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Narconon Spokesperson Asks, “Would States Legalize Marijuana if They Thought it Was Dangerous and Addictive?”
First medical marijuana and then legalization of marijuana – in some states, steady inroads are being made into eliminating marijuana prohibitions. At the moment, fifteen states have allowances for medical marijuana dispensing and use. Thirteen states have passed laws decriminalizing marijuana, usually allowing small amounts for personal use. But would anyone support these laws if they thought that marijuana was either damaging or addictive?
One factor that must be taken into account in investigating this area is that not all cannabis is created equal. Since 1975, the Marijuana Potency Monitoring Report from the University of Mississippi has been testing weed samples for potency by measuring the contents of THC, the active ingredient – the component that gets people high. In 1975, the average THC content across all types of domestic and non-domestic marijuana was .71 percent – less than one percent THC.
As higher prices can be obtained for weed that have a higher THC content, plenty of work has gone into increasing the content of this chemical. And that work has been productive.
“People who support these decriminalization or legalization measures may not realize that the drug they are endorsing keeps getting stronger, year by year,” stated Narconon spokesperson Bobby Wiggins. Narconon is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the elimination of substance abuse and addiction through effective drug rehabilitation and drug education. “Over the thirty-two years ending in 2008, the average potency of marijuana has increased from less than one percent to 8.5 percent. That’s almost a twelve-fold increase.”
But 8.5 percent is not anywhere near the maximum content detected. One sample provided a THC content of (add emphasis here) 37 percent. In 2009, the highest THC content detected was 27 percent. Growers continually experiment with hydroponics and changes in growing conditions to increase the THC.
“There’s a huge difference in the effect of a 1 percent THC sample to an 8.5 percent sample or a 27 percent sample,” Wiggins added. “There is every motivation for growers to increase the THC content any way they can. The more THC content, the more addictive cannabis will be and the more permanent those customers will become.”
As to whether or not marijuana is addictive, consult statistics on addiction treatment admissions to treatment for addiction to marijuana have increased from nearly 200,000 in 1997 to close to 300,000 in 2007. Almost 40 percent of those admitted for drug treatment were using no other drug. In 2009, marijuana was involved in emergency room admissions more than 375,000 times, equally divided among the under-20 group and the over-20 group.
“Those who can’t quit marijuana use even if they see it is damaging their lives need addiction treatment just as much as the heroin addict,” concluded Wiggins. “Every year, we help those who have become addicted to marijuana claim their lives back. At more than 100 Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation and education centers around the world, we help people return to clean and sober lives.”
Visit www.narconon-news.org for more information about the Narconon drug rehabilitation program.
Narconon Drug Recovery Centers Work Tirelessly to Counter Efforts of Drug Cartels
In the early morning hours on the 17th of October, federal police in Tijuana decided to stop a convoy of three tractor-trailers and one smaller truck traveling through Centenario, a district in Western Tijuana. The inspection turned up a marijuana shipment. The shippers opened fire on the federal police. When the dust settled and two more raids had been carried out, 150 tons of marijuana had been seized. It is the biggest haul ever of illicit drugs, most certainly destined for transfer into the U.S.
That’s enough marijuana to roll more than 190 million joints, worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $400 million. The marijuana was burned in a public ceremony three days later.
Marijuana is still a very big business. A good, money-making business for the likes of the three cartels operating in the northern Baja California peninsula, said to have recently formed an alliance instead of fighting over turf.
“This huge quantity of drugs headed into our country makes it all too obvious that the problem must be fought from both the supply side and the demand side,” stated Clark Carr, president Narconon International. “The government can fight supply all it wants, but those in this country who are addicted to drugs will find a way to get their next fix of heroin, cocaine or marijuana. And yes, based on the number of people who come to Narconon to overcome a marijuana addiction, marijuana is addictive.”
Across the nation, millions of people live productive, sober lifestyles until they come in contact with the drug pusher that works at the desk next to them, who just moved into their neighborhood, or who is in their class at school. Those small, supposedly inconsequential “deals” amount eventually to sums of money that are subverting whole countries. Thoughtless of the lives being ruined, the cartels and their representatives on the street rake in their profits and condemn millions to the loss and pain of addiction and even death due to overdoses.
In Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers across the country, those addicted to alcohol, methamphetamine, prescription or other drugs use the eight-step Narconon drug treatment program to claim their lives back from the cartels. With seven out of ten Narconon program graduates remaining clean and sober and with more than 30,000 graduates from the 140 Narconon drug treatment or education centers around the world, that’s a lot of people who are no longer customers of the cartels.
“Every person deserves a chance to grow up and live drug-free,” added Mr. Carr. “But the cartels do their best to take this chance away. We help give life back to people every day, in every Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation center.”
For more information on Narconon drug recovery centers around the world, visit www.narconon-news.org.
