and up to 60 state-licensed dispensaries. Qualified patients participating in the program must have a preexisting relationship with their physician prior to receiving a recommendation for cannabis therapy. Patients diagnosed with one of approximately 40 qualifying conditions - including cancer, hepatitis C, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and Crohn's disease - will be permitted to legally possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis per 14-day period. Under the law, patients must obtain cannabis only from a state-licensed facility. The law takes effect on January 1, 2014. State regulators have 120-days following the bill's enactment to file program rules and regulations with the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. Arizona, Colorado, New Jersey, Maine, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, DC now have licensed medical cannabis dispensaries up and running. (California dispensaries are not licensed by the state.) Similar dispensary outlets are in the process of opening in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Nevada and New Hampshire. Legislation in Oregon to license and regulate medical marijuana dispensaries awaits action from the governor. For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, or Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Director, at (202) 483-5500. Study: Marijuana Consumers More Knowledgeable About Substance's Health Effects Than Non-Users Zurich, Switzerland: People who consume cannabis are more likely to be knowledgeable about the substance's health effects than are those who abstain from it, according to survey data reported online in the International Journal of Public Health Policy.Researchers at the University of Zurich in Switzerland assessed the health literacy of some 12,000 male subjects. Investigators reported that those subjects who consumed cannabis, alcohol, and tobacco "searched for information about substances significantly more often via the Internet than abstainers." These subjects also "reported better knowledge of risks associated with substance use and a marginally better ability to understand health information than abstainers," the authors found. In particular, subjects who reported consuming cannabis at least once per week were four times more likely to search for health-related information as compared those who abstained, the study found. Researchers concluded, "Substance users appear to be more informed and knowledgeable about the risks of substance use than non-users." For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Health literacy and substance use in young Swiss men," appears in the International Journal of Public Health Policy.
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