Pubdate: Sun, 05 Jan 2014
Source: Berkshire Eagle, The (Pittsfield, MA)
Copyright: 2014 New England Newspapers, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.berkshireeagle.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/897
Author: Jeffrey J. Bradford
Note: Jeffrey J. Bradford is a lieutenant with the Pittsfield Police 
Department.

MARIJUANA'S IMPACT ON YOUTH

PITTSFIELD - The decriminalization of marijuana in Massachusetts has 
paved the way for a new business enterprise: medical marijuana 
dispensaries. These government-regulated businesses will provide 
marijuana to patients who have been authorized to possess and use the 
drug by a physician. However, in the rush to allow access to the drug 
by those with legitimate medical needs, we have failed to fully 
consider how decriminalization has affected recreational use and 
misuse of marijuana by our youth.

In 2008, when Massachusetts voters approved a ballot initiative 
leading to the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana, youth 
perceptions regarding the drug changed. A substance, which was once 
illegal to possess and could lead to arrest, fines, and loss of 
driving privileges, was now considered a civil offense ($100 fine), 
much like a speeding ticket. Offenders under the age of 18 are 
subject to the same civil fine but must also complete a drug 
awareness program and community service.

Since decriminalization occurred, law enforcement officers across the 
state have observed a change in youth attitudes towards using 
marijuana. The use of civil consequences to control and deter the 
recreational use of marijuana by our youth has been entirely unsuccessful.

As Berkshire County prepares for its first marijuana dispensaries, it 
is important to remind our community of the effects marijuana can 
have on the young, developing brain. Harvard Medical School cites an 
Australian study which found that young people who had used marijuana 
weekly as teenagers were twice as likely to have depression as a 
young adult than those who did not use the drug. Daily use as a 
teenager was associated with four times the risk of depression for 
young people.

Immediate consequences of marijuana use are seen behind the wheel. 
Driving under the influence of marijuana is linked to an increased 
risk of a motor vehicle crash, especially for fatal collisions, as 
published in the British Medical Journal. The analysis found driving 
under the influence of marijuana was associated with almost twice the 
risk of a motor vehicle crash when compared with unimpaired driving.

Lead researcher Mark Asbridge of Dalhousie University in Halifax, 
Nova Scotia, found that while alcohol impairs drivers' speed and 
reaction time, marijuana affects their spatial awareness. Drivers who 
have recently smoked marijuana may follow cars too closely, and 
swerve in and out of lanes. The study also showed that while people 
who are drunk often recognize they are impaired by alcohol, those 
under the influence of marijuana often deny they are impaired.

Berkshire County is already at a distinct disadvantage with educating 
young people about the potential harms of marijuana use. While 
researching this topic, I spoke with Paul McNeil of the Pittsfield 
Prevention Partnership (PPP). The PPP is a coalition whose work 
includes reducing and preventing youth substance use. As part of 
their effort, the PPP, and other prevention coalitions in Berkshire 
County, conduct a biannual survey of all 8th-, 10th- and 12th-graders 
in Berkshire County Public School districts. According to the 2013 
Prevention Needs Assessment Survey, more Berkshire county youth 
report attitudes favorable to drug use than those reported in a 
national comparison sample.

For example, 55 percent of Berkshire County 12th-graders report 
attitudes favorable to drug use as compared to 43 percent nationally. 
Berkshire County 10th-graders reported a 20 percent increase in 30 
day marijuana use from 2009 to 2013. At 26 percent, local 15-16 
year-olds reported 30-day marijuana use is almost 50 percent higher 
than the University of Michigan's national Monitoring the Future 
comparison sample. Massachusetts has the third highest 30-day 
marijuana use rates for 12-17 year olds in the country, according to 
the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), ahead of Colorado 
and Washington where use is recreationally legal.

To protect our youth from the harmful effects of tobacco and alcohol, 
Massachusetts has laws that restrict their sale and 
possession.  Although chronic use of tobacco has been medically 
proven to be addictive and harmful, tobacco products do not have the 
intoxicating effect of alcohol, which can impair judgment and motor 
skills. As a result, our society has decided that laws restricting 
tobacco sales to persons under 18, combined with civil fines for 
adults, other than parents, who furnish tobacco products to children, 
is a sufficient deterrent.

The possession and use of alcohol by minors in Massachusetts is 
considered more serious than tobacco products. The alcohol laws in 
our state prohibit individuals under the age of 21 from possessing or 
purchasing alcoholic beverages. Individuals caught violating this 
statute are subject to arrest, fines, and the suspension of their 
driver's license. The law deters minors from openly engaging in the 
consumption of alcohol and acts as a deterrent by criminally 
penalizing those who are caught violating the law.

The possible consequence of losing one's license, a particularly 
important privilege for most teens, is an especially effective 
deterrent. Unlike tobacco products, it is the impairment effects of 
marijuana and alcohol, in addition to the long-term medical and 
mental health problems associated with their use, which necessitate 
their tighter restriction under the law. Based on the available 
evidence, which shows the harmful effects marijuana use can have on 
our youth, the state of Massachusetts has a responsibility to 
establish sensible, criminal, marijuana restrictions for minors under 
the age of 21.

The decision to decriminalize marijuana, without maintaining criminal 
sanctions designed to control the use of the drug by our youth, is an 
oversight that must be revisited. 
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom