Ed

MarketWatch 5 September 2019
Family First Comment: Disturbing..
“ About 43% of full-time college students said they used some form of pot at least once in the past year, up from 38%, a University of Michigan survey found. About 25% said they did so in the previous month, up from 21%.”

43% said they’ve used pot in past year, as fewer see it as risky behavior

U.S. college students are using marijuana at the highest rates in 35 years, according to a report released Thursday.

About 43% of full-time college students said they used some form of pot at least once in the past year, up from 38%, a University of Michigan survey found. About 25% said they did so in the previous month, up from 21%.

The latest figures are the highest levels seen in the annual survey since 1983.

About 6% of college students said they used marijuana 20 or more times in the past month. For adults the same age who weren’t enrolled in college, the figure was 11%.

“It’s the frequent use we’re most worried about” because it’s linked to poor academic performance and can be detrimental to mental health, said John Schulenberg, one of the Michigan researchers.

College-age adults are the biggest users of marijuana than any other age group. Use among high school students has been flat for a few years.
READ MORE: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/rate-of-us-college-students-using-marijuana-at-35-year-high-2019-09-05

The Conversation 21 February 2020
Family First Comment: Cannabis use has been declining in many Western nations where cannabis use remains illegal, including New Zealand. This appears to be part of a broader shift in adolescent behaviour, not a response to policy changes.
#saynopetodope
#VoteNO

Adult use of cannabis has risen sharply over the last few years, reflecting softening attitudes towards the drug. But our study, published today, shows cannabis use in adolescents has been decreasing since 2001.

It is important to understand what drives these trends to predict how legalisation could affect teen cannabis use.

Cannabis follows drop in teen drinking and smoking

Our research shows the proportion of 14 to 15-year-olds reporting they had ever used cannabis fell from 19% in 2012 to 14% in 2018. Those who reported using in the past month fell from 10% to 8% over the same period. The recent changes are modest, but they follow substantial declines in cannabis use among high school students between 2001 and 2012.

My earlier research showed young New Zealanders are also less likely to smoke, drink or be sexually active than their 1990s counterparts. And New Zealand isn’t the only country to observe a drop in adolescent substance use over the past two decades.

Teen smoking and alcohol use declined in almost all OECD countries, and teen cannabis use has fallen since the early 2000s in many countries, including Australia, England, Canada (pre-legalisation), and several European countries.

Although US researchers have seen a marked shift in high school students’ attitudes towards cannabis, with fewer teens thinking of it as a harmful drug, they have found no rise in cannabis use.

Separate studies reached the same conclusion that lower cannabis use is linked to falling rates of drinking and smoking among teens.

European research helps to explain the US findings. According to a Norwegian study young people expressed greater willingness to try cannabis in recent years but had fewer opportunities to do so. This seems to be because young people are spending less face to face time with their friends in the evenings – the situation when cannabis use typically occurs.

Another explanation for lower cannabis use in 14 to 15 year olds is that people are starting older than in the past. Research shows the average age when young people first try smoking, drinking and cannabis has gone up in recent years in New Zealand, Australia and the US. Closer supervision by parents and [changing attitudes to smoking and drinking] among young people themselves appear to play a role.

…. Firstly, cannabis use has been declining in many Western nations where cannabis use remains illegal, including New Zealand. This appears to be part of a broader shift in adolescent behaviour, not a response to policy changes.

Declining teen cannabis use in states that have decriminalised recreational cannabis does not prove that cannabis age restrictions work. Rather, teen cannabis use has likely fallen in those states for the same reason it has fallen elsewhere: young people are spending [less time with their friends] and have fewer opportunities for substance use in general.

Secondly, it is well known that adolescents access alcohol and tobacco primarily through friends and family, not from retailers. Why would cannabis be any different? Given the draft law allows cannabis growing for personal use, it is highly likely that legalisation will result in increased access through young people’s social networks.
https://theconversation.com/teen-use-of-cannabis-has-dropped-in-new-zealand-but-legalisation-could-make-access-easier-132165

NewsHub 22 February 2020
Family First Comment: This is a situation where one plus one actually equals a lot more than two. People don’t realise that the combination of alcohol and cannabis… acts as a multiplier. Combining even a small amount of alcohol with drugs is going to potentially mean that you are really, really impaired and shouldn’t be driving.

By the end of this year it could be legal in New Zealand to smoke a joint at a party, which could raise an interesting dilemma. If you have a beer or two and a few puffs on a joint, will you be able to drive?

Most Kiwis know the drink driving laws. If they find themselves at a party and they’re planning to drive, generally people will only have one or two drinks.

But what will the cannabis laws be, and do Kiwis realise the potentially deadly consequences of mixing the two substances with driving?

These questions have been brought sharply into focus ahead of the cannabis referendum this year.

Last year the Government released a draft Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill which Kiwis will vote on at the election. If passed, recreational cannabis would be made legal.

The proposed law change includes a number of control measures such as a minimum purchase age of 20, a ban on marketing and advertising and controls on the potency of recreational cannabis being sold.
READ MORE: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/02/mixing-weed-alcohol-and-driving-the-unanswered-question-in-the-cannabis-referendum.html

Keep up with family issues in NZ.
Receive our weekly emails direct to your Inbox.

Radio NZ News 21 February 2020
Family First Comment: Great news. Similar to drops in smoking, teen sex and teen abortions. Don’t legalise drugs and mess up the positive trend.
“previous studies into cannabis use amongst teens from 2001 to 2012 also showed a decline. We know that cannabis trends are really closely tied to smoking trends and alcohol use,” 

The number of 14 and 15 year olds who have tried cannabis has fallen by more than a quarter.

Statistics published in the New Zealand Medical Journal show in 2018, only 14 percent of Year 10 students have taken the drug – down from 19 percent in 2012.

The authors said the decline was to be expected – previous studies into cannabis use amongst teens from 2001 to 2012 also showed a decline.

“We know that cannabis trends are really closely tied to smoking trends and alcohol use,” said research fellow at the University of Otago, Jude Ball.

She told RNZ’s Morning Report it was based on an earlier study that showed that cannabis use had declined really substantially in high school students between 2001 and 2012.

“That decline is continuing in this age group, but it is slowing,” she said.

“We knew that smoking and alcohol use have continued down in this age group.”
READ MORE: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/410009/number-of-teens-trying-cannabis-drops-new-figures-show

Teen cannabis use is declining, adults increasing in New Zealand – study
TVNZ One News 21 February 2020
The number of New Zealand teenagers using cannabis is dropping, however the number of adults using it is rising, according to a new study.

NZ Herald 21 February 2020
Family First Comment: McCoskrie attributed the decline of the ‘yes’ vote to the strength of the ‘no’ campaign so far, including a 24-page pamphlet that had been delivered nationwide.  He added that people had mistakenly thought the referendum was about medicinal cannabis, and had changed their minds from ‘Yes’ to ‘No’ when they realised it was about personal use.

Recent polls on legalising recreational cannabis show support falling for the ‘yes’ vote, but also a significant number of undecideds who could ultimately swing the September 19 vote.

The ‘yes’ and ‘no’ campaigns are pulling together funding and strategies to reach voters – including the roughly 10 per cent of undecided voters – in what is expected to be an intense and potentially ugly campaign.

Both sides are already accusing the other of misinformation and of being in the financial shadow of the other.

The referendum is being held as part of the Labour-Greens confidence and supply agreement, and the Government has released a draft bill detailing what legalisation would look like.

This week two polls – Newshub Reid Research and 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton – both showed 39 per cent support to legalise recreational cannabis use; the ‘no’ vote had 48 per cent support in the former and 51 per cent support in the latter.

1 News Colmar Brunton has shown 47 per cent support for legalisation in 2017, 46 per cent in 2018, and 43 and 39 per cent in two polls last year, while a Newshub Reid Research poll last year had 42 per cent supporting legalisation.

Polls by Horizon have also seen a decline in support for legalisation, dropping from 60 per cent a year ago to 48 per cent in November.
READ MORE: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12310176

New Zealanders back legal weed once they know the facts – poll
NewsHub 21 February 2020
Kiwis will vote to legalise cannabis if they actually know what they’re voting on, pro-legalisation campaigners have claimed.

A referendum later this year will ask whether recreational use of the popular drug should be made legal. Recent polls have found support for legalisation slipping.

But a new poll has found when voters are told what’s in the proposed legislation, support for legalisation comfortably outweighs opposition.

“It’s going to be really important that people understand what is proposed, and they have good access to accurate, evidence-based information about the issue and the likely impacts of the law change so they can make an informed decision,” said Holly Walker, deputy director of the Helen Clark Foundation, which paid for the polling, conducted by UMR.

When first asked, respondents were almost evenly split on legalisation – 46 percent for, 44 against and 10 undecided. But once the details of the Government’s draft Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill were explained, support grew to 50 percent, opposition fell to 42 percent and undecided dropped to 8 percent.
READ MORE: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/02/new-zealanders-back-legal-weed-once-they-know-the-facts-poll.html

Jake went to university to study to become a doctor. He became the front-person for NORML (National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws – very pro-legalisation) on campus. Every Friday at 4:20pm, he would host up to 60 people smoking cannabis. But then his use became problematic and he started having severe symptoms, including hearing voices, paranoia, & other physical effects, and had to eventually drop out of his degree and go on medication.

He went to university to study neuroscience and psychology, and ended up getting cannabis-induced psychosis and dropping out.

Hear Jake’s story, and his warning about the significant harm of weed, and its role as a gateway drug. #saynopetodope #VoteNO

WHERE TO GET HELP
Helpline – 1737 (NZ’s mental health and addiction helpline number)
Lifeline (open 24/7) – 0800 543 354
Depression Helpline (open 24/7) – 0800 111 757
Healthline (open 24/7) – 0800 611 116
Samaritans (open 24/7) – 0800 726 666
Suicide Crisis Helpline (open 24/7) – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.
Youthline (open 24/7) – 0800 376 633. You can also text 234 for free between 8am and midnight, or email [email protected]

NewsHub 18 February 2020
Family First Comment: 😊

Support for both recreational cannabis and euthanasia has dropped in the latest Newshub-Reid Research poll.

And even if the public votes ‘yes’ on legalising cannabis – MPs may have the final say in a conscience vote.

More than 4000 New Zealanders were charged with cannabis offences in 2018/19, but it’s a struggle for drug reform campaigners to get the public on their side.

The latest Newshub Reid-Research poll asked the referendum question the public will be asked in the referendum this election: do you support the proposed Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill?

• 39.4 percent said ‘yes’
• 47.7 percent said ‘no ‘
• 11.6 percent said ‘don’t know’

The Bill would make recreational cannabis legal for over 20s, with restrictions.

Euthanasia referendum
Our poll also asked the euthanasia referendum question: Do you support the End of Life Choice Act 2017 coming into force?

61.9 percent said yes
23.7 percent said no

ACT leader David Seymour, who’s behind the proposed legislation, says: “The majority of NZers have seen bad death and they’re saying ‘when my time comes not for me it’s my life and it should be my choice’.”

Euthanasia just one of three big choices the public will make on Election Day in September.
READ MORE: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/02/new-poll-shows-support-for-both-recreational-cannabis-and-euthanasia-dropping.html

TVNZ One News 19 February 2020
Family First Comment: Don’t tell the politicians or the Drug Foundation. They’ll start suggesting that we legalise the awful drug ☹…
“The study, the first of its kind to draw a correlation between meth use and violence, has found even those who try meth once are 60 per cent more likely to be involved in a violent incident. The survey showed 28 per cent had tried meth once, 11 per cent used it monthly and 5 per cent used it weekly. That’s the third-highest level of consumption after cannabis and ecstasy.”
#DrugFree2025
#DefenceOfOurBrainsNotAWarOnDrugs

Almost a third of middle-aged New Zealanders have tried methamphetamine at least once, according to a new University of Otago, Christchurch study.

TVNZ One News 17 February 2020
On September 19th you’ll be voting on who you want to govern the country, as well as a referendum on whether to legalise cannabis.

NZ Herald 17 February 2020
Family First Comment: Once again, well said Mike!
“Poverty, deprivation, crime, emergency housing, feeding kids with no lunch, mental health, and every one of those social issues can be directly linked to drug issues of some sort. Mental health especially is riddled with drug abuse. They can’t be the government who wants to heal the ill, and yet pedal dope in a decriminalised environment. We have all worked that out, of course, and that’s why the poll is the way the poll is.”

And then the cannabis, this is the one that has a real battle going on. People like me, and as it turns out the majority of the country who don’t want to legalise it, against taxpayer funded, concerted, ideologically driven obsession that somehow making drugs more available is good news.

There are a couple of clear reasons why the gap is 12 points – 51 per cent voting for it to remain illegal, compared to 39 per cent for it to be legalised.

And that is because, apart from the basic fact that most of us have seen a bit of life, have kids, worry about them, and know full well we already have an abysmal drug issue in this country, so there can’t be any good reason to exacerbate it, but the government has blown their messaging.

Firstly, they’ve left it to Chloe Swarbrick. That’s a fatal mistake, she appeals to those who already vote yes. She’s not a voice of reason, experience, or any sort of gravitas.

Where are the heavyweights? Where is Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson, Winston Peters, or James Shaw? You know where they are? Hiding, they are only involved in this because of a pathetic coalition sop to the Greens.

It is yet another weakness of MMP. We will spend millions on this farce when it never should have seen the light of day.

But perhaps more importantly than that, the reason the government can’t sell this is because they’ve spent the last two years, and literally billions, on the myriad of social issues they’ve identified as being their calling card.

Poverty, deprivation, crime, emergency housing, feeding kids with no lunch, mental health, and every one of those social issues can be directly linked to drug issues of some sort. Mental health especially is riddled with drug abuse. They can’t be the government who wants to heal the ill, and yet pedal dope in a decriminalised environment.

We have all worked that out, of course, and that’s why the poll is the way the poll is.

Whether poor old Swarbrick gets that or not, who knows? But consistency in messaging is critical; you have to be authentic and they’re not.

Fortunately, we are saving ourselves from ourselves, because tragically those charged with the job in Parliament are failing abysmally.
READ MORE: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?objectid=12309214&ref=twitter