Ed

TVNZ One News 14 February 2020
Family First Comment: Paula Bennett said the result showed that “people are realising that actually legalising recreational cannabis can’t be good for our mental health as a nation”.
Exactly.
#saynopetodope
#VoteNO

New Zealanders are more likely to vote against legalisation of cannabis in the upcoming referendum, according to the latest 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton Poll.

Office of National Drug Control Policy (USA) 3 February 2020
Family First Comment: 3 superb goals:
* preventing initiates to drug use,
* providing treatment services leading to long-term recovery for those suffering from addiction,
* aggressively reducing availability of illicit drugs in communities
Contrast that with the liberalisation and ‘soft’ approach to drugs by our government ☹

Today, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Jim Carroll released the Trump Administration’s National Drug Control Strategy, which establishes the President’s priorities for addressing the challenge of drug trafficking and use.

“The 2020 National Drug Control Strategy maintains focus on President Trump’s overarching goal from day one – reducing the number of Americans dying from drug overdoses. While the Trump Administration has made significant progress in preventing substance misuse before it starts, getting more people into treatment and long-term recovery, and curbing the flow of deadly drugs into our communities, now is not the time to rest on this success,” ONDCP Director Jim Carroll said.

“Rather, we must build on our momentum and accelerate our efforts to strengthen communities and families across America. Through our continued whole-of-government approach, this Strategy lays the groundwork to continue reversing the pattern of addiction in our country.”

Accompanying the National Drug Control Strategy is the release of the Performance Reporting System, the Data Supplement, and the first ever National Treatment Plan for Substance Use Disorder.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/white-house-releases-2020-national-drug-control-strategy/

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The electricity consumed by growing pot in Ontario is forecast to grow by 1,000 per cent over five years
The Star 24 November 2019
Family First Comment: “the energy munched by the fledgling cannabis-growing business is expected to rise by 1,250 per cent in Ontario over the next five years..”
And of course, all the other factors harmful to the environment – energy, water, pesticides, harm to the landscape
Read more: saynopetodope.org.nz/not-so-green/

The pot industry will not be a mellow new player on the province’s power grid.

Indeed, the energy munched by the fledgling cannabis-growing business is expected to rise by 1,250 per cent in Ontario over the next five years, according to a recent study by the province’s Independent Electricity System Operator.

“We’re seeing absolutely a significant increase in electricity demand because of the greenhouse growth in Ontario,” says Terry Young, vice-president of policy, engagement and innovation at the IESO.

“If you forecast out five years, what we’re seeing is over a thousand per cent growth in electricity to a sector,” says Young, whose Crown corporation released a study on electrical use by cannabis growers in October.

At a projected 1.258 terawatt-hour (TWh) consumption by 2024, pot producers will suck up far more energy than the 0.8 TWh the province’s auto sector used in 2018.

Last year, cannabis production in Ontario — which has the country’s largest capacity — consumed just 0.09 TWh. (Recreational cannabis was legalized in Canada on Oct. 17, 2018.)

But in the Leamington area alone,  Young says cannabis and other greenhouse production will increase overall electricity demand by 200 per cent by 2026 — a surge that would require a new transmission line be built.

Total electricity usage in the province is 140 TWh a year, with the mining industry, at 5.06 TWh usage, being by far the largest consumer.
READ MORE: https://www.thestar.com/business/2019/11/24/ontario-cannabis-industrys-electricity-use-forecast-to-grow-by-1000-per-cent-over-five-years.html

The Portugal News 20 December 2019
Family First Comment: Helen Clark and the Drug Foundation trumpet Portugal’s superb drug laws. Here’s what they don’t tell you…
“Deaths from overdose in Portugal increased by almost 30% in 2018 and reached their highest figure in the last five years, with most cases involving more than one substance”

Deaths from overdose in Portugal increased by almost 30 percent in 2018 and reached their highest figure in the last five years, with most cases involving more than one substance, according to the SICAD reports.

Data from the Intervention Service in Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (SICAD) presented in parliament showed that, in the records of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, of the 307 deaths with the presence of illicit substances and information on the cause of death, 49 were considered overdose.

The SICAD reports highlighted in these overdoses the presence of opiates (65 percent), cocaine (51 percent) and methadone (31 percent), highlighting the increase in cases with both opiates and cocaine.

In the vast majority (92 percent) of overdoses, more than one substance was detected, with alcohol (45 percent) and benzodiazepines (20 percent) standing out in association with illicit drugs.

As for the other causes of deaths with the presence of drugs (258), they were mainly attributed to natural death (42 percent) and accidents (38 percent), followed by suicide (14 percent) and homicide (3 percent).

SICAD said that several indicators point to a greater circulation of drugs in the Portuguese market at a time of great challenges, such as the growing use of the Internet to market various psychoactive substances and the recent changes in the country’s role in international trafficking routes.

As for routes, Portugal has been a transit country in the context of international hashish and cocaine trafficking, inflows from Morocco and Latin America and the Caribbean, respectively, to other countries, especially European ones.

In the executive summary of the reports on the country’s situation regarding drugs, drug addiction and alcohol, the National Coordinator for the Problems of Drugs, Drug Addiction and the Harmful Use of Alcohol, João Goulão, said that the trends highlight the need for rapid responses and to prioritise interventions with an effective impact on the health gains of these populations.
https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/overdose-deaths-increase-by-almost-30/52412

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Media Release SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) 30 January 2020
Family First Comment: No surprises eh
“Washington drivers involved in fatal car crashes who tested positive for marijuana increased from 9 percent in the five-year period prior to legalization to around 18 percent in the five-year period after legalization.”
#saynopetodope
VoteNO.nz

Today, a new study released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found the percentage of drivers in Washington State involved in fatal car crashes testing positive for marijuana has doubled since the state “legalized” marijuana for recreational use in 2012.

“Marijuana-impaired driving is rising across all states that have ‘legalized’ marijuana and this study is further confirmation of an alarming trend,” said Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a former senior drug policy advisor to the Obama Administration. “The marijuana industry, heavily invested in by Big Tobacco, has used irresponsible rhetoric, pushing the narrative that marijuana use is safe, which has led to more people using the drug and getting behind the wheel of a car.”

According to the study, Washington drivers involved in fatal car crashes who tested positive for marijuana increased from 9 percent in the five-year period prior to legalization to around 18 percent in the five-year period after legalization. What’s more, the study found that about one in five drivers involved in fatal car crashes in 2017 tested positive for marijuana. 

According to a 2018 report out of Colorado, marijuana-related traffic deaths involving increased 151% following legalization and more than one in five traffic deaths in the state were marijuana-related, mirroring the results of this AAA study of Washington drivers.

“Last year, more than a dozen states rejected legalization, largely due to concerns over drugged driving,” continued Dr. Sabet. “It’s time for lawmakers nationwide to take a deep breath and seriously consider the implications of the further expansion of the commercial marijuana industry.”

Health experts fear more stoned drivers are taking the wheel following pot legalization
USA Today 30 January 2020
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/01/30/marijuana-legalization-may-increasing-number-stoned-drivers/4603105002/

Stat News 21 January 2020
Family First Comment: Who you gonna believe? Politicians like Andrew Little and Chloe Swarbrick, and the Drug (Friendly) Foundation – or this Expert? (one of many actually sounding the same warning)….

“I have seen the impact of unrestrained cannabis marketing firsthand in my work as president of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy, a health economist at the University of Southern California, and former co-director of the RAND Corporation’s Drug Policy Research Center. The evidence for public health risks is clear, including increases in impaired driving, increases in adverse effects among pregnant and/or nursing women who use cannabis, increases in acute psychosis and emergency department visits, increases in cannabis use disorder and dependence, and increases in vaping-related lung injuries. The notion that cannabis is not harmful — which is strongly promoted by the expanding cannabis industry — has taken particular root among the young, who are vaping nicotine and cannabis in record numbers. Even though use of cannabis among non-adults is illegal, a new study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that 21% of 12th graders had vaped cannabis in the past year, as had 19% of 10th graders and 7% of 8th graders.”

I have seen the impact of unrestrained cannabis marketing firsthand in my work as president of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy, a health economist at the University of Southern California, and former co-director of the RAND Corporation’s Drug Policy Research Center. The evidence for public health risks is clear, including increases in impaired driving, increases in adverse effects among pregnant and/or nursing women who use cannabis, increases in acute psychosis and emergency department visits, increases in cannabis use disorder and dependence, and increases in vaping-related lung injuries.

The notion that cannabis is not harmful — which is strongly promoted by the expanding cannabis industry — has taken particular root among the young, who are vaping nicotine and cannabis in record numbers. Even though use of cannabis among non-adults is illegal, a new study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that 21% of 12th graders had vaped cannabis in the past year, as had 19% of 10th graders and 7% of 8th graders.

States can step up their regulatory game in a number of ways. For starters, here are three trends that deserve high-priority attention.

Frequent users
In every year from 2000 to 2016, daily and near-daily users of cannabis represented at least 75% of all use, as measured in days of use. So as cannabis use in general is rising, cannabis use days among frequent users is also climbing, up from 1.4 billion days of use in 2000 to more than 3.5 billion days of use in 2016.

In the world of commerce, frequent customers sustain for-profit businesses. That is certainly true for cannabis, where sellers have clear incentives to develop more daily and near-daily users. To counter that trend, state legislatures that are contemplating legalization should consider alternative market models, including sole-source or government monopolies, nonprofits, social clubs, or public benefit corporations. These models reduce competition — which in turn reduces marketing and promotion — raise prices and, for some models, force companies to consider the community impacts of selling their product while making a safe product available to consumers.

While noncompetitive markets generally aren’t liked, the public health community has argued in the case of tobacco and alcohol that they may be more desirable due to potential public health risks. And it is always easier to move from a noncompetitive market to a competitive market should the public health risks not be realized.

Hospitalizations and emergency department visits
Cannabis-related emergency department visits have increased substantially, especially in states with more liberal policies. In Colorado, hospitalizations among cannabis users doubled after legalization of medical marijuana, and emergency visits doubled after legalization of recreational marijuana, notably for pediatric ingestion, acute intoxication, uncontrolled vomiting, acute psychosis, and burns from butane hash oil.

Most state regulatory agencies haven’t paid enough attention to the development of cannabis products that can be mistaken for non-cannabis merchandise or that target younger users. Edibles and extracts — cannabis oils, vape cartridges, and concentrates — are surging in recreational markets and deliver substantially more concentrated tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (60% to 80% THC) than dried flowers (20% to 30% THC).

States should devote more regulatory resources to checking cannabis products being sold in stores, ensuring honest product labeling, developing regulatory processes for the development of new products before they go to market, ensuring proper and honest testing by independent labs, and restricting high potency waxes, oils, and the like from the market.

Pregnancy and nursing
Cannabis components easily cross the placenta and the blood-brain barrier. Newborns can also receive them through breast milk. Physicians agree that women who are pregnant or who are nursing infants should avoid using cannabis, but the trend line is going in the wrong direction. Increasing numbers of pregnant women report using cannabis to self-treat nausea, anxiety, depression and vomiting.

One study found that more than two-thirds of cannabis stores called at random in Colorado recommended cannabis products for easing morning sickness. Dispensaries should not be the place where people get their information on the potential benefits or harms of cannabis.

To help protect pregnant women, their babies, and everyone else who uses cannabis, all states should do these three things:

• Train board-certified pharmacists who are knowledgeable about cannabis products and require that they be on staff at dispensaries, as is the model now in Minnesota, Connecticut, and New York.
• Require health departments to proactively engage in community education of physicians, parents, and patients about the known health benefits and risks of cannabis, providing a strong counter to the false information being provided by some cannabis dispensaries.
• Impose significant financial penalties on producers and/or retailers — as well as their employees — who communicate inaccurate health information to consumers.
  READ MORE: https://www.statnews.com/2020/01/21/states-public-health-risks-cannabis/

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is working to educate Michigan teens about the harmful effects and consequences of drug use. It is our hope that Michigan teens and parents understand the dangers associated with substance abuse and the problems that may occur as a result

APHA Press 19 December 2019
Family First Comment:This is a significant study – and shows how the debate is being skewed… to the detriment of public health.

“Posts generated by bots that indicated cannabis could allay health concerns outnumbered those generated by humans. “Unsubstantiated health claims perpetuated by social bots may have offline consequences, such as leaving Twitter users with the impression that cannabis use can allay health problems such as cancer,” the researchers warn. They note that previous research shows adolescents exposed to messages about marijuana benefits on social media are more likely to use the drug than those not exposed to such messages.”

Distil Networks defines social media bots as “A type of bot on a social media network used to automatically generate messages, advocate ideas, act as a follower of users, and as a fake account to gain followers itself. It is estimated that 9%-15% of Twitter accounts may be social bots.”

Researchers from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles mined tweets of cannabis conversations on Twitter from May 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. Using sophisticated software, they were able to distinguish between tweets generated by humans and those generated by bots.

Twitter posts studied discussed “edibles, hemp, legalization, buying products, cannabis’ appeal or abuse liability, and health claims among other issues. Most of these topics were evenly divided between humans and bots, but posts generated by bots that indicated cannabis could allay health concerns outnumbered those generated by humans.

“Unsubstantiated health claims perpetuated by social bots may have offline consequences, such as leaving Twitter users with the impression that cannabis use can allay health problems such as cancer,” the researchers warn.

They note that previous research shows adolescents exposed to messages about marijuana benefits on social media are more likely to use the drug than those not exposed to such messages.

They conclude that “the current study’s findings should be important to the public health community, as repeated exposure to pro-cannabis messaging and cannabis use by others can influence the social norms of those exposed to the content and lead to initiation of the behaviours.”

See infographic describing social bots here.
Visit Distil Networks for more information about social media bots here.
READ MORE: https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2019.305461?journalCode=ajph&

Seattle PI 13 January 2020
Family First Comment: The OSU study, published in the journal Addiction, found that occasional lighting up and more frequent cannabis use has increased most where it can be done legally. Overall use is up, but up 18% more in “legal” states, with an equal jump among those who use cannabis frequently.

Marijuana use  among college students is going up, and at a decidedly higher rate in states where recreational use is legal, according to a new Oregon State University study.

But work by another OSU researcher, using the same data base, points to a decline in binge drinking on campuses in states with legal pot.

Washington and Colorado became the first two states to legalize, tax and regulate use of marijuana for recreation in 2012. Numerous other states, notably California, have followed.

Canada has recently legalized cannabis, largely to wrestle production away from gangs.

The OSU study, published in the journal Addiction, found that occasional lighting up and more frequent cannabis use has increased most where it can be done legally.

Overall use is up, but up 18% more in “legal” states, with an equal jump among those who use cannabis frequently.

The study was undertaken by Harold Bea of the OSU College of Public Health‎ and David Kerr of the College of Liberal Arts.

They engaged data from seven states and 135 campuses where marijuana is legal, and from 41 states and 454 pot use was not (yet) legal.
READ MORE: https://www.seattlepi.com/local/marijuana/article/OSU-study-marijuana-smoking-students-Oregon-WA-14972147.php

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