Subj: US: High Times Magazine Releases Its First Comprehensive Report On Marijuana in the US





Source: Business Wire, US



Date: May 26, 1999



High Times Magazine Releases Its First

Comprehensive Report On Marijuana in the US



NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 26, 1999--One

third of all adults in this country have tried marijuana at least

once. So why don't more people know the facts? On June 1st

(in the July issue of High Times), the magazine the DEA turns to

for information on marijuana will release its first comprehensive

U.S. marijuana report, "Marijuana By The Numbers."



How many Americans smoke pot? How many of them are

being arrested? How much does the War on Drugs cost us? Is

today's pot really stronger than what was smoked in the ‘60s?

The answers are finally available.



Among the findings: -- More than one third of adult Americans

have smoked marijuana, with  at least 11 million getting high at

least once a month -- Marijuana is one of the top five cash crops

in America, with California, Tennessee and Kentucky the leading

producers --Today's marijuana is not significantly more potent than what



was sold in the '70s, but top-quality sinsemilla is much easier to

find -- Marijuana arrests exceeded 700,000 this past year and,

if the projected trend continues, they will top 1 million in 2001. --

Pot-smokers are most likely to be arrested in the Northeast

(New York, Washington DC, and New Jersey) and in the Deep

South -- Marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers $27 billion a

year, almost twice the social costs of marijuana use. The costs of

enforcing

marijuana laws and the income lost by people jailed for

marijuana have doubled since 1992, and far exceed the costs of drug

education and treatment and counseling for marijuana users.



"We're very proud of this report. It is the premiere place one

can go for critical information on marijuana in the U.S,"

commented High Times' publisher, Mike Edison. This is an

objective, scientific report, and it reinforces High Times' place

as the number one authority on the subject." The complete

report, based on the U.S. government's own numbers and

independent research by High Times, is in the July issue of High

Times, on sale June 1st.



High Times, the Most Notorious Magazine in the World,

celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.