Pubdate: Wed, 09 Nov 2011 Source: Metro Times (Detroit, MI) Copyright: 2011 C.E.G.W./Times-Shamrock Contact: http://www.metrotimes.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1381 Author: Jerry Epstein OBLIVIOUS TO FACTS Your superb summary of the medical marijuana controversy featured the intransigence of AG Schuette, who bloviates, "Across Michigan, our communities are struggling with an invasion of pot shops near their schools, homes and churches," This statement is so oblivious to the facts that it is appalling from such an official. Taxpayers have paid Monitoring the Future (MTF) to survey some 2 million teens aged about 14 to 18 since 1975 to provide regular reports. The short summary of that data is to say that virtually any teen who has wanted any drug for at least 35 years has been able get it by simply asking a few peers. In the words of MTF, "[M]arijuana has been almost universally available to American 12th graders over the past 33 years." The MTF questions let 12th graders name which ones of 17 factors had an influence on their decisions. MTF says, "The reason for not using or stopping marijuana use cited by the fewest seniors [less than 7 percent] over the 29 years of data included in this analysis was availability." Indeed, the number who say the drugs are "easy to get" vastly exceeds those who actually use them. So Schuette is desperately trying to keep patients from a valuable, often essential, medicine in order to protect teens by getting them to buy drugs from some of the million other teens that now sell drugs in our nation's schools? Does he celebrate himself with a drink of far more dangerous alcohol? - -Jerry Epstein, Houston, Texas - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom