|
CBC news original article:
A Colorado official has some sobering words of advice for prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau if he fulfils his promise to legalize pot in Canada. Colorado is one of four U.S. states to fully legalize recreational bud. Their challenges — including how to regulate edibles like brownies and cookies and a rise in drug-impaired driving — could be instructive for Canada's incoming prime minister.[backcolor=initial !important][size=1.2em]CHICAGO -- Marijuana use among U.S. adults doubled over a decade, rising to almost 10 per cent or more than 22 million mostly recreational users, government surveys show. The trend reflects a cultural shift and increasingly permissive views about the drug, the researchers say, noting that other studies have shown increasing numbers of adults think marijuana should be legalized. Recreational use is now permitted in four states. Almost 1 in 3 users had signs of marijuana dependence or abuse, a slight decline from a decade ago. RELATED STORIES- [color=rgb(0, 102, 153) !important]Montel Williams to back effort to legalize pot in Ohio
The results come from a comparison of health surveys from 2001-02 and 2012-13 sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Almost 80,000 adults aged 18 and older participated in face-to-face interviews about various health-related behaviors. Results were published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. Pot partakers Participants were asked if they had used marijuana in the past year, and about signs of problematic use. Those include trying but unable to reduce heavy use, and continued use despite knowing it may be damaging health or causing depression or anxiety - problems affecting about 6.8 million adults, the latest survey suggests. Use increased among all ages but was most common in adults aged 18-29. Teen marijuana use is higher. About 23 per cent of high school students had used the drug in the past month in 2013 - but it has been somewhat stable during the past decade, other research shows. Experts' take Because most states didn't have medical marijuana laws during the survey years, the results likely reflect mostly recreational use, said Deborah Hasin, a Columbia University professor, substance abuse researcher and the study's lead author. The results "show people can use marijuana without harms, but there are risks," she said, adding that more research on causes of problematic use is needed. Dr. Wilson Compton, deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said other research has shown similar trends but that the sharp increase found in the surveys is striking. Prevalence of dependence "is of great concern" to public health officials, he said. Marijuana landscape Recreational use is legal in four states - Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington - and many more have moved to reduce penalties for marijuana possession. Proposed laws supporting recreational use have been introduced in at least 21 states this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Medical marijuana programs have been approved in 23 states.
"It's going to be a lot harder to implement than you think. It's going to take a lot longer to do it. And it's going to cost more than you think," said Lewis Koski, director of the state's Marijuana Enforcement Division. Among the questions Trudeau's government could grapple with are whether to allow people to grow pot at home or buy it in stores, and how much sales tax to charge. In Colorado, adults over 21 can grow up to six plants at home, while those who buy recreational weed in stores pay 25 per cent sales tax on top of the regular 2.9 per cent sales tax. The state has collected $141 million in taxes since storefront sales began in January 2014. But a portion of the tax earmarked for school construction projects has fallen short of a $40-million goal. Edibles raise concernsThere's also the matter of how to regulate edible products, which often take the form of sweet treats that appeal to children or are so potent that adults easily overindulge. http://i.cbc.ca/1.3255830.1443902944!/cpImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_620/legalize-pot.jpgRepresentatives from all four states that have legalized marijuana stress the importance of public engagement. (Pawel Dwulit/Canadian Press)
Two suicides and a murder committed by people who consumed edibles have caused alarm in Colorado. The state introduced new rules in February to require more explicit warnings on labels and offer companies incentives to produce lower-potency goods. In Washington, nearly half of marijuana poisoning calls last year involved children. Packages on pot products can't use cartoon characters or bright colours, and must clearly mark each 10-milligram serving of THC, the chemical in pot that makes users feel high. "It can't be especially appealing to children, which is admittedly a bit subjective. So each one of those products is actually submitted for review prior to going on the shelves," said Mikhail Carpenter of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board. Impaired drivingAnother area Canada will need to study is drug-impaired driving. While fatal crashes in Washington only increased slightly after legalization, the percentage of drivers involved in those crashes who tested positive for THC doubled — to 12 per cent in 2014 from 6 per cent in 2010. There is no approved breath or saliva test in the U.S. or Canada to determine if someone recently consumed marijuana. In Washington, a blood test is the best available method to measure THC levels. The state's maximum is five nanograms of THC per millilitre of blood. Washington police must obtain a judge-approved search warrant before bringing a driver to hospital for a blood test — a process that can take a couple hours. While marijuana remnants can stay in a person's system for days, active THC dissipates rapidly. "That's why in a general traffic-stop situation, where say a person was smoking it as they were driving down the road, there's a time aspect where we want to try to get the test done as soon as possible," said Washington State Patrol Sgt. Brandon Villanti. But questions remain about whether every person with active THC in their system is actually impaired by the drug. Lawyer John Conroy said medical patients who regularly use marijuana do not get high. "Just measuring nanograms in your blood doesn't do it. That's what they do in Washington state and you're presumed to be impaired and it's irrebuttable." Alaska and Oregon legalized pot last year and are in the midst of crafting new rules. Cynthia Franklin, director of Alaska's Alcoholic Beverage and Marijuana Control Boards, said lawmakers are under pressure to meet tight timelines and begin issuing licences in May. Public input recommended"It's a wild ride, and we've been through a lot of loops and twirls and stomach-churning drops," she said. Representatives from all four states stressed the importance of public engagement. Oregon recently adopted its temporary requirements for marijuana licensees after a robust community debate. "We don't have a bunch of controversy around our rules because we've been transparent and open," said Rob Patridge, chair of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. Patridge, also a district attorney, estimated about 75 per cent of medical marijuana grown in the state is currently going into the black market or being exported. "We're hoping that the regulatory environment that we've put in place will attract those who want to participate in a legal market," he said. "However, Oregon is way over-producing for its current population that could partake in marijuana. So, unless (legalization) is done on a nationwide level, we are certainly going to continue to have significant black market problems." And if Trudeau wants to learn from Oregon, Patridge said he would welcome a visit. "Tell him our door is open to him. We're happy to share with our neighbours to the north."? [backcolor=initial !important][size=1.2em]CTV news
CHICAGO -- Marijuana use among U.S. adults doubled over a decade, rising to almost 10 per cent or more than 22 million mostly recreational users, government surveys show. The trend reflects a cultural shift and increasingly permissive views about the drug, the researchers say, noting that other studies have shown increasing numbers of adults think marijuana should be legalized. Recreational use is now permitted in four states. Almost 1 in 3 users had signs of marijuana dependence or abuse, a slight decline from a decade ago. RELATED STORIES- [color=rgb(0, 102, 153) !important]Montel Williams to back effort to legalize pot in Ohio
The results come from a comparison of health surveys from 2001-02 and 2012-13 sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Almost 80,000 adults aged 18 and older participated in face-to-face interviews about various health-related behaviors. Results were published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. Pot partakers Participants were asked if they had used marijuana in the past year, and about signs of problematic use. Those include trying but unable to reduce heavy use, and continued use despite knowing it may be damaging health or causing depression or anxiety - problems affecting about 6.8 million adults, the latest survey suggests. Use increased among all ages but was most common in adults aged 18-29. Teen marijuana use is higher. About 23 per cent of high school students had used the drug in the past month in 2013 - but it has been somewhat stable during the past decade, other research shows. Experts' take Because most states didn't have medical marijuana laws during the survey years, the results likely reflect mostly recreational use, said Deborah Hasin, a Columbia University professor, substance abuse researcher and the study's lead author. The results "show people can use marijuana without harms, but there are risks," she said, adding that more research on causes of problematic use is needed. Dr. Wilson Compton, deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said other research has shown similar trends but that the sharp increase found in the surveys is striking. Prevalence of dependence "is of great concern" to public health officials, he said. Marijuana landscape Recreational use is legal in four states - Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington - and many more have moved to reduce penalties for marijuana possession. Proposed laws supporting recreational use have been introduced in at least 21 states this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Medical marijuana programs have been approved in 23 states.
| 
狗仔卡
发表于 2015-10-26 17:32:47
收藏
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
显身卡
