Keep up with the latest news on the fight against marijuana in California and around the country.
As former heads of the Drug Enforcement Administration, we write to ask you, the State’s highest level and most visible political leader, to take a position on Proposition 64 before the election next Tuesday. For the reasons set out below, we urge you to oppose Prop 64. Your voice, Governor, is critical.
Read MoreIt is curious that Governor Brown said while being interviewed by “Meet the Press,” March 2, 2014, “The problem with anything, a certain amount is OK. But there is a tendency to go to extremes, and all of a sudden, if there is advertising and legitimacy, how many people can get stoned and still have a great State.” Carla Lowe, Founder, Co-chair, Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana (CALM)said, “He then turned his back on Californians 4 days later and accepted over $108,000 from Sean Parker and his wife, both financial backers of Prop 64. We believe he further put California in jeopardy, maybe forever, by allowing it to become the world’s largest producer of marijuana by not demanding enforcement of federal law.
Read MoreThe marijuana of today comes in numerous forms; smoked, vaporized, butters, waxes, oils, and edibles. What they all have in common is their THC potency (THC is the psychoactive, intoxicating and addictive cannabinoid in marijuana) which is 10-40x greater than the marijuana of the 1960’s. Today’s marijuana has been genetically engineered to maximize THC and minimize CBD (the non-psychoactive, non-intoxicating, non-addictive; cannabinoid with potentially therapeutic value).
Read MoreThis November, several states will vote on whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use, and the proponents of legalization have seized on a seemingly clever argument: marijuana is safer than alcohol. The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, an effort of the Marijuana Policy Project (or MPP), has taken this argument across the country. Their latest strategy is labeled Marijuana vs. Alcohol. It is a very misleading, even dangerous, message, based on bad social science and sophistic public deception.
Read More"While many would have you believe marijuana is a harmless drug, those of us in the public safety arena have seen increases in medical emergencies from marijuana ingestion," he said in the report. "It is noteworthy that our system of emergency medical transport was completely tapped in order to handle this event. Thankfully, no other medical emergencies occurred simultaneously (sic), otherwise someone might not have received timely emergency help."
Read MoreIt's bad enough that we already lose so many Americans to cigarettes, alcoholism, and drunken driving. Do we really want to endorse the loss of millions more potentially productive Americans via Marijuana?
Read More
Below are a sample of 30 studies and statements, of over 20,000, on the harms of marijuana. More found here.
1. Marijuana use creates neurocognitive impairments and cannabis intoxication in both frequent and infrequent users.
-- Journal of Scientific Reports, May 2016 (Cannabis and Tolerance: Acute Drug Impairment as a Function of Cannabis Use History).
2. Prevalence of cannabis use is expected to increase if cannabis is legal to use and legally available.
-- International Journal of Drug Policy, May 2016 (Correlates of Intentions to Use Cannabis among US High School Seniors in the Case of Cannabis Legalization)
3. Regular exposure to cannabis is associated with neuroanatomic alterations in several brain regions.
-- Journal of Biological Psychiatry, April 2016 (The Role of Cannabinoids in Neuroanatomic Alterations in Cannabis Users)
4. Marijuana is addicting, has adverse effects upon the adolescent brain, is a risk for both cardio-respiratory disease and testicular cancer, and is associated with both psychiatric illness and negative social outcomes.
-- Statement of the American College of Pediatricians, April 2016 (Marijuana Use: Detrimental to Youth).
5. Marijuana use has significant neuropharmacologic, cognitive, behavioral, and somatic consequences.
-- Statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics, March 2015 (The Impact of Marijuana Policies on Youth: Clinical, Research, and Legal Update)
6. Marijuana use is associated increased incidence and worsened course of psychotic, mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders across the lifespan…and marijuana’s deleterious effects on adolescent brain development, cognition, and social functioning may have immediate and long-term implications.
-- Statement of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2014 (AACAP Marijuana Legalization Policy Statement)
7. Marijuana use may cause impairment in memory, concentration, and executive functioning…and may lead to permanent nervous system toxicity.
-- Statement of the American Academy of Neurology (Position Statement: Use of Medical Marijuana for Neurologic Disorders)
8. There is a strong association of cannabis use with the onset of psychiatric disorders. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to harm, given the effects of cannabis on neurological development.
-- Statement of the American Psychiatric Association, December 2013 (Position Statement on Marijuana as Medicine)
9. Both marijuana-related hospitalizations and ED visits have increased substantially in recent years. -- Newsletter of the American College of Physicians, January 2016 (Public Health Researchers Look at Rise in Marijuana-related Hospitalizations)
10. Cannabis dependence is not associated with fewer harmful economic and social problems than alcohol dependence.
-- Journal of Clinical Psychological Science, June 2016 (Persistent Cannabis Dependence and Alcohol Dependence Represent Risks for Midlife Economic and Social Problems: A Longitudinal Cohort Study)
11. Repeated exposure to cannabis during adolescence may have detrimental effects on brain resting functional connectivity, intelligence, and cognitive function.
-- Journal of the Cerebral Cortex, February 2016 (Adverse Effects of Cannabis on Adolescent Brain Development: A Longitudinal Study)
12. Negative health effects of marijuana use can include addiction, abnormal brain development, psychosis, and other negative outcomes.
-- New England Journal of Medicine, June 2014 (Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use)
13. One in six infants and toddlers admitted to a Colorado hospital with coughing, wheezing and other symptoms of bronchiolitis tested positive for marijuana exposure.
-- American Academy of Pediatrics, April 2016 (One in Six Children Hospitalized for Lung Inflammation Positive for Marijuana Exposure)
14. Study respondents who were high had higher odds driving while intoxicated (on either marijuana or alcohol).
-- Journal of Health Education Research, April 2016 (Association Between Self-reports of Being High and Perceptions About the Safety of Drugged and Drunk Driving)
15. Cannabis use during adolescence increases the risk of developing a psychiatric disorder in adulthood, including anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia.
-- Frontiers in Neuroscience, November 2014 (Long-term Consequences of Adolescent Cannabinoid Exposure in Adult Psychopathology)
16. Childhood exposure to marijuana increases in marijuana friendly states and can lead to coma, decreased breathing, or seizures.
-- Journal of Clinical Pediatrics, June 2015 (Marijuana Exposure Among Children
Younger Than Six Years in the United States)
17. Use of marijuana in adolescence found to increase developing psychosis,
schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression in adulthood.
-- Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 2014 (Marijuana 101, Dr. Sharon Levy)
18. Cannabis use may cause enduring neuropsychological impairment that persists beyond the period of acute intoxication.
-- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, July 2012 (Persistent Cannabis Users Show Neuropsychological Decline from Childhood to Midlife)
19. Cannabis use disorder is prevalent, associated with comorbidity and disability, and largely untreated.
-- The American Journal of Psychiatry, March 2016 (Prevalence and Correlates of DSM-5 Cannabis Use Disorder, 2012-2013: Findings from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions–III)
20. We recorded clear and consistent associations and dose-response relations between the frequency of adolescent cannabis use and all adverse young adult outcomes.
-- The Lancet-Psychiatry, September 2014 (Young Adult Sequelae of Adolescent Cannabis Use: An Integrative Analysis)
21. While marijuana may be safer than alcohol in some respects, there are important dimensions along which marijuana appears to be the riskier substance.
-- Carnegie Mellon Research/Jonathan P. Caulkins, October 2014 (Is Marijuana
Safer than Alcohol? Insights from Users’ Self-Reports)
22. Potential impacts of recreational marijuana include not only increased availability, resulting in ED visits for acute intoxicating effects of marijuana use, but also effects on mental health disorders and psychiatric-related illnesses.
-- American College of Emergency Physicians/ACEP NOW, October 2014 (How Legalizing Marijuana Has Impacted Colorado)
23. Marijuana changes the structure and function of the adolescent brain.
-- Bertha Madras, Professor of Psychobiology, Harvard University, May 2014 (Marijuana and Opioids Risks for the Unborn, the Born)
24. Dramatic increase in newborns testing positive for marijuana in Colorado hospitals.
-- Parkview Medical Center, St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center, Pueblo Community Health Center, April 2016 (Recreational Retail Marijuana Endangers Health of Community & Drains Precious Health Resources)
25. Casual use of marijuana is related to major brain changes.
-- Journal of Neuroscience, April 2014 (Cannabis Use Is Quantitatively Associated with Nucleus Accumbens and Amygdala Abnormalities in Young Adult Recreational Users)
26. It needs to be emphasized that regular cannabis use, defined here as once a week, is
not safe and may result in addiction and neurocognitive damage, especially in youth.
-- Journal of Current Addiction Reports, April 2014 (Considering Cannabis: The Effects of Regular Cannabis Useon Neurocognition in Adolescents and Young Adults)
27. Exposure to cannabis in adolescence is associated with a risk for later psychotic disorder in adulthood.
-- Journal of Current Addiction Reports, June 2014 (Impact of Cannabis Use on the Development of Psychotic Disorders)
28. Marijuana is not benign and there's a mountain of scientific evidence, compiled over nearly 30 years, to prove it poses serious risks, particularly for developing brains.
-- Diane McIntosh, Professor of Psychiatry-University of British Columbia, April 2016 (You Can't Deny Marijuana Is Dangerous For Developing Minds)
28. Marijuana may actually worsen PTSD symptoms or nullify the benefits of specialized, intensive treatment. Cessation or prevention of use may be an important goal of treatment.
-- Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, September 2015 (Marijuana Use is Associated With Worse Outcomes in Symptom Severity and Violent Behavior in Patients With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)
29. Converging epidemiological data indicate that adolescent cannabis abusers are more likely to develop psychosis and PFC-related cognitive impairments later in life.
-- Journal of Molecular Psychiatry, March 2014 (CB1 Cannabinoid Receptor Stimulation During Adolescence Impairs the Maturation of GABA Function in the Adult Rat Prefrontal Cortex)
30. Regular cannabis use in adolescence approximately doubles the risk of being diagnosed with schizophrenia or reporting psychotic symptoms in adulthood.
-- Journal of Addiction, January 2015 (What Has Research Over the Past Two Decades Revealed About the Adverse Health Effects of Recreational Cannabis Use)
Credit to Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy for this list. You can find out more about their organization by going to www.ardp.org
A letter from Michael D. Privitera MD, President of the American Epilepsy Society landed on the desks of Representative Matthew Baker and the Pennsylvania Legislature. Dr. Privitera in his letter warns of the dangers of making law on such scant evidence.
Read MoreThe approved medical conditions in California are limitless and anyone age 18 and over can get a card. Today tens of thousands of 18-20-year-olds in California are getting recreational pot this way. Legalization will not stop this problem, and in fact will intensify the problem by making it more available to younger children.
Read MoreState legislatures across the country are legalizing medical marijuana, but the nation’s physicians aren’t requesting these laws. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Society of Addiction Medicine are both against medical marijuana laws. The American Medical Association doesn’t support them, either.
Read MoreUnintentional poisonings from marijuana edibles, particularly in children, are an unintended consequence of recreational marijuana legalization in Colorado, two experts say.
Read MoreThe terrible effects of marijuana on the brain are clear. Take a look at some of the facts.
Read MoreAlready, 23 states allow marijuana to be prescribed for medicinal use, making it easy for proponents for broader legalization, such as the Marijuana Policy Project, to brand the drug as “harmless.” Some go further, calling it “safe” and even “healthy.” The result is that voters in Oregon and Alaska — in addition to D.C. — may soon join Colorado and Washington as the first states to fully legalize recreational pot for adults.
The problem is that marijuana is not, in fact, “harmless.”
Read More
The Federal Drug Administration has studied smoked marijuana for over 30+ years and has concluded that it is a highly toxic, addictive, and cancer-causing. It has the potential for great harm and no medically accepted benefit. It cannot be prescribed by any licensed medical doctor. The psychoactive chemical responsible for the “high” that occurs after somebody smokes cannabis is known as THC (Tetrahydracannabinol). Todays cannabis has larger amounts of THC then have ever been present before.
Related: What Scientific and Medical Journals and Experts say about Marijuana
The National Institute on Drug Abuse says the potency of marijuana has been steadily increasing over the past few decades, but a level of 20 or 30 percent THC is even greater than the institute has reported in the past. As of 2012, it said marijuana confiscated by police agencies nationwide had an average THC concentration of about 15 percent.
According to the institute, higher concentrations of THC in marijuana could mean "a greater chance of an adverse or unpredictable reaction," especially in new users. And "for frequent users, it may mean a greater risk of addiction." Officials say more potent pot could also be one of the reasons behind a rise in emergency room visits involving marijuana use.
Emergency department visits involving marijuana-using visitors doubled from 2013 to 2014, the first year cannabis use was legalized in Colorado, a team of Denver-area doctors said.
“At our institution, the rate of ED visits possibly related to cannabis use among out-of-state residents doubled from 85 per 10,000 visits in 2013 to 168 per 10,000 visits in 2014, which was the first year of retail marijuana sales.”
There are 483 chemicals in marijuana and when smoked or ingested there are 4 to 5 times more tars and cancer causing agents than in tobacco cigarettes. Furthermore In 2009, the California Office of Environmental Health and Assessment Science listed marijuana as a cause of cancer. It is also known to cause respiratory and reproductive problems, mental illness, birth defect and irreversible brain damage…especially for young people.
The harms of pot have been greatly downplayed by false facts and public opinion. A vast majority of Doctors and medical associations hold to what they have always known. That pot is dangerous. Follow the link to find out more about these groups(Who is with us?)
“We’ve known for centuries that smoked marijuana is harmful to mind and body. Most concerning are the long-term mental health effects marijuana has on habitual users and the developing brain of a young person. Smoked marijuana also causes birth defects, respiratory and reproductive problems, including birth defects.”
““... in my twenty years of research on human cells, I have never found any other drug, including heroin, which comes close to the DNA damage caused by marijuana.” ”
Marijuana is a battle for the brain
“Fatigue, paranoia, possible psychosis, memory problems, depersonalization, mood alterations, urinary retention, constipation, decreased motor coordination, lethargy, slurred speech, and dizziness. Impaired health including lung damage, behavioral changes, and reproductive, cardiovascular and immunological effects have been associated with regular marijuana use.
Regular and chronic marijuana smokers may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers have (daily cough and phlegm, symptoms of chronic bronchitis), as the amount of tar inhaled and the level of carbon monoxide absorbed by marijuana smokers is 3 to 5 times greater than among tobacco smokers.
The short term effects of marijuana use include problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, difficultly in thinking and problem-solving, and loss of coordination. Heavy users may have increased difficulty sustaining attention, shifting attention to meet the demands of changes in the environment, and in registering, processing and using information.”
Marijuana adversely affects memory, maturation, motivation and can cause irreversible impact on young brains that aren’t fully developed until roughly age 25. It is a contributing factor in California’s alarming high school drop-out rate which costs taxpayers $45.4 billion dollars each year ($492,000 per drop-out). 2009 UC Santa Barbara Study. Since marijuana has been promoted as a “medicine” it is perceived as harmless and use has gone up (NIDA 2009).
More young people ages 12-17 entered drug treament in 2003 for marijuana dependency than for alcohol and all other illegal drugs combined. (DEA 2003) States that have legalized the nation lead the nation in youth marijuana use.
“Students who smoke marijuana have twice the odds of being a high school dropout. And have trouble finding jobs, get involved in gangs and crime, and end up on welfare. 80% of prisoners are high school dropouts. “Curbing the nation’s drop-out rate a pressing economic and social imperative. The stakes are too high for our children, for our economy and for our country.””
When Alaska legalized marijuana use for adults (’78-’94), teen use was twice that of any other state. Voters overturned the law. States that have legalized pot lead the nation in teen pot use, most notably Colorado.
“If a young person arrives at age 21 prior to smoking, drinking or using illicit drugs, he/she is virtually certain never to do so.”
Joseph Califano
Columbia University Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse
Marijuana is a very pervasive addictive drug wreaking havoc in our teen population. For instance:
What kills people is when someone smokes the marijuana, drinks that bottle, or both at the same time, putting their own and the lives of many innocent people in critical danger.
Here’s some examples of people killing and maiming others when under the influence of marijuana with or without combining with alcohol:
Studies indicate that the level of marijuana found in Ruxana’s blood would impair her driving ability, decrease her reaction time and decrease her motor skills, said Iain McIntyre, the forensic toxicology laboratory manager for the Medical Examiner’s Office.
“These are all things that would and have contributed to motor vehicle accidents,” he said. Source
On August 29, 2009 Diane Schuler, while under the influence of alcohol and marijuana drove the wrong way on a freeway killing herself and 7 others including her 2 year old daughter, 3 nieces and 3 men in the SUV she hit head on. She smoked pot one hour before driving. Source
March 26, 2010 – Escondido CA: Man crashes into 13 different cars and possibly more – High on medical marijuana (story)
Man “screamed, dropped his pants and attacked crew members on a cross-country flight, forcing its diversion to Pittsburgh, the FBI said”. Kinman Chan later claimed he had eaten marijuana cookies before his flight. Source
“…John Patrick Bedell liked it (marijuana) too; in fact, he was a marijuana addict. But he inflicted a lot of pain on other people, including the two guards he shot at the Pentagon.” Source
“…The pain has also been evident in other cases, such as admitted pot lover 16-year-old Jeff Weise, who murdered nine people and injured five others in Red Lake, Minnesota and Charles “Andy” Williams, a regular marijuana user who smoked the drug just before killing two schoolmates and wounding 13 others in a San Diego suburban school…” Source
The August 2009 La Brea raging fire in Santa Barbara County was touched off by a “cooking fire in a marijuana drug trafficking operation … believed to be run by a Mexican national drug organization.”
The fire burned over 130 square miles.
“…four children and the driver of a van died when the van hit a concrete bridge abutment after veering off the freeway. Investigators reported that the children nicknamed the driver “Smokey” because he regularly smoked marijuana. The driver was found at the crash scene with marijuana in his pocket. (COMMERCIAL)
“…after a night of smoking marijuana, drinking and drugs, a former nurse’s aid hit a homeless man with her car. “Jurors saw pictures of the twisted, bruised and bloody body of a homeless man today as a former nurse’s aide went on trial on charges that she hit him with her car, drove home with his body lodged in the windshield and left him to die in her garage.” (NY TIMES)
George Lynard was convicted of driving with marijuana in his bloodstream, causing a head-on collision that killed a 73 year-old man and a 69 year-old woman. Lynard appealed this conviction because he allegedly had a “valid prescription” for marijuana. Lynard appealed this conviction because he allegedly had a “valid recommendation” for marijuana. A Nevada judge agreed with Lynard and granted him a new trial. The case has been appealed to the Nevada Supreme Court. (DEA)
“Frank Bedell should never have been behind the wheel of a bus on Mother’s Day… He was high on marijuana and dizzy from Benadryl. The Mother’s Day bus crash near City Park that killed 22 passengers is being blamed on driver Frank Bedell, who police say was seriously ill and under the influence of drugs when he got behind the wheel of the motor coach that morning. Safety experts say stricter federal rules governing the inspection of buses and the screening of drivers might have prevented the accident.” (NOLA).
They are not hard to find. Every few days brings a fresh tale of feral youths meting out random acts of violence with unfathomable intensity. Apart from the shocking brutality, the speed with which a seemingly trivial argument or confrontation can assume murderous proportions, the stories have a common theme: the perpetrators of the violence, often in their very young teens, were high on ’skunk’ at the time.
The teenagers who killed Garry Newlove, the 47-year-old father of three in Cheshire? The attack came after they had binged on alcohol and skunk. Three youths were found guilty of kicking to death Mark Witherall, 47, after he found them burgling his house in Whitstable, Kent. The three were intoxicated by a ferocious cocktail of alcopops and cannabis. The judge said the three had ‘acted as hyenas’. (UK GUARDIAN)
A man under the influence of marijuana drifted onto the shoulder of the road hitting a CHP officer and the driver he had stopped, killing the driver. The CHP officer remains paralyzed. “The investigation revealed a large amount of marijuana and marijuana edibles in White’s vehicle. According to search warrants filed in federal court, in his post-arrest statement, White acknowledged being under the influence of marijuana when the accident took place, saying he had purchased the marijuana from a “medical marijuana” dispensary in Compton.” (CHP)
A house blaze that killed two firefighters started in a tangle of wires and lamps that were installed to grow marijuana in a basement closet, authorities said. (AP)
The California Cedar fire was the second largest wildfire in the history of California. 14 people lost their lives in that fire. 104 firefighters were injured, one died. Countless wildlife were cremated; 90% of Cuyamaca Rancho State Park was incinerated; 280,278 acres; 422 square miles were ravaged; the fire took a month to put out and cost $27 million. The hunter “admitted that the night before his foray into the forest, he had smoked marijuana by himself and slipped the pipe and lighter in the pocket of his hunting vest. He said he had not smoked marijuana on the day of the trip. Investigators looking into the fire later found Martinez’s glass marijuana pipe about 30 feet from the spot where the fire had started.” (NC TIMES)
A 17- year old San Jose teen had recently smoked marijuana and drank alcohol was mauled to death by a San Francisco Zoo tiger on Christmas Day. His attorney “says it’s irrelevant whether the teen was drinking or smoking pot before he was mauled.” (AP)
DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena was abducted outside the U.S. consulate in Guadalajara, horrifically tortured and murdered. His kidnapper was marijuana kingpin Rafael Caro Quintero, who was able to flee Mexico to Costa Rica with the help of officers in Mexico’s version of the FBI. (WSJ)
Myth: “No one gets hurt from Marijuana”
In fact, the reality is:
26.9% of seriously injured drivers test positive for marijuana and 20% of all vehicle crashes are attributed to drugged driving.
Myth: “No one gets sick or dies from smoking marijuana”.
In fact, the reality is:
Myth: “The push for marijuana legalization is a movement organized by concerned Californians”
In fact, the reality is:
Who is Behind Legalization?
In 1996 Proposition 215 was a hoax under the guise of compassion for the seriously ill. Three out-of-state billionaires funded it. (source)
“We are trying to get marijuana reclassified medically. If we do that, we’ll be using the issue as a red herring to give marijuana a good name. That’s our way of getting to them (New Right) indirectly.”
NORML Chairman Keith Stroup
The Emory Wheel, Emory University
“The key to it [legalization] is medical access because once you have hundreds of thousands of people using marijuana medically under medical supervision the whole scam is going to be blown…Once there’s medical access and if we continue to do what we have to do-and we will-then we’ll get full legalization.”
Richard ‘Dick’ Cowen
National Director of NORML
While at a conference celebrating the anniversary of LSD
