Cannitrol – Cannabis Control Agent

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Office of National Drug Control Policy

After Months of Silence U.S. Government Responds to New Marijuana Laws

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After the historic vote by the people of both Colorado and Washington to legalize recreational marijuana, a swift response by the federal government was expected.  However, most federal officials have yet to utter a public response to Colorado and Washington taking legalization into their own hands.  United States Attorney General, Eric Holder, did meet with high ranking officials from Washington State but made no comment to the public regarding the discussions.

The people are finally being informed of the federal government’s position on marijuana since the November election.  Unfortunately, it seems only Canadian residents are being kept in the loop for the time being.  U.S. Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Gil Kerlikowske, told the Canadian based Maclean’s magazine that the federal government will still target marijuana growers and providers.  He went on to say “I think a patchwork of policies would create real difficulties… “I don’t see the legalization of drugs and making them widely available as a good thing.”

Mr. Kerlikowske was also asked if he noticed any parallels between same-sex marriage and the current legal situation with marijuana.  He responded by saying “I don’t look at marijuana as a human right, or a civil right, or even in the same venue as gay marriage…this is a public health issue.”  Struggling patients seeking pain relief will likely disagree with the initial portion of the quote.  As traditional medical treatments have failed so many, medical marijuana is considered a right by millions of Americans.

Mason Tvert of the Marijuana Policy Project responded by saying “We are hopeful [federal officials] will see the benefits of regulating marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol, and we are pleased to see the progress these two states are making toward doing just that.”  There is validity to some of what Gil Kerlikowske stated.  Marijuana is a public health issue.  Providing pain relief without physically addictive opiate based medications is in the utmost interest of the people.  It will be interesting to see what is said when the federal government decides to finally address its own people.

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Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Do Not Increase Teen Use, Study Shows

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The rise in teen marijuana use has been a popular discussion for several weeks.  As expected, some will blame medical marijuana dispensaries for the increase even without any data to support these claims.  As we have previously written, assessing a generation and a cultural shift is not as simple as blaming marijuana collectives.

New research indicates that teenage marijuana smoking does not rise in states with legalized medical cannabis.  This also builds on the recent data that showed marijuana collectives did not impact the crime rate in the Sacramento area.  Researchers analyzed data from the Youth Risky Behavior Survey which took into account information from the 13 legal medical marijuana programs from 1993-2009.  Professors from Montana State University, the University of Oregon and the University of Colorado found no data that shows a rise in teen use in areas with marijuana dispensaries.  One of the lead researchers, Professor Daniel I. Rees of the University of Colorado said “There is anecdotal evidence that medical marijuana is finding its way into the hands of teenagers, but there’s no statistical evidence that legalization increases the probability of use.”

Marijuana.net recently posted an article citing the recent data that shows a rise in teenage marijuana smokers as well as a reduction in younger tobacco smokers.  We also made the point that this rise may be due to a combination of factors, including new age information sharing.  Patient stories and scientific data regarding cannabis are instantly available to a generation raised during the information age.  Marijuana propaganda simply cannot hold water in today’s society.  Instead we should concentrate on having an open conversation with teens and accessing whether or not it is wise to continue our policy of non-regulation when it comes to cannabis.  The culture has shifted and marijuana is here to stay. Continued efforts to deny this are starting to appear silly.

However, appearing silly rarely serves as a deterrent for government officials.  This research serves as a rebuff to statements made by the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.  The office continues to assert that medical cannabis collectives are contributing to a rise in teenage marijuana use despite having evidence supporting the claim.    The office may want to do some research as it is getting more difficult to mislead a population that is more informed than the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

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