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Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana Use

By Jeralyn, Section Crime Policy
Posted on Sat Mar 05, 2005 at 05:19:40 AM EST
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An AP article says more people are seeking treatment for marijuana use. The Government blames the trend on increased use and potency of the drug. What's the real story?

Advocates of legalizing marijuana disagreed, saying the trend was largely due to an increase in marijuana arrests and had almost nothing to do with more people seeking treatment because they thought their own health was at risk.

"They have the option of going into treatment for marijuana or going to jail," said Paul Armentano, senior policy analyst for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

The agency compiling the data says it does not know why the numbers are higher:

A spokeswoman for the agency said the study did not determine whether people sought treatment on their own or were ordered to do so by a court. "We have no way of knowing why there are so many more going for treatment. The data just tells us that there are," said spokeswoman Leah Young

But, arrests for pot have almost doubled during the decade of the study, 1992 - 2002:

FBI records show a substantial increase in marijuana-related arrests during the decade studied, from about 340,000 in 1992 to about 700,000 in 2002.

Drug War Rant has more analysis of the article.

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    Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana Use | 26 comments (26 topical)
    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#1)
    by chupetin on Fri Mar 04, 2005 at 10:54:32 PM EST
    Lucky for me I live in California. When I got popped with weed my choices were; pay a $80.00 fine or go to drug diversion counseling. I paid the fine.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Mar 04, 2005 at 11:56:24 PM EST
    Marijuana is stupid because it cannot kill as many people as alcohol. If it was half the drug that alcohol was hundreds of thousands of people would be dead before the evening news. And that's on a weeknight. +++

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Mar 05, 2005 at 07:04:50 AM EST
    Chupetin - What's the second offense?

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#4)
    by james on Sat Mar 05, 2005 at 07:16:49 AM EST
    I run a treatment center and it happens to be true. The drug czar's new blog shows the numbers. check it out.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#5)
    by james on Sat Mar 05, 2005 at 07:17:55 AM EST
    sorry, forgot to post the URL www.PushingBack.com good stuff.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Mar 05, 2005 at 08:04:53 AM EST
    I don't believe either the government nor the legal advocates since they are each pushing an agenda that will not allow for any opposing views. The problem in the debate (as well as for alcohol) is that there is a difference between casual, recreational use and every day use. One beer after work isn't a problem, five can be. Same as pot. This relates to the individual not the effects on society such as drunk driving, crime, etc...

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#7)
    by Pete Guither on Sat Mar 05, 2005 at 09:29:07 AM EST
    James, The numbers of those in treatment are not in dispute. The reasons for them are. The drug czar tries to say that it's because some kind of addictive Canadian super-pot is enslaving people, but has absolutely nothing to back it up. There are people who need help with marijuana dependency (which is at most as strong as caffeine, except for those who are dealing with other problems as well). But for the most case, this increase in treatment numbers is strictly an increase in referrals from criminal justice, schools, etc., not because of addiction. Don't just look at the overall numbers like the drug czar wants in his "blog." Look at the specifics they don't want you to analyze. Like the fact that only 16.6% of those in treatment for marijuana were self-referred (including referrals by family members), as compared to 31.2% of those in treatment for alcohol and 63.4% of those in treatment for heroin. The drug czar's numbers show, if anything, the failure of the drug war.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Mar 05, 2005 at 10:36:06 AM EST
    et al - The problem is you don't know if you are going to be an alcoholic until you drink for a while, and I would guess the same is true for marijuana. Why play in the traffic?

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#9)
    by Sailor on Sat Mar 05, 2005 at 11:01:30 AM EST
    PPJ, if you are truly curious, go to Pete's site and find out the facts.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Mar 05, 2005 at 11:36:32 AM EST
    Sentencing marijuana users to "treatment" for their (non-existent) "medical problem" allows the state to put them on probation pretty much indefinitely; keeping tabs on their location, employment, and other activities for years and subjecting them to coerced urine tests etc. at any time. This approach sucks way more money into the power structure than just putting people in jail for 90 days, and imprisonment always remains an option if the inmate numbers fall too low for comfort.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#11)
    by scarshapedstar on Sat Mar 05, 2005 at 12:32:08 PM EST
    "The problem is you don't know if you are going to be an alcoholic until you drink for a while, and I would guess the same is true for marijuana." Not all addictions are created equal. A marijuana addiction is like an addiction to computer games, speaking from heavy personal experience here. It can be tough for some people to put their foot down and get some work done, but if you end up in a place with no internet connection or drug hookups, you're not going to have withdrawal symptoms or something, ferchrissake.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#12)
    by Jlvngstn on Sat Mar 05, 2005 at 12:59:50 PM EST
    Mandatory sentencing to "voluntary" programs is the cause for the rise, period. Nearly every non felon offender of any minor crime that cites drug or alcohol use during their crime generally has the option to supervision with the caveat that they attend an AA/NA program and they must pay for a "treatment" program. It used to be that you got supervision and as long as you were not arrested subsequently within a 1-2 period you were done with your "sentence". Now it is mandatory in most states that you HAVE to complete a drug treatment program. The ONLY way to complete a drug program is to admit to addiction. The treatment programs will not release you from their programs without admitting that you are an abuser/addict. Ridiculous.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#13)
    by jimcee on Sat Mar 05, 2005 at 02:08:02 PM EST
    It is most likely that it is coercive referals that are causing the spike and not "super pot" whatever that is. The use of the term alone is nothing more than a propaganda ploy to try to form public opinion and keep the dubious drug wars cranking. It is really pathetic but nothing new and both parties are guilty of this nonsense.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Mar 05, 2005 at 02:25:21 PM EST
    It's funny how all the logic, stats, and reasoning in the world points to legalizing marijuana, but in this past election campaign only a single Democrat candidate for president had the balls to support that position: Kucinich. And we know how well his campaign went.