Pubdate: Fri, 06 Sep 2013
Source: Detroit News (MI)
Copyright: 2013 The Detroit News
Contact:  http://www.detroitnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/126
Author: Margaret Farenger
Note: Margaret Farenger is executive director of the Alliance of
Coalitions for Healthy Communities, headquartered in Pontiac.
Page: 15

THE CASE AGAINST NORMALIZING MARIJUANA

When the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMMA) was approved by voters
in 2008, many saw it as an opportunity to ease the suffering of those
with painful medical conditions. Opponents of the bill described it as
a step towards legalization and normalization of drug use.

Their concerns appear to be well-founded.

Just last week, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the
Justice Department would defer its right to sue two states that had
legalized marijuana.

Now, marijuana legalization is being pushed on communities throughout
Michigan. At a Ferndale City Council meeting last month, I heard the
new pitch: Legalization reduces crime and makes neighborhoods safer.

I didn't hear legalization activists address what matters most: A plan
for preventing the resulting harm to young people.

When you get past the rhetoric, marijuana use is a health issue and an
especially significant adolescent health issue. We need to treat it as
such. Let's look at the facts.

First, marijuana use by teens is on the rise.

More Michigan teens use marijuana today than when the MMMA passed five
years ago. In 2011, University of Michigan researchers reported a
fourth consecutive year of increased teen marijuana use. In 2012,
authors noted that teens' perception of the harm caused by the drug
continues to drop. As teens are less aware of the risks, rates of use
frequently will continue to climb.

Our organization measures use rates in Oakland County. We found
similar results, causing us to publish our first report specific to
the topic earlier this year. In 2008, 21.9 percent of 11th graders in
Oakland County said they used marijuana within the last 30 days. By
2012, that number had risen to 26.3 percent.

In contrast, underage alcohol use was level or decreased during this
same time period.

How worried should we be about more teens using marijuana? Here,
again, we can turn to the data. Young marijuana users tend to engage
in other substance use; 97 percent of high school students who have
tried marijuana have used another addictive substance.

Adolescence represents a sensitive stage in brain development with
increased vulnerability to addiction. Of those who begin using
marijuana as a teen, 1 in 6 will become dependent on the drug.

According to the National Institute of Health, public costs associated
with substance use now exceed $559 billion per year. How will we find
the resources to respond as the need increases?

While taxing marijuana could, in theory, generate some revenue, a
quick examination of the public health costs of alcohol and tobacco
show us how that works in practice. Any revenue gained is a drop in
the ocean compared to the financial and social costs.

Proponents of legalization do have one thing right. The "war on drugs"
policy that emphasized incarceration for users is outdated and
ineffective. Fortunately, policy reform is under way and has the
potential to redirect dollars from prisons to prevention and treatment
of underlying causes.

In more good news, people across the county are becoming mobilized for
innovative and effective community prevention, including our members
in Oakland County and our coalition colleagues across Southeast Michigan.

We want a system that works to maintain strong regulations on
addictive drugs. We want to reduce, not increase, youth access to drugs.

I've spoken with thousands of parents in the course of my career. Most
parents care deeply about keeping their kids safe from drug use. It
would be hard to overstate the pain of parents whose children are
addicted. We need to create an environment that doesn't crush their
best intentions.

Parents and adults who want to learn more can visit our website,
achcmi.org, to obtain resources or to register for our "Truth and
Consequences, Youth and Marijuana" conference on October 10.

Let's end with one important fact: marijuana use is drug use. Drug use
is a public health problem we can, and must, prevent. It's time to
make the health of young people our priority.
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MAP posted-by: Matt