The AP Gives Califano A Free
Ride For Prohibitionist Propaganda
See
Califano Says, "Teens who smoke
marijuana are playing a dangerous game of Russian roulette."
And Other Brilliant Insights.(Marijuananews note: This
article demonstrates CASA’s skill at media relations. They sent out personalized
letters to many members of the media. However, that is no excuse for such sloppy
journalism. We are yet to see an AP story on the Johns Hopkins report on the long-term
effects of marijuana use, which contradicts the party line.)
See
American
Journal Of Epidemiology Report That Long-Term Use Of Marijuana
Does Not Lead To A Decline In Mental Function Got Minimal Coverage,
Perhaps Because Scores Actually Fell More Among Non-Users Than Among Heavy Users!
and
Associated Press
Reports Uncritically On A Partnership For A Drug-Free America Survey On Kids’
Marijuana Use
From The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
jsedit@onwis.com
http://www.jsonline.com/
http://www.jsonline.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimate.cgi
LEGALIZED POT SAID A DANGER TO KIDS
From The Associated Press
July 13, 1999
WASHINGTON - Young people who smoke marijuana are far more likely
than nonusers to move on to harder drugs, a substance abuse research group
concludes in a report that opposes efforts to legalize or decriminalize nonmedical
marijuana.
(Marijuananews note: "A substance abuse research
group"? There is no category called "prohibitionist propaganda
organization"? That tells us something important about the public discourse.)
"Teen experimentation with marijuana should not be considered a casual rite of
passage," said Joseph Califano, chairman and president of the National Center on
Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.
"Teens who smoke marijuana are playing a dangerous game of Russian roulette,"
he said.
The center’s report was released as a House Government
Reform Committee held a second hearing today on pros and cons of decriminalizing drugs.
Testifying were former Drug Enforcement Administration head Thomas Constantine and
advocates of relaxed laws on marijuana use.
"Marijuana stands convicted as a gateway drug,"
Califano concluded,
citing conclusions in the report that youngsters 12 to 17 years old who smoke marijuana
are 85 times more likely to use cocaine than those who do not.
See
"Those who
insist on keeping the plant illegal bear a serious degree of moral responsibility for
young marijuana users who do go on to use cocaine, heroin, PCP or other genuinely
dangerous or addictive drugs."
Alan Bock, of the Orange County Register On the Real Gateway
The report, which focuses on non-medical use of marijuana, said the drug is especially
dangerous for teens, impairing short-term memory, stunting intellectual and emotional
growth and increasing the likelihood of unprotected sex as well as leading to other drugs
such as cocaine or heroin.
It said that of 182,000 teens and children who entered treatment
in 1996 for substance abuse, nearly half, 48 percent, were admitted for marijuana abuse or
addiction.
That compared to 19 percent for alcohol and a secondary drug, 12 percent for alcohol
alone, 3 percent for smoked cocaine, 2.4 percent for methamphetamines and 2.3 percent for
heroin.
The report concluded that decriminalization or legalization of marijuana would surely
increase use among teen-agers and children. But it also opposed
mandatory sentences for possession of small amounts of marijuana, saying prosecutors and
judges should be given wide discretion in order to encourage teens to stop using the drug.
(Marijuananews note: Doesn’t the AP know that there are
no mandatory minimums for simple possession of marijuana?)
"Mandatory sentences are particularly insidious where teens convicted of
possession of marijuana are concerned," Califano said.
The report said that 70 million Americans have tried marijuana, making it the
nation’s most commonly used illegal substance. In 1998, almost 23 percent of 12th
graders said they had smoked marijuana within the past month, and just under one-half had
tried marijuana during their lives.
Supported