Survey: More US adults use marijuana, don't think it's risky

[webfact]

Survey: More US adults use marijuana, don't think it's risky 
MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Marijuana use is becoming more accepted among U.S. adults as states loosen pot laws, new national survey data shows.

 

More are using marijuana, using it more often and far fewer think it's risky, the government survey found.

 

That's understandable, experts say, as dozens of states now allow medical marijuana and four states have recently legalized pot for recreational use.

 

More than a half million U.S. adults participated in the survey over a dozen years, and the responses show a shift in attitude. Only a third of adults in 2014 said they thought weekly marijuana use was dangerous, down from half of adults in 2002.

 

That runs counter to scientific research about pot, said Dr. Wilson Compton, lead author of the study published online Wednesday by the journal Lancet Psychiatry.

 

"If anything, science has shown an increasing risk that we weren't as aware of years ago," said Compton, deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

 

Other research has increasingly linked marijuana use to mental impairment, and early, heavy use by people with certain genes to increased risk of developing psychosis, he noted.

 

Some highlights of the report, which compared 2002 to 2014:

 

— About 1 in 8 adults said they used marijuana in the past year, up from 1 in 10. The number of marijuana users grew to about 32 million.

 

— Daily use doubled, to 3.5 percent or about 8.4 million U.S. adults.

 

— Changes in marijuana use and perception began to really climb in 2006-2007.

 

— No increase was seen in reported marijuana use disorders, like impaired memory, difficulty thinking and withdrawal symptoms like cravings, sleeplessness and depression.

 

That's surprising since law enforcement officials say marijuana is more potent than in the past, wrote Australian researcher Wayne Hall in an editorial in the journal.

 

More use should mean more reports of marijuana-related disorders. Another U.S. survey did find such an increase in recent years, Hall noted.

"I agree that this is a puzzle," and needs to be researched further, Compton said.

 

Marijuana use remains illegal under federal law. Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia have medical marijuana laws, and starting in 2014, Colorado and Washington began allowing recreational sales. Alaska and Oregon now also allow sales without a doctor's note.

 

Hall said it's likely those changes will increase the use of marijuana and perhaps reports of disorders.

 

The study didn't report on kids, only those 18 and older. But research drawn from another large survey has shown marijuana use among high school students has been falling. Over two decades, it dropped from 25 percent to about 22 percent.

 

Why are fewer kids using pot at a time more and more adults are?

 

There could be a lag. Youths have said in surveys that it seemed to be getting harder in the last decade to get marijuana. But that may change as more states legalize the drug, more adults use it, and if teens get into less trouble if caught with the drug, experts said.

___

Online:

Journal: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/onlineFirst

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-09-01

[ClutchClark]

That runs counter to scientific research about pot, said Dr. Wilson Compton, lead author of the study published online Wednesday by the journal Lancet Psychiatry.

 

"If anything, science has shown an increasing risk that we weren't as aware of years ago," said Compton, deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

 

Other research has increasingly linked marijuana use to mental impairment, and early, heavy use by people with certain genes to increased risk of developing psychosis, he noted.

 

------------

 

Well that is not good news but lawmakers are choosing pot for a new highly profitable revenue stream rather than the science and societies health interests...hmmm....isn't that the complaint about them keeping cigarettes and liquor legal? 

[Class C]

THC has been found to reduce tumor growth in common lung cancer by 50 percent

[ClutchClark]

3 minutes ago, Class C said:

THC has been found to reduce tumor growth in common lung cancer by 50 percent

 

The research is still in early stages but it does sound like there is a clear correlation; however, I found this interesting:

 

“We know that there are as many or more carcinogens and co-carcinogens in marijuana smoke as in cigarettes,” researcher Donald Tashkin, MD, of UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine tells WebMD. “But we did not find any evidence for an increase in cancer risk for even heavy marijuana smoking.” Carcinogens are substances that cause cancer.

[halloween]

14 minutes ago, Class C said:

THC has been found to reduce tumor growth in common lung cancer by 50 percent

 

And inhaling products of combustion is REALLY good for you.

".. epidemiologic data clearly establish cigarette smoking as the major cause of lung cancer. It is estimated that about 90% of male lung cancer deaths and 75–80% of lung cancer deaths in the US are caused by smoking each year”   http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/content/64/1/4.full

[Credo]

I think the thing that everyone needs to keep in mind is that THC is a drug and reasonably potent one.   It will be helpful for some, not helpful for others.   Some people will have a great time on it, others, less so.  I have a friend who cannot tolerate caffeine.   So the morning cup that keeps many of ready to start the day, is a no-no for him.  

 

There will be an upsides and there will be downsides.   

 

I am for loosening of criminal penalties for its use because enforcement is very, very costly and unless there is something that shows there is a huge, drastic affect on society, it should not be a part of the criminal justice system.   

 

 

[ClutchClark]

1 minute ago, Credo said:

I think the thing that everyone needs to keep in mind is that THC is a drug and reasonably potent one.   It will be helpful for some, not helpful for others.   Some people will have a great time on it, others, less so.  I have a friend who cannot tolerate caffeine.   So the morning cup that keeps many of ready to start the day, is a no-no for him.  

 

There will be an upsides and there will be downsides.   

 

I am for loosening of criminal penalties for its use because enforcement is very, very costly and unless there is something that shows there is a huge, drastic affect on society, it should not be a part of the criminal justice system.   

 

 

 

I am with you on the first two paragraphs but there simply is not enough data out there yet to see the negatvie effect of MJ on society. as for Law Enforcement role, police do not make the laws...society makes the laws. Most cops will tell you they do not arrest small recreational users unless there is a larger crime involved such as a vehicular accident. 

 

as pot use becomes more widespread in states that have legalized it we are now seeing different issues that continue to require law enforcement intervention. Mainly, in people driving while under the influence. It is amazing how many people you now see smoking in their vehicle in Colorado. Stop at a red light and 1-2 cars near you will have pot smoke blowing up through the driver side window which is slightly rolled down for that purpose. 

[55Jay]

Chemical elements of the marijuana plant are known to have medical benefits.  Medical MJ community is all over CBDs in particular, which have been found to be very useful, and have been developed into non-smoked medication form.

 

THC, while it does have some useful benefits and studies are on going as well, serious professionals in the medical science community do not willing endorse smoking or the mental/behavioral side effects of THC, which makes the user "high/stoned".   

 

Recreational/casual smoking of marijuana is just that.  I've got no problem with it but do not delude myself into thinking smoking MJ is "good" for you.  It's not.  Even a pro-MJ Doctor will tell you that ingesting hot smoke from a burning substance, marijuana or otherwise, is simply NOT good for the human body.  Smoking takes a bit of practice and discipline to overcome the body's natural reaction to smoke invading the lungs, which is to cough and gag to expel it, and try to get away from the offending source.  

[theguyfromanotherforum]

I hate marijuana smokers. The smell of this filthy habit is much worse than cigarettes which I can tolerate. If you think smoking pot makes you cool and has health benefits, you need your head examined.

Edited September 1, 2016 by theguyfromanotherforum

[55Jay]

5 minutes ago, theguyfromanotherforum said:

I have marijuana smokers. The smell of this filthy habit is much worse than cigarettes which I can tolerate. If you think smoking pot makes you cool and has health benefits, you need your head examined.

That's how I was exposed to it when I was about 12 or 13 years old.  There were several weed smokers in my neighborhood group of friends and naturally I and others who didn't smoke, wanted to be accepted.  I smoked A LOT of weed from then until I was 16 or 17.

 

Went on hiatus for 30 odd years, was anti drug because that was the culture I was in but many of us ex-teen smokers would joke about one day being able to retire, grow a pony tail and smoke a fat one to celebrate our reclaimed sense of freedom. 

 

[daoyai]

guyfromanotherforum "hates" millions of people he has never met. (I wonder why?) I find tobacco smoke much more offensive than M.J. smoke ... in most cases the quantity will be much less with the pot smoke, many cigarette smokers smoke 20 a day, at a bar they will typically smoke constantly putting out much more stink. Pot smokers smoke tiny quantities, Rastas being an exception and there are few of them.

[ClutchClark]

1 minute ago, daoyai said:

guyfromanotherforum "hates" millions of people he has never met. (I wonder why?) I find tobacco smoke much more offensive than M.J. smoke ... in most cases the quantity will be much less with the pot smoke, many cigarette smokers smoke 20 a day, at a bar they will typically smoke constantly putting out much more stink. Pot smokers smoke tiny quantities, Rastas being an exception and there are few of them.

 

I find the smoke from each uniquely offensive.

[smotherb]

5 hours ago, halloween said:

 

And inhaling products of combustion is REALLY good for you.

".. epidemiologic data clearly establish cigarette smoking as the major cause of lung cancer. It is estimated that about 90% of male lung cancer deaths and 75–80% of lung cancer deaths in the US are caused by smoking each year”   http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/content/64/1/4.full

There are other ways to ingest THC

[Credo]

5 hours ago, theguyfromanotherforum said:

I hate marijuana smokers. The smell of this filthy habit is much worse than cigarettes which I can tolerate. If you think smoking pot makes you cool and has health benefits, you need your head examined.

I thought it smelled like incense.

[halloween]

18 minutes ago, smotherb said:

There are other ways to ingest THC

Yep, the butter extraction method being the best. But most people just don't bother going to all that trouble.

[Boon Mee]

Smoking Ganja is good for Glaucoma...

[ClutchClark]

3 minutes ago, Credo said:

I thought it smelled like incense.

 

Not these new hybrid plants. They smell very strongly like pot. Stinky pot. 

 

No mistaking it for anything else even when the hippy smoking it reeks of clove cigarettes and their hippy abode stinks of frankincense.

 

Skunk weed did not come on that name accidentally.

[55Jay]

2 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Smoking Ganja is good for Glaucoma...

Yup.  When medical marijuana was becoming a "thing", I was surprised at how many young people had been suffering from it in silence.  Others developed severe cases right there in the parking lot of a willing physician. 

 

 

[ClutchClark]

28 minutes ago, halloween said:

Yep, the butter extraction method being the best. But most people just don't bother going to all that trouble.

 

The fastest growing part of the MJ economy in states where it has become legalized is MJ oil or various edible products. 

 

They are manufactured commercially and sold as a finished baked or candy product.

 

Come on guys, why does a redneck farmer of around 80 years who has never been a MJ user know so much more about this topic than any of you?

 

Answer: there are some real business opportunities in this Industry and CO has some major players just waiting to see how the Feds react to States decisions to legalize. 

 

In a few years these products will be sold by big tobacco and similar. 

[thaibeachlovers]

As with most things, use in moderation is the key.

A guy I used to know used the stuff every day for years and it affected him to the point of being seriously mentally disturbed.

[little mary sunshine]

Get ready for more "burned out freaks"

pushing shopping carts around in the

years to come.  They all look so happy

and prosperous because "Pot is Great"

dumb sh**s!!

[ClutchClark]

2 minutes ago, little mary sunshine said:

Get ready for more "burned out freaks"

pushing shopping carts around in the

years to come.  They all look so happy

and prosperous because "Pot is Great"

dumb sh**s!!

 

This is actually true.

 

Since the legslization of MJ in Colorado we have had a very large increase in our homeless population. It has attracted panhandlers from all over the US.

 

It was an unintended consequence.

[JetsetBkk]

7 hours ago, halloween said:

 

And inhaling products of combustion is REALLY good for you.

".. epidemiologic data clearly establish cigarette smoking as the major cause of lung cancer. It is estimated that about 90% of male lung cancer deaths and 75–80% of lung cancer deaths in the US are caused by smoking each year”   http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/content/64/1/4.full

 

 

[Rod Gold]

When you are a regular user of MJ it is difficult to see the dangers of prolonged use thru the fog of smoke. 

[keithathome]

A lot of redneck rubbish is being spouted over something that a lot of people enjoy and suffer no harm from. If you don't like it don't do it: but leave others alone (prohibition didn't work either !)

[MisterTee]

1 hour ago, keithathome said:

A lot of redneck rubbish is being spouted over something that a lot of people enjoy and suffer no harm from. If you don't like it don't do it: but leave others alone (prohibition didn't work either !)

It worked very well for the Mafia who became entrenched in American life as a result of the Prohibition Era of 1920 - 33.

[wellred]

12 hours ago, ClutchClark said:

 

The research is still in early stages but it does sound like there is a clear correlation; however, I found this interesting:

 

“We know that there are as many or more carcinogens and co-carcinogens in marijuana smoke as in cigarettes,” researcher Donald Tashkin, MD, of UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine tells WebMD. “But we did not find any evidence for an increase in cancer risk for even heavy marijuana smoking.” Carcinogens are substances that cause cancer.

 

There are several methods of consumption, of which smoking is one. 

 

It's also a proven anti-inflammatory and can be used to aid athletic performance recovery. Obviously one needs to be careful about how much they are consuming but the evidence is there. 

 

http://thirdmonk.net/lifestyle/cannabis-athletic-performance-recovery.html

[NativeSon360]

I believe this reply to be directly in conjunction with the context of the OP topic thread.

 

I've smoked marijuana for 55-years. If I don't have it, then I certainly don't "crave" it, and I've never met anyone else who did, for that matter.

 

In addition,  I'm definitely not going to commit a violent crime, a robbery, or steal money from my mother's purse, to buy a stash. Period!

 

[ClutchClark]

28 minutes ago, NativeSon360 said:

I believe this reply to be directly in conjunction with the context of the OP topic thread.

 

I've smoked marijuana for 55-years. If I don't have it, then I certainly don't "crave" it, and I've never met anyone else who did, for that matter.

 

In addition,  I'm definitely not going to commit a violent crime, a robbery, or steal money from my mother's purse, to buy a stash. Period!

 

 

Do you smoke every day?

 

Do you start smoking first thing in the morning?

[ClutchClark]

3 hours ago, keithathome said:

A lot of redneck rubbish is being spouted over something that a lot of people enjoy and suffer no harm from. If you don't like it don't do it: but leave others alone (prohibition didn't work either !)

 

Because it also has a negative side that causes issues for society so all Americans are afforded an opinion.