US Warns of Marijuana Risks

MSNBC ^ | 17 September 2002

[JediGirl]

WASHINGTON, -( AP )- The nation's drug policy director warned parents Tuesday against trivializing the dangers of marijuana to their kids, warning them that more teens are addicted to pot than to alcohol or to all other illegal drugs combined.

MANY PARENTS and children have outdated perceptions about marijuana, said John Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. They believe marijuana is not addictive, that it's less dangerous than cigarettes or that it has few long-term health consequences.

In reality, more teens enter rehabilitation centers to treat marijuana addiction than alcohol or all other illegal drugs combined, Walters said.

"Our effort is to correct the ignorance that is the single biggest obstacle to protecting our kids," he said as he announced an advertising campaign by his office and 17 education, public health, anti-drug and family advocacy groups.

[JediGirl]

warning them that more teens are addicted to pot than to alcohol or to all other illegal drugs combined.

That is the most BS I have ever heard in my life.

MANY PARENTS and children have outdated perceptions about marijuana, said John Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Like that marijuana makes women seek sexual relations with black men?

They believe marijuana is not addictive, that it's less dangerous than cigarettes or that it has few long-term health consequences.

It is not physically addictive and I don't know people who think that smoking anything doesn't harm health.

n reality, more teens enter rehabilitation centers to treat marijuana addiction than alcohol or all other illegal drugs combined, Walters said.

You mean, more teens are stupidly forced into treatment for smoking it whether they are addicted or not.

"Our effort is to correct the ignorance that is the single biggest obstacle to protecting our kids," he said

Then howsabout you stop perpetuating the ignorance that pot is just as bad as heroin.

"For too long our nation's teens have been getting the wrong message about marijuana.

And you've been giving it to them

Carmona said that one out of five eighth-graders has tried marijuana - twice as many who tried it a decade ago.

How many have tried the more addictive drugs, tobacco or alcohol?

"Marijuana is not a rite of passage but a dangerous behavior that could have serious health consequences. Parents must realize that what they tell their children about drug use makes a difference," Carmona said.

And if they tell them that pot is as harmful as coke and heroin, then their kids, when they try pot, could move onto other drugs because if they were lied to about pot, then what else were they lied to about....

"We must lead by example and not use marijuana ourselves or condone its use by anyone of any age," he said.

"We must lead by example and not use cigarettes ourselves or condone its use by anyone of any age," he said.

"We must lead by example and not use alcohol ourselves or condone its use by anyone of any age," he said.

"We must lead by example and not use fatty foods ourselves or condone its use by anyone of any age," he said.

[JediGirl]

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[AdA$tra]

Like that marijuana makes women seek sexual relations with black men?

I heard it makes people move to the UK and get married.

[WindMinstrel]

He's getting desperate. That's a good thing. The Internet was the death knell for prohibition.

[JediGirl]

LOL. :-D

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

Dr. Richard Corlin, former president of the American Medical Association, urged parents, teachers, doctors and anyone else working with children to stop sending conflicting signals....

I'll make sure to inform my childrens' teachers to stop smoking MJ in the classroom before lunch.

(I'm sure they didn't mean it quite that way...)

[clamper1797]

warning them that more teens are addicted to pot than to alcohol or to all other illegal drugs combined.

What an absolute crock of crap

[JediGirl]

The nation's drug policy director warned parents Tuesday against trivializing the dangers of marijuana to their kids, warning them that more teens are addicted to pot than to alcohol or to all other illegal drugs combined.

Actually, I can see how that's true now that I think about it....it's easier to get pot but it's harder to get alcohol because it's legal and the places that sell it face major penalities for selling it to teens. I don't know how many are actually addicted, that'd be an interesting stat. Are they considered addicted if they have to enter treatment? If so, then I would imagine there aren't tons that are actually addicted.

[FreePaul]

more teens are addicted to pot than to alcohol or to all other illegal drugs combined.

The're also addicted to fatty food, sugar and caffeine saturated drinks, body piercing, ridiculous clothes,.... I think the list is endless. Does he want to ban all of these and send users to jail? Probably. It's the mindset of the professional scare mongers.

[WyldKard]

Boy, this guy will do anything to keep from having to update his resume and send it to JBTJobs.com, huh?

Forget it, Johnnyboy. You're losing. If you want to rail against, cocaine, or crack, or heroin, you'll do well, but treating pot the same way is a joke, and you know it...

[Ferris]

The biggest thing we risk by RE-legalizing a plant, is more freedom for the individual and less power for the government...

Unfortunately, this is extremly frightening to many people...

Even here...

Sad..

[gunshy]

The only thing wrong about marijuana is that it is illegal. But so are millions of mexicans.

[Wolfie]

Another welcome sign that the end is near. As the walls come down around the world, it is expected that those with the most to lose will become ever more shrill with their propaganda.

[kinghorse]

Pot is a pain in the ass if you like it. It's never ending. It creates an urge to smoke and when you don't have it, you probably substitute with cigs. It's not the greatest thing to be doing. Better to steer clear of all of it. But that's just me today. Tomorrow you might get a different story.

[marron]

If its legal, how do you keep Madison Avenue out of it? Is that a concern?

[eno_]

What it really means is that this John Walters jackass is probably getting his palm greased by the treatment center operators. They current operate what is fundamentally a fraud by treating non-addicted marijuana users as addicts. Not only is that a fraud at taxpayer expense, it probably also discredits and dilutes the treatment of real addicts.

[Alice in Wonderland]

more teens are addicted to pot than to alcohol....

Could it be that more teens smoke pot because it's easier for them to get than alcohol? There are millions of people who enjoy marijuana, as well as millions of others who don't smoke, who oppose arresting responsible smokers. It's time our policies reflected that reality.

[CheezyD]

That is the most BS I have ever heard in my life. My sentiments exactly.

[Northpaw]

Marijuana is not harmful. I've smoked it for years and.....uh.................what was I saying?

[PaxMacian]

US Warns of Marijuana Risks: We the peoples servants will protect you from yourself, we will violently apprehended you, your possessions will be seized, imprisonment within a dangerous correctional institution perfunctory, your right to vote will be permanently rescinded.

The WOD is an unconstitutional and truly evil war against citizens of this great country which belong to a particular subculture.

GOD MADE HERB
GOD SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD
GOD GAVE IT TO MAN

Genesis 1:11
Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so.

Genesis 1:12
And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:29
And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.