"Results indicated no significant effect of cannabis use on global neurocognitive performance ... Overall, these meta-analyses demonstrate that any negative residual effects on neurocognitive performance attributable to either cannabis residue or withdrawal symptoms are limited to the first 25 days of abstinence. Furthermore, there was no evidence for enduring negative effects of cannabis use."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22731735

"Despite several lines of evidence suggesting the biological plausibility of marijuana use being carcinogenic (1), it is possible that marijuana use does not increase cancer risk .. Although purely speculative, it is possible that such inverse associations may reflect a protective effect of marijuana."

http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/15/10/1829.full#sec-7

"A study in the August edition of The Journal of School Health finds that the generations old theory of a “gateway drug” effect is in fact accurate for some drug users, but shifts the blame for those addicts’ escalating substance abuse away from marijuana and onto the most pervasive and socially accepted drug in American life: alcohol."

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/07/05/study-the-gateway-drug-is-alcohol-not-marijuana/

The stuff is safer than cigarettes and alcohol which are sold on every street corner and have ruined numerous lives and continue to do so. It should be a crime that marijuana was ever illegal and the others legal.

O.k. Christine, I'll put myself out there at the risk of being permanently labelled a Polly Anna. I totally agree with you. First of all, it is illegal to smoke pot. Second of all, until someone tells me that it is "good" for you, I'm putting it in the same category as cigarettes. Finally, if it does impair judgement, slow response time and lead to trying other drugs or making other bad choices, I see no reason at all for teenagers or anyone else to smoke it. You say that our teens are living in a stressful world. Maybe it is our job as parents to help de-stress that world. If adults choose to smoke pot, that is their right, just as it is to cheat on their income taxes, speed or walk their dogs off leash (my particular vice). They have to live with the consequences and one of those is justifying their choice to their teenage children. Polly Anna(ish) enough for you?

Cannabis is good for you. I submit that the reason we have so much addiction to pharmaceutical drugs and other hard drugs is that we have outlawed cannabis. Our collective system is constantly trying to compensate for it and we have too many idiots in power that can't see it. All the opinions spouted by the author have been disproved and cause the greatest harm to the very people you purport to help... teens. When they try cannabis and realize that the author along with others don't know what the heck they are talking about... it throws everything into question. Prohibitionists are the problem, they do more harm to society than the plant itself. Let us grow whatever we want for personal consumption.. no one is trying to take away your peanuts or milk. Let us grow the food that benefits us. Anslingers writings and history is littered with Racist language which stands as evidence that it was recognized that it was used by certain ethnic people. The racist attitudes towards these people led to prohibition. Can't you people live and let live. If Mexicans can tolerate cannabis and why can't they have it? Because northern Europeans can't? Mexicans for the most part can't tolerate milk into adulthood, should we ban milk? Cannabis is harmless when used responsibly. Cannabis is good so says your bible, Genesis 1:29.

I might be simple-minded (personally I prefer that way). Agreeing with Elizabeth, "I don't see any benefit of smoking joints regardless it is legal or "not harmful to brain studies", therefore, it is not worthy to do so"....and that is what 6th grader told me. Fortunately or unfortunately, we have a family tragedy related to drug abuse so it scares (in good measure) my son away from any drug, cigarette, or alcohol.

I am sure that marijuana apologists can find statistics in their favor no matter how we dice this. My biggest concern about marijuana right now? It is inexorably linked to gun violence: look at arrest reports of the last five years and see how often it is seized by police concurrently with guns and ammunition.

Buyers in large part provide the dollars that fuel the rest of the system. The perception that marijuana is "safe" means that more people than ever are putting money into the black market without thinking of what happens to that money once it leaves their hands.

That being said, beyond it being a justice/violence issue - the stuff has four times the amount of tar as tobacco, and is inhaled more deeply. THC resides in fat cells, making it possible for you to test positive for drugs more than 90 days after using it (and thus, can cause you to lose your job.) The NIH has collected information on it here: http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana-abuse

PEER services has been doing research on attitudes towards substance abuse and other issues in Evanston middle schools; they would be a good resource for specific information.

Elizabeth Hubbard, a thought for you. I work in a location where when Rosa Parks died ton's of co-workers were indignant that any attention was paid to her passing. The main argument I heard was that she was a law breaker! She broke the law was what one rabid evangelist kept saying. Bad laws have to be broken by good people. If cannabis is the only thing that can offer me relief and the drugs the government tells me I can use only do me harm I would be an idiot to not break the law. Besides, you don't have to smoke it, it is perfectly edible.

Christine,

Let's forget pot for a second. How about the pill and heroin problems? Those are killing kids and young adults in Chicago and the burbs. Most parents don't realize that they often are their child's first drug dealer. Leaving pills unattended and accessible to children is an open invitation for experimentation. Kids are dying from these drugs. Many of them begin using after smoking pot or drinking alcohol first.

Parents need to be vigilant. They need to be aware of what's happening in the community, like the mom who told you how easy it is to get marijuana at school. They also can use home drug test kits. They don't have to give the test, but have it on hand at home so that their child is empowered to tell those that offer them, "I can't do that. My parents test me." That's why we created the Teensavers Home Drug Test Kit. Parents can't always be there, before school, after school, out at extracurricular events. Drugs are. They are everywhere. They are on campus, and kids use them. They are at Friday night football games. They are at the movies, bowling, the pizza parlor. It's virtually impossible to keep our kids out of places where drugs are present, so all we can do is support them and educate them on the dangers of drugs.

Jeffrey Soto
Teensavers
www.myteensavers.com

Well i see i know a few names on here odd...Elizabeth hubbard anyway yess i agree as a concerned parent marijuana is an illegal drug and shouldnt be abused but i must state i have used the drug before several times and loved it but never carried on using it i believe if my child was using it in his future i would be dissapointed but i would exept it as long as he is smoking and beeing responsible about it i do believe it should be legal because it is proved harmless as long as not smoked out of a joint paper or cigar wrapper everyone has rights i believe no one should abuse them but thats there choice even a teen should have choice

I was just looking out my bedroom window in NW Evanston and observed the 16-year-old boy next door as he snuck out the back basement entry of his house and got high. He was puffing on his pipe for a good 10 minutes in the 18 degree cold while his father is inside keeping busy with something. Several of this kids friends have recently been arrested (not the first offense for some) for possession of marijuana and being drunk. When I walk through the forest preserve on my way home from the train it is not unusual to see groups of boys - even middle school age - huddling in the woods smoking pot. I am not against the use of marijuana by responsible adults, but the use of pot by young kids in my neighborhood is astounding.

What does kids smoming pot have to do with its illegality? No on is saying kids should smoke weed, just like no one is saying they should drink beer or chew tobacco. That has zero to do with keeping marijuana illegla, which is by far one of the most disastrous policies of my lifetime. Lets not forget these three points. Marijuana is thousands of times safer than alcohol or cigarettes, giving people a safer choice to relax with could cut the amount of alcohol consumed in this country down considerably, that would be a very positive thing. Places like Amsterdam have less than 1/3rd the teen marijuana use that we have here, so clearly prohibiting the substance does nothing to curb teen use. And finally in a free country you are supposed to be free to make your own decisions. If you have the right to drink some wine, you better believe your neighbor is free to smoke a joint.

I can't help thinking about this story from 2010 in which an 18-year-old admitted smoking pot one night, and then was involved in a hit and run in Winnetka the next morning (toxicology results showed traces of marijuana in her system), causing a traumatic brain injury to the 16-year-old Glencoe girl she hit: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-06-15/news/ct-met-hughes-0615-20100615_1_hit-and-run-lesser-charge-erin-hughes. Here's the blog detailing the victim's recovery: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/sarahgoone1.

Want to talk about sending kids the wrong message? How about this: When I was in elementary school in the early 80's (during the Nancy Reagan "Just Say No" era) we were told horror stories about kids who smoked a joint and jumped from the top of a building because they thought they could fly and kids who smoked joints and then scratched all the skin off their arms because they thought they were covered in ants. These scare tactics are no different than the parents who told their children that making out gets you pregnant or venereal disease. Lying helps no one, and for the last 70 years people have been lying about marijuana (or at least trying to downplay the truth) because they thought that lying was necessary. What inevitably happens is that a kid smokes a joint, realizes that all the hype from their parents and school officials and the government is a bunch of B.S.; and then they begin to wonder what else they've been lied to about. There are real dangers associated with drugs, just as there are real dangers associated with caffeine, sugar, alcohol, trans-fats, the monkey bars, and a whole host of other things that kids come into contact with daily. If you want to protect your kids, give them information they can trust and use. But until we stop fear-mongering and start following a sensible drug policy that will never happen.

On another note, let me tell you about my personal experience: I started smoking marijuana daily in my late twenties (I am thirty-nine now). I began smoking to combat my depression and anxiety issues because the meds I was being prescribed did not help. So what happened? My anxiety became manageable, my depression went away, I met and married a wonderful woman (we celebrate our 10th anniversary in a couple of months and yes, she smokes marijuana also), and I graduated from a state university with a Bachelor of Science degree (and I was high in every class and every test). I have had no health issues in spite of daily use for more than ten years, I have not become a heroine, crack, or meth addict (I've never even tried them nor do I want to), I have never been arrested (although this remains a danger), and I am no more lazy than I ever was. Everything about drug use for me and my family has been positive (aside from the legality issue). I have a daughter who I plan to be open and honest with and show her that personal responsibility comes first. I realize that my experience does not mirror every single case, but I am living proof that marijuana is not the demon it is made out to be, and I have several friends whose experience is similar. And yet, in the eyes of the state and many of my fellow citizens I am a criminal and a danger. But alcohol is legal. It doesn't make sense no matter how you slice it.

we've been sending the wrong message for years. It all started with the "war on Drugs" users. And teaching people how something harmless can can cause real danger to people. Oh, nut try to talk about gun regulations...all hell will break loose. You're right miss educating our kids has been a problem for a long time and it continues. Unfortunately, we're educating them about the wrong things. Marijuana is not one of those. You might wanna educate kids on the dangerous prescription drugs, or alcohol addiction. You've been miss educating people by lying to them about how a plant is more dangerous then heroin, cocaine and meth (that's probably why they put those drugs in Schedule II and marijuana in Schedule I). If this was "upside down" world, then YES we are sending the wrong message. http://420college.org

@christine wolf, So what's your point? An underage
person got some MJ and sh!+ happened,happens all the time with alcohol doesn't it,are we prohibiting alcohol?

10 years ago Portugal decriminalized all drugs. The program has been a resounding success.
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/health/addiction/huge-success-10-years-after-portugal-legalizes-all-drugs

The study cited has been proven a fraud, just recently actually by the National Academy of Sciences, long, long after all the "stupid" potheads used their brains to figure it out with simple logic. I don't know if that says a lot about marijuana users or makes the National Academy of Sciences look bad.

So no, it doesn't alter your brain cells. And if a minority class is being labled as stupid or lazy and segments of American society, including the Federal Government Employeers and would rather let them die in the street than allow them a place in society, then there is some serious problems with bigotry that American society needs to solve. I seem to remember another minority group that American society tried to limit and destroy, black people, remember those people? But black people can get jobs today, and marijuana users are not allowed jobs. And it seems to be a problem for American society not for the innocent victims.

I could go on about how God-given rights are being violated, civil rights are being violated, the 4th Amedment is being violated, how the White House is claiming the power of God to limit and deny humankind birthrights, and the massive amount of data that is being kept from human experience because hysteria over a naturally occuring species, etc...but let's try to deal with one issue at a time.

@PhilDeBowl, what's my point? My point is simply this: I'm a non-user AND a parent. Are you a parent? For anyone who wonders, it's a complex issue to tackle right now. I'm trying to gain perspective from readers. That's my point.

" according to a New Zealand study published last year."

Here's a quote from Richard Poulton, the lead researcher in the U. Of Otago, New Zealand study that shows the alleged big IQ drop and decrease in cognitive functioning that all the anti legalization foes refer to as evidence for their case:
"Only approx. 5% (52) of the 1037 individuals"...scored lower...(985 did not, but no mention of them)...."Thus any effect of cannabis on the brain is confined to a relatively small segment of the population." What happened to the other 985 in the study? No mention of them at all.

"The White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy also opposes marijuana legalization, "

Because they are required by law to do so. According to Title VII Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 1998: H11225: The Director shall ensure that no Federal funds appropriated to the Office of National Drug Control Policy shall be expended for any study or contract relating to the legalization (for a medical use or any other use) of a substance listed in schedule I of section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812) and take such actions as necessary to oppose any attempt to legalize the use of this substance (in any form).

"It alters your brain cells."

“…However, the level of marijuana use -- up to nine times a week during the 18 months -- was not linked to a change in brain tissue health.

A teen who consumes alcohol is likely to have reduced brain tissue health, but a teen who uses marijuana is not, according to a new study.

The study was conducted by researchers at UC San Diego and is scheduled to be published in the April issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/21/teens-marijuana-brain-tissue-alcohol_n_2331779.html?utm_hp_ref=marijuana

"(or even what’s mixed in to what you’re buying)"

There are no documented instances of marijuana dispensaries selling marijuana that has any other drugs 'mixed in' with it. Prohibition marijuana could be laced with anything. Another reason to legalize it.

"and then you’ll start using other, stronger things to get that same high."

The vast majority of marijuana users do not move on to hard drugs. Most marijuana users try alcohol first, which is a 'harder' drug than marijuana.

scienceblog.com/12116/study-says-marijuana-no-gateway-drug

Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.

The entire article reads like propaganda. A whole list of anecdotal evidence followed by a lot of hand waiving and statistics about usage rates going up.

You only provided ONE Study showing it was bad for kids, and that study has come under fire in the last two days. A new study reanalyzing the data has shown the differences were more likely due to income, family abuse, and other similar factors.

So that pretty much tanks your entire argument.

Jud,
You had me until you called me an idiot three times.
Since I wrote and submitted my piece last week (published Monday, the same day the study you reference was published), I wouldn't say I'm being irresponsible for not including it...how could I include something I knew nothing about? I'm glad it's being mentioned in the comments section and that we're having a dialogue about it. But to call my opinion "propaganda" is just silly. It's an opinion column, man! Jud, I just have to ask: are you high right now? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're acting a bit paranoid...

I was put in prison at age 20 for breaking probation for being caught with a pipe then flunking a drug test. State Farm Indiana. I was a misdemeanor and was put with murderers and rapist and the freaking Arien Brotherhood. I have my own web design business now I am 37. I have a degree. I have 2 young daughters, 9 and 11. I tell them when dare comes to their class ask how many people have died from weed, I tell them ask how many people have died from 2 many video games. Their mother has been caught driving drunk with them in the car, 3 times the legal limit...TWICE...and still gets to retain joint custody. I worked 12 hour days for 6 years in a steel mill...got high when I got home at like 3 am...when I went to divorce court...she cried Marijuana...i lost custody the whole divorce period...I have joint custody half and half..they are older now ..they the know the truth...they know I will punish them and take anything I find (and smoke it, but they don't know that) they know I don't lie, I also tell them if it was legal that cop in their school may have to go get a real job or at least go after criminals and risk his life, like we pay him to do, not take a dog to see a class of elementary kids...and I tell them counselors, lawyers, drug resting companies...would loose a lot of money if it was legal...I REFUSE TO LIE TO MY KIDS. Now go drink some beer hypocrite prohibitionist.

And I'm sorry but the woman who acts like shes just gathering info is just dancing lightly, she knows what she is doing. Trying to artfully use studies and facts and push her own beliefs on others. I don't play this fake ass game anymore. Get real and get over the fact that its not up to you WHAT WE PUT IN OUR BODIES AS ADULTS. I do NOT condone kids smoking anything. But as adults if you have to pay taxes...its your right. PERIOD.

I think the posters above are being a bit hard on Christine, as her effort in the comment section seems to be more focused on gathering reader response and honestly gauging her own opinion.

The inconsistencies of the IQ study has already been discussed, and she admitted the problems as such with that line of arguing.

I think a large problem with arguments over the scientific merits and issues of Marijuana is that there really isn't much conclusive evidence. That which is forwarded my groups like the NIDA isn't very well explained.

Take the "Marijuana has x4 the amount of tar" piece of data. As a marijuana smoker myself this fact is pretty well established. However, interpreting it is another issues altogether. Tar itself is not cancerous. Tobacco also contains Nicotine, which hardens the arteries, exacerbates the effects of tar, helps proliferate cancer growth in the heart and lungs, whereas THC in Marijuana acts as a bronchial dilator, opens the lungs, and assists in the clearing of dirt and and smoke.

Further, Marijuana smokers do not smoke nearly as often or in the amounts cigarette smokers do, so much of the tar effect is mitigated.

For sure, from a scientific standpoint, cigarette smoke is far worse for your lungs and body in general than Marijuana smoke, though I can understand the lack of appeal for either. Current scientific research suggests cannabidiol, a compound found in Marijuana possess anti-cancer properties by stopping metastasis.

Part of the problem with further exploring what medical properties the drug might have come from the regulatory power of the national institute for drug abuse. The aforementioned group is largely responsible for research grants regarding the properties of marijuana, and given the stated purpose of the group (stopping drug abuse), the majority of its funding (well over 90%) is funneled toward abuse research rather than clinical research. It's very hard to research marijuana legitimately in the US, and that siphoning off of research casts a great deal of doubt on the legitimacy of scientific debate on the drug.

Christine, do any of these people have something to do with your motivation to write such a clearly biased article?

Ryan Donaghy, Chairman of the Board Donaghy Sales, LLC Alcoholic beverage distributer, steadily funds anti-marijuana efforts

Ron Fowler, Immediate Past Chairman Liquid Investments, LLC Alcoholic beverage distributer, steadily funds anti-marijuana efforts

Tom Reyes, Vice Chairman Crest Beverage, LLC; Gate City Beverage Distributors-San Bernardino; Harbor Distributing, LLC-Anaheim, Gardena, Santa Ana Alcoholic beverage distributer, steadily funds anti-marijuana efforts

David “Duke” Reyes, Chief Financial Officer Crest Beverage, LLC; Gate City Beverage Distributors-San Bernardino; Harbor Distributing, LLC-Anaheim, Gardena, Santa Ana Alcoholic beverage distributer, steadily funds anti-marijuana efforts

Peter Heimark, Secretary Heimark Distributing Co. Triangle Distributing Co. Alcoholic beverage distributer, steadily funds anti-marijuana efforts

Terence Fox, NBWA CA Director M.E. Fox and Co. Alcoholic beverage distributer, steadily funds anti-marijuana efforts

Travis Markstein, NBWA CA Director Markstein Beverage Co. Sacramento; Markstein Beverage Co. San Marcos Alcoholic beverage distributer, steadily funds anti-marijuana efforts

Cherisse Alford, CBBD PAC Chair Alford Distributing, Alcoholic beverage distributer, steadily funds anti-marijuana efforts .. etc .. etc ..etc ..

http://1anonymouslegion.com/whoiskeepingcannabisillegal/

The second sentence of this article points out the flawed conclusion of its author:

“It’s everywhere,” she said.

PROHIBITION DOES NOT WORK. Simple as. If it did, it wouldn't be everywhere, right? I will go further:
In 1937, marijuana was first prohibited. According to the FBN, there were 55,000 users in the US at that time. In 2011, according to the ONDCP, there are 55 million regular marijuana users. Could the failure of this policy be any more clear? Do we really have to ask why this is the case? Are we so ignorant of economic theory in this country? Making something insanely profitable to sell, guarantees that people will sell it. Drug law "success" is measured by our DEA by how much they can raise the street prices of substances. Our DEA's measure of success, is a guarantee that more will enter the marketplace. If one believes that this just cannot be a fact, I present a challenge; name one prohibition, of any substance, in any country, in any period of written history, that has been successful..... It has NEVER occurred. Why would we expect a different result this time, if after 75 years, we have only confirmation, from scientists to high school students, that it is happening again?
So, now we must look at the issue in a different light. Since it doesn't stop the supply, are drug laws a worthwhile pursuit? Let's, for arguments sake, assume all you claims of harm to be true (they aren't). If your child is caught, do you want them to go to prison? Will that help?

As for the question posed at the bottom of the column, I first smoked in 11th grade. I didn't begin to use marijuana regularly until college, and I am currently in law school.

I don't feel particularly guilty. While I am aware the law notes it is illegal, that isn't much of a deterrent. Marijuana was established as a schedule one drug with virtually no scientific evidence to do so (a multitude of groups from Nixon's own National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse to the AMA have suggested rescheduling), mostly as a political aim, and there are serious legal issues with its enforcement. For one, nowhere does the Constitution allow the federal government to order or require states to create a particular criminal law or enforce federal criminal law (for example, Marijuana possession)

I feel it is an issue the government is severely lagging behind the people on. A multitude of polling suggests that a majority of Americans support the legalization of Marijuana, and an even larger majority regularly poll in support of medical marijuana. Unfortunately that decision is left up to a small unaccountable portion of government for whom the people have no recourse.

The above is why disobeying the law doesn't bother me. If you don't view the law as just, I don't think you have an obligation to follow it.

I don't have children, yet, but I intend to tell them to explore the science and issues of Marijuana themselves to come to their own conclusions.

Cannabis is safer than Alcohol. Emergency room visits and the fact that Alcohol in excess can kill a person by respiratory failure speak for themselves. Alcohol also inhibits executive function in the brain. So the ability to make rational decisions diminishes with every drink consumed. Cannabis does not do this. Cannabis can be eaten and does not to be smoked at all. When it is smoked, there is less incidence of lung cancer as compared to tobacco use. There are carcinogens associated with the incineration of cannabis in the form of a joint, but it seems that cannabis has a protective effect thus reducing lung cancer incidence. Children as a reason to continue prohibition is misguided and misleading. Children have easier access to cannabis under prohibition. So if aim is to reduce teen use then cannabis will have to be regulated. Simply keeping the prohibition model going will not accomplish this objective. Furthermore, decreasing their chances for student loans and the possibility of having a criminal record will not motivate them or place them in a position to make better choices. Incarceration will lead to educating them into criminal behaviors and likely to scar them for life. As a society we will pay the price of keeping this model going. As a matter of public policy, cannabis should be taxed and regulated for adults over age 21.

1. Try drug testing your kid. 2. They can beat the system and they learn from their friends how to detox themselves. 3. Kids that smoke pot everyday, usually are too "stoned" to care about good grades and their futures. 4. Kids that smoke pot everyday usually do not have good grades. 5. As parents, if you have to ask, you know the answer. 6. Been there, done that. 7. Watched my kid go from straight A to straight F student, and couldn't figure out why...hah! Naive parent! 8. When that kid STOPPED smoking pot, guess what happened? Straight A student returned and graduated on time. 9. One year ago, I thought that kid would be a 5 year senior.
Anyone can justify smoking pot in teens, I am here to tell you, it screws them up and I would never advocate for legalization of pot.
Most job applications ask if you have ever been arrested/convicted of drugs, and most jobs drug test before you get that job.
I grew up in the 70s, I had friends at my hs that were dropping acid like it was candy, and I went to the girls school in the town next door.
By the way, all drugs can be obtained at any high school in America, not just "your" high school. If a kid wants it, it's there. Heroin? is available. If you try heroin once, you are hooked for life. Be smart parents, and make sure your kids understand that if they try it once, they will always want it. And knowing that, drug dealers, pass out heroin packets for "a free try".

Maybe teens don't want to die from drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. Maybe they don't want to relive the deadly, delusional results of moralizing oppression. Suck an egg.

Smoking weed

Back away from the bong, junior. This may seem like a no-brainer, but Duke University researchers have found that smoking marijuana consistently from adolescence causes "neuropsychological decline broadly across domains of functioning, even after controlling for years of education." The scariest part? Even after test subjects quit using, their IQs never recovered.

If Colorado or Washington's 'peace keepers' sworn oath is anything like Maryland's than I don't see where the so called "conundrum" is. - 03 The Oath: “I swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the State of Maryland and support the Constitution and laws thereof; and that I will, to the best of my skill and judgment diligently and faithfully, without partiality or prejudice, execute the office of police officer according to the Constitution and laws of this State.” http://www.greenbeltmd.gov/police/oath_of_office.htm

Also, there is a pharmaceutical epidemic going on right now in this country. Marijuana is the least harmful and addictive substance known to man. Sugar, caffeine, and fast food are gateways. (Obesity is a problem) Kids on adderall and the like...

NN

A whole generation of Pauly Shore's.......As if this country wasn't bad enough already. Glob help us..

"On more than one occasion, I’ve heard kids say they believe drinking alcohol is more dangerous than smoking pot. When asked where they got that idea, the answer’s always consistent: “We learned it in school.” (According to this HuffPost column, the theory holds water)."
And they're right. Here's the Science that says so; FACT Marijuana is less addictive and less harmful than Caffeine, let alone alcohol;.
Dr Henningfield is a former NIDA Staffer;.
Addictiveness of Marijuana - ProCon.org.
http://www.procon.org/view.background-resource.php?resourceID=1492

The Original NZ study was a Contrived, Red Herring, GIGO! Any pre-teen child who allegedly was a daily user of marijuana or any other substance had severe social issues, not the least of which was zero parental guidance and supervision. There were NO controls in that "study." They had no idea what other substances they were using over the many years or what activities these people were engaging in. To apply the "Findings" to marijuana use was, at best, specious. BTW, who funded the NZ "Study"?

"THE CHILDREN" If they really cared for the children they'd legalize and regulate marijuana. If they really wanted to keep any substance out of the hands of "The Children" they first must take control of distribution away from black market dealers. They haven't accomplished that in 40+ years at a taxpayers cost in the hundreds of billions. It's time to treat marijuana as we do alcohol. My 27 year old daughter still gets carded when she buys alcohol, yet your 13 year old can buy anything the black market dealer has for a price whether it be money or "something else". FACT: Your kids have a better chance dying at the hands of someone enforcing marijuana laws than they do from ingesting it.(ZERO %).
http://www.pitt.edu/~ugr/Hrych2.pdf Scientific Proof Marijuana is not a Gateway drug!
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57456999-10391704/medical-marijuana-legalization- wont-boost-teen-pot-use-study-finds/

LEAP member, NYPD, ret.

1. Drugs affect different people differently, ususally along a normal distribution curve, some very little, some extreme.
2. Most mind altering drugs affect the neocortex of the brain first and therefore alter the highest functions of thought and judgement.
3. Given number 1 above and number 2 above, that explains why some people on drugs can operate safely and some cannot.
4. Alcohol is the single most destructive drug in society, has ruined more lives and health than all of the other drugs combined.
5. A drug is any substance not occurring naturally in the human body or any drug which does occur naturally used in amounts not physiologic.
6. All drugs should be avoided unless medically necessary.
7. The abuse of any drug by those who are adversely affected is a form of natural selection (the sociological type).
8, Statistical studies do not "prove" anything. They simply conclude that a postulate is supported or not. Cause and effect statistics are even less reliable. particularly when complex issues are incolved.

I forgot two other points:
9. ALL drugs have undesirable side effects, known or not.
10. Underlying personality and character traits will be exacerbated by mind altering drugs, including alcohol. Funny people get funnier and mean people get meaner.

Also, Christine, you may wish to read Keith Albow's piece on the present generation of parents and their children. Fox news, I know but may have some trut to it.The link follows:

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/01/08/are-raising-generation-deluded-narcissists/

http://www.wakingtimes.com/2013/01/11/top-10-cannabis-studies-the-government-wished-it-had-never-funded/

I smoked my first joint in December, 1967, at the tender age of 21.

Now, a mere 44 years later, I still smoke pot. I have never 'graduated' to 'harder' drugs. Nor, have I ever harmed anyone.

I am living proof that this prohibitionist propaganda is a fallacy...a blatant lie.

The worst experience I had with marijuana was spending 5 years in Federal Prison for a pot offense.

While there, I watched armed bank robbers come and go in as little as 20 months.

When I went to the parole board after more than 3 years 'behind the wall,' I pointed this out to the panel members. Their response: "You must understand that yours was a very serious offense."

I laughed about that for another 2 years (as I still sat in prison)...then wrote my book:

Shoulda Robbed a Bank.

Tales of adventure in the marijuana trade. I admit, I had a great time...except for prison. That was not much fun.

so pot is easy for HS kids to get a hold of---wow!---big news there----very much the same scenario some 40 years ago when I went to ETHS....and here I am now 55 and seen well over 50 people I knew from HS either dead or close to it from alcohol and drugs----and the pot smokers?---haven't seen it kill even one yet...(PS---this doesn't mean I condone HS kids smoke pot nor mean that I smoke pot--:)---just stating my observations---and I personally don't classify marijuana as a drug)

I just want to address the question of relative safety.....to smoking cigarettes. A previous reader had repeated the myth that smoking marijuana is, "...thousands times safer than smoking cigarettes." Explain that to my sister-in-law. My brother stopped smoking cigarettes 40 years ago but, buying into that myth, continued smoking weed the rest of his (otherwise very healthy) life...until it came to an abrupt end when he was diagnosed, too late, with stage four lung cancer. Upon his diagnosis, he pleaded with friends and family and anyone who would listen, "Don't smoke anything!!!"
Don't kid yourself. Smoking kills. Smoking anything.

@christine wolf,
If it's perspective you seek you will be well served to listen to malcomb,kevin and other commentors,instead of inserting a sensationalist story about a traffic accident that may or may not have been caused by the use of an illegal drug by a teenager. You are correct when you say that minors should never,never,never use MerryWanna,just as they should abstain from tobacco,alcohol,sex,prescription drugs,UNTILL they are Adults,at that point they have the right to make their own choices and You have No Say. I am a Father and a Grandfather+5,and I support the legalization of MerryWanna for Adult use because I want my children to have the option of useing the safer alternative to tobacco,alcohol,or prescription drugs.If you study the history of MJ then you would know that prohibition of cannabis is based on lies.

Please stop with the "What about the children?" arguments. You're not "protecting" children by continuing the drug war, you're only continuing to endanger them. MJ is already prevalent. The very best policy is one of education and harm reduction - like we've done with tobacco: it is merely "tolerated" now, but not made illegal. And less teens out there are smoking because the truth is out - no propaganda required. Putting people in jail destroys their lives, their families and communities. The war on drugs has filled our prisons to 6 times that per capita of ANY other nation. Once in prison, many inmates will associate with gangs to survive This has, in turn, resulted in the destruction of inner city communities now that role models are removed from families and gangs begin to supplant normal ties. This is a high-risk environment for kids to try to grow up, go to school, learn, learn values, and get a quality education, must less survive getting to school and home intact. It has made police the enemy in these communities and promoted "gangster culture" into american popular culture. Prohibition policy is an incubator for organized crime and the death and mayhem that comes with them. There have been over 45,000 murders in the last 6 years in Mexico because of this policy. Would we stand for this in the U.S.? Anyone who is serious about wanting to reduce gun violence should be demanding an end to this insanity. End Prohibition Now!

Government has come a long way with marijuana since some cities and suburbs decided its a good revenue source

Christine - Parents will never see these kinds of topics the way people who don't have kids will, I think. That perspective just changes you.

As a parent sure I'd be trying to figure out how to talk to my daughter about drugs or booze. But I'd also want to know why she tried them in the first place. Without understanding that, we'll never figure out what we're up against.

Was that last joint a cry to fit in with other seniors? Or is this simply the first time I've caught her at it recently and this is a long pattern of trying to zone out -- as Christine said -- to cope with some tough part of life?A drink here and there is one thing. Someone who's under the table four nights a week is a whole other problem.

Same thing on the joint. I wouldn't tell my daughter it's OK to smoke in our house or even on the back porch. Now if I miss her trying and I'm watching, that says one thing. BTW, to that person's comments about parenting, I think good parents are always on the lookout for odd behavior. They may not call attention to everything, but they're looking.

If my daughter's smoking on the back porch and neighbors see it and say nothing though, or I'm clueless about what's happening, or even worse, I see the behavior and assume it's just kids and that for sure it will all work out, then we've got a couple of really big problems.

And for the record, if my neighbor saw my daughter smoking a pipe on the back porch, I'd want them to tell me ... 4th amendment or not.

Teens "partying" is a big issue right now, if what I'm hearing about some of the Christmas break shenanigans is true. Teenagers, by nature, make bad choices. You can arm them with all the information you have your hands on, tell them the choices they should be making, threaten them with the drug test kit you keep in your cupboard, but guess what? A good many of them will still make some bad decisions. That doesn't make them bad kids, and it doesn't make us bad parents. Trust me-with one kid on the way to college and another on the way to high school, I've seen a lot of good, smart kids from strong families do really stupid things. It's like they turn 16 and check their brain at the door. Consequences are important, but need to be tempered with the knowledge that these are kids and their brains don't work. Take away their drivers license, make them pay big fines (out of their own money!), require community service, but a criminal record for being caught smoking in the woods at 16 is overkill. My preference would be that my own teens will steer clear of alcohol and drugs and I hope they do (but I know that bad choices have already been made). But if I had to choose, I would much rather my teen smoke pot than drink alcohol. They are less likely to end up in an emergency room, less likely to exhibit reckless behavior and more likely to help the local economy through increased sales at the 7/11.

The kids in my neighborhood who have been arrested for possession of marijuana and alcohol violations (age 17) have seen no consequences. Their parents continue to pay for their cell phones (even though the kids won't answer when the parents call), provide a weekly allowance (the kids have never had a job), drive them anywhere they want to go, and let the kids stay out until dawn. Bad kids? Bad parents? Bad schools? All of the above I suspect.

Things to consider - for the children:
1. Cannabis is illegal for children either way, prohibition or with legalization.
2. Access to Cannabis is difficult if it was legal like alcohol.
3. Access to cannabis is easier and abundant under prohibition.
4. Drug dealers don't care about the children.
5. It is more profitable to get children using more expensive drugs rather than cannabis. If you are a dealer up-selling will be what you do.
6. Cannabis is about as addictive as coffee. Tobacco is more addictive than heroin.
7. Education works better than propaganda, lies, and fear mongering, because kids are smart.
8. We tried prohibition for over 40 years. We know this road well. Give legalization a chance.
9. Reefer madness is pure propaganda. Lies do not garner support.
10. Prohibition costs to society far outweighs any benefits. Legalization is a sane model and allows for harm reduction. Look at tobacco for an example.

While the pros and cons of alcohol are widely known, it's still illegal to use it under 21 years of age (unlike many countries in Europe). Back to the crux of the article: What's your opinion on TEENS using marijuana?

As I said above. teens use marijuana at theor own risk. If a teen's physiologic response is adverse and he/she is killed or seriouly injured or goes to jail, that person is selected out of the gene pool through what I call sociological natural selection. Another example would be someone who uses a drug (any drug) and gets into a fight because of it and is killed, he/she has been selected out. We as a society have pretty much stopped physical natural selection through medical techniques but as far as I can tell it is nigh impossible to stop syupidity and poor judgement. Risk is relative and there is enough of it in the everyday world without doing something unnecessary and narcicisstic.

I hope it's of interest to everyone to understand the CIA's drug trade is alive and well. James Corbett is only one of many sources on this. Do your own research though. Always best.
http://www.corbettreport.com/the-cia-and-the-drug-trade-eyeopener-preview/

Another thought, is if we honored our children...if we didn't work so hard at amputating their right brain...their source of creativity and all the really cool things human beings have at their disposal, they wouldn't be dying to get the hell out of the hellish mental state our "educational" institutions pushes them into while marginalizing the kids who refuse to sit down and shut up and learn how to parrot back mostly uninteresting information. Here's a few interesting clips. In the first, a recent high school valedictorian gal pulls the veil off the whole dumbing down system we so foolish call education.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M4tdMsg3ts
The second clip is a woman who watched, as a government insider, as public schooling had its heart and soul ripped out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezTIYd5UFRY