When the paranoid family values fanatics at Focus on the Family write news stories based on quotes from John Walters, you know what youâre gonna get:
Whatever. An ounce is the same amount regardless of how many joints you intend to roll, and itâs not that much. If youâre rolling 60 joints out of an ounce, try smoking two or three of them. But watch out; large joints are two to three times more dangerous than small ones.
No, it wonât. Most marijuana users who enter treatment programs are forced to do so by the criminal justice system. Ending misdemeanor marijuana arrests will dramatically reduce the number of people entering treatment for marijuana. And to the extent that fear of arrest is a primary motivation for some who decide to quit, legalization could reduce voluntary admissions as well.
On the other hand, as my colleague Tom Angell pointed out in conversation, legalized marijuana will carry less stigma and could lead to more voluntary admissions from people who are finally comfortable admitting theyâre having problems. If Tom is correct, weâll end up with more people in treatment for marijuana who want and need it, and less people forced into treatment based on arbitrary criteria such as an arrest. Sounds good to me.
Itâs an interesting discussion, but one that John Walters canât participate in because heâs busy misinterpreting various data:
This oneâs actually true, but itâs his fault. Thanks to prohibition, marijuana sellers donât have to check ID, making it the easiest drug to get if youâre underage.
I just keep telling myself that this crap canât go on forever. Whether we win in Nevada or Colorado next month, or somewhere else down the road, the war on marijuana is an ugly swelling pimple thatâs almost ready to pop. Get it over with already. You know you want to.
Colorado âs initiative would allow adults to legally possess up to an ounce of marijuana. That might not seem like much, but, in reality it makes between 30 and 60 joints.
Whatever. An ounce is the same amount regardless of how many joints you intend to roll, and itâs not that much. If youâre rolling 60 joints out of an ounce, try smoking two or three of them. But watch out; large joints are two to three times more dangerous than small ones.
US Drug Czar John Walters says legalization will inundate our drug treatment centers.
No, it wonât. Most marijuana users who enter treatment programs are forced to do so by the criminal justice system. Ending misdemeanor marijuana arrests will dramatically reduce the number of people entering treatment for marijuana. And to the extent that fear of arrest is a primary motivation for some who decide to quit, legalization could reduce voluntary admissions as well.
On the other hand, as my colleague Tom Angell pointed out in conversation, legalized marijuana will carry less stigma and could lead to more voluntary admissions from people who are finally comfortable admitting theyâre having problems. If Tom is correct, weâll end up with more people in treatment for marijuana who want and need it, and less people forced into treatment based on arbitrary criteria such as an arrest. Sounds good to me.
Itâs an interesting discussion, but one that John Walters canât participate in because heâs busy misinterpreting various data:
âWe have more teens in treatment nationwide for marijuana dependency and abuse as teens than for all other illegal drugs combined. We have more teens seeking treatment for marijuana dependency than for alcoholism.â
This oneâs actually true, but itâs his fault. Thanks to prohibition, marijuana sellers donât have to check ID, making it the easiest drug to get if youâre underage.
I just keep telling myself that this crap canât go on forever. Whether we win in Nevada or Colorado next month, or somewhere else down the road, the war on marijuana is an ugly swelling pimple thatâs almost ready to pop. Get it over with already. You know you want to.
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