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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. Anyways, showing up for *treatment* is better than jail I suppose. But it's just a game, a way to keep watch over and tax the citizens a bit. I bet most people who work in those rehab centers know damn well the majority of marijuana users sent there don't need to be there. But they play the game.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Mar 05, 2005 at 03:25:57 PM EST
    "Posted by Skaje: "...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." Don't feel so bad. There have been exactly ONE member of the House elected to the White House since there was one (Garfield). Garfield had the advantage of the Civil War to gain a heroic reputation (as a major general of volunteers). He served in the House for 18 years, and was very popular. Even then he was a dark horse. Kucinich shouldn't feel too bad; but he also should have stood up when Ohio's presidential election was STOLEN.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#16)
    by Patrick on Sat Mar 05, 2005 at 04:03:20 PM EST
    PPJ, if you are truly curious, go to Pete's site and find out the facts. Don't you mean Pete's version of the facts? No...Probably not, who am I kidding. JL, That's not my experience, but if it's true for you it is ridiculous.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#17)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Mar 05, 2005 at 07:42:09 PM EST
    James, at the risk of seeming undiplomatic, I hope you'll understand my skepticism of your motives, seeing as you've admitted a financial stake in supporting such half-truths as the Drug Czar and his office are prone to make. When the choice a person has is to be subjected to wholly unecessary 'treatment' (and thus withholding a slot from an bona fide opiate or stimulant addict) or being possible cellmates with a tattooed 300lb bunkmate of less than savory sexual habits, it becomes obvious why so many opt for such 'treatment'. They are not doing so out of willful recognition of a personal problem which the vast majority of cannabis users do not suffer from, they are being coerced. And you, James, are directly profiting from that coercion. As the old saying goes, "Whose bread I eat, his song I sing". When eating the prohibitionist's bread, singing in the choir is not optional but required. But the notes remain just as off key - and false - as ever.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#18)
    by jimcee on Sat Mar 05, 2005 at 07:44:23 PM EST
    Prohibition of marijuana has been a debacle as was the same for alcohol. If pot were legal four Mounties would be alive today as there would be no demand for illicit pot. What are the odds that the end users would have killed four federal agents? Why do people grow pot anywhere except that there are big profits to be made because it is an illegal substance. "Super pot"? C'mon even law enforcement types realize that it isn't the substance, it is the profit. Illegallity breeds disregard for the law when the law is ludicrious and that leads to a disregard of the law overall. We are talking pot here not meth or crack, it is time for us all to grow up and realize that people will alter their minds with something if they choose to and it is time to change the behavior not the substance.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Mar 06, 2005 at 07:06:59 AM EST
    Sailor - It still appears to me that some people get hooked, and some don't. That parallels my experience with alcohol and tobacco. So given the problems marijuana can cause, why play in the traffic? Now, if a rational person repeatedly does something that is dangerous to their health, and can cost a ton of money in legal costs and get their liberty taken away, I have to say a serious addiction is involved.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#20)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Mar 06, 2005 at 08:42:06 AM EST
    "Why play in the traffic?" None of your business, faux conservative. BTW, mj under an oz is a misdemeanor with a fine up to $100 regardless of how many times the defendant has been convicted before for that offense. But if he's been convicted three or more times in the past two years before being convicted again, the court must divert into treatment; if accepted into treatment, the fine is not applied. (HS § 11358(b))

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#21)
    by Pete Guither on Sun Mar 06, 2005 at 11:05:48 AM EST
    Hey, I've got an idea. We could offer treatment to those who need it (if they're dependent on marijuana), and leave those who use it responsibly alone. We could do the same thing with alcohol, and tobacco, and fatty foods. Nah. Too much common sense. Let's instead spend a lot of taxpayer money on jail and forced treatment for the people who don't have a problem. PPJ -- you say: "Now, if a rational person repeatedly does something that is dangerous to their health, and can cost a ton of money in legal costs and get their liberty taken away, I have to say a serious addiction is involved." The same thing could be said (to a degree) about driving above the speed limit, and yet just about everybody does it every day.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#22)
    by Jlvngstn on Sun Mar 06, 2005 at 11:18:37 AM EST
    Where does one get "super pot" anyway? Patrick, what is not your experience? Look at the statistics of any recovery institution, less than 5% are there for MJ. More than 75% for alcohol, 20% for coke/crack/heroin. When the courts mandate a voluntary program it drastically alters the reality of the situation. Again, Ridiculous. And again, speeding kills approximately 12,500 people a year, pot killed how many????????????

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#23)
    by Sailor on Sun Mar 06, 2005 at 01:25:53 PM EST
    patrick -"don't you mean Pete's version of the facts? No...Probably not, who am I kidding. " I'm assuming Pat is just upset due to his 'roid rage, but I'll answer the charge anyway for the edification of all: Pete is very straight forward about his opinion, but it is an informed opinion. He links to private studies, government studies and medical studies. He says his opinion and links to why and how he came to that opnion. It's only brainwashed, daryl gatesian thugs who constantly deny the truth, rely on faith based instead of reality based world views, and refused to be swayed by the facts. Like I said PPJ, Pete's site is a good reference, but most of the links on it can be found just by googling. Talk about playing in traffic, potatos are much more deadly than pot.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#24)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Mar 06, 2005 at 05:53:09 PM EST
    Sailor - You know, potatoes taken with gravy can be very fatal. But eating them won't get you put in jail. Pete G - I agree. We very much need to rationalize our drug laws. Until then..... why play in the traffic? Again. Some compelling reason must exist. Addiction???? RW - &**(^ Yourself. Is that CA or AL law? And tell me about the costs, etc. Again. Unless you are addicted. BTW _ Catch a clue. I am a social liberal who would probably be your best friend when it comes to reform. Try knowing who you are piss*ng off.

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#26)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Mar 06, 2005 at 06:59:52 PM EST
    DA - "Sir, I have found you an argument; but I am not obliged to find you an understanding." from Boswell's Life of Johnson"

    Re: Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana U (none / 0) (#28)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 10, 2005 at 07:56:59 PM EST
    Anyone who claims to be 'addicted' to marijuana has either: been misled, is too young to know anything and therefore too young to smoke, is an alcoholic, is on medication yet still smokes grass, is lying, is in a court-ordered drug rehab (giving the repub drug czar false statistics/propaganda to spread about the increase of marijuana use and 'treatment'), is just an ass, has never heard the words "grass fast". Any marijuana 'abuse' comes from lack of education about marijuana 'use'. For alcohol there's, "don't drink everyday, don't drink too much, don't start too young, take a break, you can die, your liver can collapse, don't drink and drive, don't be an ass, drink responsibly, have fun". For marijuana there's "just say no, it can lead to harder drugs, you can get addicted or else driven insane, you can go to jail so be paranoid, be very paranoid...blah blah blah". The drug war is a lie. Pharmaceuticals are the fourth leading cause of death in the US killing over 100k each year. Alcohol related deaths in the US are over 300k, tobacco kills 400k--yet these drugs are not only legal, they're subsidized. Illegal drug deaths are around 3,000. Marijuana--0. Yet marijuana arrests make up 75% of the drug war's efforts. Since the drug war industry is now worth over $13 billion annually, and 75% comes from what is, essentially, a harmless weed, how long do you think it'll take before marijuana is decriminalized and removed from prosecution? How long will it take before the positive studies done on its use (suppressed during both the Nixon and Reagan Administrations) are released to the public? How long before hemp fiber is grown in the US to replace the more toxic and dioxin polluting paper products created by the timber and paper industry? Or hemp oil used in place of polluting petrochemicals in the production of plastics and related products? How soon before the $300 billion dollar pharmaceutical industry relinquishes 3% of its profits to allow medical marijuana? Don't hold your breath. This is why marijuana is illegal; republican and corporate greed--now there's the addiction. Let's have a toast to all those greedy repubs who'd rather use 500 year old trees to make their toilet paper, while they light up their fatties with $100 dollar bills.

    Report: More Seeking Treatment for Marijuana Use | 26 comments (26 topical)