The statistics show that marijuana consumption is on the rise. Logic dictates that legalizing the drug for “medicinal” purpose has made it that much easier for stoners to get high.
Some local anti-medical-marijuana officials believe an increase in marijuana use in California is the result of relaxed state laws toward medical marijuana.
In evaluating the statistics, it shows states that have a medical-marijuana program have a significant increase in use of those who are using marijuana.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released its 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health last month. It details substance-use patterns and consequences for people ages 12 and older.
From the survey, the rate of marijuana use statewide and nationally increased significantly, driving up overall rates of illicit drug use.
The Statistics
The 2010 survey reported 17.4 million people who said they had used marijuana in the past month. That compares to 14.4 million in 2007.
Between 2007 and 2010, the percentage of people who used marijuana increased from 5.8 percent to 6.9 percent.
The percentage of youths ages 12 to 17 who used marijuana also increased, from 6.7 percent in 2007 to 7.4 percent in 2010.
Why Has Weed Become Acceptable?
It is disturbing to see an increase among kids. Society is getting to the point where marijuana is more and more acceptable. It's why we're so adamant not to allow it. We want to keep it out of the hands of kids.
In 2010, then-Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law Senate Bill 1449, which downgraded possession of an ounce or less of marijuana from a misdemeanor to an infraction, with a $100 fine but no jail time.
Lanny Swerdlow, a Riverside County marijuana activist and radio host, said the increase in usage "probably" is from states legalizing the drug for certain uses.
Swerdlow said in his quick read of the national survey he found there was an increase in marijuana use along with a decrease in alcohol use. Unlike alcohol, Swerdlow said, marijuana does not make someone mad, angry, fight, vomit or black out.
The Medical Argument
Jan Werner, vice president of The Clearview Lake Corp., which runs marijuana collectives in Bloomington and Corona, said marijuana usage was up because baby boomers have found medical marijuana to be an alternative to other drugs for their ailments.
With no valid recommendation by the FDA or the AMA, making this drug legal has been a total fiasco. California is now in the process of shuttering their dispensaries. Colorado banks no longer accept deposits from dispensaries. It is only a matter of time before the pendulum swings the other way. You heard it here first – medical marijuana is on its way out.