GLOBAL: New York Times Journalist Emeritus – Blows Whistle on WEED!

FORMER New York Times WRITER’S NEW BOOK WARNS OF MARIJUANA, VIOLENCE, MENTAL ILLNESS!

A former New York Times reporter and now a best-selling author, Alex Berenson has an important new book, Tell Your Children: The truth about marijuana, violence and mental health. Simon & Schuster will publish and release it on January 8, 2019.

“I know this topic is controversial……I spoke to scores of scientists and doctors and examined hundreds of studies and papers. Whatever you think of marijuana, you owe it to yourself and to your families to know the truth that legalizers and the media have hidden from you.” Alex Berenson

Indeed, Berenson’s book promises to confirm the facts that we’ve been warning about: the marijuana-psychosis links; that pot use often makes people violent; that it leads to more crime, more overall drug abuse and more fatalities.  As we try to “tell our children,” NO amount of marijuana use is worth the risks.

The Inconvenient Truth

– Almost no one is in prison for marijuana;
– A tiny fraction of doctors write most authorizations for medical marijuana, mostly for people who have already used;
– Marijuana use is linked to opiate and cocaine use. Since 2008, the US and Canada have seen soaring marijuana use and an opiate epidemic. Britain has falling marijuana use and no epidemic;
– Most of all, THC–the chemical in marijuana responsible for the drug’s high–can cause psychotic episodes. After decades of studies, scientists no longer seriously debate if marijuana causes psychosis.

Psychosis brings violence, and cannabis-linked violence is spreading. In the four states that first legalized, murders have risen 25 percent since legalization, even more than the recent national increase.

According to the overview on Barnes & Noble and a description on Amazon, “Berenson’s reporting ranges from the London institute that is home to the scientists who helped prove the cannabis-psychosis link to the Colorado prison where a man now serves a thirty-year sentence after eating a THC-laced candy bar and killing his wife. He sticks to the facts, and they are devastating.”

“With the US already gripped by one drug epidemic, this book will make readers reconsider if marijuana use is worth the risk.”

For complete story Exploding Myths of Marijuana NYTimes Journalist Emeritus

 

USA: North Dakota PEOPLE over POT PROFIT Campaign Begins!

\"\"
Dear friend,
Last month, an upstart effort by a college student resulted in the placement of a legalization ballot initiative in North Dakota. SAM Action has been extremely active in Michigan already, and so we began the process of ramping up operations in North Dakota. Measure 3, the North Dakota initiative, creates  an addiction-for-profit industry that  puts   pot  profits  over people .  Today, our Chief of Staff, Luke Niforatos, and our Marijuana Accountability Coalition coordinator, Justin Luke Riley, kicked off our formal campaign –  Healthy and Productive North Dakota – and we launched a series of billboards and social media ads in key North Dakota markets.
\"\"
SAM Chief of Staff Luke Niforatos, joined by local North Dakotans, in Fargo today.

Measure 3 would allow for limitless THC potency  and possession amounts – it is an incredibly reckless, greedy initiative. Law enforcement would have a hard time even prosecuting any DUI offenses.
\"\"
Billboard seen across multiple sites in North Dakota
Thankfully, scores of medical doctors, employers, treatment providers, drug prevention professionals, business owners, employees, law enforcement officers, and parents have come together for form Healthy and Productive North Dakota.
The marijuana industry is going all-in for the states in which it is working to legalize. They are salivating at the opportunity to expand their profit-driven scheme in a new state – and even more anxious to do so in a state with virtually no regulations.
SAM Action is doing everything we can do help educate voters on the dangers of marijuana commercialization, and so far we have had a very successful year so far.
Legislative efforts to commercialize marijuana have been defeated in five states this year, and we have held up New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy\’s pro-pot agenda for over 250 days. That is truly remarkable and proves that legalization is not inevitable.
But as we near the elections, our resources are being spread thin. Can you chip-in with a donation today to help SAM Action continue to defeat marijuana commercialization across the country?
Every dollar you can give is a dollar that will go towards fighting more stoned drivers on our roads, more youth using marijuana, booming black markets, and increasing mental health issues.
Thank you for all that you do,
\"\"
Dr. Kevin Sabet
Founder and President
Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action
\"\"

About SAM Action

SAM Action is a non-profit, 501(c)(4) social welfare organization dedicated to promoting healthy marijuana policies that do not involve legalizing drugs. SAM Action engages in high-impact political campaigns to oppose marijuana legalization and commercialization.

 

USA: Big Marijuana is Curse and the Nation is Waking Up!

NEW GROUPS RISE UP AGAINST POT, CHALLENGE BIG MARIJUANA

SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

Beware of Big Marijuana.  A nationwide movement is fighting back against the marijuana industry, and the victims will no longer be silent.  The Marijuana Victims Alliance ( MVAA.org)  has harsh words for the marijuana industry.   Parents Opposed to Pot, as well as national anti-marijuana organization, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), focus on stopping the marijuana tsunami which is already taking over the country.  National Families in Action writes of the latest studies and reports about marijuana in its blog, The Marijuana Report.

Moms Strong is a critically important website which shares the stories of parents whose children have lost their lives because of marijuana.  It serves to inform and warn others.  Marijuana Science Forum doesn’t take a stand against legalization, but the science presented on its website states the facts, and those facts are  sobering. When the Smoke Clears has another excellent page devoted to facts. The group posts very effective graphics on its Facebook page.

Drug Free America Foundation works in opposition to all drugs, recognizing the marijuana is usually the drug of initiation drug for young people who die of drugs.  All of us are united and support each other.

Help us stop the commercial marijuana industry.  If these groups have a Facebook and Twitter presence, please follow or “LIKE” them. Those simple actions can raise the profile of all groups that fight against BIG MARIJUANA.

For more http://www.poppot.org/2018/09/28/new-groups-rise-up-against-pot-challenge-big-marijuana/

 

UK: Life up in \’Vapers\’!

Vapers tricked into buying synthetic cannabis-laced product

An Observer investigation finds a synthetic cannabis substance hidden in liquid William McLennan 2018

Drug producers are capitalising on the rise of vaping to sell a liquid form of “spice” — an illegal synthetic substance nicknamed “zombie” — to unwitting customers.

Suppliers of Kronic Juice, which is being shipped into the UK labelled as a harmless e-liquid, refuse to disclose the ingredients, referring only to a “patent pending flavour enhancer”. However, laboratory tests commissioned by the Observer found it to contain a strain of synthetic cannabis that was banned in 2016.

The same chemical, sprayed on to plant matter and smoked in cigarette papers, was one of the so-called “legal highs” that came to be known as the zombie drug.

The emergence of liquid spice is the latest chapter in a battle between law enforcement and manufacturers, which led to the introduction of a blanket ban under the Psychoactive Substances Act in 2016. For complete story https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/sep/22/vaping-cannabis-substance-liquid-spice

 

 

USA: National Drug Use & Health Survey – WEED USE WORSE in decades!

\"\"
Dear friend,
In case you missed it, new data is out from the  National Survey on Drug Use and Health and it paints a bleak picture for the future of our country should the marijuana industry become successful in its attempt to be the next Big Tobacco.
In short, there are now twice as many daily or near daily marijuana users in the country than just a decade ago. Additionally, there are now over 8,000 new marijuana users each day and 22% of 18 to 25-year-olds are currently using the drug – the highest number for all three stats in recent memory. Worse, annual use by ages 16 and up has significantly risen since last year.
Marijuana use has skyrocketed in our country as the perception of harm has plummeted. The marijuana industry, just like Big Tobacco years ago, continues to glorify marijuana as a cure-all substance that offers no risk to anyone.
The reality is this: if it were not for marijuana, overall drug use in the country would be going down. Mental health issues are  rising, more people are  dying due to marijuana-impaired drivers, and positivity rates among our  workforce are up. None of this will help our country succeed and be productive.
But this fight is far from over, friend. Contrary to the lies of the industry, marijuana legalization is not inevitable. This year alone, SAM and our affiliates have been successful in defeating marijuana legalization and commercialization efforts in five different state capitols: Rhode Island, Illinois, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.
In New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy\’s promise to legalize marijuana within his first hundred days in office has stalled as our allies in the Legislature have dug in their heels against this reckless proposal. The Senate is considering putting the bill to a vote in the coming weeks, but many are predicting that the votes simply aren\’t there.
In response to increasing pressure in New York, we have opened an office in Manhattan and are actively organizing the resistance to let the lawmakers in Albany know that legalization would be a disaster for the Empire State.  In addition, we are continuing to form a grand coalition in the Midwest from our new hub in Chicago, Illinois.
Outside of state legislatures, we are working hard in Michigan and North Dakota to defeat marijuana legalization at the ballot box. And polls are tightening up, with onepoll showing  us ahead by a few points in Michigan.
In North Dakota, we are thrilled to be partnering with a  coalition of health professionals who are opposed to the measure, which is perhaps the most far-reaching legalization proposal I have ever seen.
If we are going to continue to win in state legislatures and win in November at the ballot box, we are going to need all the help we can get from dedicated supporters such as yourself. If you can, please consider chipping in to the effort with a donation of $500, $300, $200, $100, or even $50.
Remember, we are winning this fight and history will fondly remember those who stood up against Big Marijuana in defense of common sense.
Any amount you can give will help us push back against the marijuana industry across the country.
Thank you again for everything you do,
\"\"
Dr. Kevin Sabet
Founder and President
Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action
\"\"
 

About SAM Action

SAM Action is a non-profit, 501(c)(4) social welfare organization dedicated to promoting healthy marijuana policies that do not involve legalizing drugs. SAM Action engages in high-impact political campaigns to oppose marijuana legalization and commercialization.

 

USA: North Dakota – Getting Smart about WEED and Pushing Back!

Group forms to fight against legalizing marijuana

By Megan Hoffman | September 2018

A new group is forming to fight against recreational marijuana becoming legal in the state. The coalition was announced Thursday, and is made up of several state groups including Greater North Dakota Chamber and law enforcement, as well as the national Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a non-profit.

Measure 3 on this fall\’s ballot will give North Dakotans a chance to vote on legalizing marijuana. But Luke Niforatos with Smart Approaches to Marijuana is part of a new group aimed at making sure the initiative fails.

“You have nothing to lose by pumping the breaks right now and waiting until we learn a little bit more about marijuana legalization from the states that have legalized,” Niforatos said. “You have everything to lose if you\’re wrong.”

The coalition, named, North Dakotans Against The Legalization Of Recreational Marijuana, will be out campaigning and spreading their message over the next several months. They will be working in opposition to Legalize ND, the group leading the fight for the passage of measure 3.

“Our support has always been very solid at the grassroots level and at the door to door level,” Dave Owen with Legalize ND said

For complete story http://www.kfyrtv.com/content/news/Group-forms-to-fight-against-legalizing-marijuana-492739501.html

 

USA: The President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction & the Opioid Crisis: Origins & Recommendations

By Dr Bertha K. Madras1

The United States has the ignominious distinction of leading the world in opioid prescribing,1 and in opioid-related overdose deaths. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that over 40,000 people died of an opioid-related overdose, with fentanyl-related deaths exceeding those of heroin or prescription opioids.2  Opioid overdoses are now the leading cause of unintentional deaths in the US and of declining lifespan expectancies. 3 With a worsening crisis, agencies of the US government and others produced an array of reports on the opioid crisis. Yet the death rate escalated further from 2010 to the present.

For Full Briefing COMBATING OPIOID CRISIS

The President\’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis – Origins and Recommendations2018

USA: Weed Consumption Among Teens: Worst in Recent History!

\"\"
\"\"
New HHS Survey:
Heavy Marijuana Use Skyrocketing;
Youth in Late Teens Using More Marijuana Now Than Any Time in Recent History
For Immediate Release:
September 14, 2018
Contact: Pat Brogan  E: [email protected]   P: 703-462-0530
(Alexandria, Va) – There are now twice as many daily or near daily marijuana users in the US than just a decade ago, according to the most comprehensive survey on drug use released today by the federal government. There are also now 8,300 new marijuana users each day, and 22% of 18 to 25 year olds are currently using the drug–the highest number for all three stats in recent memory.

\”The marijuana industry is getting their wish,\”  said Kevin A. Sabet, Ph.D., president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a former White House drug policy adviser. \”More people are using highly potent pot edibles and other items much more often, and the perception of harm for these products is plummeting. It is time we woke up as a country and put science above ideology.\”

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) also found that 42% of marijuana users use the drug daily or almost daily, and that marijuana was used by more than 8 in 10 substance users. Marijuana use rose significantly among age groups 12 and up, 18 and up, and 26 and up. Use among 12 to 17 year olds was stable versus last year, though in legalized states NSDUH data show marijuana use higher on average in legalized states.
\”Big Marijuana – just like Big Tobacco years ago – continues to glorify marijuana as a cure-all that can do little or no harm,\” said Sabet. \”If it wasn\’t for marijuana, overall drug use in this country would be going down. Rising mental health issues, drugged driving crashes, and an increasingly stoned workforce won\’t help us get ahead. We should put the brakes on marijuana legalization and start a national science-based marijuana awareness campaign similar to successful anti-tobacco campaigns.\”
NSDUH state-level data, which shows the gulf between use in states with legalized pot versus those with no legalization laws, is expected later this year and not included in this report. The last state estimate report showed  Colorado is the #1 state in the country for first time marijuana use among teens.
According to a recent  report by SAM, legalized states have seen negative public health and safety consequences, including increased marijuana use and car crashes related to marijuana.
\”We shouldn\’t incarcerate people for marijuana use, but legalization is promoting a commercial industry driving heavy pot use among young people. We need a smarter approach that focuses on prevention, awareness, and recovery,\” added Sabet.
Research has found that marijuana affects the developing brain negatively, and that most people\’s brains develop well into their 20s.
SAM will be updating info about NSDUH as we receive the full report.

UM: Pot use among college students at 30-year high

Breana Noble, The Detroit News Sept. 5, 2018

Marijuana use among college-age people is at the highest level in three decades and fewer think using it is harmful, according to researchers at the University of Michigan.

Months before Michigan voters will decide whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use, the annual study found marijuana use among the nation\’s 19-to-22-year-olds has increased gradually over the past decade as marijuana becomes more easily accessible and young people view the drug as less risky.

Researchers also found that youths who do not attend college are more likely to use marijuana. The study also surveyed other drug use among the age group and found non-medical use of prescription narcotic drugs was at its lowest since the late 1990s.

The federal National Institute on Drug Abuse paid for the survey, Monitoring the Future Panel Study.

\”In this country, laws are changing, attitudes are changing, people are not perceiving use, even regular use, as dangerous as they used to,\” said John Schulenberg, the study\’s principal investigator and a psychology professor at the university.

\”And this could be the problem. On this daily use, the scientific evidence is pretty clear that this gets in the way of things, and it can be associated with, if not contributing to, a decline in mental health.

\”If one is involved in heavy use, and they continue with that,\” Schulenberg said, \”then their health and wellness and happiness is probably not as high as those who do not use or do not continue to use.\”

For complete story https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/2018/09/05/monitoring-future-panel-study-university-michigan-marijuana-college-students-2017/1190950002/

 

USA: WEED not a prublom?

Slides based on 2017 NSDUH Annual National Report – Trends Only

https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2017-nsduh-detailed-tables

Table 8.9B — Types of Illicit Drug Use in Past Year among Persons Aged 18 or Older, by Past Year Level of Mental Illness: Percentages, 2016 and 2017
Drug Total
(2016)		 Total
(2017)		 Any
Mental
Illness
(2016)		 Any
Mental
Illness
(2017)		 Serious
Mental
Illness
(2016)		 Serious
Mental
Illness
(2017)		 Any Mental
Illness
Excluding
Serious
Mental Illness
(2016)		 Any Mental
Illness
Excluding
Serious
Mental Illness
(2017)		 No
Mental
Illness
(2016)		 No
Mental
Illness
(2017)
ILLICIT DRUGS1 18.2b 19.3 32.4a 34.3 43.3 44.1 29.0a 31.1 15.1a 15.8
Marijuana 14.1b 15.3 24.0b 26.2 30.6 32.8 22.0a 24.2 12.0b 12.8
Cocaine 2.0b 2.4 4.0a 4.7 5.7b 8.2 3.5 3.6 1.6a 1.8
Crack 0.4 0.4 1.0 1.1 1.7 2.3 0.7 0.7 0.2 0.2
Heroin 0.4 0.4 1.1 1.1 2.1 2.4 0.8 0.7 0.2 0.2
Hallucinogens 1.8 1.9 3.8 4.3 4.9a 6.6 3.5 3.5 1.4 1.3
LSD 0.7 0.8 1.5a 1.9 2.1b 3.5 1.3 1.4 0.5 0.5
PCP 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0
Ecstasy 0.9 0.9 1.9 2.1 2.2b 3.6 1.8 1.6 0.7 0.7
Inhalants 0.5 0.5 1.0 1.3 1.4 1.9 0.8 1.0 0.3 0.3
Methamphetamine 0.6 0.6 1.8 1.9 3.1 3.4 1.3 1.4 0.3 0.4
Misuse of Psychotherapeutics2 7.1 6.8 15.9 15.2 23.5 22.4 13.5 12.9 5.1 4.9
Pain Relievers 4.3 4.2 10.1 9.7 15.5 14.3 8.5 8.2 3.1 2.9
Tranquilizers 2.3 2.2 6.2 6.0 10.2 9.9 5.0 4.8 1.4 1.3
Stimulants 2.1 2.2 4.7 4.9 7.2 7.6 3.9 4.0 1.6 1.6
Sedatives 0.6 0.5 1.6 1.6 2.5 3.1 1.3 1.1 0.4 0.3
OPIOIDS (HEROIN USE OR PAIN RELIEVER MISUSE) 4.5 4.3 10.4 10.1 16.1 15.1 8.7 8.5 3.1 3.0

 

 

Table 8.9A — Types of Illicit Drug Use in Past Year among Persons Aged 18 or Older, by Past Year Level of Mental Illness: Numbers in Thousands, 2016 and 2017
Drug Total
(2016)		 Total
(2017)		 Any
Mental
Illness
(2016)		 Any
Mental
Illness
(2017)		 Serious
Mental
Illness
(2016)		 Serious
Mental
Illness
(2017)		 Any Mental
Illness
Excluding
Serious
Mental Illness
(2016)		 Any Mental
Illness
Excluding
Serious
Mental Illness
(2017)		 No
Mental
Illness
(2016)		 No
Mental
Illness
(2017)
ILLICIT DRUGS1 44,559b 47,726 14,447b 15,974 4,487 4,935 9,960a 11,039 30,112a 31,752
Marijuana 34,588b 37,841 10,702b 12,240 3,168a 3,665 7,534b 8,575 23,886a 25,600
Cocaine 4,936b 5,816 1,771a 2,175 587b 913 1,184 1,262 3,165a 3,640
Crack 871 913 425 517 177 255 248 262 447 396
Heroin 934 872 496 533 218 270 278 263 438 339
Hallucinogens 4,447 4,613 1,698 1,992 506b 744 1,192 1,248 2,748 2,621
LSD 1,692a 1,984 651b 901 213b 393 438 508 1,042 1,084
PCP 85 73 44 53 29 9 15 44 40 20
Ecstasy 2,308 2,313 849 973 224b 400 624 573 1,459 1,340
Inhalants 1,106 1,185 432 584 150 215 282 369 674 601
Methamphetamine 1,360 1,585 782 872 320 381 462 491 577 713
Misuse of Psychotherapeutics2 17,354 16,844 7,083 7,086 2,437 2,505 4,646 4,581 10,271 9,759
Pain Relievers 10,635 10,310 4,530 4,518 1,609 1,598 2,921 2,921 6,105 5,792
Tranquilizers 5,626 5,485 2,761 2,811 1,060 1,112 1,701 1,698 2,865 2,675
Stimulants 5,220 5,386 2,085 2,274 750 850 1,335 1,425 3,135 3,112
Sedatives 1,431 1,278 693 724 262 343 430 381 739 554
OPIOIDS (HEROIN USE OR PAIN RELIEVER MISUSE) 10,933 10,632 4,662 4,711 1,666 1,695 2,996 3,016 6,271 5,921

 

 

 

 

Scroll to Top