April 23, 1999
Company Press Release

While investigators await toxicology reports Thursday, Littleton High School student Jake Apodaca said in an
interview with Ted Koppel on ABC’s Nightline (April 20) that "4/20 is another word for marijuana and it’s the
fourth month and the 20^th day so they (suspects) just kind of take that as kind of a holiday."
They meaning "everybody that smokes weed or does drugs," he said.

"Whether or not these suspects or this incident had any connection to drug use, it is crucial that we recognize
what drug use does to our youth," Family Research Council drugs and crime expert Robert Maginnis
said Thursday.

"Drug use is highly correlated with delinquent behavior, and use among adolescents is on the rise. There are some clear-cut social and demographic trends that make it very probable that today’s shocking stories
of youthful violence will explode over the next decade."
(Marijuananews note: Not according to PRIDE, the source cited by the FRC.
They say that "Despite these alarming numbers, the percentage of students who say they carried guns to school
has fallen by 36% over the last five years from 6.0% in 1993-94, to 4.9% in 1994-95, to 4.5% in 1995-96,
to 4.1% in 1996-97, and to 3.8% in 1997-98."

Of course, as I pointed out, during this time marijuana use has gone up, suggesting a negative correlation
between marijuana use and guns in schools. More marijuana equals less guns.)

Of those who carry guns to school, nearly 76 percent smoke pot at least once-a-year.
(Marijuananews note: No, the correlation is not significant. The original bogus 
numbers created what would have been a very significant correlation,and they act 
as though the numbers hadn't been changed.

Their original release said, "Nearly 76 percent of at least once-a-year pot smokers 
report carrying a gun to school." 

That was absurd, but it was the basis for the release. Never mind. New facts, same BS.

Although, marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug, PRIDE says,  
"Among the gun-toting youngsters, almost a third (30%) used cocaine once a month 
or more often … These drug use rates compare to 1.3% monthly cocaine use 
by students who did not carry guns to school…" 

In other words, the use of other – much more dangerous drugs—is a much better indicator of
the likelihood of carrying a gun, than is marijuana use, but that is not as good a fund-raising pitch
to the white middle class religious right and the reefer madness constituency.

The old version was preceded with the misleading "Of those users" – presumably meaning of marijuana
users who carried guns to school—now they have no such header, in stead …)

Of those who take part in gang activities, nearly 70 percent smoke pot at least once-a-year.
Of those who think of suicide often or a lot, nearly 60 percent smoke pot at least once-a-year.
Of those who threaten to harm another, nearly 48 percent smoke  pot at least once-a-year.

(Marijuananews note: Of those who do not threaten to harm another, almost as many also "smoke pot at least once-a-year." PRIDE reports that roughly 31% of high schoolers have used marijuana in the last year.)

Of those who get into trouble with the police, nearly 63 percent smoke pot at least once-a-year.

(Marijuananews note: It is hardly surprising that kids who are having trouble of any kind would be more
likely to use illicit drugs and alcohol and tobacco – which are also illicit for children —than kids who
are not troubled. What these numbers really prove is that marijuana use is not of much value
as an indicator of other problems, but there is no way to know this from this press release.

And how would alcohol use correlate with these numbers? See below. Hint: It is the most commonly used
drug reported by all categories. If marijuana use did "correlate" to the above problems, then alcohol
use "correlates" even more highly.)

Source: PRIDE—Parents’ Resource Institute for Drug Education)

SOURCE: Family Research Council

(Marijuananews note: Of course, as you can see from the PRIDE numbers below, alcohol is the drug most commonly used by all groups. But that would hardly be news, at least not to a prohibitionist propaganda organization like FRC.

However, I will say that FRC has done one thing that I thought impossible, they make PRIDE look almost "moderate."