|
Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
|
|
US: A 'New Epidemic' For Marijuana
Houston Chronicle (TX)
Saturday 30 Jun 2001 Author: Mike Glenn Young Criminals Are Smoking Pot More, New Research Indicates Marijuana use is on the rise for 18- to 20-year-olds who are in trouble with the law, according to a study published Friday by the National Institute of Justice, part of the U.S. Justice Department. The study indicates young adult offenders are turning away from harder drugs, said one of the researchers on the project. The rate of marijuana use among the young adult offenders grew from 25 percent in 1991 to 57 percent in 1996, the study found. The rate peaked at 60 percent in 1999, where the figures have since remained. However, only about 5 percent of the general population smokes marijuana, the researchers said. Houston was one of 23 municipalities analyzed. It showed that Houston has fewer lawbreakers using marijuana than other metropolitan cities. Marijuana use among all adult lawbreakers -- those 18 and older -- in Houston dropped from 43 percent in 1988 to 14 percent by 1991. It currently stands at about 30 percent. The rate for the 18- to 20-year-old marijuana users in Houston went from a low of 19 percent in 1992 to 49 percent in 1999, where it has held. The last figure may be attributable to sampling procedures, researchers said. They are still below the national average of 60 percent for young adult offenders who smoke marijuana, however. Houston police said Friday they weren't immediately able to confirm whether their figures match those from the study. The researchers examined data from the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring program, known as ADAM, which tracks drug use detected through urine analysis. "Unlike previous generations of marijuana users, those affected by the new marijuana epidemic are not expected to go on to harder drugs, like cocaine or heroin," said Andrew Golub, with the National Development and Research Institute. "It would be good news if the new marijuana epidemic is a rejection of crack and heroin because of the potentially devastating consequences associated with these drugs," Golub said. A member of a group that supports legalizing but regulating marijuana use dismissed some of the conclusions as scare tactics. "They're getting this data on teen-agers so they can scare the soccer moms into thinking there are more kids smoking weed these days," said Steve Nolin, with the Houston chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "I think that is a kind of (anti-marijuana) propaganda so the government can get more money." What researchers called the "new marijuana epidemic" for young adult offenders appears to have been in a steady but high-plateau phase for several years. "Drug-control policies in this population should look more closely at some of the underlying issues, such as poverty, lack of community and family support, and lack of educational and career opportunities," said Golub.
After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back.
|
This page was created by the Cannabis Campaigners' Guide.
Feel free to link to this page!