"The 1990 referendum was in response to a 1988 University of Alaska study that showed Alaskan teens using marijuana at twice the national teen average."
the thing you got to consider also is how do they know who's smoking for real or not? americans under strict laws against pot won't be proud to say they smoke pot, as opposed to alaskians who doesn't fear oppression... also in alaska it is legal to grow, so there is no control over it...take amsterdam, not everybody (teens) has access to it directly and a few are making it a living by growing it cut they have a coffee shop! the drug use by capita is by far less lower than in the usa...and truly what do you want to do else in alaska? drink?
"teens use alcohol 2:1 over marijuana."
where did you get those numbers? i found the opposit everywhere!
It's an anonymous survey -- why would they lie? And if it's your contention that they're going to lie and say they don't smoke pot, there's probably just as many who lie and say they do (because it's cool). If you have any evidence that some survey is flawed, I'd be interested in seeing that.
"also in alaska it is legal to grow, so there is no control over it"
Good point. That's probably one reason for increased teen use.
"take amsterdam ... drug use by capita is by far less lower than in the usa"
You mean marijuana use? Yeah, I think it is. But so what? That's a whole different culture. The teen marijuana use may be lower, but they have a real problem in The Netherlands with teen binge drinking -- double the US. The teens there would rather drink and get drunk rather than smoke and get high. How can you compare that culture to ours?
We drink less saki in the US than they do in Japan. Is that significant? It there a problem with Japanese laws? No, it's their culture. It's what they do.
"...and truly what do you want to do else in alaska? drink?"
That's true. By itself, that would account for increased marijuana use. But keep in mind that after the referendum passed and marijuana was made illegal, teen use dropped to within 1% of the national average.
"teens use alcohol 2:1 over marijuana." where did you get those numbers? i found the opposit everywhere!"
Really Where? This is the information I have. You'll see that "Past Month" use for alcohol is double that for marijuana, despite the fact that teens say marijuana is easier to get!
| Substance | YRBS | NSDUH (January–June) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 2004 | 2003 | 2004 | |
| Alcohol | ||||
| Lifetime Use | 74.9 | -- | 63.1 | 60.8 |
| Past Month Use | 44.9 | -- | 29.1 | 29.1 |
| Cigarettes | ||||
| Lifetime Use | 58.4 | -- | 46.0 | 43.7 |
| Past Month Use | 21.9 | -- | 20.2 | 19.8 |
| Marijuana | ||||
| Lifetime Use | 40.2 | -- | 32.5 | 31.7 |
| Past Month Use | 22.4 | -- | 13.2 | 12.1 |
| Cocaine | ||||
| Lifetime Use | 8.7 | -- | 5.3 | 4.5 |
| Past Month Use | 4.1 | -- | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| Inhalants | ||||
| Lifetime Use | 12.1 | -- | 11.8 | 11.7 |
| Past Month Use | 3.9 | -- | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| -- Not available. The YRBS is only conducted every 2 years. YRBS = Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Sources: SAMHSA, Office of Applied Studies, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, January-June for 2003 and 2004. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2003. |
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