Category Archives: Drug Policy

Drug Policy

Governor Shumlin’s Address Has Key Misunderstandings

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by Randy Philbrick, Smart Approaches to Marijuana Oregon, originally published on the website.    Gov. Shumlin’s State of the State address was January 7, 2016.  This story is unrelated to our previous critique of the Vermont state legislature.

Governor Peter Shumlin of Vermont gave a very good State of the State speech. He talked about how he plans to help create more jobs, help bring Vermont a greener environment and get more kids to college. Then his speech took a dramatic turn down a very steep embankment to its death.

Governor Shumlin addressed the opiate addiction problem as all other states are having. He said that we need to fix this problem, as we should.  His speech was good and then…..BAM, Marijuana legalization. The Governor talked about Continue reading Governor Shumlin’s Address Has Key Misunderstandings →

Child Endangerment, Driving, Drug Policy

Vermont Legislators Ignore the Evidence About Marijuana

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Vermont legislators are expected to take up legislation to legalize pot this month, but they should examine the evidence and stop looking at dollar signs.  Marijuana causes car accidents and is known as a trigger for mental health problems and psychosis.

On August 7,  2015, Jody Herring of Barre killed four people.   It was the worst recent case of violence in our nation’s second least populous state.  Herring had mental health issues and a drug problem,  with marijuana the substance most evident in her history.  (Lancet Psychiatry Journal published February 16 2015 study  that 1/4 of incidences of first-time psychosis in London over 6 years were triggered by  marijuana use. Herring had been using for a long time.)

At least 3 others who died in Vermont this past year — Richard Tom, Joseph Marshall, Lance Magoon — were in crashes involving stoned drivers.   In 2014, one third of all traffic fatalities Continue reading Vermont Legislators Ignore the Evidence About Marijuana →

Drug Policy

Youth Marijuana Use Remains High, Other Drug Use Down

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The nation’s annual school survey of drug use, Monitoring the Future (MTF), shows marijuana use among adolescents,
including heavy marijuana use, remaining stubbornly high and significantly higher than in 2008 — despite reductions across the board among the other three substances kids use most.

Daily Pot Use 3x the rate of Daily Alcohol Use Among High School students

In fact, 6 percent of 12th graders are daily marijuana users and 3 percent of 10th graders use pot every day.   For comparison, daily alcohol use among  10th graders is 1/2 of 1%.  Among 12th graders, it is 1.9%, 1/3 the rate of daily pot use. Continue reading Youth Marijuana Use Remains High, Other Drug Use Down →

Drug Policy, Editorial, Featured

Is Harm Reduction Policy to Blame for Current Drug Epidemic?

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A graduate school curriculum in Drug Abuse and Addiction teaches harm reduction as a strategy to train drug abuse counselors.  Inoculating these therapists with harm reduction only is an insidious way to promote drug use, drug abuse and addiction.

Harm reduction strategy does not seem to be curbing the current drug epidemic.  Three bad government decisions and strategies heighten the drug epidemic right now:  Continue reading Is Harm Reduction Policy to Blame for Current Drug Epidemic? →