Marijuana

Sometimes the Salem Statesman Journal's editorial positions are so poorly thought-out, they end up making the case for an opposing view. Such happened with yesterday's abysmally illogical "Legalizing marijuana would fuel failure."
Download Legalizing marijuana would fuel failure

So thank you, editorial page editor Dick Hughes. Likely you've convinced more people to vote for Measure 91, than to oppose it. 

Let's start with the title of the editorial, which is explained in its first sentence.

The War on Drugs is a failure.

Bingo! This would have been a great two sentence opinion piece if the editorial had gone on to say, "So vote for Measure 91."

Which it should have, since nowhere in the editorial is there any explanation of why attempts to partially fix the failure through legalization of an herb with proven medicinal properties, happily used by a substantial percentage of the adult population, that is much less addictive that tobacco, alcohol, and prescription pain-killers, should be kept illegal, thereby turning many millions of otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals, with all of the needless social, law enforcement, and judicial costs this entails. 

Instead, the Statesman Journal editorial tries to argue that (1) marijuana is a gateway drug to more harmful substances, and (2) legalizing marijuana for adults in Oregon would increase use by minors.

The first contention is demonstrably false, something Hughes would have recognized if he had done more factual Googling of "marijuana gateway drug myth" and less subjective moralizing. Inaccurately, the editorial says:

Marijuana can be addictive. And marijuana can be a gateway drug.

Drug abuse experts tend to say "dependence" rather than "addiction." Yes, some people do become dependent on marijuana, about 9% according to one study. This is much less than the dependence rate for alcohol (15%) and nicotine (32%), which are both legal.

Further, people become dependent on all kinds of things.

Last night HBO's John Oliver show had a lengthy segment about sugar being as addictive as cocaine in certain ways. People also become dependent on/addicted to shopping, jogging, golfing, sex, making money, watching sports, and all kinds of other stuff. 

A Forbes article, "Research shows cocaine and heroin are less addictive than Oreos," casts more light on how simplistic and misleading the Statesman Journal's contention, Marijuana can be addictive, is.

It would be easy to mock Schroeder and Honohan’s discovery that cookies are addictive, especially since they started out knowing that Oreos are “highly palatable to rats” and then concluded, based on the maze experiment and biochemical analysis, that Oreos are highly palatable to rats.

But the study inadvertently highlights an important truth: Anything that provides pleasure (or relieves stress) can be the focus of an addiction, the strength of which depends not on the inherent power of the stimulus but on the individual’s relationship with it, which in turn depends on various factors, including his personality, circumstances, values, tastes, and preferences.

Which brings us to the even more untrue editorial contention, Marijuana can be a gateway drug.

This is part of the long-discredited "Reefer Madness" attitude toward marijuana. Modern research provides a much different understanding than Dick Hughes' reliance on unsubstantiated anecdotal references to a few local law enforcement officials who aren't experts in this area.

Circuit Judge Dennis Graves, who presides over the Marion County Drug Court, sees that often. So do Marion County District Attorney Walt Beglau and Sheriff Jason Myers.

Voters should trust solid research regarding the "gateway" hypothesis rather than biased statements from local opponents of marijuana legalization. Check out these links:

Another Marijuana Myth Bites the Dust — The Real Gateway Drug is Alcohol
Marijuana: The Gateway Drug Myth
Risk of Marijuana's 'Gateway Effect' Overblown, New Research Shows

I found these easily. So could Dick Hughes and other Statesman Journal editors, if they had chosen to base the newspaper's editorial on objective facts rather than subjective feelings. Here's a few excerpts from the above-linked articles.

A study in the August edition of The Journal of School Health finds that the generations old theory of a “gateway drug” effect is in fact accurate, but shifts the blame for escalating substance abuse away from marijuana and onto the most pervasive and socially accepted drug in American life: alcohol.

…Marijuana is not a gateway drug. People who have tried marijuana may eventually go on to try harder drugs in search of a stronger high, and experimentation may lead them down a dangerous path toward addiction. However, the science shows overwhelmingly that for most people marijuana is not a gateway drug.

…New research from the University of New Hampshire shows that the "gateway effect" of marijuana — that teenagers who use marijuana are more likely to move on to harder illicit drugs as young adults — is overblown. Whether teenagers who smoked pot will use other illicit drugs as young adults has more to do with life factors such as employment status and stress, according to the new research. In fact, the strongest predictor of whether someone will use other illicit drugs is their race/ethnicity, not whether they ever used marijuana.

This fits with recent research from Colorado showing that teen use in that state, which legalized recreational marijuana for adults in 2012, is down, not up.

Teen Use Down, not up: Survey data released in early August 2014, indicate that marijuana use among high school students continues to decline, despite warnings that legalization would make pot more appealing to teenagers. 37% of high school students reported that they had ever tried marijuana, down from 39 percent in 2011. The percentage who reported using marijuana in the previous month (a.k.a. “current” use) also fell, from 22 percent in 2011 to 20 percent in 2013.

So the concluding words of the Statesman Journal editorial are utterly without support.

The drug war has failed. But Measure 91 is an even worse "solution."

Ooh! Scare quotes around "solution"!

Don't worry, though. There's nothing to fear from legalizing marijuana in Oregon via Measure 91. This is made even more clear in the cogent comments on the Statesman Journal editorial, which I'll include as a continuation to this post.

Regulating and taxing marijuana will make it less available to minors, as is the case with alcohol. As I said in one of my comments, sellers on the black market don't ask for ID. Purveyors of alcoholic beverages do. Other commenters had equally wise things to say, in sharp contrast to the unintelligent editorial.

Vote Yes on Measure 91.

The Statesman Journal acknowledges the War on Drugs has failed. Yet its editorial didn't give a single reason why Measure 91 isn't a big step in the right direction toward a coherent drug policy.

Evidence from Colorado and Washington shows that marijuana legalization is working in these states. Oregon needs to join them.

Click below for the best reader comments.

I'm feeling good about Oregon legalizing recreational marijuana in a few weeks. Measure 91 has been polling well. Donations on the "Yes" side have far exceeded those on the "No" side. And legalization opponents haven't been able to come up with any persuasive arguments against Measure 91.  They keep yammering about the risk to children, but this flimsy contention has been thoroughly demolished. See "Legalizing marijuana controls use by youth. Vote for Measure 91."  Here's a few more pro-Measure 91 blog posts.Pro-marijuana legalization clear winner in Salem City Club debateStrangest reason to legalize recreational marijuana in Oregon Most encouraging of…

Today the realization came to me -- why every voting Oregonian should check "Yes" on Measure 91, the initiative to legalize recreational marijuana. It was so clear, so evident, so marvelously apparent. Just six words, directed at the different slices of the political spectrum. Imagine, liberals...Governor Dennis Richardson. Senator Monica Wehby. Imagine, conservatives...Governor John Kitzhaber. Senator Jeff Merkley. Depressing, right? If either comes to pass, about half of voters are going to be seriously upset for the next four to six years. You're going to need something to cheer you up. Hey, no problem!  Because Oregonians had the smarts to pass…

One of the best arguments for Oregon's Measure 91, which would legalize recreational marijuana for adults, is that it will help control pot use among youths.  Today the Bend Bulletin published a great opinion piece by Inge Fryklund, "Time to put adults in charge of marijuana." She is a speaker for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). Download Letter: Time to put the adults in charge of marijuana Here's some of what Fryklund said. Today in Oregon, kids are buying readily available marijuana from unknown, unregulated sources. The supply chain may go all the way back to some Mexican cartel, and…

Good news for advocates of ethical political campaigns. Willamette Week is reporting that a planned Oregon Marijuana, Alcohol, and Other Drug Summit in Madras on October 1-2 has been cancelled. (See the blog post I wrote yesterday about the summit and associated tour.) The sponsor of a government-funded anti-drug summit has cancelled the event after WW first reported it had been set timed to coincide with the fight over Measure 91, the marijuana legalization measure. BestCare Treatment Services said late Thursday it was withdrawing from the summit, which was scheduled to include anti-drug activist Kevin Sabet. WW's story raised questions about the timing of a tour that would include…

This should be must-viewing for the Salem City Council and Marion County Board of Commissioners, which are considering ill-advised restrictions on medical marijuana clinics -- totally legal here in Oregon, as recreational marijuana also should be. There's a lot of ignorance about marijuana among Patti Milne and other county commissioners. Likely also among city councillors.  Download Marion County takes stances against marijuana clinics Download Salem City Council hears about medical marijuana dispensary plan What's needed is honesty, not clueless prevaricating, like a federal Drug Policy demonstrates in this video. Oregon congressman Rep. Earl Blumenauer does a great job holding the…

Oh, yeah, the times are definitely a'changing here in Oregon. High times are coming soon to Washington state, which legalized adult marijuana sales/use last year. Willamette Week has reported news of considerable interest to those of a cannabis-consuming bent in northwest Oregon: the would-be sellers and growers in Clark County, a mere crossing of the Columbia River away from Portland. I'm 65. I've been used to marijuana being illegal my entire life, obviously. I still feel a pang in my '60s heart (the decade, not my age) when I remember driving with similarly stoned friends in my smoke-filled '57 VW…

Today CNN's chief medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, came out and said that he has been wrong about medical marijuana. In part because the federal government has been lying about marijuana's supposed dangers and lack of benefits. I mistakenly believed the Drug Enforcement Agency listed marijuana as a schedule 1 substance because of sound scientific proof. Surely, they must have quality reasoning as to why marijuana is in the category of the most dangerous drugs that have "no accepted medicinal use and a high potential for abuse." They didn't have the science to support that claim, and I now know that when…

When I came across this map that shows the spread of liberalized marijuana laws in the United States, the first state that turned light green leapt out at me.  Oregon! (click on image to activate; or check out the Atlantic Wire story that has the map). Indeed, Wikipedia confirms that the year I moved here, 1973, was when Oregon kicked off the national trend of decriminalizing and, recently, legalizing recreational marijiuana. In addition, a bunch of states (including Oregon) have OK'd medical marijuana for certain conditions.  Today the Oregon state Senate passed a bill that would let people with post-traumatic…

Sure, I'm biased. I want marijuana to be legalized in Oregon. This made good sense before Washington, our neighbor to the north, made pot legal last November. Now, it makes even more sense -- since soon a good share of Oregon's population will be within an hour's driving time of state-sponsored marijuana stores. Recently KGW TV held a "Straight Talk" debate on marijuana legalization between Roy Kaufmann, spokesman for the unsuccessful Measure 80 campaign that would have made pot legal here, and Josh Marquis, Clatsop County district attorney. I liked how both Kaufmann and Marquis were respectful, well-spoken, and generally…

Over in the New York Times TImothy Egan makes some excellent arguments in favor of a federal hands-off approach to the marijuana legalization initiatives that passed in Colorado and Washington a few weeks ago. Usually Republicans and other conservatives look down on NY Times opinion pieces, but "Give Pot a Chance" should appeal to people all across the political spectrum.  Social revolutions in a democracy, especially ones that begin with voters, should not be lightly dismissed. Forget all the lame jokes about Cheetos and Cheech and Chong. In the two-and-a-half weeks since a pair of progressive Western states sent a…

As a proud Oregonian, a resident for 41 years, I'm embarassed to say this. But I will. I'm envious of Washingtonians.  Last Tuesday they legalized marijuana and ratified the legality of gay marriage. And it looks like they have a way cooler police department in Seattle than we have in Portland. It's difficult to imagine the Portland police department putting out such a well-written and entertaining guide to now-legal marijuana use as the Seattle P.D. did in "Marijwhatnow? A Guide to Legal Marijuana Use in Seattle." Some excerpts: The people have spoken. Voters have passed Initiative 502 and beginning December…

So much for balance on the Oregonian's editorial page. Unless I've missed a pro Oregon Cannabis Tax Act (Measure 80) opinion piece, today's confused guest editorial by Young Republican Brendan Monaghan is the third non-sensical "anti-pot" rant in a row.  (My previous demolishings of the Oregonian's reasonings are here and here.) Monaghan's sole justification for voting against legalization of marijuana for consumption by adults is that this would run afoul of federal law. Ridiculous federal law, which classifies marijuana in the same category as heroin and recognizes no medical use for it. However, Monaghan's Facebook page contains a favorite slogan of…

Turnaround is fair play, Erik Lukens, editorial page editor of the Portland Oregonian. Today your editorial calls the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act (OCTA), which would legalize and tax marijuana for adult consumption, farcical. Well, after reading your poorly-reasoned opinion piece I'd like to assign it the same dismissive adjective: farcical. (I'm not alone, based on comments submitted by readers.) Lukens left one of those comments, a response to Jennifer. Here's the thoughtful message from Jennifer, along with Lukens' offhand reply. From Jennifer: Dear Oregonian Editorial Board,  What do you feel would be a more legitimate way to tax and regulate marijuana?…

Way to go, Oregonians. Backers of the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act (OCTA) have turned in over 165,000 signatures for a citizen inititive that would legalize marijuana and allow its sale in state-licensed stores. That's almost double the 87,213 needed to be on the November ballot. I support OCTA not just because I'm an ex-pot head from my college days. It makes zero sense to spend so much money in the law enforcement and legal system trying to stop people from using an herb that is demonstrably safer and more beneficial to human well-being than alcohol. Currently we're in a period…

Ellen Rosenblum would be a much better Attorney General for Oregon than Dwight Holton, not least because of her respect for our state's voter-approved medical marijuana act, which Holton almost certainly would continue to undermine -- notwithstanding politically-inspired attempts to downplay his previous attacks against the act. I hope she wins tomorrow in the Democratic primary. Rosenblum is the choice of progressives, while a poll showed that Holton is favored only by the most conservative Democrats. A few days ago I got an email from a US News and World Report editor who wrote a story analyzing the impact marijuana…

I learned many things during my college years (1966-71) at San Jose State University. One was that heavy marijuana users, a.k.a. "stoners," could drive just fine while under the influence. I can personally testify to this. Oh, man, I sure can. This fact is politically relevant since opponents of California's Proposition 19, which would legalize and tax marijuana in Oregon's neighbor to the south, are promulgating ridiculous claims about stoned drivers killing people if Prop 19 passes. On average, a drunk driver kills someone every 45 minutes. Recreational marijuana use in fatal crashes will increase if Prop. 19 passes. It…

I'm 61 years old. Two weeks ago, at an outdoor party, I drank my first beer out of a keg. I had to watch the guy ahead of me to see how he filled his glass. I had no idea how the pump thingie worked. Yet I went to college from 1966-71 at San Jose State University, which at the time had a reputation as a party school. But during the '60s flower power era -- and the San Francisco Bay Area was the epicenter of it -- a large percentage of students had nothing to do with alcohol. Like…