Learning Sustainability

As humans, are we on a sustainable path on this planet? 

 

The air we breath, the water we drink, the food we eat and the green nature that sustains us, are all polluted and already unfit to sustain, not just us, but large numbers of other life forms. An incredible number of species of plants, animals, insects and birds have gone extinct in the last 50 years, signalling the collapse of the planet's web of life. There is no part of the planet that has not been inflicted with damage by humans. Something that appeared as invincible and stable as the climate, is now changing so unpredictably, and dangerously, that no expert can rule out the possibility of the most catastrophic events happening at any given time, not just catastrophic in scale, but also in terms of number of events and simultaneity. Climate change, till recently debated and refuted, is now recognized as reality by many people.So the answer to the above question is an emphatic NO. 

 

If this is not enough cause for concern, there is also the fact that a lot of people are still not even conscious of this alarming state of affairs. People have been sold the idea that the most important things in life are man made, such as a big concrete house, the latest technology, cars, air conditioned rooms furnished with synthetic materials and the latest appliances. People have also been sold the idea that the only greenery worth anything is well manicured lawns, or a few pots of plants. For man people, the view of the ideal world is scarily devoid of air, water, greenery, natural food and natural materials and resembles more an outpost on a desolate planet rather than the green and blue planet that we currently inhabit. This distorted view of reality used to be largely an urban phenomenon but is rapidly becoming the view of even rural folk. I cannot forget the Marvel movie Black Panther, where in the middle of pristine nature in the African continent, is what is perceived by the creators of the story, and an increasing number of people, as the ideal environment to aspire for - a so-called advanced city filled with glass, concrete and technology that sticks out like a cancer in the middle of the continent's magnificent natural surroundings. As more and more people have this synthetic, man made image of the world, and as the world moves to resemble this image, people think that this is the most natural thing. As we brainwash and hypnotize ourselves, what we don't realize is that much before we make this synthetic view of the world a reality, most of us, including a majority of the plants, birds and animals in the world today, will be long gone. For the few survivors, life will be extreme hell, painful beyond anything that they have imagined so far. I am not talking fiction here, but a reality towards which we are moving at such a rapid pace that even now it may be too late to change course. 

 
If trying to change course is an option that we want to pursue, then starting at the school level is most important, so that we can try and teach the younger generations to remember what we have been taught to forget. The sense of urgency needs to be so much greater for the coming generations, considering that the current generations are still complacent, reassured by the self-centered, irrational thinking that the planet will at least outlast their lifetimes. Remodeling education around sustainability is one of the key strategies in what could be our last chance. The school is the mini-world in which children learn how to interact with, and to live in, the much larger world. The lessons learnt in school are applied to the outside world as adults.

If possible, in every school in the world, we need to center the curriculum around sustainability. Not only must this topic be introduced, it needs to take center-stage, more than any other subject that is currently being taught i.e. the languages, science, mathematics, social sciences, etc. This is because without first learning how to live in a sustainable manner on our planet, or learning how to save and sustain a fast collapsing planet, having knowledge of any of the other subjects is futile. The current subjects may have had great significance, as standalone ways, to understand the world and to gain economic wealth in the past but that is no longer viable. How can we expect today's children to grow into responsible stewards of the planet when we are teaching them to make the same mistakes that we have made? The curriculum needs a complete overhaul from the lower grades to the higher grades. We can interweave the existing subjects i.e. languages, mathematics, sciences, arts, social sciences, etc keeping sustainability, rather than economic success, as the central objective. Our best minds across the world need to get together, create a curriculum for sustainability and how it can be taught, with increasing levels of complexity, to match the need for higher learning, as the student progresses to higher grades. To ground this curriculum in reality, it must be implementable at the school as a mini-world level. It must also be implementable by the students themselves, and not the school administrators or staff, as has been seen in a few cases where such initiatives have been known.

 

For developing a curriculum based on sustainability, there must first be a vision of what a sustainable school is and what a sustainable planet is. A major part of the activity at the school level by students should center around achieving and maintaining the vision of the sustainable school. I suspect that the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN themselves can be tailored to the school level to make the vision clear, effective and implementable. It is quite strange that we aspire to achieve these goals at the adult level as nations when there is almost no link between these and what is taught in schools to the future generations!

The sustainability vision of the school should definitely cover the key aspects of water, air, natural green cover, waste management, natural foods, energy, materials, transportation, etc.

• Water management should involve rain water harvesting, drinking water management, preventing water contamination from man made chemicals and toxins, as well as management of water for all other needs of the school through processes like conservation, recycling, etc.
• Air management should involve methods of measuring air quality, creating good quality air, rejuvenating it and maintaining it.
• Natural green cover management should involve the growing and management of sufficient green cover in schools so that various types of locally suited trees, shrubs, etc.  are grown. Growing of greenery that is useful for humans, as well as other animals and birds, should be pursued. Forest management and horticulture principles need to be practiced, as well as the study of the various types of life forms that cohabit the school environment. Sources of soil damage, such as chemical insecticides, pesticides, herbicides and disinfectants, and the alternatives for these, should be explored. In schools where space is limited, options such as terrace gardening, etc should be explored.
  
• Waste management should cover management of sewage, wet waste, dry waste, e-waste, etc and their recycling so as to ensure that the school has a zero waste system. Recycling of wet waste to generate compost for gardens and green cover, solid waste for useful materials, etc should be explored. Generation of waste itself should be minimized so that the school can have a zero carbon footprint.
  
• Natural food management should involve agriculture, gardening and horticulture to grow fruits, vegetables, herbs, etc that can be useful for the school and its inhabitants. This can form a part of the natural sciences based education curriculum.
• Energy management  to meet of the energy needs of the school through sustainable means, such as renewable energy sources like solar, wind, etc, with minimum dependency on the fossil fuel based generation of electricity must be in place. This can form a part of the science based education curriculum.
• Materials management should challenge the students and staff of the school to use sustainable renewable materials for the school's material requirements including furniture, building materials, school equipment, etc. The management of this aspect can vitalize vocational training and craftsmanship.
• The use of sustainable modes of transport and conveyance such as walking, bicycles and mass transport must be explored and promoted.
• Natural ways to improve the physical and mental health of students through the use of lifestyle changes and diet interventions that promote both.
• Effective communication among all stakeholders is essential. As important as the above aspects, or even more important, is, as adults, confronting the truth that the planet is in dire straits needing urgent action from all. Once we have confronted this truth ourselves, we must speak about it to the children. Pushing the problem under the carpet and hoping that it will go away by itself is no longer working.
• Besides these, the goals of equity, zero poverty, policy making for sustainability, etc need to be included.
  

If people involved in, and dedicated to, the field of education worldwide - the experts, got together, they could create a much more beautiful, integrated and sustainable way to try and save the planet from destruction. I suspect that a lot of work has already been done in the above discussed areas but in various pockets. It may be just a question of putting it all together in a meaningful, and workable fashion and arriving at a consensus globally. Various school boards could then adopt this as a pilot and spread the learnings and best practices across the world.

As we put in place this model of education, and by in place, I mean in all schools, private, public, government or non-government, we can, in parallel, apply the same concepts to all our other mini-worlds that constitute the larger world i.e. our colleges, universities, institutions of higher learning, our workplaces, communities, etc. Just by going through the exercise of trying to implement sustainability in schools itself, we will see the necessary changes and adjustments for the better in our own adult lives. I do not think that we have enough time to wait for the framing and implementation of sustainability in schools, and then the application of what has been learnt in schools back into the world. We need to do many things in parallel if we are to even try and pull things back from the brink where we are currently standing, on the edge of the gaping mouth of large scale death for life on the planet. The reward is the green and blue planet, abundant in natural beauty, containing all the things important for the sustenance of all life for at least a little longer. There is no failure in attempting to make this happen. Even if we only succeed partially, that partial success will mean that a part of the natural system has healed and corrected itself, raising by that much more the chances of a recovery . There is only failure in not doing anything but continuing, like sleepwalkers, towards the rapid doom that the current trajectory entails.

Cannabis and the Young

'Cannabis was an open conversation in my family, and in the summer before I left for university, my dad gave me advice that I’ve followed to this day: Don’t get high until you finish your homework.

Looking back, I wish better product information and healthier consumption options like vaping and edibles were as available in 1997 as they are now, but otherwise I wouldn’t change a thing about my undergrad years.

I graduated near the top of my class, attended a master’s program on full scholarship, and smoked weed on the regular—but only after I’d nailed my daily deadlines.

Take that, stoner stereotypes.'

 - Leafly


' We live in strange times.

We also live in strange places: each in a universe of our own. The people with whom we populate our universes are the shadows of whole other universes intersecting with our own. Being able to glance out into this bewildering complexity of infinite recursion and say things like, 'Oh, hi, Ed! Nice tan. How's Carol?' involves a great deal of filtering skill for which all conscious entities have eventually to develop a capacity in order to protect themselves from the contemplation of the chaos through which they seethe and tumble. So give your kid a break, OK?

Extract from Practical Parenting in a Fractally Demented Universe.'

- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Complete Trilogy of Five, Douglas Adams


'To date, not a single state that has implemented legalization has reversed course. That’s because these policies are working largely as politicians and voters intended — and because they are preferable to marijuana prohibition.

Ultimately, common sense regulation allowing for the legal, licensed commercial production and sale of cannabis best addresses adult consumers’ demand while keeping marijuana products largely out of the hands of young people.

By contrast, the continued criminalization of cannabis only compounds the public safety risks posed to young people and others by the unregulated marketplace.'

 - NORML


'“The United States is facing an unprecedented crisis of overdose deaths fueled by illegally manufactured fentanyl and methamphetamine,” said Anne Milgram, Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. “Counterfeit pills that contain these dangerous and extremely addictive drugs are more lethal and more accessible than ever before. In fact, DEA lab analyses reveal that two out of every five fake pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose. DEA is focusing resources on taking down the violent drug traffickers causing the greatest harm and posing the greatest threat to the safety and health of Americans. Today, we are alerting the public to this danger so that people have the information they need to protect themselves and their children.” These counterfeit pills have been seized by DEA in every U.S. state in unprecedented quantities. More than 9.5 million counterfeit pills were seized so far this year, which is more than the last two years combined. DEA laboratory testing reveals a dramatic rise in the number of counterfeit pills containing at least two milligrams of fentanyl, which is considered a lethal dose. A deadly dose of fentanyl is small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil. Counterfeit pills are illegally manufactured by criminal drug networks and are made to look like real prescription opioid medications such as oxycodone (Oxycontin®, Percocet®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), and alprazolam (Xanax®); or stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall®). Fake prescription pills are widely accessible and often sold on social media and e-commerce platforms – making them available to anyone with a smartphone, including minors.'

 - US DEA

Introduction

The institution of marriage was made a social norm by philosophers and thinkers to protect the offspring that came out of sexual unions. Prior to the establishing of this norm, there may have been many instances where the human male disappeared after impregnating the female, leaving her alone to fend for herself and her little child. It is not that the institution of marriage has completely eliminated this abandoning of the pregnant female by the male, but it certainly has decreased the instances greatly. In Indian tradition, it is said that the rishi Nachiketu established the concept of marriage when he found that his father, a rishi himself, had left his mother, a rishi herself, after impregnating her. Today, even though young couples enter into marriage for a licensed life of sex, the bearing of children is cited as the main reason by all sections of society. The concept that a woman becomes complete only after she has borne a child in her womb is widespread, and often leads to stigmatization against women even if the reason for her inability to conceive is due to attributes of the male. Once a couple is married, there is widespread pressure from the family and society to conceive and have children, quite often to save the family 'honor'. The reasons given for why one must have children, once married, is that parents need to have someone to look after them in their old age. Even though the bearing of children has resulted in a human population that needs nearly twice as much resources as the planet can provide in a year, and even though most children abandon their elderly parents to pursue their own interests - including having children themselves who they hope will look after them in their old age - these long standing concepts of society survive strongly across the world. One thing that I am a firm believer in is that every parent gets the child they deserve. When a parent does not learn the lessons that life has to teach them properly from their own parents, the child will teach them these lessons in the best possible way. This is justice delivered in this life, for the good deeds and sins that a person commits, not something that will come in the afterlife as most people would like to think. The child is the judge and executioner in this life, who watches closely from birth - and even from the womb -  everything that the parent does throughout his or her life, and then proceeds to mete out - quite often unconsciously - the punishment or reward that the parent deserves. This is a cycle that plays out endlessly as long as there is procreation and new generations emerging from the old. In this context, it is most important for one to be extremely conscious of not only how one behaves and acts in front of one's child, but also how one behaves and acts in front of one's own parent. Very often, people reach complete mental maturity only after their children have grown up, and after their children themselves have had children. Till then, they are lost in a childlike delusion and state of wanting everything for themselves and not thinking for an instant about the needs of anybody else but themselves.

The cannabis plant is a great aid to reaching mental maturity at the time that one should. It teaches one to see all of life for what it is, irrespective of the stage of life one is in. The fact that the cannabis plant has been prohibited from most societies for the last two hundred years easily explains the level of mental maturity across society today. Most people, and societies, exist in an infantile state, and that is at the root of all the problems that we see in the world today. The state of the planet itself is due to the human race having not grown out of its infantile state of seeing nature as its breastfeeding mother who must keep providing them with the milk of life, even as she falls critically ill, ages and shows signs of approaching death.

As the human mind develops from infancy to full maturity, the cannabis plant appears differently to it at different stages. Cannabis for the infant and the young child is a forbidden substance. For a teenager, it is a curiosity. For the youth, it is a source of pleasure. For the adult, it is the fuel for work and means to leisure. For the elderly, it is medicine and an aid to contemplation and spirituality. When one reaches complete mental maturity, one sees the cannabis plant for what it is - the divine in plant form. The use of cannabis by a mind that has reached full maturity enables the user to see the divinity of all things, including oneself and the cannabis plant. The length of time for attaining this full mental maturity differs for different people, depending on the state of mental maturity that they are in when they start their relationship with cannabis. If one is at an infantile state of mind when one starts using cannabis, then quite naturally it will take that much longer to reach full spiritual maturity. Factors - such as ones genetics, life experiences, and what one's ancestors have gone through to reach the present point in time - all play a role in this journey from the infantile mind to the spiritual mind. If these factors are conducive, then probably even the first pull of ganja will bring the person to godhood. If the factors are not conducive, then a person could spend all of his or her life, and consume all the cannabis in the world, and still not progress much on the path to spiritual maturity. The parable of Jesus casting seeds can be seen as an apt description of this condition. Some seeds fell on the rocks and were swept away by the wind. Some fell on barren ground and were eaten by the birds. Only a few seeds fell on fertile soil and eventually germinated to become the plants that they were destined to be.

Entire nations too - like individuals - move through corresponding stages of maturity in their relationship with the cannabis plant. This is naturally the case, since a nation is only an aggregation of the individuals that constitute it, and the overall maturity of the nation is a distillation or condensation of the maturity of the individuals within it. The maturity of a nation is cyclical i.e. after progressing from infancy to adulthood and reaching a state of complete maturity, there is eventual decline to death and then re-birth that starts once again from the infancy stage. Ancient nations like Greece, India and China have gone through the entire cycle of maturity - in terms of cannabis - and have declined and are now back at the infant or teenage states. Some countries - like Canada, Uruguay, South Africa, Malta, Luxembourg and Germany, and the US partially - have moved from infancy and are now either in the teenage or youth stage of maturity when it comes to cannabis. There is no country in the world today that is at the adult stage or the subsequent stage of full maturity when it comes to cannabis.

When I say 'the young' in the title of this article - Cannabis and the Young - I am focusing on the individual human being, though this can be extrapolated to the entire nation, and the entire human world itself. When I say 'young' here,  I mean infants, children, teenagers and youth. When I say cannabis and its usage by the young, I am dividing the young into  the following age-based subsets: infant - below 3 years; child - 3 to 12 years; teenager - 12 to 18 years; and youth - 18 to 24 years. This classification may not map exactly with those of witnesses to the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission of 19th century India, or to that of modern scientists and researchers on the subject of cannabis usage by the young, but I think, by and large, most people who used these terms in their reports and findings would have had similar classifications in mind.

Cannabis usage by the young in 19th century India

We are fortunate that when the British began their prohibition of cannabis in India - possibly the greatest cannabis using nation in the world - they went about it in a systematic and disciplined manner, as is the commendable trait of the Britishers, and Europeans in general. Through their systematic and detailed documentation of cannabis usage in 19th century India, through the constitution of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission of 1894-95, and through the subsequent report that the Commission produced, we are fortunate to have a picture of a world where cannabis was completely free, existing in its natural state as any another plant in nature, without discrimination or distortion of reality. Of course, by the time the British set forth its study of cannabis in 19th century India with the intention of prohibiting cannabis, the anti-cannabis forces had already been developing in India for a few thousand years - through the strengthening of the king-priest-businessman hierarchy that had gradually established itself through the introduction and widespread adoption of the Vedic, Vaishnavite, Buddhist and Jain religions which preached patriarchy and hierarchical systems. The British, through their acumen and skills, were able to bring together all the anti-cannabis forces, and subsequently prohibit cannabis in a country where cannabis was intrinsic to the social, cultural, religious, economic, agricultural and medical fabric of the nation. If the British had not documented the picture of a pre-cannabis-prohibition world in such detail through the Hemp Commission's report, most generations alive today would not even have had a memory of cannabis. The plant would have been completely erased from the Indian mind, and all Indians would have thought that this was the way things have always been. But then, it takes more than any force conceivable by humans to erase the idea of cannabis from the Indian mind. It is as good as attempting to erase the idea of Siva from the Indian mind, something that I am sure the anti-cannabis forces - Indian and British - implicitly wished to achieve to establish complete domination over the cannabis communities that were indigenous to India and who subsequently ended up becoming the lowest classes and castes enslaved to the king-priest-businessman hierarchy.

Cannabis usage by infants and children below 12

From the evidence before the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission provided by numerous witnesses, we see that this instinct to protect the young from influences that society perceived to be potentially harmful in the growing stages of the child was as strong as what it is now. The level of maturity needed before one got into a relationship with the cannabis plant was well known amongst the entire Indian society spanning the length and breadth of the country, and across all social and economic classes in society. This was because cannabis had been used in Indian society for thousands of years, and the plant was widely present like any another creation of nature. Society recognized that cannabis was a powerful potent teacher and the exposure of the young to cannabis needed to be gradual. This is very similar to the safeguards that society establishes around the young when it comes to other natural forces such as sex, intoxication, smoking, violence, fire, independent travel, and the eating and drinking of certain kinds of food and beverages. If an infant or a child came into contact with cannabis, it was only through the parent who mostly administered cannabis to the infant or child as medicine. The child was completely forbidden from independently coming in contact with cannabis. The Hemp Commission's report shows the extent to which parental controls when it came to a child's exposure to cannabis was successful, with all witnesses being unanimous in saying that children never used cannabis in any of its forms, unless administered to them as medicine by the parent. This evidence is from the length and breadth of the country, showing the uniformity of social practices in this regard. Mr. H. G. Cooke, Officiating Commissioner, Orissa Division, says, 'I believe it to be unknown for children to take any form of the drug.'  Mr. C. R. Marindin, Magistrate and Collector of Shahabad, says, 'None consumed by children.' Mr. L. Hare, Magistrate and Collector of Muzaffarpur, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Mr. J. Kennedy, Magistrate and Collector of Murshidabad, says, 'Children rarely take it.' Mr. T. L. Jenkins, Magistrate and Collector of Dacca, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Mr. L. P. Shirres, Magistrate and Collector of Midnapur, says, 'Children do not consume it.' Mr. A. E. Harward, Officiating Magistrate and Collector, Bogra, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume these drugs.' Colonel C. H. Garbett, Deputy Commissioner of Hazaribagh, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Mr. C. A. S. Bedford, Deputy Commissioner of Manbhum, says, 'As a rule, the children do not acquire the habit.' Mr. R. H. Renny, Deputy Commissioner of Singbhum, says, 'Children don't consume any of these drugs.' Mr. W. Maxwell, Sub-Divisional Officer, Jhenidah, District Jessore, says, 'Children never use these drugs.' Babu Ram Charan Bose, Kayasth, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Alipur, 24-Parganas, says, 'Children have never been observed to consume these articles.' Babu Gopal Chunder Mookerjee, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Diamond Harbour, says, '[C]hildren rarely.' Babu Pran Kumar Das, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector and Personal Assistant to the Commissioner of Burdwan, says, 'It is not usual for children to take any of these drugs.' Babu Jogendro Nath Bandhyopadhya, Brahmin, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Jalpaiguri, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Babu Navakumar Chakravati, Brahmin, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Jangipur, Murshidabad, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of the three drugs.' Babu Surendranath Mozoomdar, Brahmin, Special Excise Deputy Collector, Monghyr, says, 'Children don't use it.' Babu A. K. Ray, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Bangaon, Jessore District, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Ghulam Lillahi, Excise Deputy Collector, Ranchi, District Lohardaga, says, 'Children do not use any of these drugs.' Babu Rasik Lal Ghose, Court of Wards' Manager, Dinajpur, says, 'They are scarcely taken by the children.' Mr. W. C. Fasson, District Superintendent of Police, Bogra, says, 'Children do not.' Mr. F. H. Tucker, District Superintendent of Police, Dinajpur, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Assistant Surgeon Chooney Lall Dass, Teacher of Medical Jurisprudence and Therapeutics, Medical School, Dacca, says, 'It is unusual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Assistant Surgeon Behari Lal Pal, Sadgop, Krishnagar, Nadia, says, 'Children seldom consume these drugs.' Babu Durga Dass Lahiri, Brahmin, Medical Practitioner, Rangpur, says, 'It is not used by the children here.' Nimai Charan Das, Vaidya, Medical Practitioner, Chittagong, says, 'Children do not take.' Lukhmy Narain Naik, Mahanyak, Medical Practitioner, Cuttack, says, 'Children are not accustomed to, nor feel necessity for it.' Gopeze Mohun Roy, Baidya, Kabiraj, Calcutta, says, 'Children do not usually consume them.' Maharaja Girijanath Roy Bahadur, Kayasth, Zamindar, Dinajpur, says, 'Children do not consume any of these drugs.' Babu Radhika Churn Sen, Kayasth, Zamindar, Berhampur, says, 'Children do not use these drugs.' Gossain Mohendra Gir, Sanyasi, Zamindar, English Bazar, Malda, says, 'It is not usual for children.' Babu Kalikisto Sarkar, Kayasth, Talukdar, Kasundi, Jessore, says, 'No; as far as I am aware it is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' M. Kazi Rayaz-Ud-Din Mahamed, Zamindar, Commilla, Tippera, says, 'Children never use any of these drugs.' Mr. F. G. Gibson, Indigo Planter, Jessore, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Mr. A. G. M. Wodschow, Assistant Manager, Indigo and Zamindari, Dumur Factory, Purnea, says, 'Not women or children.' Babu Sasi Bhusan Roy, Manager, Dubalhati Raj Estate, Rajshahi District, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Mr. H. M. Weatherall, Manager, Nawab's Estate, Tippera, says, 'I have not seen children consume any of these drugs.' Babu Mahendra Chandra Mitra, Kayasth, Pleader, Honorary Magistrate, and Municipal Chairman, Naihati, 24-Parganas, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Babu Madhava CHandra Chatterjee, Brahmin, Pleader, District Court, Dinajpur, says, 'Children, do not usually consume these drugs.' Babu Parameshwar Dan, Kshetrya, Pleader, Judge's Court, Vice- Chairman, District Board, Dinajpur, says, 'It is not usual with children.' Babu Mohini Mohan Burdhan, Kayasth, District Government Pleader of Tippera, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Babu Amvika Charan Mazumdar, Vaidya, Pleader and Zamindar, Faridpur, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume either of these drugs.' Babu Pares Nath Chatterjee, Brahmin, Pleader, Satkhira, Khulna District, says, '[C]hildren never use to take any of these drugs.' Babu Gowree Sunker Roy, Kayasth, Secretary, Cuttack Printing Company, Cuttack, says, '[C]hildren do not consume any drug.' Babu Gurudayal Sinha, Kayasth, Honorary Magistrate, Municipal Commissioner and Secretary, Total Abstinence Society, Comilla, Tippera, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume ganja or bhang.' Babu Nitya Nanda Roy, Teli, Merchant and Zamindar, Chittagong, says, 'Females and children do not use the drugs.' District Board, 24-Parganas (Sub-Committee), says, 'No, it is not usual for children to consume.' District Board, Mymensingh (Sub-Committee), says, 'Children never consume these drugs.' District Board, Arrah, says, 'None consumed by children.' Mr. J. J. S. Driberg, Commissioner of Excise and Inspector General of Police and Jails, says, 'Children do not use these drugs.' Mr. J. D. Anderson, Deputy Commissioner; Officiating Commissioner of Excise, says, 'I have never heard of children using it.' Surgeon-Major J. W. U. Macnamara, Civil Surgeon and Superintendent, Lunatic Asylum, Tezpur, says, '[C]hildren never take either bhang or ganja.' Surgeon-Major H. C. Banerji, Civil Surgeon, Sylhet, says, 'Children do not usually consume any of these drugs.' Dr. J. McNaught, Civil Medical Officer, Nowgong, says, 'Not given to children.' Baikuntha Kumar Nandi, Hindu Kayasth, Assistant Surgeon, Nayasarak, Sylhet, says, 'No, it is not usual for children to consume these drugs.' Azher Hossein, Hospital Assistant, Gauhati, says, '[C]hildren below 12 years never use any.' Mr. F. C. Moran, Tea Planter, Khoniker, Lakhimpur, says, 'Have never heard of children taking it.' Babu Abantinath Datta, Kayastha, Pleader, Judge's Court, Cachar, says, 'It is quite uncommon among children.' Bishun Chandra Chattopadhay, Pleader, Dhubri, says, 'Children rarely consume these drugs.' Jadu Ram Borroah, Assamese Kayasth, Local Board Member; Pensioned Overseer, Public Works Department, Dibrugarh, says, 'It is scarcely usual amongst the Assamese children to consume these drugs.' Colonel M. M. Bowie, Commissioner, Nerbudda Division, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume either bhang or ganja.' Mr. F. C. Anderson, Officiating Commissioner, Nagpur, says, 'I have never heard of children consuming any of these drugs.' Alam Chand, Superintendent, Bastar State, says, 'The children do not consume it.' Surgeon-Major H. K. McKay, Civil Surgeon, Nagpur, says, 'It is never consumed by children.' Muhammad Habibulla, 1st grade Hospital Assistant, Seoni, says, 'Children do not consume any of these drugs.' Rao Venkat Rao, Brahmin, Malguzar, and Political Pensioner, Saugor, says, ' I have never heard of children being addicted to the use of these drugs.' Rai Bahadur Kustoorchand Daga, Bania, Banker, Kamptee, Nagpur District, says, '[B]ut not the children.' Lala Ramsahi and Lala Sitaram,  Abkari Contractors, Nagpur, say, 'Children use them rarely.' Mr. M. Hammick, Acting Collector of South Arcot, says, 'Neither females nor children resort to the drug.' Mr. C. J. Weir, Acting Collector, District Magistrate, and Agent to Govr., Ganjam, says, 'Children do not usually consume the drug.' Mr. H. Campbell, Acting Sub-Collector, Guntoor, says, 'Children do not use these drugs.' Mr. H. F. W. Gillman, Acting Head Assistant Collector, Nilgiris, says, 'Children never consume them.' W. Venkatappiah Pantulu Garu, Brahmin, Deputy Collector, Chatrapur, Ganjam, says, '[N]ever used by females and children.' K. Narayana Iyer, Brahmin, Deputy Collector, Gooty, says, 'Children and women are generally not known to consume them.' M. R. Ry. P. Veeraswami Naidu, Deputy Collector, Masulipatam, says, 'Children do not generally use it.' P. S. Singaravelu Pillai, Tahsildar of Erode, says, 'I am not aware of children consuming ganja.' Adaki Jagannadha Rao, Brahmin, Acting Tahsildar, Hindupur, Anantapur District, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' G. Jagannayakulu, Acting Tahsildar, Gooty, says, ' It is not given to children at all.' Captain F. L. Jones, Commandant, 3rd Madras Lancers, Bellary, says, 'Children do not consume the drug.' Surgeon-Major W. O'Hara, District Medical and Sanitary Officer and Superintendent of Jail, Bellary, says, '[C]hildren are not known to indulge in hemp preparations.' Surgeon-Major R. Pemberton, Civil Surgeon, Cochin, says, 'It is not usual for children to use it.' K. Jagganadham Naidu, Medical Officer, Parlakimedi, Ganjam District, says, 'Children do not use them.' Hospital Assistant T. Ranganata Kulu Naidoo, Rajahmundry, Godavari District, says, 'Children never consume these drugs.' Hospital Assistant P. Narrainswamy Telega, Parvatipur, Vizagapatam District, says, 'It is unusual for children to consume any of them.' Hospital Assistant C. M. Appathorai Mudaliar, Vellala, Chairman, Union Panchayat, Hindupur, Anantapur District, says, '[I]t is not used for children.' Mirza Davood Beg, Pensioned Hospital Assistant, Trichinopoly, says, '[I]t is not consumed by children.' M. Etheragulu Pillay, Land-owner, Bezwada, Kistna District, says, 'No ; children do not consume any of these drugs.' Sagi Rama Sastry, Brahmin, Inamdar and Native Doctor, Rajahmundry, Godavari District, says, 'Children do not use it.' M. R. Ry. V. Venkataro Iyer, Brahman, Managar, Ettayapuram Estate, Tinnevelly District, says, 'Children do not consume the drug.' K. Subbarayadu Puntalu, Brahmin, Chairman of the Adoni Municipal Council, Bellary District, says, 'Children are not allowed to use either.' S. P. Narasimmalu Nayadu, Editor of the " Crescent," Coimbatore, says, 'Females and children rarely use it.' Ganjam Vencataratnam, Brahmin, 1st Grade Pleader, Coconada, Godavery District, says, 'It is unusual for children to make use of any of these drugs.' C. Srinivas Rao, Brahmin, Government Pleader, and Chairman, Municipal Council, Cuddalore, says, 'I don't think children in the district ever consume the drug.' Chodisetty Vencataratnum, Merchant, Coconada, Godavari District, says, 'Children never use these drugs.' Appala Narassiah Chetty, Vaisya, Merchant, Berhampore, says, '[C]hildren do not eat it.' Abdul Khader, Agent of the Ganja Shopkeeper, Rajahmundry, says, 'Very rarely it is used for the use of children.' Samdasu Bavaji, Brahmin, Priest in the Matt of Sri Jagannadha Swamy, Rajahmundry, says, 'Children do not generally consume these drugs.' Mr. F. L. Charles, Collector, Belgaum, says, 'It is not usual for children to take these drugs in this district.' Mr. A. Cumine, Acting Collector, Dhulia, Khandesh, says, 'Neither women nor children smoke it.' Rao Bahadur Rango Ramchandra Bhardi, Deputy Collector and Native Assistant to the Commissioner, Poona, Central Division, says, 'Children do not consume any of these drugs in the Southern Mahratta country.' Narayan Rao Bhikaji Jogalekar, Brahmin, Pensioned Deputy Collector ; now Karbhari of the Aundh Stale, says, 'It is not habitual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Rao Saheb Ganesh Pandurang Thakar, Deshastha Brahmin, Mamlatdar, Pandharpur, Sholapur District, at present auditing the jamabandi accounts of the Poona  District, Poona, says, 'No, children are not found to indulge in these drugs.' Rao Sahib Krishnaji Ballal Deval, Chitpavan, Brahmin, Mamlatdar and Magistrate, 1st Class, Chiplon, says, 'Children are not the consumers of these drugs.' Mr. G. P. Millet, Divisional Forest Officer, West Thana, Thana, says, 'Not consumed by women and children.' Mr. J. E. Down, Districts Superintendent of Police, Satara, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume these drugs.' Mr. F. T. V. Austin, District Superintendent of Police, Surat, says, 'It is very unusual, indeed, for children to be allowed to indulge in either of these drugs.' Mr. Dhanjisha Dadabhoy, Parsi, District Superintendent of Police, Thana, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Brigade-Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel J. Arnott, M.D., Physician in charge, St. George's Hospital, Bombay, says, 'I have not seen them used by children.' Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel M. L. Bartholomeusz, M.B., Civil Surgeon, and Superintendent, Lunatic Asylum, Ahmedabad, says, 'Children never use it.' Hospital Assistant Jamiatram Jeyashunker, Nagar Brahmin, West Hospital, Rajkot, Kattiawar, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Hospital Assistant Shaik Surfraz Hakim, Nasik, says, 'It is unusual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Ardesir Dadabhoy Mody, Parsi, J.P., Member, Municipal Corporation, Medical Practitioner, Bombay, says, 'Never given by the Parsis to children.' Naro Dhakadeo, Brahmin, Pleader, Jalgaon, District Khandesh, says, 'The children do not consume it in this district.' Rao Bahadur Vishwanath Keshawa Joglekar, Brahmin, Sowkar, Karajgi in Dharwar District, says, 'No children are ever found using any of these drugs.' Wadhumal Chandiram, Pensioner, late Huzur Deputy Collector, Karachi, says, 'It is hardly given to children.' Surgeon-Major W. A. Corkery, Civil Surgeon, Sukkur, says, 'Children do not smoke or drink any of these drugs.' Assistant Surgeon, Edward Mackenzie, Manora, Karachi, Sind, says, 'Hemp is not given to children.' Elijah Benjamin, Jew, First Class Hospital Assistant, Shikarpur, says, 'No, it is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Rev. A. E. Ball, Missionary, Church Missionary Society, Karachi, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Krishnarao Hari, Officiatiny Extra Assistant Commissioner, Buldana, says, 'The drug is never used by children.' Mr. A. Ardagh, Deputy Superintendent of Excise, Ellichpur, says, 'Children, however, do not take the drug.' Mr. J. C. Watcha, Excise Inspector, Ellichpur, says, 'It is not usual for children.' Vinayak Appaji Kaur, Brahmin, Officiating Tahsildar, Darwa, Wun District, says, 'Children never consume any of these drugs.' Surgeon-Captain E. W. Reilly, Civil Surgeon and Superintendent, Central Jail, Akola, says, 'Children do not consume it.' Mr. Dinner Narayen, District Superintendent of Vaccination, Buldana, says, 'It is, however, never used by children.' M. Doorgiah Pillay, 1st Class Hospital Assistant, in medical charge, Akola Dispensary, says, 'Certainly, it is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' G. S. Khaperde, Brahmin, Pleader, Amraoli, says, 'Children never consume it in these parts.' Niamat Khan Bilan Khan, Merchant, Balapur, Akola District, says, 'Children don't consume these drugs.' Khaja Abdul Baki, Money-lender, Mehkar, Buldana District, says, 'Children never consume any of these drugs.' Mr. A. Boppanna, Planter, Bepunaad, Green Hills, Coorg, says, 'It is not used by children.' Major G. Gaisford, Deputy Commissioner, Quetta, Baluchistan, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume these drugs.' Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel P. N. Mookerjee, Civil Surgeon, Sagaing, Upper Burma, says, 'I have never seen them given to children.' Sona Mull, Brahmin, First Grade Hospital Assistant, in medical charge of Dispensary and Jail, Myanaung, says, 'I have never known children to consume these drugs.' Surgeon-Leiutenant-Colonel G. Prince, Civil Surgeon, Burdwan, says. 'It is not usual for children below ten or twelve years to consume any of these drugs.' Dr. S. J Manook, Civil Medical Officer, Singhbhum, says, 'I have never seen a female or a child as a consumer of ganja or bhang.' Haribilash Agarwala, Merchant, Tezpur, says, 'Children do not use.' Munshi Thakht Singh, pensioned Tahsildar, Bata, District Damoh, says, 'Women and children do not use it.' Chintamani Nand Vidya Bhushana, Uria Brahmin, late Tahsildar, Sonepur, Sambalpur, says, 'Children generally do not consume any of these drugs.' Mr. W. Francis, Acting Head Assistant Collector, Ramnad, says, 'Confined to no particular time of life, except that children are not allowed it.' Doorga Das Sen, Baidya, Assistant Surgeon, Warora, says, 'It is unusual for children to consume these drugs.'

So we see widespread evidence that infants and children i.e. those below 12 years did not consume cannabis, of their own accord, despite cannabis being available widely in the form of ganja, bhang and the sweetmeat majum. It is quite obvious that children below 12 could not smoke ganja because their parents and elders would not allow it, if they even wanted to that is. This does not mean that cannabis was harmful for children below 12, as many would like to believe. In fact, it was given to children below 12 by the parents and elders themselves, as we shall see in the following instances. It was given as medicine, because cannabis is very good medicine even for little children. The fact that parents, elders and native physicians gave cannabis to children below 12, and even infants, is evidence of its safe profile. This is quite unlike the synthetic pharmaceutical medications that physicians prescribe for children these days, medications with dangerous side effects, that parents quite unquestioningly give their children, without being aware of the side effects, simply because they have complete faith in the modern physician and the synthetic pharmaceutical industry - entities who exist in most cases to make profits rather than care for public health. A good case in point are the so-called vaccines for the fake pandemic Covid. These untested vaccines - for a fake disease created with the sole intention of making the pharma and petrochemical industry rich and for tightening the hold of governments on the people - were administered by many parents to their children because they fell for the fear and bait created. The long term effects of these vaccines administered to children is only unfolding today. 

 

Let us see the instances where these children did consume cannabis in 19th century India, because they did, contrary to the statements of witnesses above. Children were given cannabis purely as medicines, in the form of the beverage bhang, and occasionally the sweetmeat majum. It is quite obvious that smoking at ages below 12 is likely to be harmful for children, and so no parent or elder allowed a child below 12 to smoke ganja. I do not think that any child below 12 would even have wanted to smoke ganja. Mr. W. C. Taylor, Special Deputy Collector, Land Acquisition, East Coast Railway, and Pensioned Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Khurda, Orissa, says, 'It is not usual for children to take either ganja or bhang except when prescribed medicinally.' Mr. A. C. Tute, Magistrate and Collector of Dinajpur, says, 'Children never consume any of these drugs, except for medicinal purposes.' Babu Kanti Bhushan Sen, Baidya, Special Excise Deputy Collector of Cuttack, says, 'Children never consume these unless prescribed as medicine.' Babu Rajani Prasad Neogy, Excise Deputy Collector, Mymensingh, says, 'Bhang is very rarely administered to children as medicine.' Babu Suresh Chundra Bal, Baidya, Special Excise Deputy Collector, Howrah, says, 'Children sometimes use bhang as a medicine for indigestion or bowel complaints.' Babu Gour Das Bysack, Retired Deputy Collector, Calcutta, says, 'Bhang is taken by even children of nine or ten years of age.' Civil Hospital Assistant Meer Koomar Ally, Municipal Dispensary, Cuttack, says, 'Children are seldom found to use any of these two drugs [ganja and bhang] except when it is given them in the shape of medicines by kabirajes.' Pundit Rakhal Chunder Tewary, Brahmin, Pleader and Honorary Magistrate, Diamond Harbour, 24-Parganas, says, '[B]ut sometimes bhang is used for medicinal purposes among all classes.' Babu Sasadhar Roy, Brahmin, Pleader and Honorary Magistrate, Rajshahi, says 'Children sometimes take bhang.' Babu Tara Nath Chuckerbutty, Brahmin, Government Pleader, Faridpur, says, 'Children never use these drugs, excepting bhang for illness; and that also scarcely.' Umagati Rai, Brahmin, Pleader, and Secretary to the Jalpaiguri Branch, Indian Association, says, 'Children sometimes take bhang for medicinal purposes.' Mir Imdad Ali, Honorary Magistrate, Damoh, says, 'Bhang is drunk by women and also by children. Is not thought disgraceful. Does produce little intoxication. Relieves fatigue, cools the blood and induces sleep.' Mr. J. Sturrock, Collector, Coimbatore, says, 'Majum alone is at times administered to children as a medicine.' Mr. E. Turner, Collector of Madura, says, 'Purunathi for children is administered to children.' Mr. H. M. Winterbotham, Collector of Tanjore, says 'Purnâdhi is largely used as a medicine, and is given to children in minute quantities as a soothing draught, a stomachic and tonic. If the ingredients are mixed in proper proportions, and cautiously administered, it must obviously be an excellent medicine for ordinary bowel complaints. The dose for a small child is said to be a pill as large as a grain of dhal.' Mr. W. A. Willock, Collector, Vizagapatam, says, 'Some preparations are given to children, but only as medicine.' Mr. J. Thomson, Collector of Chingleput, says, 'The confections of ganja are, however, administered as medicine to females and to children.' Mr. G. Stokes, Collector of Salem, says, 'It is administered to children to soothe pain, especially when Muhammadan children are circumcised.' Mr. G. S. Forbes, Collector of Tinnevelly, says, 'Sometimes purnadi is administered medicinally in small doses to children in cases of indigestion.' Mr. F. D'A. O. Wolfe-Murray, Acting Collector of the Nilgiris, says, 'Ganja is given medicinally to children.' Mr. L. C. Miller, Acting Collector of Trichinopoly, says, 'Ganja is boiled with ghee, and a sweet preparation is made for children as a preventive of diarrhœa and dysentery.' Mr. K. C. Manavedan Raja, Collector, Anantapur, says, 'It is occasionally given to infants to induce sleep.' Mr. E. L. Vaughan, Acting Sub-Collector, Dindigul, says, 'Lahiam is given to children to induce them to sleep and as a preventive of diarrhœa.' Mr. R. E. Grimley, Acting Head Assistant Collector, North Arcot, says, 'Majum-ghee and ganja. These are fried together and nutmegs, almonds, cinnamon and cardamoms are added. This preparation is sometimes given to children to help digestion and to induce sleep.' Mr. J. H. Merriman, Deputy Commissioner of Salt and Abkari, Central Division, says, 'Very rarely, except as medicine.' Mr. F. Levy, Acting Deputy Commissioner, Salt and Abkari, Southern Division, says, 'Majum is, however, said to be given to children to make them sleep.' D. Jagannadharao Pantalu, Brahmin,Deputy Collector, Anantapur, says, 'Confection of ganja known as majum is given rarely to infants to induce sleep at nights.' Dewan Bahadur K. V. Lakshamana Row Garu, Brahmin, Deputy Collector, North Arcot, says, 'Children take ganja in the form of majun.' B. Narayanamurty, Brahmin, Deputy Collector, Ganjam, says, 'Majum pills in mild form are medically administered to children, but not otherwise.' N. Soondramiah , Brahmin, Deputy Tahsildar, Ootacamund, says, 'Ganja preparation is given to children as a medicine to check indigestion and diarrhœa.' K. Narainaswamy Naidu, Velama, Huzoor Sheristadar, Masulipatam, says, 'Some peevish and puny children are given the preparation called majum to sharpen appetite and make them more buoyant.' Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel H. Hyde, District Surgeon, Trichinopoly, says, 'It is given to children at time of circumcision.' Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel A.H. Leaping-Well, District Surgeon, Vizagapatam, says, 'They are given as medicine to children.' Surgeon-Major G. L. Walker, Civil Surgeon, Ootacamund, says, 'A ball similar to the above [mix ganja with 18 different spices, and work it up into a ball with jaggery; in this form they eat it as an aid to appetite and digestion] is also given to Muhammadan children for a similar purpose.' Surgeon-Major A. J. Sturmer, District and Sanitary Officer, Masulipatam, Kistna District, says, 'Majum is given to children for diarrhœa...It is a sweetmeat which contains ganja or bhang.' Assistant Surgeon Saldhana, Salem, says, 'Children don't consume the drug in any shape usually ; but there seems to be a practice among Muhammadans, though not, perhaps, universal, of drugging the male children with a small quantity of bhang shortly before circumcision, with the object of rendering the operation painless.' Hospital Assistant M. V. Ramanugulu Naidu, Peddapur, Godavari District, says, 'As a rule, mothers give ganja to children as a medicine to cure indigestion.' Hospital Assistant Chinny Sreenivasa Rau, Prapanna Komity, L. F. Hospital, Bobbili Vizagapatam District, says, 'A confection called kutimajuma is given to children for producing sound sleep, good appetite, and as a remedy in dysentery.' E. Subramana Iyer, Brahmin, Chairman, Municipal Council, Conjevaram, Chingleput District, says, 'It is not usual to make use of it with children, but they are sometimes mixed with country medicines in case of dysentery, etc.' Rev. J. Desigachari, Missionary , Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, Badvel, Cuddapah District, says, 'No, children are not given these stuffs for fear of being poisoned, except when it is very carefully prepared by experienced physicians.' Angappa Gonuden, Blacksmith, Salem, says, 'In its poornathi form it is given to children to cure them of mantham or indigestion occasionally, but never daily.' Rao Bahadur Vyankatesh Bapuji Wadekar, Deputy Collector, Ahmednagar, says, 'Hardly any child uses it except for medicinal purposes.' Rao Bahadur Rudragowda Chanvirgowda Artal, Lengayet, Deputy Collector, Bijapur, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of the drugs, but when attacked by dysentery children are given bhang to drink.' Dadabhai Burhorhee Guzder, Parsi, District Abkari Inspector, Ahmednagar, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs, but as medicine it is sometimes given to them in particular diseases.' Surgeon-Major H. W. B. Boyd, Superintendent, Colaba Lunatic Asylum, Bombay, says, 'It is not usual to give these drugs to children, but in exceptional cases bhang is used in the form of bala golee, viz., pills mixed with aromatics, for colic in infants, and also as a sedative in restlessness of new-born infants.' Surgeon-Major K. R. Kirtihar, Civil Surgeon, Thana, and Medical Officer, Thana Depot and District Jail, says, 'It is never allowed to children. Bhang preparations are, however, allowed to children medicinally in appropriate doses, and in such cases are doubtless productive of good.' Hospital Assistant Sudashio Wamon, Brahmin, Mansa, Mahikantha, says, 'It is seldom used for children in sickness to make them drowsy or sleepy (only bhang).' Mr. Purbhuram Jeewanram, Nagar Brahmin, Native Doctor (Vaidya), Bombay, says, 'Women and children are allowed to use bhang according to their suitabilities. Ganja is not used by women and children. Bhang is not very commonly used by children ; but it may be given to them as a medicine in proper doses to their great benefit.' Seth Vishindas Hihalchand, Zamindar, Merchant, and Contractor, Manjoo, Karachi, says, 'All classes drink it, and it is used as a sleeping dose in the case of infants.' S. Baijnath, Medical Officer, Mady Hospital, Badnera, says, 'They mostly take to it in adult life, and very rarely it is given to chidren, excepting in cases of sickness, such as sore-eyes, when it is given to allay pain and excite appetite. Bhang is used for this purpose.' Kazi Imamuddin, Extra Assistant Commissioner, Pishin, says, 'Bhang is also given to Muhammadan children at time of their circumcision in place of chloroform.' Mohammad Akbar Ali Khan, Senior Hospital Assistant, Quetta, says, 'A preparation of sweetmeat called majum is sold in the bazar. It contains bhang ; it is chiefly used in cases of children, particularly for small boys when they are to be circumcised, and in girls when their ears or nose are to be pierced, the object being to render the little ones fearless to the operation.' Surgeon-Major G. T. Thomas, Civil Surgeon, Moulmein, says, 'Children in Upper India are given these drugs to induce sleep.'  Mr. E. J. Ebden, Collector, Ahmednagar, says, 'Ghota drinking is more of a social custom. Children only get the drug medicinally.' Mr. F. S. P. Lely, Collector of Surat, says, 'Children do not, as a rule, take them ; but some parents sometimes give a little bhang water to make them sleep.' R. Saminatha Iyer, Brahmin, Acting Deputy Tahsildar, Coonoor, says, 'For children generally the native doctors prescribe a sort of solid preparation mixed with ganja to regulate digestion.' Rev. S. J. Long, Missionary, Coimbatore, says, 'A native who practises medicine occasionally told me that in bad purging or dysentery ganja heads would be given. They would be mixed with other herbs and sugar. The medicine is known as murungapulegim. To children " white legiam " or " baly legiam " (Kuranthai majium) is given.' Hospital Assistant Bhau Saccaram, Brahmin, Raipur Dispensary, Ahmedabad, says, 'Native doctors use bhang in cases of convulsions of children as antispasmodic.' Hospital Assistant Jamiatram Jeyashunker, Nagar Brahmin, West Hospital, Rajkot, Kattiawar, says, 'Bhang is also tried with more or less success in many diseases, as in tetanus, hydrophobia, rheumatism, and in the convulsions of children and in cholera.' Keshowram Haridat, Chcepooria, Audesh Brahmin, Native Doctor (Vaidya) , Render, Surat and Bombay, says, 'Ganja is prescribed in colic pains and as sleeping draught.' Sona Mull, Brahmin, First Grade Hospital Assistant, in medical charge of Dispensary and Jail, Myanaung, says, 'I have seen in my country, Punjab...  barbers generally give bhang to drink to Muhammadan boys before the operation of circumcision.'

Besides the administration of cannabis by parents, elders and physicians to infants and children for medical purposes in 19th century India, it appears that children were given cannabis - as the beverage bhang or the sweetmeat majum - on certain special occasions such as festivals and events in the family. This is comparable to the occasional sips of wine that are given to children in western cultures by their elders. Bhang was also given as a cooling beverage to children during hot summers. This again reiterates the view among adults that cannabis consumption is not harmful for children, it only needs to be monitored, just like everything else to do with a child. Babu Krishna Chandra Rai, Baidya, Government Pensioner and Zamindar, District Dacca, says, 'Amongst the Hindus of all classes, there is a custom in Lower Bengal to use bhang, almost universally, on the evening of the last day of the Durga Puja, i.e., on the Navami day, when prepared bhang powders mixed with sugar are offered to god and goddess Mahadev and Parvati and then used by all. The powder is used in such small quantity that it never produces any intoxication. Even children of ten or twelve years take little bhang on this occasion.' Rev. Prem Chand, Missionary, B. M. S., Gaya, says, 'Children take bhang generally with the inmates of their house...At the time of the Sivratri and the Holi festivals the Hindus induce, if not force, their children, specially boys, to take bhang.' Babu Purnendu Narayam Sinha, Kayasth, Pleader and Zamindar, Bankipur, District Patna, says, 'Children do not consume either ganja or charas. But they sometimes consume bhang.' Mr. A. C. Duff, Deputy Commissioner, Jubbulpore, says, 'Children are some-time given bhang by their elders as a treat.' Batuk Bharty, Superintendent of Kalahandi State, says, 'On such occasions as Holi and Shivaratri and Mesh San krant, in the month of Baisakh of each year, the children also drink bhang.' Vinayak Balkrishna Khare, Brahmin, Excise Daroga, Nagpur, says, 'Children never smoke, nor are they permitted to associate with ganja smokers, but occasionally they are given a little bhang even by their elders if any happens to be present at the preparation.' Seth Bachraj, Honorary Magistrate, Wardha, says, '[Ganja] is not give to children...Females occasionally drink [bhang] and also children.' Modan Mohan Seth, Honorary Magistrate, Jubbulpore, says, 'Bhang is sometimes given to children also.' Rev. I. Jacob, Church of England Missionary, Chairman, District Council, etc., says, 'Children are generally given the beverage called bhang. The sweet called majum is sometimes used by them, as also ganja, which is used by them in a preparation called "chivda." But the latter is done very occasionally.' Adhar Singh Gour, Kshattri, Barrister-at-law, Hoshangabad, says, 'I have not seen many children use ganja or bhang as a rule, but on certain occasions persons of tender years do drink bhang.' Mr. Tara Dass Banerji, President, District Council, Raipur, says, 'Children I have never known to smoke ganja or charas. A little "thandai" is given to boys sometimes during the hot weather months, especially in families of which the headman is a devout believer in its efficacy, but here also the cases are very few and seldom habitual.' Babu Kalidas Chowdhry, Brahmin, Pleader, Hoshangabad, says, 'It is mainly confined to the male sex...and above the age of 5 in the case of bhang. It is not usual for children' either to smoke ganja or to drink bhang.' Cowasjee Meherwanjee Hatty-Daroo, Parsi, Merchant and Abkari Contractor, Seoni-Chapara, says, 'Bhang is also generally consumed by male and by well-to-do ladies on special occasions and in company, and sometimes children are allowed to partake the same.' Bijrah, Marwari, Wholesale ganja vendor, Kamptee, Nagpur District, says, 'Children occasionally drink bhang.' Dr. Mohammad Sadrul Haq, Medical Practitioner, Patna City, says, 'Now and then little grown-up boys are also allowed to drink bhang.' Mr. K. G. Gupta, Commissioner of Excise, Bengal, says. 'Children seldom consume ganja or charas, but on ceremonial occasions they are often allowed to taste bhang.' Assistant Surgeon Devendranath Roy, Brahmin, Teacher of Medical Jurisprudence, Campbell Medical School, Calcutta, says, 'I have seen children whose parents habitually drink bhang take a few sips from their father's cup. Girls do not drink it.' Pyari Sankar Dass Gupta, Baidya, Medical Practitioner, Secretary, Bogra Medical Society, Bogra, says, 'Bhang is also taken by them with their elders.' Kailas Chundra Bose, Kayasth, Medical Practitioner, Calcutta, says, 'Children of tender years, say, ten or twelve, are known to drink bhang very greatly and they belong to the rich class of Marwaris or Johuris. I have seen a grandfather pouring a teaspoonful of prepared siddhi into the mouth of his infant grandchild who was barely twelve months old.' Surgeon-Major W. A. Quayle, Civil Surgeon, Nimar, says, 'Among the Marwaris boys above 10 or 12 are occasionally given bhang during the Holi festival and in the hot weather as a thandai.' Hospital Assistant I. Parthasarathy Chetty, Penukonda, Anantapur District, says, 'As for bhang it cannot be said so, for males, females and children are found using it (bhang) under the popular name of ramarasam.' Mr. H. Woodward, Collector, Kaira, Gujarat, says, 'Children seldom consume any of these drugs, though they may be allowed a sip of bhang-water as ours are of wine as a treat on special occasions.' Mr. C. G. Dodgson, Assistant Magistrate and Collector, Khandesh, says, 'they frequently take bhang in the form of gota.' Mr. J. F. Fernandez, Retired Deputy Collector and City Magistrate, Ahmedabad, says, 'Children may sometimes come in for a small share—in cases where they are spoilt by their parents—if they happen to be with them when they (the latter) indulge in it.' Mr. T. G. Foard, Superintendent of Police, Cambay, says, 'When they have attained the age of ten years, they are allowed to drink bhang occasionally in small quantities during the hot season and on festive occasions.' Rao Sahib Pranshankar, Brahmin, Inspector of Police, Detective Branch, Bombay, says, 'As for bhang, children of five years and upwards take it in exceptional cases.' Rao Bahadur Thakordas Kikabhai, Bania, Assistant Surgeon, Wadhwan Civil Station, Kathiawar, says, 'Children as a rule do not indulge in bhang, but occasionally they are initiated by their parents and relatives.' Hospital Assistant Phirozsilaw D. Cooper, Parsi, in charge Dispensary, Ilao, says, 'Children are never allowed to indulge in these drugs, but some foolish parents on some great festivals allow their children a gulp or two of bhang water.' Hospital Assistant Purson Singh Chattry, Sholapur, says, 'Bhang is drunk by males, females, and children. The custom is much prevalent in Sind and Punjab. In Sind I have seen it administered to infants also.' Ganesh Krishna Garde, Brahmin, Medical Practitioner, Poona City, says, 'But bhang is occasionally given to children in Northern India.' Uttamram Jeewanran, Itchapooria, Audesh, Brahmin, Native Doctor (Vaidya), Bombay and Surat, says, 'The jewellers give bhang, when specially prepared, to their children and women.' Keshowram Haridat, Itchepooria, Audesh Brahmin, Native Doctor (Vaidya), Render, Surat and Bombay, says, 'Jewellers give bhang to their children when they are five or six years old.' Desaibhai Kalidas, Brahmin (Khedaval), Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor, Kaira, says,'Bhang as a drink is sometimes given to children above seven when in company of their male relations or friends. But that is rare and in very small quantity...The majam of bhang is sometimes used by uncared for or vagabond children above the age of ten, and perhaps by females; but that is very rare.' Rao Bahadur Alumal Trikamdas Bhojwani, Deputy Educational Inspector, Karachi, says, 'Its use is mainly commenced after adult age, but in hot season the " sukho " or "abo" is given to boys and girls also. It is not unusual now for children in Karachi town to drink bhang during the chalhio or autumn, when it is publicly placed out in large earthen pitchers and offered for drink to whosoever asks for it by people who think it a charitable act to do so.' Assistant Surgeon, G. M. Dixon, Medical Officer and Superintendent, Nara Jail, says, 'It is possible that children seeing their fathers taking subzi, ask for some, and the fathers just to satisfy their curiosity, give them a little.' Tirithdas Hasrajmal, Member of the firm of Denmal Sachanond, Karachi, says, 'But it is often drunk by women and children in the hot weather in towns and villages as a cooling beverage, and it is customary both in towns and villages to keep vessels full of bhang to be distributed in charity.' Din Mahomed, Contractor, Shikarpur, says, 'In Sind boys are also in the habit of drinking bhang, but in a less quantity than men.' C. Sham Rao, Attachè to the Resident at Hyderabad, now at Pusad, Basim District, says, 'In Hindustan children are given bhang in the form of a beverage. Those above ten years generally use the drug.' M. Poonambalam Moodeliar, First Class Hospital Assistant, Shegoon, says, ' [T]hey give to the children in the form of majum when they choose to give them.' R. N. Mudholkar, L.M.S., Private Medical Practitioner, Amraoti, says, 'Children never consume any of these drugs, although exceptions may be found of children drinking bhang only.' G. V. Kot, Brahmin, Medical Practitioner, Amraoti, says, 'Bhang is occasionally drunk by children.' Yeshwant Vaman Dighe, Pleader, Basim, says, '[B]ut with regard to bhang, women and children in Upper India partake of it generally, but very rarely in this province..' Khan Bahadur Dr. Sheikh Elahi Bux, Government Pensioner and Honorary Magistrate, Ajmere, says, 'Boys of ten or twelve years of age do sometimes drink bhang on Holi. In dancing parties on Holi and marriage occasions people sometimes distribute majum.' Muhammad Yusuf, Hospital Assistant, New Chaman, says, 'They say that in Sukkur, Rori, Multan, and Dera Ghazi Khan bhang is used by women as well as by men ; and it is usual in Sind for mothers to give somewhat to their children also.' Babu Abhilas Chandra Mukerjee, Brahmin, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, on deputation as 2nd Inspector of Excise, Bengal, says, 'Gorakhanath (Siva, the protector of cows) is worshiped on the occasion of the delivery of a cow. On the 21st day after the delivery, the cow is milched, and the milk is boiled and concentrated. It is then mixed with smashed bhang leaves, and laddu is formed and offered to god Gorakhanath. Incantations (mantras) are uttered for about two hours, and the rakhals (cow-keeper boys) response by saying "Heccho." After the puja the balls are distributed to the boys with sweets, etc. The puja is made before the cowshed. Laddu is distributed to every person present. This is done in many Hindu households in East Bengal. The laddu is known as Gorkhar laddu. The offering of bhang on the occasion of Durga Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Saraswati Puja, and Gorakhanath Puja forms an essential part of the religious ceremonies...Bhang-drinkers are not socially looked down upon.' Babu Gour Das Bysack, Retired Deputy Collector, Calcutta, says, 'On festive occasions, such as Bejaya Dasami evening (last day of Durga Puja) in Bengal, and Holi in the Upper Provinces, bhang in the shape of sherbet (beverage) is offered, as a part of the religious observance, to every member of the family, and to every guest who, if they do not wish to drink, put a drop of it on the tongue by way of holy acceptance. Even little children, babies, are touched on the temple with a drop by the tip of the finger; females take siddhi on such days.' Seth Vishindas Nihalchand, Zamindar, Merchant, and Contractor, Manjoo, Karachi, says, ' Bhang alone out of the three products is pounded, mixed with water, and sifted and then drunk. This drink is called by Hindus sukho, and sugarcandy or sugar is often mixed with it. This sukho is used both for social and religious purposes, such as on marriage occasions, and at the meetings of panchayets, bands of religious singing parties, and on new and full moons, and on occasions of removing to newly-built houses, and at betrothals: on these occasions the sukho is distributed to all men and boys present.'

Cannabis usage in the teenage years between 12 and 18

In 19th century India, when cannabis was completely unregulated, once a child started moving into the teenage years of 12 to 18, the maturing mind of the child became curious about this plant that it was forbidden from using - and only allowed occasionally under adult supervision - just like the mind became curious about other things like sex and smoking. Some of the bolder teenagers started to seek out cannabis to understand what it was about the plant that made the adult forbid the child from using it, even as they saw the elders around them freely using it, much like intoxicants, smoking and sex. Here I must stress on the aspect of smoking ganja as against drinking bhang. As we saw earlier, drinking bhang was not altogether unknown among children below twelve, but smoking ganja was considered a definite marker that delineated adult behavior from childhood behavior. Smoking is a habit that is generally associated with adults, as society in general regards smoking of anything below the age of 18 as harmful, just like drinking alcohol. From the age of twelve onwards, teenagers - in particular boys - start to experiment with smoking. This is a general trait that can be observed everywhere. It is evident in tobacco smoking societies today as well as in the past, just as much as it was evident in cannabis smoking societies in the past. It is very difficult for a child below 12 to smoke anything as the child is always close to home and near an adult. As a teenager, the child starts experiencing greater freedom of movement and reduced supervision, thus presenting greater opportunities for experimenting with smoking, drinking and sex. This is very normal teenage behavior and signs of a healthy maturing mind, as the child starts to broaden its horizons and prepare for adulthood. Much of teenage behaviour is imitation of the adult. Most healthy teenagers seek to reach adulthhood as soon as possible, and some go out of the way to do so. There are also many teenagers who are happy with the protection and care that they enjoy as children, and so seek to prolong their childhood a little longer. Of course, if this tendency and desire to remain mentally a child lasts throughout one's life this develops into various kinds of pathologies, as is quite evident in the case of most individuals that we see around us, and society, in general, these days. In 19th century India, some of the young teenagers who desired to imitate their elders, and who desired to reach adulthood as soon as possible, formed groups that managed to access the plant and use it. Some of the teenagers were given occasional access to cannabis, which can be seen as an attempt by the parent to broaden the mind of the child and develop it, much like the lessons of the birds and bees that some parents imparted to children in their teenage years, and the occasional sips of alcohol given to teenagers in other societies. Where a child was exposed to cannabis by an elder or parent, this elder or parent was someone who had used cannabis for a long time and fully understood all its aspects. No parent or elder would have exposed a teenager to cannabis unless they firmly believed that it was not harmful, or at least that it was only as harmful as other things that a child will be eventually exposed to - such as intoxicants, sex, smoking, violence, etc. Only some of the teenagers exposed to smoking cannabis by their own peers or by their parents or elders went on to eventually become lifelong cannabis consumers. A number of them would have found the experience distasteful and subsequently stayed away from cannabis all their life, as we see in the example of Surgeon-Major Chatterjie, Medical Officer in charge 13th Madras Infantry, Cannanore, who says, 'Children sometimes get hold of a pipe. I did once as a child, and was sick for some hours afterwards.' I suspect that a number of persons from the ruling and upper classes may fall into this category of persons who try ganja once, find it unpleasant and then become lifelong haters of ganja and ganja smokers. The availability of alternatives to ganja, such as opium and alcohol among the elites, makes it easier for them to transition to another drug, a luxury not available to the poor, who often persist with ganja despite any initial unpleasantness. Given the luxuries that the children of the elites were exposed to, it was not at all surprising that they may have come in contact with ganja early as a part of their childhood explorations. As I said before, it takes a certain kind of constitution to accept cannabis, just like it takes a certain kind of constitution to accept alcohol, tobacco, or even sex, for that matter. We see that teenagers who had faced traumatic life events such as the loss of parents, those who were employed in labor from a young age, those who moved around with older companions, etc., being among some of those who took up ganja smoking in their teenage years. This appears to me to be ways to cope with the stress, trauma, depression and anxiety that these unfortunate teenagers had to face in their young years. In that sense, we can say that ganja was used by these teenagers to cope with mental problems and the harsh physical conditions that they survive in, and it should be viewed as medicinal usage in these cases. So we see that among teenagers who took up smoking ganja, the factors that played a role are curiosity to try something that adults were seen doing and proximity to adults who regularly engaged in ganja smoking. All in all, the numbers of teenagers who tried cannabis were few, despite the plant being freely available everywhere, and the factors that triggered their exposure to the plant were those I have described above. 

 

Now, let us look at the evidence of cannabis usage - specifically ganja and charas smoking - by teenagers, i.e. those between the age of 12 and 18. We can see the inherent biases of the ruling upper classes and castes against even the children of the lower castes and castes, the religious mendicant classes, and the minority religions in much of the evidence. Pyari Sankar Dass Gupta, Baidya, Medical Practitioner, Secretary, Bogra Medical Society, Bogra, says, 'Children of ganja-smokers, of singing parties, those in bad company smoke ganja.' Desaibhai Kalidas, Brahmin (Khedaval), Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor, Kaira, says, 'It is above the age of fifteen that among common people ganja smokers are to be found. Among sadhus, young men below this age might be found smoking ganja...The majam of bhang is sometimes used by uncared for or vagabond children above the age of ten, and perhaps by females; but that is very rare.' Adhar Singh Gour, Kshattri, Barrister-at-law, Hoshangabad, says, 'Boys attached to devotees, however, learn to smoke and drink as soon as they become members of the fraternity.' Mr. E. J. Ebden, Collector, Ahmednagar, says, 'The practice is chiefly confined to the male sex, is often acquired at the age of 15 and carried on through life.' Babu Kalidas Chowdhry, Brahmin, Pleader, Hoshangabad, says, 'It is mainly confined to the male sex above the age of 15 years in the case of ganja..' Rao Sahib Pranshankar, Brahmin, Inspector of Police, Detective Branch, Bombay, says, 'Children never smoke ganja, but boys of and above fifteen years of age do smoke rarely.' Rao Bahadur Thakordas Kikabhai, Bania, Assistant Surgeon, Wadhwan Civil Station, Kathiawar, says, '[C]hildren under 14 never smoke ganja...' Utamram Jeewanram, Itchapooria, Audesh, Brahmin, Native Doctor (Vaidya), Bombay and Surat, says, 'It is generally practised after 16 years of age.' Dr. H. A. Macleod, Civil Medical Officer, Garo Hills, says, 'Children don't usually consume any of these drugs, but learn to smoke by imitation.' Mr. J. C. Price, Magistrate and Collector, Rajshahi, says 'Children do not smoke, though I have heard of native boys having a smoke of ganja on the sly, much in the same way as an English school-boy will indulge in a clandestine smoke.' Mr. G. E. Manisty, Magistrate and Collector of Saran, says, 'Ganja...Yes; it is mainly confined to the male sex above the age of 15.' Babu Navin Krishna Banerji, Brahman, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Purulia, District Manbhum, says, '[C]hildren do not use them. These drugs are used after the sixteenth or seventeenth year.' Babu Gobind Chandra Basak, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Brahmanbaria, Tippera District, says, 'Boys below 16, who are tobacco smokers, also smoke ganja in Trinath Mela, a religious gathering among low people.' Babu Ganendra Nath Pal, Kayasth, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Naogaon, says, 'Generally young people are seen to smoke ganja between the age of 16 to 45.' Babu Braja Durlabh Hazara, Kayasth, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Howrah, says, 'Children of 14 or 15 have been found to smoke ganja. The habit is hardly given up so long as the lips are quick.' Babu Suresh Chundra Bal, Baidya, Special Excise Deputy Collector, Howrah, says, 'Children never use these drugs, but young men of the age of sixteen or eighteen sometimes use it.' Babu Kali Das Mukerji, Sub-Deputy Collector and Superintendent of Distillery, Serampore, Hughli, says, 'I know only one case in which a Brahmin boy of fourteen years of age used to smoke ganja.' Mr. R. L. Ward, District Superintendent of Police, Rajshahi, says, 'Boys below ten or twelve scarcely ever take a drug like ganja. But among the ascetics this is not uncommon.' Mr. H. P. Wylly, Government Agent at Keonjhar, Orissa, says, '[B]ut youths, boys of fifteen or sixteen, take to it, and these become the confirmed ganja smokers.' Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel W. Flood Murray, Civil Surgeon, Shahabad, says, 'The practice is mainly confined to the male sex and seldom indulged in by children, though I have met instances of young boys smoking ganja.' Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel Russick Lall Dutt, Officiating Civil Surgeon, 24-Parganas, says, 'Young men between the ages of 15 to 20 begin its use..' Surgeon-Major R. Cobb, Civil Surgeon and Superintendent, Lunatic Asylum, Dacca, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume them; but from enquiry among the shop-keepers here I find about 8 per cent. of these customers are young people from 12 to 16 years old.' Assistant Surgeon Rai Taraprosanna Rai Bahadur, Baidya, Chemical Examiner to the Government of Bengal, Calcutta, says, 'Children rarely use them unless when they are very depraved.' Assistant Surgeon Bosonto Kumar Sen, in Civil Medical Charge, Bogra, says, 'Children are not free from ganja-smoking, the boys of the singing party generally smoke ganja.' Assistant Surgeon Soorjee Narain Singh, Kayasth, Bankipur, says, 'Children of low castes may use ganja.' Assistant Surgeon Nemai Churn Chatterji, Brahmin, Bhagalpur, says, 'No; so far as I know I don't think it usual for children to consume any of these drugs, though a few low class boys, specially those whose fathers or guardians are addicted to the drugs, learn to use them while yet in their teens.' Civil Hospital Assistant Trailakyanath Banerji, 24-Parganas, says, 'Ganja and bhang are not confined to the male sex, and even children become habituated to these drugs, though not very common.' Rev. D. Morison, M.B., C.M., M.D., Medical Missionary, Rampur Boalia, says, 'I was more than surprised to find that even boys from 10 to 15 years club together and buy ganja to smoke. Boys carrying bricks and mortar for brick-layers I found doing so.' Trailokya Nath Majumdar, Baidya, Medical Practitioner, Bankipur, says, 'Exceptional cases are seen of boys using both ganja and bhang; although as a general rule men, when they are young, acquire it as a habit and continue it till late in their lives.' Prasad Das Mallik, Subarnabanik, Medical Practitioner, Hughli, says, 'The consumption of these drugs is confined mainly to the male sex, to adolescence and old age.' Tara Nath Bal, Kayasth, Medical Practitioner, Mymensingh, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs, but I know of one or two instances in which among the lower class of people, children consume ganja.' Guru Charan Ghosh, Medical Practitioner, Monghyr, says, 'Yes, children of bad character consume these drugs.' Piyari Mohan Kaviraj, Vaidya, Native Physician, Calcutta, says, 'Some children, say over 10 or 12 years of age, also do take these drugs, but their number is not large.' Braham Deo Narain Misra, Vaid, Arrah, says, 'There may be, and there are, children uncared for, or having none to take care of who have caught the contagion by moving into bad societies.' Raja Mahima Ranjan Roy Chowdhry, Zamindar, Kakina, Rangpur, says, 'It is not usual for the children to use any of these drugs; but many of the children of the sanyasis use ganja.' Babu Rughu Nandan Prasadha, Zamindar, Patna, says, '[T]hey are used from adolescence to extreme old age.' Babu Jagat Kishor Acharjea Chaudhuri, Brahmin, Zamindar, Muktagacha, District Mymensingh, says, 'The few children that addict to ganja smoking are considered lost children.' Babu Jogendra Kishore Rai Chaudhuri, Zamindar, Ramgopalpur, District Mymensingh, says, 'Those of the low class people, however, are often seen to smoke tobacco.' Mr. L. H. Mylne, Zamindar and Indigo-planter, Justice of the Peace, President of Independent Bench of Honorary Magistrates, Chairman of Jugdispur Municipality, District Shahabad, says, 'Chiefly in company, and is confined to the male sex of all ages above 10 or 12 years.' Babu Jadunath Kanjilal, Brahmin, Pleader, Judge's Court, Hughli, says, 'The boys of boatmen, fishermen and the young mendicants are often seen smoking ganja.' Babu Nobo Gopal Bose Rai Chowdhoory, Kayasth, Talukdar and Judge's Court Pleader (late Munsiff of Nator), Memari, Burdwan District, says, 'This vice begins with a man in his youth. But once commenced, it continues up to the old age. Those who use ganja, and know its use to be beneficial, try to have their children accustomed in ganjasmoking. The adult members in a family using ganja, the children thereof acquire and learn and inherit the habit.' Babu Abinas Chandra Dass, M. A., B. L., Pleader, Judge's Court, Bankura, says, 'Children of the lower classes have been known to drink siddhi and smoke ganja; but it is not usual with them.' Babu Akshay Kumar Maitra, Secretary, Rajshahi Association, Pleader, Judge's Court, Member, Rajshahi District Board, Commissioner, Rampur Boalia Municipality, says, 'An old, ill-tempered Bengali sanyasi, who called himself Gosain RupGiri, used to reside in the Kali-bari as its high priest. In the evening previous to the Baruni snan day, he, in company with several others, some of whom belonged to the respectable classes, and two of whom were boys aged from fifteen to eighteen years, was indulging in ganja freely...Sometimes young boys and low prostitutes are also found addicted to it...The last clause of this question, namely, "Is it usual for children to consume any of these drugs ?" seems to me rather misleading. As the question stands it must be answered in the negative, but still it is not very unusual to find children addicted to, or occasionally indulging in, ganja or bhang.' District Board, Patna, says, 'It is usually taken at the age of 15, and in exceptional cases at a lower age.' District Board, Monghyr (Sub-Committee), says, 'Smokers usually begin at the age of 15, much as European children begin the use of tobacco.' Prosunno Koomar Das, Baidya, Medical Practitioner, Silchar, Cachar, says, 'Tea garden coolie children sometimes smoke ganja, but that is not an usual practice.' Mr. Alfred Spicer, Tea Planter, Pathecherra, Cachar, says, 'Children under ten do not smoke.' Masdar Ali, Pleader, Sylhet, says, 'From the age of 15 upwards.' Kamini Kumar Chandra, Kayastha, Bengali, Pleader, Silchar, says, 'It is not usual, but in some instances,. which are unfortunately multiplying, children also take to it.' Gangadhar Sormah, Brahmin, Pleader, Jorhat, says, 'Children (such as spoiled students) are the general consumers of the ganja drug.' Laksmikanta Barkagati, Brahma, Secretary to the Tezpur Raiyats' Association, Tezpur, Darrang, says, 'It is practised from 16 years upwards.' Radha Nath Changkakoti, Brahmin, Proprietor, "Radha Nath" Printing Press; Municipal Commissioner; Member of Local Board; Secretary to the Upper Assam Association; and Secretary to the Government Girls'  School, Dibrugarh, says, 'Ganja is practised in solitude by young beginners. There is nothing to prevent children to consume bhang when in bad company.' Mr. B. Rpbertson, Deputy Commissioner, Nimar, says, 'Children do not smoke ganja. The habit is acquired, much' like tobacco smoking, when the youth wishes to be considered a man.' Bhargow Laxmon Gadgit, Brahmin, Extra Assistant Commissioner, Nagpur, says, 'Males generally use these drugs, but females and children of the mendicant class who follow them sometimes partake of the drug.' T. Goondiah, Tahsildar, Janjgir, Bilaspur District, says, 'Boys above fifteen years commence smoking ganja, and children drink bhang and do not smoke ganja.' Anandi Pershad, Excise Daroga, Hoshangabad, says, 'All the abovementioned drugs are commenced from the beginning of the age of puberty, and when they have become slaves to them, they are obliged to continue them till their old age.' Brijmohun Patnaik, Mahanti, Treasurer, Sambalpur, says, 'From 16 to 35 years is the usual time of life.' Apothecary George Murphy, Civil Surgeon, Mandla, says, 'Boys working with boatmen, or in coolie gangs, are sometimes included in ganja smoking bouts and become habituals.' Khushali Ram, Honorary Magistrate, Chhindwara, says, 'Boys do not smoke till after 15 or 16, when they continue all their lives. If a man begins he never leaves off.' Gangadharrao Madho Chitnavis, Honorary Magistrate, Nagpur, says, 'Children seldom use it but only those of the above class of population who find it within their easy reach and who take it from the example of their fathers.' Rao Sahib Balwantrao Govindrao Bhuskute, Brahmin, Jagirdar of Timborni, Barhanpar, Nimar District, says, 'Some ill-behaved lads, moving in bad company, begin to use it about the time they are 15 or 16 years old.' Adhar Singh Gour, Kshattri, Barrister-at-law, Hoshangabad, says, 'Boys attached to devotees, however, learn to smoke and drink as soon as they become members of the fraternity.' Babu Kalidas Chowdhry, Brahmin, Pleader, Hoshangabad, says, 'It is mainly confined to the male sex above the age of 15 years in the case of ganja..' Rao Sahib Rangrao Harry Khisty, Pleader, Bhandara, says, 'They follow the example of their parents or others afterwards, when they attain age of discretion. Generally this habit is formed when a person can earn for himself, and kept up until old age.' Girdhari Lal, Oswal Bania, Merchant and Banker, Seoni-Chapara, says, 'Ganja smoking is not peculiar to any special age. Boys begin from 12 to 15, following the example of their fathers and elders.' Onkar Das, Agarwalla Bania, Mahajan, Seoni-Chapara, says, 'Boys of the labouring and ganja smoking classes begin to smoke ganja from 12 years old and upwards: result of example, because they think it manly.' Husen Khan, Pathan, Abkari Contractor, Seoni-Chapara, says, 'Boys, the sons of smokers, begin to smoke ganja  when they go out to work with their fathers or caste-fellows.' Mr. C. H. Mounsey, Acting Collector of Cuddapah, says 'It is confined to the male sex; not generally begun before early manhood; but one smoker I saw declared he began when ten years old.' M. Azizuddeen, Sahib Bahadur, Deputy Collector, North Arcot, says, 'Children of fakirs and bairagis of about seven or eight years of age also smoke ganja.' Mr. J. H. Gwynne , Deputy Collector, Wynaad, Malabar District, says, 'In rare cases children learn the' habit from their fathers or guardians, who get the preparation made by them.' A. Katchapeswara Iyer, Brahmin, Stationary Sub-Magistrate, Cuddapah Taluk, says, 'Children above ten years begin to contract the habit.' Mr. R. W. Morgan, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Ootacamund, Nilgiris, says, 'Rajput boys of 10 or 12 years of age smoke ganja without their parents’ knowledge.' Hospital Assistant Jagannath Pandit, Uriya, Russellkonda, Ganjam District, says, 'As the children do not consume them, it could be safely said that it is confined to the time of life above 12 years of age.' Saiyid Mahmud alias Hakeem Nhannay Mian, Medical Practitioner, Cuddapah, says, 'Ganja and bhang is used publicly in common bhangar khanas and as well as privately in one's own place. The exact number of consumers has not as yet been ascertained. Persons of all ages commencing from 11 or 12 years use ganja and bhang in this place.' Rev. John S. Chandler, Missionay Madura, says, '[G]anja electuary is given to children. Boys also take it in sport for the intoxication.' Rev. H. F. LaFlamme, Canadian Baptist Mission, Yellamanchili, Vizagapatam, says, 'Ganja mostly confined to males from 15 years up...Boys attached to the mats or monasteries of the religious mendicants or friars will use it from eight or ten years of age onward, but I hear of no others.' K. Vematasoobiah, Veishya, Trader and Pleader, District Munsiff's Court, Cuddapah, says, 'It is generally confined to the adult male sex generally above sixteen years of age.' Mr. D . Maneckji, Parsi, Merchant and Contractor, Calicut, says, 'The bairagis as a rule use it when they are young, say about 14 to 15 years of age.' Rao Bahadur Narayan Ganesh Deshpande, Brahmin, Deputy Collector, Belgaum, says, 'The bairagis are said to initiate their children at the age of 12 to 14.' Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel W. McConaghy, Civil Surgeon, and Superintendent, Lunatic Asylum, Poona, says, 'The habit is generally contracted after puberty.' Surgeon-Major K. R. Kirtikar, Civil Surgeon, Thana, and Medical Officer, Thana Depot and District Jail, says, 'Boys in former days, so far back as thirty years, — such of them at any rate as had the misfortune to fall into bad company, — were known to me, who played the truant at school, and occasionally indulged in a clandestine drink or smoke ; but the number of such truants has always been very small. Such boys have always been looked down upon, and in my experience have always turned out bad men in after-life.' Assistant Surgeon Anna Morshwar Kunte, J. J. Hospital, Bombay, says, 'Children under 13 or 14 years of age are not found smoking ganja.' Babu Suresh Chundra Bal, Baidya, Special Excise Deputy Collector, Howrah, says, '[Children] of sixteen or eighteen sometimes use it.' Bhalchandra Krishna Bhatavadekar, Brahmin, Medical Practitioner, Bombay, says, 'Lower class children to a small extent use these drugs.' Ismail Jan Mohomed, Khoja, Physician, Bombay, says, 'Children soon get into the habit of taking bhang, if they only use it for a few times.' Rao Bahadur Huchrao Achut Harihar, Deshast Brahmin, Pleader, District Court, Belgaum, says, 'It is consumed by the male sex above twelve years of age at any stage of life.' Nannu Mian B. Shaikh, Municipal Secretary, Surat, says, 'Ganja is smoked also by sadhus' children, and there is no limit of age when they commence smoking.' Gurappa Rachappa, Lengayet, Office of Shetti (Revenue and Police), Dharwar, says, 'It is mainly confined to the male sex above the age of 15 years...Boys below 15 years do not use these drugs.' Laldas Laxmonji, Kshatriya, Solicitor's Clerk, Bombay, says, 'The consumption of ganja and bhang is seldom begun before the age of sixteen, and the use is continued to all ages.' Rahmatala Khan, Police Inspector, Shikarpur, says, 'Sometimes boys also fall into the habit in a short time.' Rao Bahadur Lakshman Matthraji, Police Inspector, Hyderabad, Sind, says, 'Boys above ten years of age are in the habit of using them.' Dr. S. M. Kaka, Medical Officer of Health, Karachi, says, 'The proportion of consumers appear to be greatest between the ages of 16 and 30 than at other ages. Females and children do not usually indulge in them. I have seen a few children 7 and 8 years old and boys from 10 to 14 smoking charas and ganja. Question 30. [oral evidence] — It is rare for such young children to use the drugs; but I have seen it. They are generally poor low Muhammadans. The debauchee parent gives the drug to the child.' Pesumal Narumal, Farmer and Merchant, Hyderabad, says, 'Boys also use bhang, but very rarely ganja and charas.' Surgeon-Major R. B. Roe, Civil Surgeon, Amraoti, says, 'It is not used by children under 12 years of age.' Yashvant Nilkanth, Patana Prabhu, Superintendent, Office of Survey Commissioner, and Director of Land Records and Agriculture, Bombay, says, 'Boys are not known to indulge in these drugs. The use of ganja sweatmeats is more general ; but even these are not eaten by children.' Babu Abhilas Chandra Mukerjee, Brahmin, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, on deputation as 2nd Inspector of Excise, Bengal, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume ganja, bhang or charas. Exceptions— (1) Abdul, an orphan, and one of the shop boys in the Nasirabad ganja shop, commenced smoking ganja at the age of eight or nine, and is now eighteen or nineteen. He can smoke a large quantity of ganja, and can stand its effect. He is of robust constitution, healthy, of good temper, of lively spirits, can work very hard, is willing and obedient, and is always cheerful. (2) Among lower classes and among jatrawalas (music party) children of eight or ten years sometimes learn to smoke from their fathers and elders, who themselves smoke ganja. The father smokes the ganja, and the child gives one or two pulls when the chillum is kept aside. Among lower classes (mistri, carpenter, coolie, etc.), father, son, and grandson smoke tobacco together. Children learn to smoke tobacco when very young. Chandra Nath Mistri of Akna, near Nasirabad, smokes ganja with his sons.' Babu Gobind Chandra Das, Baidya, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Malda, says, 'Children below 14 rarely take to this drug.' Mr. W. R. Bright, Deputy Commissioner of Palámau, says, 'It is not usual for children to use either of these drugs, but I have no doubt some do so.' Babu Gobind Chandra Das, Baidya, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Malda, says, 'Children below 14 rarely take to this drug.' Babu Gour Das Bysack, Retired Deputy Collector, Calcutta, says, 'We have rarely seen children under twelve or fourteen years of age smoking ganja or charas; but those who begin at an early age cannot shake off the habit at any time of their lives.' Babu Pratapchandra Ghosha, Registrar of Calcutta, says, 'Children of the habitual moderate consumers are generally initiated by their parents.' Rev. W. H. Campbell, Missionary, London Missionary Society, Cuddapah, says, '[L]ads sometimes begin to use them at the age of 15 or 16.' P. C. Anunthacharlu, Brahmin, Chairman, Municipal Council, and Government Pleader, Bellary, 'Children under twelve years do not use it.' Rao Bahadur Ramchandra Rajaram Mule, Deshastha Brahmin, Administrator of Jath, in Southern Mahratta Country, says, 'It is not usual for children of tender years (under 14 years) to smoke ganja.' Rao Bahadur Narayan Ganesh Deshpande, Brahmin, Deputy Collector, Belgaum, says, 'The bairagis are said to initiate their children at the age of 12 to 14.' Maulavi Abdus Samad, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Purulia, Manbhum, says, 'Ganja is consumed by children, especially those that attend upon mahantas and jogis as intending disciples. [oral evidence] — I have seen boys as young as eight years old taking ganja. I can remember one in the Manbhum district, who was nine years of age. No others.'

Generally, most teenagers who smoked ganja did it surreptiously, since discovery would have meant punishment. Some adults may have occasionally indulged a teenager smoking ganja once in a while, but this would not have always been the case. Lall Umed Singh, Zamindar, Bilaspur District, says, 'The practice [ganja smoking] is never commenced before sixteen. His father and mother smack a boy who tries to smoke before this...Opium, but not these drugs, is given to children.' Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel E. Bovill, Officiating Civil Surgeon of Patna and Superintendent, Lunatic Asylum, says, 'A son will not take ganja before his father, or an inferior before a superior...Children seldom take these drugs. A little bhang may sometimes be given them to drink.' Babu Beprodas Banerjee, Brahman, Pleader, Newspaper Editor, and Chairman, Baraset Municipality, says, 'Children do not smoke ganja. The greatest smoker won't allow it.[bhang] children seldom. The same is the case with charas.' Mir Imdad Ali, Honorary Magistrate, Damoh, says, 'No one wishes his children to learn the practice ; even a confirmed ganja smoker will beat his child if he discovers him doing it.' Mahendra Nath Roy, Resident Medical Officer, General Hospital, Rangoon, says, 'Bhang is consumed in public, as sanctioned in the social custom mentioned under paragraph 32 ; but it must be mentioned that a son using anything intoxicating (even smoking common tobacco) before his father or men of that position is not sanctioned by good manners.' 

 

Cannabis usage in youth above the age of 18

We see from the evidence that most young people took up cannabis usage after they had reached their youth i.e. around the age of twenty. By this time, the mind of the child had passed through the teenage years of curiosity, and had reached the stage where it sought independence and demanded the right to be acknowledged as an adult capable of taking its own decisions regarding how its life needed to be conducted. We also see that most persons who took up cannabis usage in their youth seldom gave it up for the rest of their lives. As I said earlier, to the youthful mind cannabis represents pleasure. Cannabis represents a breaking away from the chains that have bound the youth to the parent up to this point in time. Cannabis is an initiation of the young mind into adulthood, much like the acts of courage that hunting communities in various parts of the world demand of their youth to initiate them into adulthood, in order to learn pain and suffering and to become prepared for the life of responsibility ahead. I believe that the age of twenty or above is the right age to start using cannabis. This is not just because I started using cannabis more regularly around the age of twenty (even though I had started trying it around the age of eighteen), but because when one starts to use cannabis of one's own accord and not as medicine or the occasional treat given by elders, especially the smoking of ganja, one needs to have a fair idea of the journey that one is embarking on - the destination being that of becoming Siva (or Jehovah or Allah or Jove, if you prefer to call the eternal spirit by these names that you are more acquainted with) if one has the mental maturity to achieve the highest goal and go the whole distance. The thought itself is so frightening to most, that they will run in the opposite direction if they become aware of it. Others will constantly deny the thought and try and stay in states of relative immaturity as long as possible. Not that this is bad. It is still quite excellent, actually. To use ganja for pleasure, medicine, intoxication and to ensure one's physical and mental well-being throughout one's life is good enough, isn't it? The step to spirituality takes a certain kind of constitution that not everybody has. So, yes, around twenty is probably the right age to start becoming a lifelong ganja smoker. As Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits sang in The Planet of New Orleans, 'If you ever land upon it, better know what's on it...' 

 

Let us see the evidence from 19th century India, as provided by witnesses to the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission of 1894-95, regarding the use of cannabis - especially ganja - by the youth i.e. those above the age of eighteen. Even though twenty seems to be a general starting point for many cannabis smokers, we see that ages over eighteen are also cited by witnesses. Babu Abhilas Chandra Mukerjee, Brahmin, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, on deputation as 2nd Inspector of Excise, Bengal, says, 'In towns ganja is consumed in company generally by the male sex, and by young men of twenty to twenty-two. They commence smoking when they are between twenty to thirty, and they cannot give up their habit; on the contrary, they have to increase their dose. As in other intoxicants it commences with the young people, and increases with age if they can afford to pay for it...' Rao Bahadur Narayan Ganesh Deshpande, Brahmin, Deputy Collector, Belgaum, says, 'This vice is confined to the male sex, and is generally acquired after the age of 20.' Babu Kanti Bhushan Sen, Baidya, Special Excise Deputy Collector of Cuttack, says, 'Generally, persons advanced in years consume them; but the lower classes, e.g., fishermen, begin the practice from their youth.' Mr. F. H. Barrow, Magistrate and Collector of Bankura, says, 'Ganja, charas and bhang are seldom used by the people before they are 20 or 25 years of age.' Mr. H. F. T. Maguire, Magistrate and Collector of Khulna, says, 'I have seen ganja-smokers of any age from 20 upwards.' Mr. J. H. Bernard, Offg. Magistrate and Collector, Nadia, says, 'In youth, people learn to use them.' Mr. E. MCL. Smith, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Sonthal Parganas, says, 'Generally the sons of habitual ganja smokers begin the practice early. Otherwise it is not consumed till the age of twenty is passed.' Babu Bhairab Nath Palit, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Birbhum, says, 'The use of these drugs is mainly confined to male sex generally, from youth.' Babu Wooma Charan Bose, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector; Manager, Raj Banaili, District Bhagalpur, says, 'Confined mainly to the male sex and the youths.' Babu Sir Chunder Soor, Satgope, 1st Assistant Supervisor of Ganja Cultivation, Naogaon, Rajshahi, says, 'It is generally smoked by young men of the age of eighteen to forty-five.' Assistant Surgeon Akbar Khan, Teacher, Temple Medical School, Patna, says, 'Men in youth use these more than at any other time of life.' Kedareswar Acharjya, Brahmin, Medical Practitioner, Rampur Boalia, says, 'Ganja-smoking is scarcely taken to before arriving at the age of 20 years or so.' Bijoya Ratna Sen, Kaviranjan, Kabiraj, Calcutta, says 'It is mainly confined to the male sex between the age of 20 and 50.' Rai Bahadur Radha Ballav Chowdhuri, Baidya, Honorary Magistrate and Zamindar, Sherpur Town, Mymensingh District, says, 'It is mainly confined to the male sex, about 20.' Babu Surendra Nath Pal Chowdhury, Zamindar, Ranaghat, District Nadia, says, 'None of these drugs is confined to any particular time of life, although the youths generally take to these things;' Revd. G. C. Dutt, Missionary, Khulna, says, 'Generally taken at youth.' Babu Anango Mohan Naha, Kayasth, Judge's Court Pleader, Comilla, Tippera District, says, ' Ganja is used by male persons after they become majors.' Babu Nobin Chandra Sarkar, Kayasth, Wholesale and retail vendor of ganja and bhang, Barisal, says, 'Ganja is generally used in company by men and sometimes by prostitutes and baistabs, after attaining the age of 20 up to old age.' Moulvi Abdul Kadir, Honorary Magistrate and Zamindar, Sylhet, says, 'Generally they are used by young men; children scarcely use them.' Mr. H. V. Drake-Brockman, Officiating  Commissioner of Excise, Central Provinces, says, 'The habit is contracted by males about the age of 19 years.' Mr. A. E. Lowrie, Officiating Deputy Conservator of Forests, Chanda, says, 'It is confined to the male sex only, and from the age of 20 and upwards.' Modan Mohan Seth, Honorary Magistrate, Jubbulpore, says, 'Young men use these drugs.' Rai Bahadur Seth Tika Ram, Brahmin, Money-lender and Malguzar, Narsinghpur, says, 'On coming of age, however, they begin to use them at any time of their life they please.' Damodhar Dass, Brahmin, Mafidar, Bargarh, Sambalpur District, says, '18 to 30 is the common age. Most give up the habit after 30. [oral evidence] — It is true that some people do abandon the drugs after 30 years of age. Confirmed consumers are however the majority, and do not give up the habit.' Rev. I. Jacob, Church of England Missionary, Chairman, District Council, etc., Chanda, says, 'Ganja smoking is generally commenced in the prime of life, say, at 20.' B. Narayanamurty, Brahmin, Deputy Collector, Ganjam, says, 'The use of these drugs is mainly confined to males after twenty years, and the habit grows with age.' Krishna Chandra Sanyal, Brahmin, Medical Practitioner, Sylhet, says, 'Siddhi and ganja are indulged in from youth to any time of life. The habit is contracted in youth.' Chandi Pershad, Brahmin, Malguzar, and President, Municipal Committee, Chanda, says, 'It is generally begun in youth, but once begun is continued to old age.' A. Krishnamacharulu, Tahsildar, Bapatla, Kistna District, says, '[B]ut the children do not seem to be allowed its use, until they grow up into men.' M. Seshachala Naidu, Baliya, Pensioned Tahsildar, Vellore, says, 'Mostly confined to adult males or youths. They use in company in Matams, or Choultries.' Apothecary Muhammad Asadulla, Ellore, Godavary District, says, 'Usually from the eighteenth year or the age of adolesence.' Mr. J. Monteath, Collector and District Magistrate, Bijapur, says, 'Persons under 20 are seldom addicted to the drugs.' Rao Saheb Shesho Krisna Mudkavi, Mamlatdar of Taluka Bijapur, Bijapur, says, 'The addiction occurs at an age later than eighteen.' Hospital Assistant Bhau Saccaram, Brahmin, Raipur Dispensary, says, 'It is only confined to the male sex, and to persons above the age of 20.' Vithaldas Pranjiwandass, Bhunksali Landlord and Trader, late Intoxicating Drugs Farmer, Bombay, says, 'The consumption of these drugs is mainly confined to the male sex, and to persons aged from 20 to 40 years.' Nawalchand Heerachand, Jeweller, Bombay, says, 'Men commence to drink when they are 20 years of age, and they continue doing so to old age.' Rao Bahadur Venkat Rango Katti, Pensioner, Dharwar, says, 'Children are not addicted to any of these. The habit of smoking begins with youth and grows to its utmost in old age.' Assistant Surgeon, J. E. Bocarro, Lecturer, Medical School, Hyderabad (Sind), says, 'Young men over 18 sometimes, young women under 25 never.' Waman Ganesh, Tahsildar, Wun, says, 'It is mainly confined to the male sex of 20 years of age and above.' Vickooji Narain, Tahsildar, Kathapur, says, 'It is mainly confined to the males of over 20 years of age.' Laxman Gopal Deshpande, Brahmin, Naib Tahsildar, Mangrul Taluk, District Basim, says, 'The consumption of each of the these drugs is practised by males of 20 years of age and above in solitude or in company.'

We see some witnesses to the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission stating an even later age for the start of ganja consumption in 19th century India when cannabis was completely unregulated. This further reiterates the proof that ganja-smoking is a practice of adult men and women. Maulavi Abdus Samad, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Purulia, Manbhum, says, 'Ganja is ordinarily consumed by people above thirty years of age.' Babu Aghore Nath Banerji, Vice-Chairman, Serampore Municipality, District Hughli, says, 'Male sex usually smoke ganja or charas after the age of 30.' Mir Zamin Ali, Pensioned Hospital Assistant, Jabalpur, says, 'These things are mainly confined to males of riper age.' Rev. O. Lohr, Medical Missionary, Bisrampur, Raipur District, says, 'It is used more by middle-aged men than by others.' R. Saminatha Iyer, Brahmin, Acting Deputy Tahsildar, Coonoor, says, 'They are said to be consumed generally by Muhammadans at the age of about forty years till the end of their lives.' Surgeon-Major W. F Thomas, Acting District Medical and Sanitary Officer, Chingleput, says, 'These habits are mainly confined to the male sex, chiefly by those over 30 years of age.' Dr. Arthur Wells, Medical Officer, Chicacole, Ganjam District, says, 'As a rule, adults after middle age become habitually used to these drugs.' Rev. H. J. Goffin, Missionary, Kadiri, Cuddapah District, says, 'Generally speaking, the middle-aged and old use it most.' Rev. W. V. Higgins, Missionary, Parlakimedi, Ganjam District, says, 'The drugs are used here only by men of middle age.' Rev. J. Heinrichs, Missionary, Vinukunda, Kistna District, says, 'Oftener the latter consumption is restricted to full grown males and more especially to worn-out and invalid persons.' V. Siva Yogi, Brahmin, 1st Grade Pleader and .Municipal Chairman, Vellore, says, 'It is mainly confined to the male sex during middle age.' Khan Sahib Nasarvanji Edalji Sethna, Parsi, Abkari Inspector, Satara, says, 'It is very seldom that a man below the age of 25 takes to these habits; but when once the habit is formed, it generally does not leave them till death. Ganja is generally smoked by persons over the age of twenty-five up to any time in advanced life.' Assistant Surgeon B. H. Nanavatty, Parsi, and Teacher of Surgery and Midwifery, Medical School, Ahmedabad, says, 'Ganja smoking is usually practised by the males, adults, middle-aged, and the old.' Rao Bahadur Govindrao Ramchandra Garud, Pleader Dhulia, Khandesh, Ahmedabad, says, 'It is mainly confined to the male sex above the age of 25 or 30.' Dr. W. J. Montgomery, Civil Surgeon, Buldana, says, 'It is mainly confined to the male sex and to middle and old age.' Surgeon-Major S. H. Dantra, Civil Surgeon, Mandalay, says, 'Generally confined to male sex and after about 35 years of age.'

19th century cannabis use by the young in India - In summary

Just as there is near complete evidence that children below 12 never took cannabis - except under parental or medical supervision, and that too as the beverage bhang or the sweetmeat majum - and that they did not smoke ganja or charas, we see near complete evidence that ganja and charas smoking was an adult habit. Even though most witnesses say that it was confined to males, we have seen in the article Cannabis and Women that this is not entirely the case. But, in general, we can say that adult males were the predominant smokers of ganja, and I would attribute this mainly to patriarchal society's biases against smoking - especially smoking by adult women. Smoking anyway is considered an adult practice, and so children smoking is anyway not allowed in any society, even if children wanted to, that is. P. C. Anunthacharlu, Brahmin, Chairman, Municipal Council, and Government Pleader, Bellary, says, 'People in manhood take more often.' Mr. F. H. B. Skrine, Magistrate and Collector of Bhagalpur, says, 'The consumption of ganja is principally confined to males, with whom the habit begins at maturity.' Babu Dina Nath De, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Nadia, says, 'Ganja, siddhi, and charas are generally taken by adults. No; children do not use any of these drugs.' Babu Ganganath Roy, Kayasth, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Chittagong, says, 'The habit is contracted in the prime of life and is seldom given up. It is not usual for children to use either of these drugs.' Babu Manmohan Chakravarti, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Jajpur, Cuttack, Orissa, says, 'The bhang is drunk both by children and adults; ganja smoked chiefly by adults.' Babu Nobin Chandra Kar, Excise Deputy Collector, Bhagalpur, says, 'The consumption of ganja is principally confined to males, with whom the habit begins when adults.' Babu Rajani Prasad Neogy, Excise Deputy Collector, Mymensingh, says, 'The consumption of the drug [ganja] is almost confined to adults. Ganja is seldom, if ever, consumed by children.' Babu Roy Brahma Dutt, Kayasth, Excise Deputy Collector, Darbhanga, says, 'Children are not allowed to contract the habit of consuming the drugs, especially ganja.' Babu Banku Behari Dutt, Excise Deputy Collector, Backergunge, says, 'No; children do not appear to consume these drugs. Ganja is generally consumed by the male sex at or after their youth.' Mr. W. Sarson, retired Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, formerly Abkari Superintendent, Chittagong, says, 'I have not heard of women or children smoking ganja.' Babu Hem Chunder Kerr, Kayasth, Retired Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Sub-Registrar of Sealdah, says, 'The consumption of hemp drugs is generally confined to adult males. Children and women are seldom found to take these drugs.' Babu Jadub Chandra Chukerbutty, Brahmin, Civil and Sessions Judge, Kuch Behar, says, 'Both are mainly confined to adult males.' Babu Sreenath Chatterjee, Brahmin, Cashier, Public Works Department, Darjeeling Division, says, 'It is not at all usual for children to consume any except in rare cases, in the unhealthy parts of Bengal.' Babu Hara Gopal Dutta, Kayasth, Retired Excise Daroga, Mymensingh, says, 'Ganja and bhang are generally taken by adults and old men. It is not usual for children to take ganja or bhang.' Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel A. Crombie, M.D., SurgeonSuperintendent, General Hospital, Calcutta, says, 'Mainly confined to males; never children.' Surgepm-Lieutenant-Colonel E. G. Russell, Civil Surgeon, Darjeeling, says, 'Male sex. No, children do not usually consume.' Surgeon-Captain D. Prain, Curator of the Herbarium, and Librarian, Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta, says, 'The use of ganja is confined, I am told, mainly to the male sex, and is fairly general among grown men...It is not usual for children to smoke ganja or drink bhang, or even to eat majum.' Assistant Surgeon Norendra Nath Gupta, Baidya, in Civil Medical charge, Rangpur, says, 'Its use is chiefly confined to male sex and generally from adult age. It is not used by the children here.' Assistant Surgeon Prenath Bose, Teacher of Materia Medica and Practical Pharmacy, Dacca, says, 'Mainly confined to the male sex to middle and old age. It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Mohes Chunder Ghose, G.M.C.B., Kayasth, Medical Practitioner, Ramnagar, 24-Parganas, says, 'The male sex from manhood upwards are generally addicted to the habit, but females are not exceptions. It is not usual for children to contract the habit.' Bassunto Kumar Roy, Zamindar and Medical Practitioner, 24-Parganas, says, 'Males generally use them; children never take them.' Binod Lal Sen, Baidya, Kaviraj, Calcutta, says, 'Only grown-up men use these drugs. It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Ram Chander Goopta, Kabiraj, Barisal, Backergunge District, says, 'There is no limit of age for the use of these drugs, but most of the young and old men use them. They are not consumed by children.' Madhab K. Das, Kayasth, Private Practitioner, Calcutta, says, 'The use is not confined to any time of life, neither is it usual for children to consume any of these drugs.' Raja Peary Mohun Mukerji, C.S.I., Zamindar, Uttarpara, Hughli, says, 'In Lower Bengal ganja and charas are rarely smoked by women or children.' Rai Radha Govnda Rai, Sahib Bahadur, Kayasth, Zamindar, Dinajpur, says, 'The use of ganja and bhang is mainly confined to the male sex, and they are used by adults and old men. Children do not use the drugs.' Babu Hari Krishna Mazumdar, Baidya, Zamindar, Islampur, District Murshidabad, says, 'It is not confined to any time of life, but generally children do not consume any of these drugs.' Babu Raghunandan Prasad Sinha, Brahman, Zamindar, District Muzaffarpur, says, 'Ganja and bhang consumption is mainly confined to the male sex, and children do not usually consume them.' Banu Girjapat Sahai, Kayasth, Zamindar, Patna, says, 'Male sex of mature age, not children.' Babu Nundo Lal Gossain, Brahmin, Zamindar, Serampore, says, 'In Lower Bengal ganja and charas are rarely smoked by women or children.' Babu Kali Prasad Singh, Rajput, Zamindar, District Bhagalpur, says, 'Generally the majors use; their children never use.' Mr. John D. Gwilt, Tea Planter, Longview Company, Limited, Darjeeling, says, 'Men mostly use these drugs. I never heard of children taking them.' Babu Kailas Chandra Dutta, Baidya, Vakil, Judge's Court, Comilla, Tippera District, says, 'It is generally confined to the male sex, but females and children occasionally smoke ganja.' Babu Bhuvan Mohun Sanyal, Brahmin, Government Pleader, Purnea, says, '[Ganja] is mainly confined to the male sex and to the adults and old men. It is not usual for children to consume it.' Babu Kamala Kanta Sen, Kayasth, Zamindar and Pleader, President of the Chittagong Association, says, 'It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs. Adults and old people use the drugs.' Babu Ram Nidhi Shaha, Excise Vendor, Mymensingh, says, 'Ganja is not ordinarily consumed by children.' Mr. C. W. E. Pittar, Officiating Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup, says, 'Children do not smoke.' Ishan Chandra Patranavish, Bengali, Brahmin, Extra Assistant Commissioner, Sylhet, says, '[B]ut children do not, as a rule, smoke ganja.' Atul Chandra Roy, Bengali Vaidya, Assistant Surgeon, Emigration Department, Tezpur, says, 'It — I mean consumption of bhang and ganja — is mainly confined to the male sex and to the grown-up people, children scarcely consuming any of these drugs.' Revd. J. P. Jones, Missionary, Sylhet, says, 'It is very rarely that children take to ganja.' Raghunath Rao, Extra Assistant Commissioner, Damoh, says, 'Adult males generally use it. It is in exceptional cases that bhang is used by children or females.' Syed Mohamed Husain, Extra Assistant Commissioner ; Diwan, Khairagarh State, says, '[C]hildren do not smoke [ganja].' Ram Krishna Rao, Brahmin, Extra Assistant Commissioner, Bhandara, says, 'Both the drugs are confined to male adults ; they are never used by children.' Munshi Mahomed Ghouse, Extra Assistant Conservator of Forests, Raipur, says, 'There are rare instances in which the consumption of the above drugs is practised by females or children.' Hony. Surgeon-Major J. E. Harrison, Retired List, and Civil Surgeon, Kalahundi, says, 'It is chiefly confined to the male sex, and not used by the children.' Apothecary J. Prentie, Civil Surgeon, Bhandara, says, 'Almost entirely confined to male sex and to adults.' Hari Har Singh, Zamindar and Honorary Magistrate, Sambalpur District, says, 'It is confined both to the male sex and to the grown up persons. It is not used by the children.' Diwan Prem Singh, Zamindar, Bilaspur District, says, 'Children never take these drugs. They are never consumed before maturity.' Pandit Narayan Rao Gobind, Brahmin, Zamindar, Hurda, says, 'Generally its consumption is confined to the male sex and children are not allowed to use it.' Thakur Maharaj Singh, Rai Bahadur, Malguzar, Saugor, says, 'Adults are generally addicted to these drugs. No; it is not usual for children to consume these drugs.'  Lala Nandkeshore, Agartcal, Merchant, Banker, Contractor, Malgoozar, Honorary Magistrate, Secretary, Municipal Committee, and Member, District Council, Saugor, says, 'Yes; it is mainly confined to the male sex and to adults.' Mr. W. E. Ganapathy, Retired Deputy Collector, Palamcottah, Tinnevelly, says, 'Usually males contract the habit; children never take to it.' Colonel H. S. Elton, Commandant, 16th Regiment, Madras Infantry, Bellary, says, 'From manhood to death. Children never take them.' Surgeon-Captain C. F. Fearnside, Acting District Surgeon, Ganjam, says, 'Only confined to male adults.' Civil Apothecary T. M. Cheriyan, Manantoddy, says, 'The use of ganja is mainly confined to the male sex and to grown up people of that sex.'  P. Kesava Pillai, Karnam, Pleater, and Honorary Secretary of the Gooty People's Association, says, 'Only males use it; children do not smoke it.'  Mr. R. A. Lamb, Acting Collector, Kolaba, says, 'Mainly confined to male sex and to adult life. Children do not usually consume it.' Mr. A. H. Plunkett, City Magistrate, Poona, says, 'The habit is said to be usually contracted in adult age. Women and children are not found to use the drugs.' Rao Bahadur Bhaskar Rao Ramchandra Heblikar, Brahmin, Deputy Collector, Sholapur, says, 'The use is mainly confined to the male sex and to adults. The drugs are not used by children.'  Mr. W. Almon, Assistant Collector, Abkari Department, Bombay, says, 'The use of these drugs is confined to adults. It is, I believe, very unusual for children to consume these drugs.' Balkrishna Narayan Vaidya, Parbhu, State Karbhari of Sangli, says, 'It is generally the period of manhood when one gets addicted to the habit of smoking ganja.  Children are never seen to smoke ganja.' Khan Bahadur Nanbhoy Cowasji, Parsi, City Police Inspector, Surat, says, 'Bhang beverage is sometimes partaken of by females and children, but very seldom ; but ganja is not given to children to smoke.' Dayaram Kishunchand, Bhang, Charas and Ganja, and Opium Farmer, Hyderabad, says, 'The habit of using these drugs prevails among men and boys and occasionally among women.' Lakshman Atmaram Mahajan, Merchant, Manjrul Pir, says, 'It is mainly confined to adult males. It is not usual for children to consume ganja or bhang.' Babu Prokash Chunder Roy, Excise Deputy Collector, Patna, says, 'Moderate use of these drugs has never to my knowledge produced any harm. I have seen persons who were ganja smokers from their childhood to their old age to use it without any visible harm.'

So, studying cannabis usage by the young in 19th century India, we find this: infants and children below 12 were administered cannabis as the beverage bhang or the sweetmeat majum by their elders and physicians for medical purposes or as an occasional treat on festivals and family events; some teenagers between 12 and 18 started smoking ganja out of curiosity, imitating adults, or because they were largely unsupervised; some youth started smoking ganja at the age of eighteen; most youth took up serious ganja and charas smoking after the age of twenty or even later; ganja and charas smoking were essentially an adult affair. By creating laws in India that say that bhang is legal - even though hardly anybody even gets to see this legal bhang - it appears that the ruling classes and castes would like to keep the mentality of the people of India at the level of little children below the age of 12. The ganja and the charas used by adults is banned. The bhang preferred by the ruling upper classes and castes - which itself reflects the mental maturity levels of these classes and castes - even though said to be legal, can only be accessed by these very same ruling and upper classes and castes, and they do so with immunity. Anybody from the lower classes and castes, the minorities, etc., who grow a cannabis plant is arrested and put in prison unless the cannabis plant is being grown to provide for the ruling classes. Even though India's Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act says that bhang - the leaves of the cannabis plant - is legal, and that it is ganja - the flowers - and charas - the resin - that is illegal, law enforcement will arrest a person for growing, possessing, transporting or selling a cannabis plant even when it is in its leaf or bhang stage. One thing to bear in mind is that in 19th century India smoking ganja was widely percieved by the ruling upper classes and castes as a harmful and despicable habit of the lower classes and castes. The upper classes and castes sanctioned drinking bhang as healthy and even respectable. The absurdity that the same plant is used to make the beverage bhang, and smoked as ganja seems to be completely lost on these ignorant ruling upper classes and castes. This immature illogical approach to different forms of the same plant makes me think that it was not the plant, per se, that these ruling classes were opposed to, it was the action of smoking. It is quite possible that smoking in general was viewed as harmful and despicable by the ruling classes and castes, and the use of the term 'ganja' by the lower classes and castes, and the term 'bhang' by the upper classes and castes essentially served to create a schism in the cannabis plant itself, with the flowers or ganja and resin or charas being considered unacceptable and harmful since it was believed that it was this that was smoked. The truth of the matter is that all parts of the plant - leaves, flowers and resin - were used to both make the beverage bhang and the smokable ganja or charas. Smoking, as a form of administering anything, is a human trait that has been around possibly from the time that humans discovered how to make a fire. In Ayurveda, smoking as a form of consuming medicines falls in the category of nasal or head evacuation techniques of Panchakarma. It appears that the ruling upper classes and castes did not give much weightage to this, which possibly also explains their overall mental immaturity and illogical behavior towards smoking ganja and charas, as well as towards the lower classes and castes. Is it any wonder then that the maturity levels of India, when it comes to cannabis, remains at that of infants and children?

Cannabis usage by the young today

If we look at cannabis usage patterns across the world today, we will see that everywhere cannabis usage reflects the usage patterns we saw in 19th century India. So, whether cannabis is completely prohibited, or completely de-regulated, society, in general, will continue to use cannabis along the lines that were evident in 19th century India. By prohibiting cannabis, especially ganja and charas - or the flower and resin - we have only taken it out of the hands of the key user demographics - the adults, the elderly and women - who stand to benefit from it the most, and we have created a great incentive for the young to try cannabis, simply because it is a forbidden substance. By moving cannabis into the black market, we have made it accessible to the adventurous and bold youth who can find it, as well as the ruling upper classes and castes who can afford it. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime World Drug Report 2020 says, 'Adolescents and young adults account for the largest share of those using drugs. While that age group grew by 16 per cent in developing countries over the period 2000–2018, it declined by 10 per cent in developed countries.' Cannabis, as a forbidden temptation for the non-adult, is no different from any other freely available, typically adult, pursuit that children are generally forbidden from using  - like alcohol, tobacco, gambling, pornography or sex. The more curious and bolder children are likely to experiment with all of these, given the opportunity, but that does not mean that all who come in contact are doomed. Maybe a few will go on to become lifelong consumers of ganja, but that would be similar to the number of those who eventually drink alcohol or smoke tobacco or watch pornography or become sex addicts lifelong.

Extensive evidence, from the US states that have legalized recreational cannabis, clearly show that legalization does not lead to children becoming slaves to ganja. In fact, the rates of teenage consumption have actually dropped in places where cannabis has been legalized for recreational use. This is not a flash in the pan but trends spread over more than ten years, in places like Colorado and Washington that were the first states to legalize recreational cannabis use. The urge for a child to try ganja quite often comes from the forbidden nature of the herb, increasing the curiosity of a child who sees adults around him or her using it, while he or she is forbidden to do the same. The overwhelmingly irrefutable proof that legal ganja does not turn children into dope fiends is the fact that ganja was completely legal and free for tens of thousands of years, until the British arrived and decided to ban it in the 19th century, so that they could peddle their preferred drugs - opium, alcohol and tobacco. During the entire multi-thousand year period of ganja being freely available in India, the consumption by children was negligible, unless used as medicine or given to them by adults. Anti-ganja prohibitionists extensively use the argument that legalizing ganja will affect children adversely, failing to see, in their ignorance, that it is the prohibition of ganja that is causing more harm to the children. In the absence of ganja, children are accessing and forming the habit of consuming much more dangerous drugs - like alcohol, tobacco, opium, cocaine, and methamphetamine, besides a whole plethora of extremely dangerous and easily available synthetic pharmaceutical drugs. The US DEA stated that '“The United States is facing an unprecedented crisis of overdose deaths fueled by illegally manufactured fentanyl and methamphetamine,” said Anne Milgram, Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. “Counterfeit pills that contain these dangerous and extremely addictive drugs are more lethal and more accessible than ever before. In fact, DEA lab analyses reveal that two out of every five fake pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose. DEA is focusing resources on taking down the violent drug traffickers causing the greatest harm and posing the greatest threat to the safety and health of Americans. Today, we are alerting the public to this danger so that people have the information they need to protect themselves and their children.” These counterfeit pills have been seized by DEA in every U.S. state in unprecedented quantities. More than 9.5 million counterfeit pills were seized so far this year, which is more than the last two years combined. DEA laboratory testing reveals a dramatic rise in the number of counterfeit pills containing at least two milligrams of fentanyl, which is considered a lethal dose. A deadly dose of fentanyl is small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil. Counterfeit pills are illegally manufactured by criminal drug networks and are made to look like real prescription opioid medications such as oxycodone (Oxycontin®, Percocet®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), and alprazolam (Xanax®); or stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall®). Fake prescription pills are widely accessible and often sold on social media and e-commerce platforms – making them available to anyone with a smartphone, including minors.'

Medical uses of cannabis for the young today

Today, we find that some of the chief arguments against cannabis legalization is that it is harmful for children, and that children will become addicted to it. Both these false myths are perpetrated in parallel with ensuring that alcohol and tobacco is legal, and that plenty of dangerous synthetic, legal and illegal, pharmaceutical medications are around for children to abuse. The fact that cannabis is used today to treat epilepsy, cancer and autism in children is rarely mentioned. When we look at cannabis use as medicine for children in the 19th century, we see that it has always been used to treat nausea, diarrhea, convulsions and restlessness in children. Not just its sedative and anti-spasmodic properties, children benefit from many of its other properties, including its analgesic, expectorant, prophylactic, digestive, diuretic, refrigerant, diaphoretic properties. Cannabis, as medicine, was typically given to children in the form of sweetmeats. The multiple modes through which it can be administered, and its high safety profile, means that cannabis is one of the most ideal medicines for children suffering from numerous medical conditions. The fact that the child has to consume one herb, instead of a plethora of dangerous chemical compounds, should have been sufficient to make it available universally.

Unfortunately, children today face increasing anxiety, stress, depression, insomnia and attention deficiency at mental levels probably unseen in the history of humankind. They also face physical threats in the form of malnutrition, diabetes, obesity, degradation of their environment and lifestyles. The world's children suffer the same problems of accessibility and affordability to medicine that the poor and the elderly face. The unlucky (because of the harms of the synthetic medications) few, who can access or afford the dangerous and expensive synthetic pharmaceutical medications, belong to the ruling and upper classes. Where cannabis has been legalized for recreational use, it has been found that cannabis usage rates among children actually came down, thus disproving the myth that legalization will cause increased consumption among the under aged.

In places in the U.S. and Europe, where cannabis has been legalized for medical purposes, it is used to treat autism, extreme forms of epilepsy, as well as to provide relief for young children suffering from terminal cancer. This is especially so when all other forms of treatment have failed to improve the condition of the children, some of whom are tiny infants.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in young children is one of the medical conditions for which cannabis is being used as treatment today. NORML reports that 'The administration of CBD-rich cannabis extracts is safe and effective in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to data from an observational study published in the journal Pharmaceuticals. Brazilian investigators assessed the use of CBD-dominant extracts (CBD to THC ratio: 33 to 1) in a cohort of 30 children (mean age: 11 years) with moderate to severe ASD. Participants consumed cannabis extracts for six-months. Subjects were clinically assessed by their designated physicians. At the end of the treatment period, semi-structured interviews were also conducted with the participants’ parents and caregivers. Consistent with prior studies, most subjects (70 percent) demonstrated clinical improvements following CBD therapy – particularly with respect to attention and communication skills. Seventy-four percent of subjects either reduced or ceased their use of at least one prescribed medication during the study. Two-thirds (67 percent) of parents reported improvements in their child’s behavior in six of the 12 categories assessed. No parents reported that their child’s symptoms worsened over the course of the study. The study’s authors concluded: “In the present study, we show that the benefits of treatment with full-spectrum CBD oil for non-syndromic individuals with ASD are not only noticeable to the clinical eye but are also perceived and experienced by the families and caregivers. In short, the findings corroborate that this treatment, combined with a gradual and individualized dosage regimen, is safe and efficient for broader treatment of central and comorbid symptoms associated with ASD, being able to improve aspects such as social interaction, communication and quality of life.” Wiley Publications reports 'Results: We identified eight completed and five ongoing studies meeting the inclusion criteria. All studies reported substantial behaviour and symptom improvement on medicinal cannabis, with 61-93% of subjects showing benefit. In the three studies reporting on concomitant psychotropic medication usage and with cannabis use, up to 80% of participants observed a reduction in concurrent medication use. Adverse events related to cannabis use were reported in up to 27% of participants related, and two participants had psychotic events. Conclusions: Early reports regarding medicinal cannabis in pediatric ASD symptom management are presented as positive; the evidence, however, is limited to very few retrospective cohort and observational studies. Evidence of safety and efficacy from prospective clinical trials is needed.'

Epilepsy is one of the key medical conditions among the young for which cannabis is being used as medicine. Science Direct reported in 2020 that 'Cannabidiol (CBD) is a major phytocannabinoid in Cannabis sativa. CBD is being increasingly reported as a clinical treatment for neurological diseases. Febrile seizure is one of the most common diseases in children with limited therapeutic options. We investigated possible therapeutic effects of CBD on febrile seizures and the underlying mechanism. Use of a hyperthermia-induced seizures model revealed that CBD significantly prolonged seizure latency and reduced the severity of thermally-induced seizures. Hippocampal neuronal excitability was significantly decreased by CBD. Further, CBD significantly reduced the a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR) mediated evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs) and the amplitude and frequency of miniature EPSCs (mEPSCs). Furthermore, CBD significantly accelerated deactivation in GluA1 and GluA2 subunits.' Seizure Journal reports 'Highlights: This study evaluating the use of cannabidiol-enriched cannabis oil in children with WS [West Syndrome]; The study shows that four (50%) of eight had a more than 50% seizure reduction; The cannabidiol-enriched cannabis oil in children with WS had a good tolerability; The patients were treated with a standardized plant extract of cannabis.' Epilepsy Behaviour reports 'Parents sought medical cannabis as a treatment because of a perceived unmet need stemming from the failure of antiepileptic drugs to control their children's seizures. Medical cannabis was viewed as an acceptable treatment, especially compared with adding additional antiepileptic drugs. After learning about medical cannabis from the media, friends and family, or other parents, participants sought authorization for medical use. However, most encountered resistance from their child's neurologist to discuss and/or authorize medical cannabis, and many parents experienced difficulty in obtaining authorization from a member of the child's existing care team, leading them to seek authorization from a cannabis clinic. Participants described spending up to $2000 per month on medical cannabis, and most were frustrated that it was not eligible for reimbursement through public or private insurance programs.'

Cannabis offers a child suffering from cancer with not only a means to reduce the harmful side effects of cancer treatment using modern chemotherapy and radiation, it is a potent anti-cancer medicine as well. Springer Publications reports that 'Results: There were 64 respondents included in the analysis. Fourteen participants (N=14/64; 22%) reported use of cannabis, of which half used cannabis for either cancer treatment or symptom management, or both. Leukemia (n=9/14; 64%) was the most frequent diagnosis in children whose caregivers reported using cannabis and the majority of them were still receiving active cancer treatment (N= 5/9; 56%). All of the respondents using cannabis (14/14, 100%) experienced symptom improvement. Most of the caregivers procured cannabis from their friends (N=5/14; 36%), and oil was the most commonly used formulation (N=12/14; 86%). Cannabis-related information was received from another parent (N=4/14; 29%) or from a doctor (N=4/14; 29%). The reported monthly expenditure on cannabis varied widely from less than $50 CAD (N=4/14; 29%) to more than $500 CAD (N=3/14; 21%). Conclusions: Our survey shows that cannabis, mostly oil products, was used by one-fifth of children with cancer during or after the completion of cancer treatment. These findings require validation in a larger nationwide survey.' Wiley Publications reports 'Results: In total, 122/259 (47.1%) physicians completed the survey. Although 62.2% of the physicians completed some form of training about medical cannabis, nearly all (95.8%) desired to know more about the dosing, side effects, and safety of cannabis. Physicians identified a potential role of cannabis in the management of nausea and vomiting (85.7%), chronic pain (72.3%), cachexia/poor appetite (67.2%), and anxiety or depression (42.9%). Only four (0.3%) physicians recognized cannabis to be potentially useful as an anticancer agent. Nearly all physicians reported that cannabis-related research for symptom relief is essential (91.5%) in pediatric oncology, whereas 51.7% expressed that future studies are necessary to determine the anticancer effects of cannabis. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that most pediatric oncologists and palliative care physicians recognize a potential role for cannabis in symptom control in children with cancer. Well-conducted studies are required to create evidence for cannabis use and promote shared decision making with pediatric oncology patients and their caregivers.'

Cerebral Palsy among children is another medical condition for which cannabis is being used as treatment. NORML reports that 'Physicians are recommending cannabis-based treatments for children suffering from cerebral palsy (CP), according to survey data published in the journal Children. Swiss researchers surveyed 70 physicians with experience treating children with cerebral palsy. Physicians participating in the survey resided in Europe, North America, and Australia. Forty-seven percent of respondents reported having authorized cannabis-based therapies (e.g., Dronabinol, Epidiolex, whole-plant cannabis extracts, or CBD) to their pediatric patients, typically as an adjunctive therapy. Doctors were most likely to recommend cannabinoids for treating seizures, spasticity, and pain. Sixty-nine percent of respondents reported that cannabis-based treatments provided either “strong” or “moderate” effects on CP symptoms. The study’s authors concluded: “This international online survey assessed the prescribing practices of cannabinoids in children with CP by their treating physicians. The participating physicians acquired their knowledge about cannabinoids mainly outside their medical training. The physicians frequently prescribed differing formulas of cannabinoids for various indications in children with CP. The most common indications were epilepsy, spasticity, and pain, and treatment was initiated as co-medication or second-line treatment. Overall, physicians perceived a moderate efficacy of cannabinoids and no long-term side effects.”'

With modern lifestyles - that include sedentary behavior, junk food, inadequate sleep, etc. - we see a whole cluster of diseases affecting younger generations today than was traditionally the case. We see heart disease, diabetes, obesity and so on increasingly detected in younger generations today. NORML reports that 'Young adults who consume cannabis are far less likely than never users to suffer from metabolic syndrome (MetS), according to data published in the American Journal of Open Medicine. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors, including unhealthy cholesterol levels and abdominal fat, that are linked to an increased risk of heart disease and adult-onset diabetes, among other serious health consequences. Researchers affiliated with the University of Miami assessed the relationship between cannabis use and MetS in a nationally representative cohort of nearly 4,000 young adults (ages 18 to 25). Consistent with prior studies, current cannabis consumers had lower waist circumference and lower BMI compared to controls. Overall, current cannabis consumers possessed 42 percent lower odds of having MetS. Non-Hispanic Blacks, who acknowledged consuming cannabis at higher rates than other subjects, were least likely to suffer from metabolic syndrome. “Current cannabis users had a lower prevalence of MetS, predominantly noted among NHB [non-Hispanic Blacks], the group with the highest prevalence of current cannabis use,” the study’s authors concluded. “Future prospective studies are warranted to examine the role of specific cannabinoids on MetS by race/ethnicity.”'

Anti-cannabis myths related to the young propagated today

The myth that cannabis legalization will increase usage by the young

In parts of the world where cannabis is legal for recreational use, the number of youth taking up cannabis consumption has not increased significantly, as often feared and regularly cited by the anti-cannabis lobby. In fact, consumption rates for youth have remained more of less constant pre- and post-cannabis legalization. The number of adults in their middle age or old age, however, has increased very significantly for the simple reasons that these people are now starting to understand the benefits of cannabis, cannabis is accessible to them and they are seeing the harms of all the other alternatives currently available. This means that prohibition is actually keeping cannabis out of the hands of the adult human population and serving it up to the very age demographic, i..e the youth, whom we are supposedly trying to safeguard.

In the US, where states have legalized canabis for adult recreational use since 2012, teenage cannabis use has not increased as a result of this. NORML reports that 'Cannabis use by young people has not increased over the past decade, according to an analysis of federal data published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports. A team of researchers affiliated with the University of Kentucky analyzed data from the federal National Survey on Drug Use and Health for the years 2013 to 2022. Over half a million Americans participated in the survey. Since 2012, 24 states have legalized marijuana possession and sales for adults. Consistent with prior assessments, researchers identified an increase in self-reported cannabis use among young adults and older adults (those ages 50-64), but not among teenagers. “Prevalence of cannabis use did not change among youth over time,” the study’s authors concluded. Commenting on the data, NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said, “These findings should once again reassure lawmakers and the public that legal cannabis access for adults can be regulated in a manner that is safe, effective, and that does not negatively impact young people’s consumption habits.”' In 2020, Marijuana Moment reported that, '“Consistent with prior research on medical marijuana and adolescent marijuana use, medical legalization status does not appear to correspond to treatment admission trends,” says study, published in the CDC journal GIS Reports. “Notably, however, 7 of 8 states with recreational legalization during the study period fall into the class with the steepest level of admissions decline.”' NORML reported in 2021 that 'Investigators reported that legalization has not demonstrably impacted young people’s use of cannabis or other substances, nor has it significantly influenced overall trends in traffic safety, violent crime, or suicide rates. “Our data showed that state-?level legalization of marijuana had generally minor effects,” authors concluded. “One notable exception was the increase in state tax revenue from legalized marijuana sales, … which has exceeded some expectations.”' Marijuana Moment reported in 2021 that 'This time, the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) analyzed youth surveys of high school students from 2009 to 2019, concluding that there’s been “no measurable difference” in the percentage of those in grades 9-12 who reported consuming cannabis at least once in the past 30 days. The report, which relies on data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, also found that access remained stable during that time period, with no statistically significant changes in the percentage of youth who say they’ve been offered, sold or gifted illegal drugs on school grounds in the previous 30 days. What makes the report notable is the timeline.' NORML reported on a federal study that 'Consistent with prior data, the federal report concludes that youth marijuana use has remained unchanged over the better part of the past decade – during which time numerous jurisdictions have legalized the sale of marijuana products to adults. It reads: “The overall percentage of students who reported using marijuana at least 1 time during the previous 30 days in 2019 was not measurably different from the percentage in 2009…. There was no measurable difference between 2009 and 2019 in the percentage of students who reported that illegal drugs were made available -to them on school property.”' Proximy to a cannabis retail outlet also did not significantly increase cannabis use by youth. NORML reports that 'Authors reported, “Living near more outlets of any type was not significantly associated with intentions to use in the full sample, adjusting for individual- and neighborhood-level characteristics.” They concluded: “This is the first study to simultaneously examine the density of both MCDs [medical cannabis dispensaries] and RCRs [recreational cannabis retailers] around young adults’ homes and associations with future intentions to use cannabis, including the co-use of cannabis with tobacco/nicotine. Our results suggest that young adults who lived in an area with a greater density of any type of outlet were not significantly more likely to report stronger intentions to use cannabis, e-cigarettes, or cannabis mixed with tobacco/nicotine in the future.” Commenting on the study’s findings, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: “These data reaffirm that youth marijuana use has remained stable despite the liberalization of adult use laws. These findings make it clear that cannabis access can be legally regulated for adults in a manner that is safe, effective, and that does not inadvertently impact young people’s habits.”' Marijuana Moment reports a study by the American Medical Association (AMA), stating 'The study, which received partial funding through a federal National Institutes of Health grant, also found that youth cannabis consumption decreased in states where recreational legalization had been in place for two years or more. “Consistent with estimates from prior studies, there was little evidence that RMLs or MMLs encourage youth marijuana use,” the researchers said. “As more post-legalization data become available, researchers will be able to draw firmer conclusions about the relationship between RMLs and adolescent marijuana use.” The study authors didn’t attempt to explain why youth might not be using marijuana more frequently in states that have legalized, but it’s a trend that doesn’t surprise advocates who have long reasoned that permitting sales in a regulated environment would detract from the illicit market and minimize youth access.' Marijuana Moment reported in 2021 that 'Youth marijuana use dropped in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic and as more states moved to enact legalization, a newly released federal survey found. The latest dataset from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is yet another example of a federally backed study challenging the prohibitionist narrative that ending cannabis prohibition for adults will lead to increased underage usage. Past-year cannabis use for those aged 12-17 dipped from 13.2 percent to 10.1 percent from 2019-2020, the survey, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), found. And even for those in the 18-25 age category, past-year use dropped from 35.4 percent to 34.5 percent in that timeframe.'

Colorado - the first US state to legalize adult recreational use of cannabis in 2012, has seen more than a decade of reduced rates of teenage cannabis use since then. Marijuana Moment reports that 'Rates of youth marijuana use in Colorado declined slightly in 2023—remaining significantly lower than before the state became one of the first in the U.S. to legalize cannabis for adults, contradicting prohibitionist arguments that the reform would lead to increased underage consumption. That’s according to the latest biannual Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, which found that past-30-day use of cannabis among high schoolers was at 12.8 percent in 2023, a dip from the 13.3 percent reported in 2021. In fact, since the first retail cannabis shops opened in Colorado in 2014, youth marijuana use has gradually declined. It’s fallen nearly 7 percentage points since 2013, when past-30-day use among high schoolers was at 19.7 percent.' In 2020, Marijuana Moment reported that '“In looking at the state of Colorado for 12-to-17 year old current use, we had a spike in ’14, but overall the use rates in Colorado have been declining,” he said, “and that matches what we’re seeing in other states and also the trend we’re seeing nationally.” Data for the presentation came from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Organization (SAMHSA), which conducts annual surveys on drug use. It defines “current use” as use within the past 30 days.' Marijuana Moment further reported in Colorado that '“Youth marijuana use has not significantly changed since legalization, but the way youth are using marijuana is changing,” the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) said in a press release. An official with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s National Marijuana Initiative expressed a similar sentiment to lawmakers last month, stating that for reasons that are unclear, youth consumption of cannabis “is going down” in Colorado and other legalized states and that it’s “a good thing” even if “we don’t understand why.”' Among the changes that Colorado brought in with legalization was access to school-going children to medical cannabis which was not possible before legalization. Marijuana Moment reports that 'Current law gives principals discretion to set policies allowing or preventing schools to store and administer cannabis-based medicines. But under the new legislation Polis signed, that discretion is removed and school boards will be required to create policies on storage of cannabis medicines and allowing personnel to volunteer to possess and administer it to qualifying students who need it.'

Washington state was among the earliest to legalize cannabis for adult recreational use. NORML reports that 'Marijuana use by teens fell significantly in King County, Washington (population: 2.3 million) following the state’s adoption of adult-use legalization, according to data provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Investigators reported that cannabis use fell 60 percent among males and 42 percent among females from 2012 to 2021. (Voters approved a ballot initiative legalizing the adult use market in 2012; retail cannabis sales began in 2014.) The study’s authors suggested that legalization likely made it more difficult for teens to access cannabis. “The observed overall decreases in cannabis use among students in grades 8, 10, and 12 might be associated with changes in the availability of cannabis among persons aged =21 years as well as limited opportunities to engage in use,” they wrote. “The period 2012–2014 includes the legalization of nonmedical cannabis in Washington in 2012. Researchers studying the association of cannabis laws with cannabis use among high school students have observed similar declines in cannabis use after legalization of nonmedical cannabis. The legalization of nonmedical cannabis for adults aged =21 years in Washington with licensed dispensaries requiring proof of age might have affected availability of cannabis to younger persons as well as their opportunities to engage in its use. This, in turn, might have had an impact on use prevalence.”'

Michigan state also reported declining teenage cannabis use after adult use legalization. NORML reports that 'Federally funded survey data provided by the University of Michigan reports that rates of teen marijuana use remain near historic lows. Consistent with data provided last month by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA), the University’s annual Monitoring the Future survey reports that fewer young people are consuming cannabis today than were prior to the COVID pandemic. “The percentage of youth who have used marijuana had not returned to pre-pandemic, 2020 levels by 2023,” the survey’s authors conclude. “In all grades, 2023 levels remained below those in 2020.”'

California state reports no increase in older teenage use of cannabis after it was legalized, while there appears to be a drop in alcohol and tobacco use by teens. NORML reports that 'Those between the ages of 18 and 20 show no uptick in their use of cannabis following the adoption of statewide adult-use legalization, according to data published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. Researchers affiliated with Drexel University in Philadelphia assessed cannabis use trends in Los Angeles, California in two separate cohorts of subjects between the ages of 18 and 20. The first cohort was assessed during the years immediately prior to the adoption of adult-use legalization in California. The second cohort was assessed in 2019-2020. (California voters legalized marijuana in November 2016; retail sales began the following January.) Participants in both cohorts reported being current cannabis consumers prior to their enrollment in the study. Investigators failed to identify any significant differences in cannabis use frequency between the two groups. However, those in the latter cohort were less likely to report consuming either alcohol or cigarettes.'

 

The myth that cannabis usage among the young causes insanity

One of the most powerful myths that have been created to prohibit cannabis is that it causes insanity. This myth was disproved in 19th century India itself by the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission. Despite this, the myth continues to be the most widespread argument used by anti-cannabis prohibitionists to oppose cannabis legalization. This myth is further amplified when comes to the young, saying that the young are even more vulnerable to pyschosis from cannabis. This has been disproved in a number of studies. Marijuana Moment reports that 'A new study of teens and young adults at risk of developing psychotic disorders found that regular marijuana use over a two-year period did not trigger early onset of symptoms—contrary to the claims of prohibitionists who argue that cannabis causes mental illness. In fact, it was associated with modest improvements in cognitive functioning and reduced use of other medications. A team of researchers at Zucker Hillside Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, University of Michigan and University of California at Davis carried out the study, which was published Tuesday in the journal Psychiatry Research. “Recreational cannabis use has recently gained considerable interest as an environmental risk factor that triggers the onset of psychosis,” the study authors wrote. “To date, however, the evidence that cannabis is associated with negative outcomes in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis is inconsistent.”' NORML reports 'Researchers reported: “Epidemiological studies have repeatedly shown that individuals who use cannabis are more likely to develop psychotic disorders than individuals who do not. It has been suggested that these associations represent a causal effect of cannabis use on psychosis, and that psychosis risk may be particularly elevated when use occurs in adolescence. … This study, however, does not support these hypotheses, suggesting instead that observed associations are more likely due to confounding by common vulnerability factors.” They concluded, “[T]he results suggest this association is likely attributable to familial confounds rather than a causal effect of cannabis exposure. … Our results suggest that the threat of potential harm to adolescents via meaningful increases in risk of long-term psychotic illness may be overstated. … Thus, clinical and public health interventions aimed at decreasing the prevalence and burden of psychotic illnesses may benefit from focusing their attention elsewhere.”'

 

The myth that cannabis is a gateway drug

Every youth who has used cannabis, starts off by using tobacco and alcohol, usually in that order. Most youth who try cannabis eventually switch back to alcohol or tobacco, with only a few continuing the association with the herb. Adults often see this and even encourage this, being completely ignorant of the fact that these commonly available legal drugs are much more unhealthy and dangerous than cannabis. Tobacco and alcohol each kill millions of persons worldwide, every year, as against the extremely safe dosage profile of cannabis, besides its medicinal properties. Alcohol is a leading contributor to mental illness, violence and crime. Tobacco is one of the leading causes of death in the world. The predominant view, among adults however, is that cannabis is much worse than either of these two, thanks to the very successful defamation of cannabis, in which campaign the alcohol and tobacco industries have played no small part. If you ask a parent to give examples of what a drug is, they will most likely list cannabis, whereas tobacco, alcohol and prescription medications are never even considered, let alone named.

There are some who believe in the myth that cannabis is a gateway drug to more dangerous synthetic drugs for the youth, when, in fact, cannabis is a harm reduction alternative for the dangerous synthetic drugs. If anything, it is the legal tobacco and alcohol that are gateway drugs, but nobody seems to find anything wrong with these freely available dangerous drugs. The Journal of Substance Abuse reported in 2021 that 'RML[ Recreational Marijuana Legalization] in Washington and Colorado was not associated with an increase in adolescent or emerging adult SUD treatment admissions for opioids, cocaine, or methamphetamines. Future studies should extend this research to other states, other substances, for older adults, and over longer time periods; and consider how the effects of drug policies may differ across different jurisdictions.' The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that 'Current alcohol, lifetime cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and injection drug use decreased during 2009–2019. Lifetime use of synthetic marijuana (also called synthetic cannabinoids) decreased during 2015–2019. Lifetime marijuana use increased during 2009–2013 and then decreased during 2013–2019. In 2019, 29.2% reported current alcohol use, 21.7% current marijuana use, 13.7% current binge drinking, and 7.2% current prescription opioid misuse. Substance use varied by sex, race/ethnicity, grade, and sexual minority status (lesbian, gay, or bisexual). Use of other substances, particularly current use of alcohol (59.4%) and marijuana (43.5%), was common among students currently misusing prescription opioids. Findings highlight opportunities for expanding evidence-based prevention policies, programs, and practices that aim to reduce risk factors and strengthen protective factors related to youth substance use, in conjunction with ongoing initiatives for combating the opioid crisis.' This could very well have been as a result of increasing legalization of cannabis for recreational and medical use, even though the CDC does not go as far as to attribute cannabis legalization as a possible cause for declining rates of abuse of these dangerous drugs. There are ample other scientific reports that however show the connection between cannabis legalization and reduction of consumption of all these harmful alternatives that have thrived in the absence of cannabis.

Law enforcement is one of the key propagators of the cannabis as a gateway drug myth. Sage Publications reports that 'Roughly half of survey respondents identified law enforcement as the main opposition group, specifically the Texas Sheriff’s Association (TSA). In testimony before the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, members of the TSA argued that legalizing marijuana would “send the wrong message” to youth about the harms of drug use and that legalization in other states has led to increased use among teens. The focus on risks of marijuana reform for youth is a common framing choice among prohibition supporters (see Ferraiolo 2014). Whereas prohibition was once justified by beliefs that marijuana itself was evil and marijuana use immoral, such arguments increasingly strain credibility. Realizing this, marijuana opponents have sought more realistic frames. The message that marijuana is a gateway to further delinquency for youth that harms their health and achievement has resonated with a larger audience than past arguments based solely on morality claims....The TSA represents an organized interest that favors the status quo, and it intends to fight to preserve that status quo'

The myth that children will be drugged by criminals with legal cannabis

We find anti-cannabis prohibitionists creating myths that with legalization, criminals will use edibles to lure the young into becoming addicted to cannabis, or sedate them to commit crimes. We saw in 19th century India what the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission had to say about this. If luring a child to addiction or sedation is the intent of an unscrupulous person, there are far more easily available synthetic pharmaceutical medications, besides alcohol, that is cheaper and more widely available for these purposes. Daily Voice reports '“Children are not at risk for contaminated treats," Joel Best, a University of Delaware professor of sociology and criminal justice, told the site. "For one thing, edible marijuana products are very expensive and this would be a very expensive prank.” It's this simple: Edibles that are worth buying cost from $18 to $40 a bag. Do the math. No one is dropping hundreds of dollars on perfectly good THC snacks to turn around and drop them in some kids' bags. Even if only 50 trick-or-treaters come to the house, that's still a lot of dough.' High Times reports '“Investigators have confiscated candies and snacks containing pot from marijuana dispensaries, and they are concerned such items could wind up in children’s trick-or-treat bags… The warning comes days before Californians vote on Proposition 19, the marijuana legalization measure.” The result was a defeated legalization effort, with 53.46 percent of votes not in favor of the Proposition, and 46.54 percent voting in favor. University of Delaware Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice Joel Best recently spoke with Fox News regarding his thorough research on the topic. “My research stretches back to 1958,” Best shared with Fox News. “I have been unable to find any evidence that any child has been killed or seriously injured by a contaminated treat picked up in the course of trick-or-treating.” '

 

The myth that cannabis legalization will increase hospitalization rates among the young

Anti-cannabis ruling upper classes and castes promote the myth that cannabis legalization will kill the young. Leafly reports that Leafly reports in 2020 that 'In March, Nebraska’s Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts alleged: “If you legalize marijuana, you’re going to kill your kids.” But actual studies of adult-use states keep showing no or little effect on teen use, and now—hospital admissions. A November 2020 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found far fewer teens going to the hospital for pot as adult-use laws took effect nationwide. The CDC report found “a precipitous national decline in adolescent treatment admissions, particularly in states legalizing recreational marijuana use,” states study author Jeremy Mennis, Ph.D. “7 of 8 states with recreational legalization during the study period fall into the class with the steepest level of admissions decline.” — Centers for Disease Control, 2020.' Canada has not reported any increase in cannabis-related hospitalizations for youth since the country legalized cannabis for adult use in 2018. NORML reports that 'Policies legalizing the use and sale of cannabis products have not led to an increase in marijuana-related hospitalizations, according to data published in the Journal of Addictive Diseases. Canadian investigators tracked rates of cannabis-related hospitalizations in Alberta in the years prior to and following legalization. Canadian lawmakers legalized the use and sale of cannabis flowers for those ages 18 and older in October 2018. Retailers began engaging in the sales of cannabis concentrates and edible products in 2020. Researchers identified an increase in hospitalizations among those ages 18 to 24 in the period immediately prior to legalization, but they acknowledged that there were no increases in hospitalizations following legalization among representatives of any age group. “Legalization was not significantly associated with immediate or ongoing changes in hospitalization rates … for either younger or older adults,” the study’s authors concluded.'

The myth that cannabis consumption by pregnant and new mothers will harm the young

A pregnant woman assumes special significance for patriarchal societies, especially if it is known that she is carrying a male child. I suspect that if it is known that the in utero child is a girl, the concerns that family members have about it and the mother are not that high. The effect of cannabis on a pregnant mother, and subsequently on the child to be born, are very often falsely played up to create a whole set of myths. Almost as vociferous as the argument that legalized cannabis will destroy the youth is the argument that a pregnant woman using cannabis will damage the unborn child. Women who use cannabis during pregnancy are liable for criminal prosecution in many places. This is a modern development, running counter to the prescription of cannabis as medicine for pregnant women in 19th century India.  

Among the myths and fear monging that the upper classes and castes indulge in, with regard to cannabis usage by women, is that in pregnant women it will damage the unborn child. Autism in a child in the mother's womb because of the mother's cannabis usage during pregancy is one of the myths created in the modern world.  NORML reports that, 'Children exposed to cannabis in utero possess no elevated risk of suffering from autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to data published in the journal Autism Research. Researchers affiliated with Emory University, John Hopkins, and Harvard assessed the relationship between prenatal cannabis exposure and ASD in a sample of 11,570 children. Investigators reported no link between cannabis exposure and ASD after controlling for relevant covariates, particularly tobacco consumption. They concluded, “In a large sample and measuring ASD traits continuously, there was no evidence that prenatal cannabis exposure increases the risk for ASD. … Although no associations were found with ASD outcomes, prenatal cannabis exposure may still be associated with other facets of child development and behavior that were outside of the scope of this study, such as attention and cognition.”' NCBI reports that 'Results: An examination of the total number of statistical comparisons (n = 1,001) between groups of participants that were exposed to cannabis prenatally and non-exposed controls revealed that those exposed performed differently on a minority of cognitive outcomes (worse on 0.5 percent and better in <1 percent). The clinical significance of these findings appears to be limited because cognitive performance scores of cannabis-exposed groups overwhelmingly fell within the normal range when compared against normative data adjusted for age and education. Conclusions: The current evidence does not suggest that prenatal cannabis exposure alone is associated with clinically significant cognitive functioning impairments.' TandOffline reports that 'Results: Of 466 women, initial marijuana usage in pregnancy confirmed by urine drug test increased after legalization from 6 to 11% (p = .05). Factors associated with marijuana usage included younger age, white or black race, single marital status, psychiatric disorders, intimate partner violence and concomitant tobacco and alcohol use. 73% of users in this study had cessation of marijuana use with subsequent negative UDT. There was no statistical difference in rates of preterm birth, small for gestational age, NICU admission, or Apgar scores, when adjusted for other risk factors. Conclusion: Rates of marijuana usage in pregnant women who underwent universal drug screening increased after legalization. There were no differences in neonatal outcomes between users and non-users.'

Another myth is that cannabis is harmful for mothers of newborn babies. This is possible driven by visions of mothers of newborn babies smoking cannabis and neglecting their duties of breast feeding their child. What is probably worse is the vision of the new mother breast feeding a man, who is not the husband, after smoking a joint. Scientific findings however do not indicate adverse effects of cannabis legalization on mothers of new born babies. Science Direct reports that 'Abstract: We studied the effect of marijuana liberalization policies on perinatal health with a multiperiod difference-in-differences estimator that exploited variation in effective dates of medical marijuana laws (MML) and recreational marijuana laws (RML). We found that the proportion of maternal hospitalizations with marijuana use disorder increased by 23% (0.3 percentage points) in the first three years after RML implementation, with larger effects in states authorizing commercial sales of marijuana. This growth was accompanied by a 7% (0.4 percentage points) decline in tobacco use disorder hospitalizations, yielding a net zero effect over all substance use disorder hospitalizations. RMLs were not associated with statistically significant changes in newborn health. MMLs had no statistically significant effect on maternal substance use disorder hospitalizations nor on newborn health and fairly small effects could be ruled out. In absolute numbers, our findings implied modest or no adverse effects of marijuana liberalization policies on the array of perinatal outcomes considered.'

Then there is the myth that the baby will get high from the breast milk of a mother who has consumed cannabis. There is no scientific evidence to indicate that if such a thing did happen, it would be harmful for the baby. It was found in 19th century India that one of the primary reasons why cannabis was used as medicine for young children was to enable them to sleep better.

In a number of western countries, one of the cruelest practices against a woman is the taking away of her child by child welfare services when it was found that she has used cannabis. The concept of child welfare services taking custody of a child is based on the principle that the mother is no longer capable of looking after the child due to psychological or physical problems, or addiction to dangerous substances, or displaying criminal tendencies, etc. Pregant mothers are liable for criminal prosecution in many places if it is found that she has consumed cannabis during pregnancy. Cannabis usage being a reason for taking away the child from the mother is based on the myths that cannabis is addictive and harmful, that it causes insanity, and that it incites crime. These myths were already disproved in 19th century India, but the anti-cannabis propaganda machine only amplified it to bring about cannabis prohibition. As more and more western nations that have child welfare services now realize that there is no scientific basis for bias against the mother of a child for her cannabis usage, we see gradual reforms happening in these areas. How much damage has already been done, and how much damage continues in places where authorities practice this evil is anybody's guess. NORML reports that, in Arizona, 'State officials will no longer take punitive actions against people who consume medical cannabis during their pregnancies. The decision, announced by the Arizona Department of Child Safety last week, comes nearly one year after the state Supreme Court declined to reverse a lower court decision determining that the physician-authorized use of medical cannabis by a pregnant woman does not legally constitute neglect under state law. Following the court’s decision, lawyers for the Child Safety Agency acknowledged that they do not possess the legal authority to investigate cases involving prenatal cannabis exposure unless there are explicit allegations of child neglect. The new DCS policy takes effect in January.' The Baltimore Banner also reports reforms in this area in Maryland, stating that ''Under new law, state can’t take kids away solely for parental cannabis use. Advocates say it’s a step in the right direction, but more work is needed. Nine percent of all newborns exposed to a substance were removed from their parents in 2020, compared to 6% in 2022.'

Despite all the evidence in favor of global cannabis legalization, the king-priest-businessman triad of the ruling upper classes and castes continues to propagate the anti-cannabis myths, and do all they can to keep cannabis illegal, and the minds of the people in an infantile, servile state. Phoenix Times reported in Arizona in 2020 that 'As rationale, the bishops cite rising child fatality rates in Arizona attributed to marijuana and state that “problematic” marijuana use is 25 percent higher among teens in states that legalized recreational marijuana. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment might beg to differ. The state agency recently published a survey that found youth marijuana use has not significantly changed since the drug was legalized in Colorado in 2014. There, 20.6 percent of high school students and 5.2 percent of middle school students reported cannabis consumption in 2019. Both those numbers are lower than they were pre-legalization, in 2011, when those rates were 22 percent and 6.3 percent, respectively.' The existence of society over long periods in an infantile state of maturity when it comes to cannabis means that parents continue to oppose its legalization, even as their young succumb to all the alternatives that have risen in its place. The Colorado Gazette reported in 2020 that 'But on the other side of the ledger are plenty of Coloradans, many of them parents, who, regardless of their views on legalization or their own history with marijuana, are worried about the impact it all could have on their kids. On their schooling and social lives; their mental and physical health; their intellectual and emotional development; their basic safety on the roads.' Just before New York state legalized adult recreational use, the New York Post reported that 'In an email blasted out last week to city doctors and public health officials, DOH chief medical officer Dr. Michelle Morse described a troubling uptick in kids puffing on pot, e-cigarettes and hookah. Though just 3.3 percent of city public high school kids smoke cigarettes, 17.7 percent reach for reefer, Morse wrote in the email, a copy of which was obtained by The Post. An “alarming” 15.2 percent use e-cigarettes, 6.3 percent puff on cigars or cigarillos and 5.6 percent fire up the hookah, Morse added, citing unpublished data from a 2018 youth tobacco survey.'

Benefits of cannabis legalization for the young

Cannabis as a harm reduction alternative for the young

Youth are always experimenting with things that they are told by their parents not to try out. That includes recreational drugs. Parents most often, naively, cannot think beyond cannabis, cigarettes and alcohol, so they will tell their children to lay off the same. The youth, in the meantime, are checking out crystal meth, heroin, powerful opioid prescription drugs, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, cocaine, cough syrups, sniffing glues, synthetic cannabinoids, novel psychotropic substances and other dangerous chemical drug cocktails. Parents, who spend their day popping 10-20 pills in front of their kids for their blood pressure, diabetes, flatulence, nausea, insomnia, head-ache, indigestion, pain, erections, etc. may see their children indulging in these pharmaceutical and chemical compounds, and may even look at their children as medical geniuses. Some parents, and even some children, may offer advice to each other in terms of what is most suitable for self-treatment at home.

Cannabis can provide the youth with safe and affordable medicine and intoxicant in place of the harmful alternatives currently available. This might seem cold hearted to some parents, but it is vastly preferable for your teenage or youthful child to be consuming cannabis instead of alcohol or tobacco, or abusing prescription synthetic pharmaceutical drugs and illegal synthetic drugs. Many parents will find this very hard to digest, but the fact is that cannabis is a natural medicinal herb that has been used by all age groups - right from infants - for thousands of years, across different societies around the world. This level of usage of cannabis, over such long periods of time, would not have been possible if cannabis was harmful. Someone who found cannabis harmful in his or her youth would not have allowed cannabis to remain active in human society for this long and to this extent. So, even if you see the occasional contradictory report that usage rates among the youth remain constant despite claims that cannabis legalization for adults will bring down youth usage rates, like this by Science Direct 'Therefore, it appears that cannabis legalization has not yet been followed by pronounced changes on youth cannabis use. High prevalence of youth cannabis use in this sample remains a concern. These data suggest that the Cannabis Act has not yet led to the reduction in youth cannabis use envisioned in its public health approach.' What one needs to understand is that better cannabis than what else is on offer. Another study reported by Science Direct says 'Cross-sectionally, we detected no significant neurocognitive differences before initiation of drug use. However, after controlling for confounders, light cannabis use as well as late-onset thereof was associated with increased decision-making skills both cross-sectionally at follow-up as well as longitudinally compared to non-using controls. In summary, our data suggests that decision-making is not impaired when cannabis is used in moderation and onset of use occurs after the age of 15. In addition, we find no evidence to support the presumption that cannabis consumption leads to a decline in neurocognitive ability.' Cannabis has been linked with reduced motivation among the young. NORML reports 'The study’s authors concluded: “Our findings do not support a relationship between cannabis use and reductions in motivation over time in a sample of adolescents at risk for escalation in cannabis use. … The current study contributes to the extant literature by examining these associations longitudinally in a large sample of adolescent cannabis users while controlling for important and often overlooked confounds, including sex and depression. … Future studies should continue to examine these associations longitudinally to determine whether heavier levels of cannabis use lead to reductions in motivation, and whether these reductions may be responsible for poorer educational and later life outcomes.”' The ruling classes however keep looking for evidence to show that cannabis is harmful for the young. Marijuana Moment reports the director of the US National Institure of Drug Abuse (NIDA) as saying '“I think it’s 100 percent necessary that we actually have an understanding of the consequences of legalizing marijuana are going to have into the children and adolescent brain and what are the consequences,” Volkow replied. “We owe it to the public to actually provide that information.”' Science Direct reports 'Cannabis contains a multitude of different compounds. One of them, cannabidiol – a non-psychoactive substance – might counteract negative effects of delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol on hippocampus-dependent memory impairment. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of vaping cannabidiol on verbal episodic memory in healthy young subjects. We used a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover trial in 39 healthy young subjects. Participants received once a single dose of cannabidiol e-liquid (0.25 ml, 5% cannabidiol, 12.5 mg cannabidiol) and once placebo for vaping after learning 15 unrelated nouns. The primary outcome measure was the short delay verbal memory performance (number of correctly free recalled nouns) 20 min after learning. 34 participants (mean age: 22.26 [3.04]) completed all visits and entered analyses (17 received cannabidiol and 17 received placebo first). Cannabidiol enhanced verbal episodic memory performance (placebo: 7.03 [2.34]; cannabidiol 7.71 [2.48]; adjusted group difference 0.68, 95% CI 0.01 to 1.35; R2ß = .028, p = .048). Importantly, we did not detect medication effects on secondary outcome measures attention or working memory performance, suggesting that CBD has no negative impact on these basic cognitive functions. The results are in line with the idea that vaping cannabidiol interacts with the central endocannabinoid system and is capable to modulate memory processes, a phenomenon with possible therapeutic potential. Further studies are needed to investigate optimal dose-response and time-response relationships.'

Cannabis as an alternative to tobacco

Smoking, in the case of children, is widely acknowledged to be damaging to the young lungs. This is the reason for the modern tobacco ban for persons below 18 years in most places. The same concern for a child's health is what society, both children and adults, understood implicitly even when there were no formal rules restricting the smoking age. In places where cannabis has been legalized, sale is permitted only to individuals above the age of 18 (or 21 in some cases)

With increased information and knowledge among the young, we see them recognizing the harms of tobacco much better, and altering their behavior according, as compared to older generations that were fed decades of propaganda that cannabis was more harmful than tobacco. Marijuana Moment reports that 'Significantly more Americans now say they smoke marijuana than cigarettes—with young people being more than five times more likely to consume cannabis than tobacco, according to new Gallup polling data. Overall, 17 percent of Americans say they smoke cannabis, compared to 12 percent who reported smoking any cigarettes in the past week. The difference is especially stark when it comes to younger adults. Among those aged 18-34, 26 percent said they use cannabis, compared to just 5 percent who smoke cigarettes. Eighteen percent of adults aged 35-54 smoke marijuana, which is also more than smoke cigarettes (16 percent). Adults 55 and older, however, were slightly more likely to smoke cigarettes in the past week (13 percent) than who smoke cannabis (11 percent).' NORML reports 'A team of researchers affiliated with the University of California at Irvine and with Pennsylvania State University assessed the relationship between medical cannabis legalization laws and cigarette initiation among adolescents. They concluded: “Our results indicate lower odds of initiating cigarettes, in every age group (8 years old or younger, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17 years old or older) in states with MMLs [medical marijuana laws] when compared to non-MML states. … Further research should evaluate how MMLs and recreational marijuana policies are associated with e-cigarette initiation and use.”'

 

Cannabis as an alternative to alcohol

Alcohol, the legal drug, is widely accepted in society, despite all the harms that have been clearly evident for centuries now. More than 3 million persons die every year from alcohol use. Alcohol is highly addictive and damages the brain as a neurotoxin. Most parents will, however, prefer that their children consume alcohol rather than cannabis, given a choice. LA Weekly reports in 2020 'Alcohol abuse sloshes on. You probably know the stats but let’s review… Nearly 70% of adults said that they drank alcohol in the past year; 55% in the last month. Over 14 million U.S. adults suffer from alcohol use disorder, along with over 400,000 youths ages 12 to 17. An estimated 95,0005 people (approximately 68,000 men and 27,000 women) die from alcohol-related causes annually, making alcohol the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Alcohol misuse costs this country nearly a quarter of a billion dollars a year. So why, WHY jump on that particularly ugly, boozy bad-idea bandwagon when there is cannabis, a sweet yet complicated plant winking to you in the wings at the party stage, ready to give you a buzz maybe reminiscent of an alcohol buzz (beer is made with fermented hops, which is a close plant cousin of cannabis). But so much better for you in so many ways.' Studies show that early onset of alcohol use is more damaging to educational outcomes among adolescents than early onset of cannabis use. This adds to the widespread evidence that alcohol is much more harmful than cannabis, a fact that was shown in 19th century India itself before the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission. Society has, however, continued all these decades to believe the anti-cannabis propaganda that cannabis is more harmful than alcohol. Parents react much more strongly to cannabis use by their children, than to alcohol use by them. NORML reports 'The use of alcohol, but not cannabis, in adolescence is independently associated with poorer educational attainment, according to longitudinal data published in the journal BMC Public Health. Finnish investigators assessed the relationship between the use of cannabis and alcohol by adolescents and lifetime educational attainment in a cohort of more than 6,500 subjects. They reported that the frequent use of alcohol during adolescence was significantly associated with poorer lifetime educational attainment after controlling for confounders. By contrast, early-onset cannabis use was not a statistically significant risk factor after researchers controlled for other variables. The study’s authors concluded: “In this large birth cohort study with a 17-year follow-up, younger age at first intoxication, higher frequency of alcohol intoxication, and high self-reported alcohol tolerance at age 15/16 years were associated with poorer educational outcomes by the age of 33 years. These adverse associations were evident regardless of a range of potential confounders, such as behavioral/emotional problems at age 7/8 years and parental education level. The association between adolescent lifetime cannabis use and educational attainment in adulthood was no longer statistically significant after adjusting for potential confounders including alcohol use. Our finding that inherent alcohol tolerance in adolescence was associated with subsequent educational attainment has not been previously reported.”' Cannabis use actually enables a person to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed. It helps calm a person down and reduces the typical disruptive behavior that we find with alcohol use and abuse. Liebert Publications reports that 'Results: In all five cases, there was a highly statistical decrease in the disruptive behavior score from 18±1.0 before cannabis use to 6±2.1 after introduction of cannabis (p=0.0002). Discussion: In children and young adults with FASD [Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder], cannabis, mostly cannabidiol (CBD), has been associated with a marked and statistically significant improvement in serious disruptive behavior. These cases suggest that the efficacy and safety of CBD should be tested in well-controlled studies.'

Cannabis as an alternative to prescription opioids

Increasing addiction to prescription opioids used for the treatment of pain is one of the biggest menaces facing the youth today.  In Canada, we see the substitution of opioids with cannabis by the youth in treating pain. NORML reports 'Those who consume unregulated opioids frequently report using cannabis to mitigate their drug cravings, according to data published in the International Journal of Drug Policy. Canadian investigators assessed cannabis use trends among a cohort of 205 consumers of non-prescription opioids. Many of the cohort were IV drug users and at-risk youth. Nearly half of the study’s participants (45 percent) acknowledged using cannabis to manage opioid cravings. Of those, 62 percent “reported self-assessed decreases in opioid use during periods of cannabis use.” Subjects suffering from chronic pain were most likely to engage in opioid substitution. Authors concluded: “In the present study, we observed that cannabis use to manage opioid cravings was significantly associated with self-assessed decreases in opioid use during periods of cannabis use among a structurally marginalized population of PWUD [people who use unregulated opioids]. The sub-analysis indicated that this association was mainly driven by those living with moderate to severe pain. … This suggests that future studies of cannabis substitution for opioid use should measure and analyze the impact of pain, as not doing so may lead to equivocal findings when the effects of cannabis substitution may vary based on the prevalence of chronic pain.”'

Cannabis as an alternative to synthetic anti-depressants and  anxiolytics

The link between synthetic medications prescribed for anxiety and depression and suicidal tendencies in the young is not given much importance. Drugs like benzodiazepines - used for treating anxiety - and their predecessors barbiturates have been linked to suicides. Cannabis has been known for its mood regulating qualities for centuries, aiding in the treatment of anxiety and depression. In fact, it is the very quality of cannabis that induces euphoria through the cannabinoid delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that has made the ruling classes and castes prohibit it. In fact, anti-cannabis groups have falsely linked cannabis to depression and suicidal tendencies, when it is, in fact, a cure for it. NORML reports 'Researchers reported that cannabis use was not independently associated with a greater risk of suicidal thoughts at young adulthood after investigators controlled for subjects’ use of alcohol, tobacco, and other substances. In addition, researchers reported that adolescents who suffered from depression were more likely to use cannabis later in life, not vice-versa. Authors concluded: “This population-based study is the first, to our knowledge, to examine the temporal relation between cannabis use, depression and suicidal ideation simultaneously over five years during adolescence. Depression (but not suicidal ideation) predicted weekly cannabis use throughout adolescence. Weekly cannabis use predicted suicidal ideation (but not depression), but this association was no longer significant after taking into account other substance use including alcohol, tobacco and other drugs consumption. … These findings highlight the importance of targeting depressive symptoms during this sensitive developmental period in an attempt to offset the potential increased use of cannabis over time.”' PLOS One reports 'Analyses also revealed a positive association between the amount of money young people received and higher rates of drug use. While illegal drug use has, largely, been declining in the UK over the past decade, this period has witnessed the emergence of a range of new, mostly synthetic substances that mimic many of the effects of “traditional” drugs. These are known as “legal highs”, or new or novel psychoactive substances (NPS).' The Hindu reports that 'One trend, which the Narcotics Cell officers say is catching up fast among school and college students, is to visit hospitals, take an OP ticket, and then without seeing the doctor, use the ticket to make fake prescriptions and purchase prescription drugs, among which a tablet, Nitrosun-10, which contains nitrazepam, was quite popular.'

Reduced harassment from law enforcement

The young face greater harassment from law enforcement for associating with cannabis. Law enforcement percieves the young as softer targets than adults. Extortion from the young by law enforcement or those pretending to be law enforcement is common. Of course, a minor from the lower classes and castes faces greater harassment than one from the affluent ruling classes. While the children of the ruling upper classes and castes escape with paying the extortion amount, children from the lower classes and castes will likely end up in prison where they will come in contact with hardened criminals, resulting in mental damage and possible recruitment into criminal gangs. Science Direct reports 'Results: Two per cent had been charged for drug-related offences, and 37% reported drug offending. Use of cannabis was the primary infraction statistically related to a criminal charge. Having parents with 4+ years university education (14% of the sample) was associated with lower risk for being charged than having parents with no higher education (OR 4.87; 95% CI: 1.16–20.52) or with a short university education (OR 4.76; 1.05–21.48). The association between parental education and drug charges remained stable when controlling for self-reported drug law infractions and other potential covariates. Conclusion: In Norway, adolescents who have parents with higher university education, may be protected from getting a drug charge, even though they report similar levels of drug law infractions as other adolescents.' In South Africa, in 2020 the judiciary termed arrest of a youth for possession of cannabis or consuming cannabis as illegal after it had decriminalized cannabis in 2018. Times Live reported in 2020 'A law that criminalises children who possess or use cannabis has been declared unconstitutional by a Johannesburg high court judge. Judge Ingrid Opperman said the way children were still being treated, two years after the Constitutional Court decriminalised cannabis possession and use for adults, was redolent of apartheid laws...' In general, no older person wants a young person to consume cannabis. This was clearly evident in 19th century India where cannabis was completely unregulated by the authorities before its prohibition. This restricting of teenagers from using cannabis by older persons is not a phenomenon limited to India. It happens everywhere where cannabis is part of the culture. Jack Kerouac writes in The Lonesome Traveler about smoking cannabis with a Mexican companion and his younger 18 year old brother. He says 'We immediately started blasting among the cacti in the back of the desert waystation, squatting there in the hot sun laughing, as Gerardo watched (he was only 18 and wasnt allowed to smoke by his older brother) - "Is why? because marijuana is bad for the eye and bad for la ley" (bad for the eyesight and bad for the law)'. The Times of India reports 'Police said of these seven were engineering students and one was a student of physiotherapy. All of them originally hail from Kerala and were staying in Mangaluru for education. Based on information from credible sources that the accused were selling and consuming ganja at a ground near Morgans Gate here, the police cracked the whip on them.'

Increased state revenue for drug education programs

Many youth found using cannabis by their parents and elders are forcibly sent to drug rehabilitation centers, where they are subjected to cruelty, housed with hardened drug addicts and made to consume powerful and dangerous pharmaceutical drugs, in the name of treatment. Many of these rehabilitation centers are run for profit by their unscrupulous owners, who look at an inmate mainly as a source of income and not out of any genuine concern for the inmate's well being. Youth who come out of these rehabilitation centers are very often psychologically and physically damaged, and may end up becoming life long addicts to chemical drugs, or even die young, if they are not able to bounce back from the traumatic experiences of drug rehabilitation.

States in the US with legalized adult cannabis are using their revenue from cannabis for youth programmes. One such program is the education of youth against the harms of smoking in Washington state. Marijuana Moment reports that 'The Washington State Department of Health has announced $1.3 million in funding to 11 different community-based organizations to be spent on “youth cannabis and commercial tobacco use prevention.” “Nine out of 10 smokers start before age 18 and 99 percent start before age 26. Youth smoking rates in Washington State have significantly decreased, but more work is needed,” according to the Tuesday Department of Health news release. The Center Square reached out to the Department of Health about the source of the funds for the program. “Funding is sourced through the Dedicated Cannabis Account,” Department of Health spokesperson Shelby Anderson said via email, before going on to cite the Revised Code of Washington 69.50.540 which finances the Dedicated Cannabis Account.'  NCBI reports that 'School substance-misuse policies have a near universal coverage in Welsh secondary schools. National government recommendations on the involvement of students in policy development were not associated with student drug use. While nearly all schools had a referral process for drug-using students, few recommend methods of harm minimisation. Future prospective research on the impact of harm minimisation in school substance-misuse policies, and student involvement in policy development and awareness of content may help strengthen this limited evidence base.' Drug Policy reports 'Safety First: Real Drug Education for Teens is the nation’s first harm reduction-based drug education curriculum for high school teachers. The free curriculum consists of 15 lessons that can be completed in a 45- to 50-minute class period. Each lesson is designed to engage students through interactive activities such as discussions and role-playing. The curriculum is aligned with National Health Education Standards as well as Common Core State Standards so it can be easily integrated into Health classes.'

In a world where anti-cannabis prohibitionists launch massive campaigns in educational institutions spreading misinformation without acknowledging ground realities, there are student organizations that work towards sensible drug policy, such as the Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) in the US. SSDP states 'Due to Students for Sensible Drug Policy reach across the U.S. and our chapter structure, SSDP is uniquely situated to make local policy change in multiple states and begin to directly end the War on Drugs by directing pressure at their town and county governments. The Resolution to Advance Sensible Drug Policy is an effort to equip all SSDP members with clear policy grounded in science, reason and compassion. This resolution empowers all SSDP members and their allies to further the movement to end the war on drugs in their local context, with support from an international movement. Leveraging the expertise of young people worldwide toward local policy change is where the SSDP network can be most effective.'

Better age restriction policies in cannabis sales

With cannabis illegal, most adults do not have access to it, either because they do not know whom to contact if they need some cannabis or because through years of not using the herb they have completely lost interest and connection with it. The youth, however, are in constant contact with persons who use it and sell it. They know when and where some cannabis is being sold and for how long it will be available. They are nimble and networked enough to make the purchase and leave before an adult realizes what is happening. The drug peddler also approaches the youth as the youth is an easy target. The objective of the drug peddler is not to heal the youth or provide the youth with enlightenment by selling the youth cannabis, but to make as much money as possible. To do this, the peddler will try to hook the youth onto more deadly drugs, by up-selling once the youth has become a familiar customer. The peddler will also try to get the youth to bring his friends and even work with the peddler, as his accomplice, when the youth runs out of money. Legalizing cannabis can help to regulate the sale of cannabis to the youth, like it currently happens with tobacco and alcohol, where retailers ensure that the buyer is above a certain age before the product is sold. Currently, the unscrupulous drug peddler cares only for sale of his product, irrespective of the age of the consumer, which is why we find most cannabis sales happening in the vicinity of schools and colleges in the prohibited environment. Law enforcement and regulators can approach the legal cannabis retailers, conduct spot checks and inspections to try and enforce the age limit which in the current scenario is impossible because the retailer is a ghost who appears, makes the sale to almost an entirely underage population and then disappears before any adult is aware of it. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime World Drug Report 2020 says, 'In 2019, young people aged 15–24 were more likely than those in older age groups to obtain cannabis from illegal sources, whereas a larger share of older cannabis users relied solely on legal sources; 41 per cent of cannabis users aged 65 or older reported using only legal sources to obtain cannabis, compared with roughly one quarter of the other age groups.'

One of the key reasons why Germany, South Africa and Canada, as well as several US states, legalized cannabis for adult recreational use was to protect the youth from the black market for drugs, criminal gangs and harassment from law enforcement. Legalized sales for adults means that retail outlets impose age restrictions on cannabis purchases, much like alcohol, where persons below 18 or 21 are not sold cannabis. Forterie Observer reports Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's thoughts, '“It was well known at just about any high school you would choose to go over the past decade, which kid you could go to to get marijuana,” Trudeau said He told the audience he pushed for the legalization of the substance because if it was treated like alcohol, anyone who wants it would need to go to an official store and show an ID to demonstrate that person is the age of majority. There are some hiccups in terms of how transitioning into a country where the recreational use of cannabis is allowed, but the federal government is working on it, he said.Trudeau told the crowd that legalizing cannabis “doesn’t 100 per cent prevent it” from ending up in the hands of youths, but “it makes it slightly more difficult.”'NORML reports that 'The percentage of young people who say that it is “easy” for them to acquire cannabis has decreased significantly since Canada legalized the adult-use marijuana market, according to data published in the journal Archives of Public Health. Canadian researchers assessed young people’s perceptions surrounding the availability of cannabis products. They determined that the percentage of underage youth reporting that cannabis was easy to access decreased by 27 percent from 2018 – the year Canada legalized cannabis markets nationwide – to 2020. Self-reported marijuana consumption by young people also decreased during this period. The study’s authors concluded: “While there has been a growing number of studies focused on examining changes in cannabis use among Canadian youth since the onset of the Cannabis Act, and more recently since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there appears to be a paucity of research dedicated to examining changes in youth perceptions of cannabis availability over the same period of time. In response, this study provides unique and novel evidence of how youth perceptions of cannabis access have changed since the onset of the Cannabis Act. … Our data suggest that in our large samples of youth, perceptions of cannabis access as being easy has declined in prevalence since legalization and through the early and ongoing pandemic response period.”' NORML reported in 2021 that 'In 2020, nearly 70 percent of cannabis consumers who participated in the study reported obtaining cannabis from a legal source, up from 47 percent in 2019. (Because the survey included respondents ages 15 and older, some subjects would be unable to obtain cannabis from any legal sources – which require users to be at least 18 years of age.) “One of the goals of legalization was the elimination (or substantial reduction) of the cannabis black (illegal) market and consequently keeping profits from criminals and organized crime,” the author wrote. “According to this study, there is some evidence that this may be working.”' NORML reports 'They conclude: “In the lead up to legalization, professional associations … suggested that legalization posed a threat to public health, advocated for the legal age for cannabis use to be set at a minimum age of 21 or 25, or that Canada should not legalize at all because it would place youth at greater risk of harm. With such categorical fears now shown to be largely unfounded, this should provide the basis to move forward on more nuanced grounds. … [O]n the balance, cannabis legalization – especially when considering the severe adverse social impacts of criminalization, and especially for youth – continues to offer the potential to better protect and achieve consequential net benefits to public health and welfare of cannabis users and society at large.”' MSN News reported in 2020 that 'Ultimately, the establishment of a pragmatic regulatory framework that allows for the legal, licensed commercial production and retail sale of marijuana to adults but restricts and discourages its use among young people best reduces the risks associated with the plant's use or abuse. By contrast, advocating for marijuana's continued criminalization only compounds them.' Harm Reduction Journal reported in 2020 that 'Four themes emerged during analyses: “sort of legal,” “mitigating harm through legalization,” “Increasing acceptance,” and “seeking safety when purchasing cannabis.” Despite their limited knowledge of cannabis regulation, the majority of the participants supported recreational cannabis legalization from a harm reduction perspective. Most participants did not believe that cannabis legalization had affected their use behavior. However, participants, especially cannabis users, perceived that recreational cannabis legalization created a context where cannabis use was legally, socially, and behaviorally “safer” than in an illegal context, even for those below the legal age of sale.' NORML reports 'Consistent with prior studies, investigators identified virtually no incidences of retailers selling cannabis to patrons without first validating that they were age 21 or older. They reported, “California laws further require ID check before any purchase, and overall compliance with this rule was high at 678 [out of 700 eligible] RCDs [recreational cannabis dispensaries] (96.8 percent).” Studies from other states where marijuana sales are legal, such as Colorado and Oregon, have similarly reported exceptionally high compliance rates among licensed facilities.' Canada has not reported any increase in cannabis use by teenagers since adult cannabis legalization in 2018. NORML reports 'The adoption of cannabis legalization in Canada has not been associated with significant upticks in either marijuana use by young people or in the percentage of people experiencing adverse cannabis-related consequences, according to longitudinal data published in the journal JAMA Open Network. A team of investigators from Canada and the United States assessed cannabis consumption trends in a cohort of at-risk young adults (ages 19 to 23) during the years immediately preceding and following legalization. Canada legalized the use and retail sale of marijuana products to those ages 18 and older in 2018. Researchers reported, “Individuals who used cannabis more frequently pre-legalization significantly decreased their use and cannabis-related consequences post-legalization.” By contrast, those who had no history of cannabis use prior to legalization typically reported engaging in the limited use of marijuana use following legalization. However, this use was not associated with adverse consequences.'

Access to safe unadulterated cannabis

With cannabis prohibition, the cannabis that is making its way into the hands of predominantly youth has a high risk of being contaminated and adulterated posing potentially serous health risks to the youth. This is similar to the situation of illicit liquor brewed in places where alcohol is prohibited and where there is no control over unscrupulous elements adding harmful substances to the liquor to increase its potency and sale-ability. In a legal environment, at least the risk of adulteration or contamination can be mitigated to a certain extent, with farmers taking up organic cultivation, and regulatory bodies doing at least the occasional purity checks on the plant

Cannabis as a means of livelihood for youth in a sustainable economy

Complete cannabis legalization can galvanise the economy in incredibily sustainable ways. The youth can find employment through cannabis cultivation, distribution and sales, through cannabis based sustainable industry that spans wide areas - including textiles and fabrics, construction, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, wellness, packaging, biofuels, biodegradable plastics, social consumption areas, tourism, research,  etc. The semi-legal cannabis industry promises a positive impact of more than $100 billion in the US in 2024-25. A completely legal cannabis industry in India can easily have a positive impact of $250 billion, not counting the benefits to healthcare, environment and shrinking the black market.

In recent times, the legal cannabis industry has emerged as one of the biggest employers, creating about 441,000+ jobs in the US in 2023. Cannabis was declared an essential service in many legalized US states during the fake Covid pandemic. Leafly reported in 2020 that 'Why cannabis? In 2020, it’s one of the rare industries that’s alive and thriving. Jobs exist and companies are hiring. Cannabis is one of the only industries that has reported a sales boom during the COVID-driven economic downturn. Hempstaff’s James Yagielo credits the industry’s sustained success in unpredictable times for the uptick in college-aged applicants his company has seen.'

In summary

One of the perceptions that the anti-cannabis forces would like to create is that the cannabis communities do not care for their young. If possible, they would like to project the cannabis communities as depraved - capable of even eating their own children under the influence of cannabis, besides performing all kinds of despicable acts to harm their children. What the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission report reveals is that in a society where cannabis is completely unregulated, and where the plant is free to exist like any other plant in nature, the young live in conditions no different from societies where cannabis has been prohibited using the argument that cannabis will destroy the young. What today's societies reveal is that whether cannabis is prohibited or not, the young face the same conditions that they always faced. We can probably go so far as to say that the young today are even worse off than when cannabis was completely legal. What most anti-cannabis forces seem completely ignorant of, or what they do not want to acknowledge, is that every parent cares for the child as much as any other parent, be it a cannabis user or a non-cannabis user. Every parent will do all it takes to ensure the safety and well-being of the child and to secure its future. Even the most depraved persons will do all it takes to protect their young and provide for them. The mothers that end up killing their children primarily do so from the fear that the child will not be able to survive without the mother. Families that commit mass suicides, first killing their young ones before they kill themselves quite often do so in the belief that without the parents the children will be lost. The instinct to protect and secure the well-being of the young is one of the strongest natural impulses, not just in humans, but even the smallest worm. When this is the case, to portray a cannabis user as not concerned about the young is an attempt at another form of delusion that anti-cannabis forces strive to achieve in their insane battle to keep one of nature's greatest creations that benefit humans from the hands of those humans intelligent and mature enough to seek the plant.

Some of the main reasons for the youth getting addicted to drugs of various kinds is the non-optimal environment that they face at home i.e parents too busy with trying to get rich and not spending the necessary time with their children or parents who indulge in all kinds of dangerous addictions in front of their children and then expect the child to behave better. Blaming cannabis for a child's errant behavior instead of their own bad parenting is a common approach used by parents everywhere. Europe PMC reports 'RESULTS:Controlling for other factors, parental NMPO[non-medical prescription opioid] use was associated with adolescent NMPO use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-1.56). Mothers' use had a stronger association with adolescent use than fathers' use (aOR 1.62 [95% CI 1.28-2.056] versus aOR 0.98 [95% CI 0.74-1.24]). Associations between parental and adolescent NMPO use did not differ by adolescent sex or race and/or ethnicity. Parental lifetime smoking, low monitoring, and parent-adolescent conflict were uniquely associated with adolescent NMPO use (aOR 1.19-1.24) as were adolescent smoking, marijuana use, depression, delinquency, and perceived schoolmates' drug use (aOR 1.25-1.71). Perceived risk of drug use and religiosity were associated with lower rates of adolescent NMPO use (aOR 0.77-0.93). Use among older adolescents was higher than among younger adolescents (aOR 1.27; 95% CI 1.21-1.34). CONCLUSIONS:Parent-based interventions targeted at adolescent NMPO use should address parental NMPO use and smoking and promote positive parenting.' With cannabis prohibition and the availability of the internet, we are currently in a situation where adults are misinformed about the plant whereas the youth are getting their information online. Parents rarely, if at all, have conversations with their children about cannabis and even if they do, their lack of knowledge on the subject leaves the child thinking that he or she knows more about the plant than the adult. This is similar to the approach of parents to sex education for the youth. Many parents don't even know the difference between cannabis and dangerous opium based drugs like heroin. They club everything under the one heading 'drug' not understanding the harm profiles of each of the various available options in the world today. Parents pick up this wrong information from sources that spread propaganda for their own selfish reasons. With legalization and more authentic information becoming available, adults can educate themselves first and then provide the necessary fact based counseling that a child will listen to, opening up the doors for more effective conversations. What parents need to do is to have conversations with their young about cannabis use, just like sex and smart phone use, and not treat it as taboo. Of course, it is better for the parent to be well informed about the subject in the first place, otherwise they may turn out to be the ones getting a lesson or two from their young. Leafly reports, 'Cannabis was an open conversation in my family, and in the summer before I left for university, my dad gave me advice that I’ve followed to this day: Don’t get high until you finish your homework. Looking back, I wish better product information and healthier consumption options like vaping and edibles were as available in 1997 as they are now, but otherwise I wouldn’t change a thing about my undergrad years. I graduated near the top of my class, attended a master’s program on full scholarship, and smoked weed on the regular—but only after I’d nailed my daily deadlines. Take that, stoner stereotypes.'  One thing that parents need to understand is that cannabis prohibition was one of the greatest harms inflicted by the ruling classes on society. Cannabis legalization is here to stay. NORML reports 'To date, not a single state that has implemented legalization has reversed course. That’s because these policies are working largely as politicians and voters intended — and because they are preferable to marijuana prohibition. Ultimately, common sense regulation allowing for the legal, licensed commercial production and sale of cannabis best addresses adult consumers’ demand while keeping marijuana products largely out of the hands of young people. By contrast, the continued criminalization of cannabis only compounds the public safety risks posed to young people and others by the unregulated marketplace.' So, as Bob Dylan said, ''Come mothers and fathers throughout the land. And don’t criticize what you can’t understand. Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command. Your old road is rapidly agin’. Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand. For the times they are a-changin’'.'

The young today behave just like they always did. Despite cannabis prohibition, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime  World Drug Report 2020 says 'Cannabis is the most widely used drug among young people. Globally, it is estimated that there were 13 million past-year users of any drug among students aged 15–16 in 2018, with an estimated 11.6 million past-year users of cannabis. This corresponds to an annual prevalence of cannabis use of 4.7 per cent among this age group – a rate that is higher than the rate among the general population aged 15–64 (3.9 per cent). Past-year use of cannabis among young people aged 15–16 is high in Oceania (17.8 per cent), the Americas (12.1 per cent) and Europe (11.7 per cent).' We see that the behavior of the young has not changed that much since 19th century India. The young even today prefer to consume cannabis as edibles, beverages or through vaporizers, rather than smoke it. The reasons why they do this is surely no different from what it was in India when cannabis was completely unregulated, mainly the aversion to smoking and the percieved need to avoid detection by elders. NORML reported in 2021 that 'All age groups reported herbal cannabis as “their most commonly used product” – a finding that is consistent with prior studies. Over 55 percent of respondents also reported having consumed edible cannabis products. Younger age groups were far more likely than older respondents to report consuming cannabis concentrates and ingesting cannabis products via a vaporizer (both dry vaporizers and vape pens). The use of tinctures and topicals varied little by age, though they were among the least popular products ranked by respondents. Those ages 65 or older were more likely to consume cannabis flower than any other form of the substance.'

About 65 percent of India's population today fall in the youth category. For the youth, the country has provided tobacco, alcohol, harmful and addictive synthetic prescription medicine including opioids, illegal drugs like methamphetamine, and for those who can afford it - heroin and cocaine. In terms of livelihood, most youth cannot find employment suitable for their educational qualifications, and find themselves slotted into the lowest classes to serve the ruling classes as cab drivers, delivery personnel, shop floor assistants, back office staff and construction workers. An increasing number of youth are getting recruited into cybercrime by criminal gangs where they devise new schemes to extort money from gullible members of the ruling classes. Many youth are taken up by the lifestyles of the rich and famous, and are on the constant lookout for shortcuts to get rich and famous. Quite a few youth get recruited into political parties to work as henchmen and puppets for unscrupulous politicians. Most high paying jobs are taken by youth from the ruling classes and elites who use the influence of their parents to secure these jobs. Many youth from the ruling classes make a beeline for western countries, paying huge sums of money in the name of education to finally end up working in supermarkets and gas stations. These countries recruit these ever willing youth to fill up the vacant positions in their own lowest classes, and Indian youth are eager to oblige, just so that they and their parents can brag that the son or daughter is in the You Yes Yea. Very few youth take up jobs in agriculture because they see it as disreputable. Even those who take up agriculture struggle to make ends meet in the face of unpredictable climate change and government policies stacked in favor of big businesses, chemical pesticide and fertilizers, and a few crops that the government views as more valuable than others.

It is not just India that has a majority young population. Many African nations have increasing youth populations, for example. The ruling upper classes and castes in these countries have pawned the nation's wealth and mineral resources to big businesses that have organizations like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, besides countries like China, Russia, the US and the EU, front ending for them and offering huge loans in the name of infrastructure development. Most of the money flows into the pockets of the ruling elites, while the majority of the population, especially the youth, will spend the rest of their lives toiling in enslavement to try and repay these loans - something that will never happen. When cannabis legalization can enable every nation in the world - especially its poorer nations with huge youth populations - to adopt sustainable renewable ways to grow their economies, besides providing universal healthcare and protecting the environment from the damage caused by the industries opposed to cannabis, the youth in all these nations slumber while the elites fatten themselves.

Life energies are at its peak in youth. Pleasure, recreation, intoxication and love for nature are some of the things that make life desirable. Without these things, life becomes dull, dreary and monotonous, leaving one without the zest to procreate and extend life. Then life energies do not have the medium - newer generations - to flow through time. Youth is the stage in life when one still has the energy to bring about transformation. Youth is the stage in life when one is still relatively independent to pursue one's own goals. Youth is the stage in life when one has not yet become completely enslaved and conditioned to the king-priest-businessman heirarchy of the world and become so tightly enmeshed in the hierarchy that there is no hope of escape. Youth is the stage in life when one is relatively free from the pressures and biases of one's elders, spouses and children, and society as a whole, and one can act with freedom. It is for the youth of the world to wrest back what is rightfully theirs - their divine cannabis herb - from the hands of the elites who have taken it away, and who use it with impunity for themselves labeling it as medicine or buying it from the black market at prices which only they can afford. If the youth delay in wresting back what is rightfully theirs, they will soon see themselves in the position of their elders, who through years of brainwashing come to completely believe the propaganda that cannabis is evil, and who do not have the will or the energy to make a change for the better, even when they see that it is the right thing to do but wait for death to release them. If the youth of the world do not act soon enough, we will see the ruling upper classes and elites - the king-priest-hierarchy - with their infantile minds and their plastic toys, medicines and intoxicants taking the human race, and much of life on earth, to the plastic grave - a possibility that is becoming an ever increasing reality that the youth are staring at in the span of their own current lifetimes. Hope lies in the hands of the youth. Can they rise above their distractions and focus on their own future and the future of life on earth? That is the question to which we see the answer unfolding before our eyes...

 

Related articles

Below are links to articles that appeared in various media related to the above. Words in italics are the thoughts of the author at the time of reading the article.

'Cannabis use by young people has not increased over the past decade, according to an analysis of federal data published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports.

A team of researchers affiliated with the University of Kentucky analyzed data from the federal National Survey on Drug Use and Health for the years 2013 to 2022. Over half a million Americans participated in the survey.

Since 2012, 24 states have legalized marijuana possession and sales for adults.

Consistent with prior assessments, researchers identified an increase in self-reported cannabis use among young adults and older adults (those ages 50-64), but not among teenagers. “Prevalence of cannabis use did not change among youth over time,” the study’s authors concluded.

Commenting on the data, NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said, “These findings should once again reassure lawmakers and the public that legal cannabis access for adults can be regulated in a manner that is safe, effective, and that does not negatively impact young people’s consumption habits.”'

https://norml.org/blog/2024/07/24/analysis-no-increase-in-rates-of-marijuana-use-among-youth-over-past-decade/


Young adults who consume cannabis are far less likely than never users to suffer from metabolic syndrome (MetS), according to data published in the American Journal of Open Medicine. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors, including unhealthy cholesterol levels and abdominal fat, that are linked to an increased risk of heart disease and adult-onset diabetes, among other serious health consequences.

Researchers affiliated with the University of Miami assessed the relationship between cannabis use and MetS in a nationally representative cohort of nearly 4,000 young adults (ages 18 to 25).

Consistent with prior studies, current cannabis consumers had lower waist circumference and lower BMI compared to controls.

Overall, current cannabis consumers possessed 42 percent lower odds of having MetS. Non-Hispanic Blacks, who acknowledged consuming cannabis at higher rates than other subjects, were least likely to suffer from metabolic syndrome.

“Current cannabis users had a lower prevalence of MetS, predominantly noted among NHB [non-Hispanic Blacks], the group with the highest prevalence of current cannabis use,” the study’s authors concluded. “Future prospective studies are warranted to examine the role of specific cannabinoids on MetS by race/ethnicity.”

https://norml.org/news/2024/07/25/study-cannabis-use-inversely-associated-with-metabolic-syndrome-in-younger-adults/


Children exposed to cannabis in utero possess no elevated risk of suffering from autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to data published in the journal Autism Research.

Researchers affiliated with Emory University, John Hopkins, and Harvard assessed the relationship between prenatal cannabis exposure and ASD in a sample of 11,570 children.

Investigators reported no link between cannabis exposure and ASD after controlling for relevant covariates, particularly tobacco consumption.

They concluded, “In a large sample and measuring ASD traits continuously, there was no evidence that prenatal cannabis exposure increases the risk for ASD. … Although no associations were found with ASD outcomes, prenatal cannabis exposure may still be associated with other facets of child development and behavior that were outside of the scope of this study, such as attention and cognition.”

https://norml.org/news/2024/07/18/prenatal-cannabis-exposure-not-associated-with-elevated-risk-of-autism/


https://x.com/Karl_Lauterbach/status/1811108800830787790


The administration of CBD-rich cannabis extracts is safe and effective in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to data from an observational study published in the journal Pharmaceuticals.

Brazilian investigators assessed the use of CBD-dominant extracts (CBD to THC ratio: 33 to 1) in a cohort of 30 children (mean age: 11 years) with moderate to severe ASD. Participants consumed cannabis extracts for six-months. Subjects were clinically assessed by their designated physicians. At the end of the treatment period, semi-structured interviews were also conducted with the participants’ parents and caregivers.

Consistent with prior studies, most subjects (70 percent) demonstrated clinical improvements following CBD therapy – particularly with respect to attention and communication skills. Seventy-four percent of subjects either reduced or ceased their use of at least one prescribed medication during the study.

Two-thirds (67 percent) of parents reported improvements in their child’s behavior in six of the 12 categories assessed. No parents reported that their child’s symptoms worsened over the course of the study.

The study’s authors concluded: “In the present study, we show that the benefits of treatment with full-spectrum CBD oil for non-syndromic individuals with ASD are not only noticeable to the clinical eye but are also perceived and experienced by the families and caregivers. In short, the findings corroborate that this treatment, combined with a gradual and individualized dosage regimen, is safe and efficient for broader treatment of central and comorbid symptoms associated with ASD, being able to improve aspects such as social interaction, communication and quality of life.”

https://norml.org/news/2024/07/11/study-cbd-rich-extracts-mitigate-symptoms-in-adolescents-with-autism/


Rates of youth marijuana use in Colorado declined slightly in 2023—remaining significantly lower than before the state became one of the first in the U.S. to legalize cannabis for adults, contradicting prohibitionist arguments that the reform would lead to increased underage consumption.

That’s according to the latest biannual Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, which found that past-30-day use of cannabis among high schoolers was at 12.8 percent in 2023, a dip from the 13.3 percent reported in 2021.

In fact, since the first retail cannabis shops opened in Colorado in 2014, youth marijuana use has gradually declined. It’s fallen nearly 7 percentage points since 2013, when past-30-day use among high schoolers was at 19.7 percent.

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/youth-marijuana-use-in-colorado-continues-to-decline-since-legalization-took-effect-contradicting-prohibitionist-fears/


Policies legalizing the use and sale of cannabis products have not led to an increase in marijuana-related hospitalizations, according to data published in the Journal of Addictive Diseases.

Canadian investigators tracked rates of cannabis-related hospitalizations in Alberta in the years prior to and following legalization. Canadian lawmakers legalized the use and sale of cannabis flowers for those ages 18 and older in October 2018. Retailers began engaging in the sales of cannabis concentrates and edible products in 2020.

Researchers identified an increase in hospitalizations among those ages 18 to 24 in the period immediately prior to legalization, but they acknowledged that there were no increases in hospitalizations following legalization among representatives of any age group.

“Legalization was not significantly associated with immediate or ongoing changes in hospitalization rates … for either younger or older adults,” the study’s authors concluded.

https://norml.org/news/2024/05/23/canada-no-increase-in-hospitalizations-following-adult-use-legalization/


Significantly more Americans now say they smoke marijuana than cigarettes—with young people being more than five times more likely to consume cannabis than tobacco, according to new Gallup polling data.

Overall, 17 percent of Americans say they smoke cannabis, compared to 12 percent who reported smoking any cigarettes in the past week.

The difference is especially stark when it comes to younger adults. Among those aged 18-34, 26 percent said they use cannabis, compared to just 5 percent who smoke cigarettes.

Eighteen percent of adults aged 35-54 smoke marijuana, which is also more than smoke cigarettes (16 percent).

Adults 55 and older, however, were slightly more likely to smoke cigarettes in the past week (13 percent) than who smoke cannabis (11 percent).

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/young-americans-are-five-times-more-likely-to-smoke-marijuana-than-cigarettes-gallup-poll-shows/


The use of alcohol, but not cannabis, in adolescence is independently associated with poorer educational attainment, according to longitudinal data published in the journal BMC Public Health.

Finnish investigators assessed the relationship between the use of cannabis and alcohol by adolescents and lifetime educational attainment in a cohort of more than 6,500 subjects.

They reported that the frequent use of alcohol during adolescence was significantly associated with poorer lifetime educational attainment after controlling for confounders. By contrast, early-onset cannabis use was not a statistically significant risk factor after researchers controlled for other variables.

The study’s authors concluded: “In this large birth cohort study with a 17-year follow-up, younger age at first intoxication, higher frequency of alcohol intoxication, and high self-reported alcohol tolerance at age 15/16 years were associated with poorer educational outcomes by the age of 33 years. These adverse associations were evident regardless of a range of potential confounders, such as behavioral/emotional problems at age 7/8 years and parental education level. The association between adolescent lifetime cannabis use and educational attainment in adulthood was no longer statistically significant after adjusting for potential confounders including alcohol use. Our finding that inherent alcohol tolerance in adolescence was associated with subsequent educational attainment has not been previously reported.”

https://norml.org/news/2024/01/25/analysis-cannabis-use-in-adolescence-not-independently-linked-to-poorer-educational-outcomes/


Marijuana use by teens fell significantly in King County, Washington (population: 2.3 million) following the state’s adoption of adult-use legalization, according to data provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Investigators reported that cannabis use fell 60 percent among males and 42 percent among females from 2012 to 2021. (Voters approved a ballot initiative legalizing the adult use market in 2012; retail cannabis sales began in 2014.)

The study’s authors suggested that legalization likely made it more difficult for teens to access cannabis.

“The observed overall decreases in cannabis use among students in grades 8, 10, and 12 might be associated with changes in the availability of cannabis among persons aged =21 years as well as limited opportunities to engage in use,” they wrote. “The period 2012–2014 includes the legalization of nonmedical cannabis in Washington in 2012. Researchers studying the association of cannabis laws with cannabis use among high school students have observed similar declines in cannabis use after legalization of nonmedical cannabis. The legalization of nonmedical cannabis for adults aged =21 years in Washington with licensed dispensaries requiring proof of age might have affected availability of cannabis to younger persons as well as their opportunities to engage in its use. This, in turn, might have had an impact on use prevalence.”

https://norml.org/news/2024/01/25/cdc-analysis-youth-cannabis-use-declining-legalization-likely-responsible/


Physicians are recommending cannabis-based treatments for children suffering from cerebral palsy (CP), according to survey data published in the journal Children.

Swiss researchers surveyed 70 physicians with experience treating children with cerebral palsy. Physicians participating in the survey resided in Europe, North America, and Australia.

Forty-seven percent of respondents reported having authorized cannabis-based therapies (e.g., Dronabinol, Epidiolex, whole-plant cannabis extracts, or CBD) to their pediatric patients, typically as an adjunctive therapy. Doctors were most likely to recommend cannabinoids for treating seizures, spasticity, and pain. Sixty-nine percent of respondents reported that cannabis-based treatments provided either “strong” or “moderate” effects on CP symptoms.

The study’s authors concluded: “This international online survey assessed the prescribing practices of cannabinoids in children with CP by their treating physicians. The participating physicians acquired their knowledge about cannabinoids mainly outside their medical training. The physicians frequently prescribed differing formulas of cannabinoids for various indications in children with CP. The most common indications were epilepsy, spasticity, and pain, and treatment was initiated as co-medication or second-line treatment. Overall, physicians perceived a moderate efficacy of cannabinoids and no long-term side effects.”

https://norml.org/news/2024/01/11/survey-some-physicians-endorse-cannabis-based-treatments-for-children-with-cerebral-palsy/


The percentage of young people who say that it is “easy” for them to acquire cannabis has decreased significantly since Canada legalized the adult-use marijuana market, according to data published in the journal Archives of Public Health.

Canadian researchers assessed young people’s perceptions surrounding the availability of cannabis products. They determined that the percentage of underage youth reporting that cannabis was easy to access decreased by 27 percent from 2018 – the year Canada legalized cannabis markets nationwide – to 2020. Self-reported marijuana consumption by young people also decreased during this period.

The study’s authors concluded: “While there has been a growing number of studies focused on examining changes in cannabis use among Canadian youth since the onset of the Cannabis Act, and more recently since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there appears to be a paucity of research dedicated to examining changes in youth perceptions of cannabis availability over the same period of time. In response, this study provides unique and novel evidence of how youth perceptions of cannabis access have changed since the onset of the Cannabis Act. … Our data suggest that in our large samples of youth, perceptions of cannabis access as being easy has declined in prevalence since legalization and through the early and ongoing pandemic response period.”

https://norml.org/news/2023/12/21/survey-fewer-young-people-say-cannabis-is-easy-to-access-post-legalization/


Federally funded survey data provided by the University of Michigan reports that rates of teen marijuana use remain near historic lows.

Consistent with data provided last month by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA), the University’s annual Monitoring the Future survey reports that fewer young people are consuming cannabis today than were prior to the COVID pandemic.

“The percentage of youth who have used marijuana had not returned to pre-pandemic, 2020 levels by 2023,” the survey’s authors conclude. “In all grades, 2023 levels remained below those in 2020.”

https://norml.org/blog/2023/12/13/federally-funded-survey-marijuana-use-by-teens-remains-below-pre-pandemic-levels/


'Those between the ages of 18 and 20 show no uptick in their use of cannabis following the adoption of statewide adult-use legalization, according to data published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.

Researchers affiliated with Drexel University in Philadelphia assessed cannabis use trends in Los Angeles, California in two separate cohorts of subjects between the ages of 18 and 20. The first cohort was assessed during the years immediately prior to the adoption of adult-use legalization in California. The second cohort was assessed in 2019-2020. (California voters legalized marijuana in November 2016; retail sales began the following January.) Participants in both cohorts reported being current cannabis consumers prior to their enrollment in the study.

Investigators failed to identify any significant differences in cannabis use frequency between the two groups. However, those in the latter cohort were less likely to report consuming either alcohol or cigarettes.'

https://norml.org/news/2023/12/07/study-no-increase-in-cannabis-use-among-older-teens-following-adult-use-legalization/


The adoption of cannabis legalization in Canada has not been associated with significant upticks in either marijuana use by young people or in the percentage of people experiencing adverse cannabis-related consequences, according to longitudinal data published in the journal JAMA Open Network.

A team of investigators from Canada and the United States assessed cannabis consumption trends in a cohort of at-risk young adults (ages 19 to 23) during the years immediately preceding and following legalization. Canada legalized the use and retail sale of marijuana products to those ages 18 and older in 2018.

Researchers reported, “Individuals who used cannabis more frequently pre-legalization significantly decreased their use and cannabis-related consequences post-legalization.” By contrast, those who had no history of cannabis use prior to legalization typically reported engaging in the limited use of marijuana use following legalization. However, this use was not associated with adverse consequences.

https://norml.org/news/2023/10/05/study-no-significant-changes-in-cannabis-use-adverse-consequences-among-high-risk-young-adults-following-legalization/

''Under new law, state can’t take kids away solely for parental cannabis use. Advocates say it’s a step in the right direction, but more work is needed. Nine percent of all newborns exposed to a substance were removed from their parents in 2020, compared to 6% in 2022.'

https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/family/maryland-cannabis-child-protective-services-parents-foster-care-25UC5W2CWFDGHARCS6TWGGPCQQ/


The Washington State Department of Health has announced $1.3 million in funding to 11 different community-based organizations to be spent on “youth cannabis and commercial tobacco use prevention.”

“Nine out of 10 smokers start before age 18 and 99 percent start before age 26. Youth smoking rates in Washington State have significantly decreased, but more work is needed,” according to the Tuesday Department of Health news release.

The Center Square reached out to the Department of Health about the source of the funds for the program.

“Funding is sourced through the Dedicated Cannabis Account,” Department of Health spokesperson Shelby Anderson said via email, before going on to cite the Revised Code of Washington 69.50.540 which finances the Dedicated Cannabis Account.

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/marijuana-revenue-in-washington-state-will-fund-1-3-million-in-youth-anti-smoking-grants/


A new study of teens and young adults at risk of developing psychotic disorders found that regular marijuana use over a two-year period did not trigger early onset of symptoms—contrary to the claims of prohibitionists who argue that cannabis causes mental illness. In fact, it was associated with modest improvements in cognitive functioning and reduced use of other medications.

A team of researchers at Zucker Hillside Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, University of Michigan and University of California at Davis carried out the study, which was published Tuesday in the journal Psychiatry Research.

“Recreational cannabis use has recently gained considerable interest as an environmental risk factor that triggers the onset of psychosis,” the study authors wrote. “To date, however, the evidence that cannabis is associated with negative outcomes in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis is inconsistent.”

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/young-people-at-risk-of-psychosis-saw-symptoms-surprisingly-improve-with-marijuana-use-study-finds/


Those who consume unregulated opioids frequently report using cannabis to mitigate their drug cravings, according to data published in the International Journal of Drug Policy.

Canadian investigators assessed cannabis use trends among a cohort of 205 consumers of non-prescription opioids. Many of the cohort were IV drug users and at-risk youth.

Nearly half of the study’s participants (45 percent) acknowledged using cannabis to manage opioid cravings. Of those, 62 percent “reported self-assessed decreases in opioid use during periods of cannabis use.” Subjects suffering from chronic pain were most likely to engage in opioid substitution.

Authors concluded: “In the present study, we observed that cannabis use to manage opioid cravings was significantly associated with self-assessed decreases in opioid use during periods of cannabis use among a structurally marginalized population of PWUD [people who use unregulated opioids]. The sub-analysis indicated that this association was mainly driven by those living with moderate to severe pain. … This suggests that future studies of cannabis substitution for opioid use should measure and analyze the impact of pain, as not doing so may lead to equivocal findings when the effects of cannabis substitution may vary based on the prevalence of chronic pain.”

https://norml.org/news/2023/08/03/study-users-of-non-prescription-opioids-frequently-turn-to-cannabis-to-reduce-drug-cravings/


'“In looking at the state of Colorado for 12-to-17 year old current use, we had a spike in ’14, but overall the use rates in Colorado have been declining,” he said, “and that matches what we’re seeing in other states and also the trend we’re seeing nationally.”

Data for the presentation came from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Organization (SAMHSA), which conducts annual surveys on drug use. It defines “current use” as use within the past 30 days.'

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/white-house-anti-marijuana-official-admits-youth-use-has-fallen-since-legalization/


'A law that criminalises children who possess or use cannabis has been declared unconstitutional by a Johannesburg high court judge.

Judge Ingrid Opperman said the way children were still being treated, two years after the Constitutional Court decriminalised cannabis possession and use for adults, was redolent of apartheid laws...'

https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/news/2020-08-02-judge-rules-that-kids-who-possesses-or-uses-cannabis-cannot-be-criminals/


'“Consistent with prior research on medical marijuana and adolescent marijuana use, medical legalization status does not appear to correspond to treatment admission trends,” says study, published in the CDC journal GIS Reports. “Notably, however, 7 of 8 states with recreational legalization during the study period fall into the class with the steepest level of admissions decline.”'

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/teen-marijuana-treatment-admissions-fell-sharply-in-states-that-legalized-federal-report-shows/


'“Youth marijuana use has not significantly changed since legalization, but the way youth are using marijuana is changing,” the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) said in a press release.

An official with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s National Marijuana Initiative expressed a similar sentiment to lawmakers last month, stating that for reasons that are unclear, youth consumption of cannabis “is going down” in Colorado and other legalized states and that it’s “a good thing” even if “we don’t understand why.”'

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/colorado-youth-marijuana-use-has-not-significantly-changed-since-legalization-state-data-shows/


'Cannabidiol (CBD) is a major phytocannabinoid in Cannabis sativa. CBD is being increasingly reported as a clinical treatment for neurological diseases. Febrile seizure is one of the most common diseases in children with limited therapeutic options. We investigated possible therapeutic effects of CBD on febrile seizures and the underlying mechanism. Use of a hyperthermia-induced seizures model revealed that CBD significantly prolonged seizure latency and reduced the severity of thermally-induced seizures. Hippocampal neuronal excitability was significantly decreased by CBD. Further, CBD significantly reduced the a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR) mediated evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs) and the amplitude and frequency of miniature EPSCs (mEPSCs). Furthermore, CBD significantly accelerated deactivation in GluA1 and GluA2 subunits.'

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1043661820314365


'Current alcohol, lifetime cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and injection drug use decreased during 2009–2019. Lifetime use of synthetic marijuana (also called synthetic cannabinoids) decreased during 2015–2019. Lifetime marijuana use increased during 2009–2013 and then decreased during 2013–2019. In 2019, 29.2% reported current alcohol use, 21.7% current marijuana use, 13.7% current binge drinking, and 7.2% current prescription opioid misuse. Substance use varied by sex, race/ethnicity, grade, and sexual minority status (lesbian, gay, or bisexual). Use of other substances, particularly current use of alcohol (59.4%) and marijuana (43.5%), was common among students currently misusing prescription opioids. Findings highlight opportunities for expanding evidence-based prevention policies, programs, and practices that aim to reduce risk factors and strengthen protective factors related to youth substance use, in conjunction with ongoing initiatives for combating the opioid crisis.'

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/su/su6901a5.htm?s_cid=su6901a5_x


'Why cannabis? In 2020, it’s one of the rare industries that’s alive and thriving. Jobs exist and companies are hiring.

Cannabis is one of the only industries that has reported a sales boom during the COVID-driven economic downturn. Hempstaff’s James Yagielo credits the industry’s sustained success in unpredictable times for the uptick in college-aged applicants his company has seen.'

https://www.leafly.com/news/industry/college-students-taking-a-covid-gap-semester-are-turning-to-cannabis-jobs


'Ultimately, the establishment of a pragmatic regulatory framework that allows for the legal, licensed commercial production and retail sale of marijuana to adults but restricts and discourages its use among young people best reduces the risks associated with the plant's use or abuse. By contrast, advocating for marijuana's continued criminalization only compounds them.'

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/regulating-marijuana-sales-does-not-lead-to-rising-youth-substance-abuse/ar-BB18Ea52


'As rationale, the bishops cite rising child fatality rates in Arizona attributed to marijuana and state that “problematic” marijuana use is 25 percent higher among teens in states that legalized recreational marijuana.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment might beg to differ. The state agency recently published a survey that found youth marijuana use has not significantly changed since the drug was legalized in Colorado in 2014. There, 20.6 percent of high school students and 5.2 percent of middle school students reported cannabis consumption in 2019. Both those numbers are lower than they were pre-legalization, in 2011, when those rates were 22 percent and 6.3 percent, respectively.'

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/marijuana/arizona-catholic-leaders-dont-like-legalized-marijuana-proposition-207-11497736


'But on the other side of the ledger are plenty of Coloradans, many of them parents, who, regardless of their views on legalization or their own history with marijuana, are worried about the impact it all could have on their kids. On their schooling and social lives; their mental and physical health; their intellectual and emotional development; their basic safety on the roads.'

https://gazette.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-troubling-lessons-learned-from-legalization/article_caf00b7e-00fa-11eb-80c8-9f7636d36a75.html


'Alcohol abuse sloshes on. You probably know the stats but let’s review…

Nearly 70% of adults said that they drank alcohol in the past year; 55% in the last month. Over 14 million U.S. adults suffer from alcohol use disorder, along with over 400,000 youths ages 12 to 17. An estimated 95,0005 people (approximately 68,000 men and 27,000 women) die from alcohol-related causes annually, making alcohol the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Alcohol misuse costs this country nearly a quarter of a billion dollars a year.

So why, WHY jump on that particularly ugly, boozy bad-idea bandwagon when there is cannabis, a sweet yet complicated plant winking to you in the wings at the party stage, ready to give you a buzz maybe reminiscent of an alcohol buzz (beer is made with fermented hops, which is a close plant cousin of cannabis). But so much better for you in so many ways.'

https://www.laweekly.com/alcohol-takes-backseat-to-cannabis-as-intoxicant-of-choice/


'Four themes emerged during analyses: “sort of legal,” “mitigating harm through legalization,” “Increasing acceptance,” and “seeking safety when purchasing cannabis.” Despite their limited knowledge of cannabis regulation, the majority of the participants supported recreational cannabis legalization from a harm reduction perspective. Most participants did not believe that cannabis legalization had affected their use behavior. However, participants, especially cannabis users, perceived that recreational cannabis legalization created a context where cannabis use was legally, socially, and behaviorally “safer” than in an illegal context, even for those below the legal age of sale.'

https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12954-020-00442-8


'All age groups reported herbal cannabis as “their most commonly used product” – a finding that is consistent with prior studies. Over 55 percent of respondents also reported having consumed edible cannabis products. Younger age groups were far more likely than older respondents to report consuming cannabis concentrates and ingesting cannabis products via a vaporizer (both dry vaporizers and vape pens). The use of tinctures and topicals varied little by age, though they were among the least popular products ranked by respondents. Those ages 65 or older were more likely to consume cannabis flower than any other form of the substance.'

https://norml.org/news/2021/01/14/study-herbal-cannabis-most-popular-method-of-ingestion-across-all-age-groups


'RML[ Recreational Marijuana Legalization] in Washington and Colorado was not associated with an increase in adolescent or emerging adult SUD treatment admissions for opioids, cocaine, or methamphetamines. Future studies should extend this research to other states, other substances, for older adults, and over longer time periods; and consider how the effects of drug policies may differ across different jurisdictions.'

https://www.journalofsubstanceabusetreatment.com/article/S0740-5472(20)30485-2/fulltext


'Investigators reported that legalization has not demonstrably impacted young people’s use of cannabis or other substances, nor has it significantly influenced overall trends in traffic safety, violent crime, or suicide rates.

“Our data showed that state-?level legalization of marijuana had generally minor effects,” authors concluded. “One notable exception was the increase in state tax revenue from legalized marijuana sales, … which has exceeded some expectations.”'

https://norml.org/news/2021/02/11/report-adult-use-legalization-laws-not-associated-with-adverse-impacts-on-public-health


'Results: In all five cases, there was a highly statistical decrease in the disruptive behavior score from 18±1.0 before cannabis use to 6±2.1 after introduction of cannabis (p=0.0002).

Discussion: In children and young adults with FASD [Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder], cannabis, mostly cannabidiol (CBD), has been associated with a marked and statistically significant improvement in serious disruptive behavior. These cases suggest that the efficacy and safety of CBD should be tested in well-controlled studies.'

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/can.2019.0056


'Therefore, it appears that cannabis legalization has not yet been followed by pronounced changes on youth cannabis use. High prevalence of youth cannabis use in this sample remains a concern. These data suggest that the Cannabis Act has not yet led to the reduction in youth cannabis use envisioned in its public health approach.'

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335521000425


'Investigators concluded: “No significant associations between cannabis use and thickness were observed. The lack of cannabis-specific effects is consistent with literature reviews, large sample studies, and evidence that observed cannabis effects may be accounted for by comorbid alcohol.

“This study provides novel evidence that alcohol-related reductions in cortical thickness of control/salience brain networks likely represent the effects of alcohol exposure and premorbid characteristics of the genetic predisposition to misuse alcohol. The dual effects of these two alcohol-related causal influences have important and complementary implications regarding public health and prevention efforts to curb youth drinking.”'


'In March, Nebraska’s Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts alleged: “If you legalize marijuana, you’re going to kill your kids.”

But actual studies of adult-use states keep showing no or little effect on teen use, and now—hospital admissions.

A November 2020 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found far fewer teens going to the hospital for pot as adult-use laws took effect nationwide.

The CDC report found “a precipitous national decline in adolescent treatment admissions, particularly in states legalizing recreational marijuana use,” states study author Jeremy Mennis, Ph.D.

“7 of 8 states with recreational legalization during the study period fall into the class with the steepest level of admissions decline.” — Centers for Disease Control, 2020'

https://www.leafly.com/news/health/cdc-study-marijuana-teen-hospital-admissions


'Though there is room for improvement, the high level of compliance suggests minimum age laws have the potential to be effective in reducing underage marijuana use, as well as marijuana-impaired driving. But it also raises new questions for future research, says James Fell, a scientist at NORC at the University of Chicago and the study’s lead author.

“Obviously, compliance in the legal market isn’t enough to ensure people under 21 don’t have access to recreational marijuana,” says Fell. “It’s also not really clear how much pressure there is on the illegal sellers, now that recreational use isn’t against the law.”'

https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/licensed-marijuana-retailers-comply-with-californias-minimum-age-laws


'Researchers reported that the efficacy of Epidiolex improved the longer subjects took it. They reported: “[The] percentage of children achieving [a] =50 percent seizure frequency reduction was 44 percent at month 1, and 41 percent at year 1, and [a] 61 percent reduction at year 2, while adult responder rates were 34 percent at month 1, 53 percent at year 1, and 71 percent at year 2.”

Authors concluded, “Our study provides further evidence of sustained seizure frequency and severity reduction over two years of treatment with highly purified CBD in TRE [treatment-resistant epilepsy].”'

https://norml.org/news/2021/04/08/study-efficacy-of-cannabis-derived-epilepsy-drug-sustained-long-term


'In 2020, nearly 70 percent of cannabis consumers who participated in the study reported obtaining cannabis from a legal source, up from 47 percent in 2019. (Because the survey included respondents ages 15 and older, some subjects would be unable to obtain cannabis from any legal sources – which require users to be at least 18 years of age.)

“One of the goals of legalization was the elimination (or substantial reduction) of the cannabis black (illegal) market and consequently keeping profits from criminals and organized crime,” the author wrote. “According to this study, there is some evidence that this may be working.”'

https://norml.org/news/2021/04/29/canada-far-fewer-consumers-accessing-illegally-sourced-cannabis-following-enactment-of-adult-use-legalization


'Results
There were 64 respondents included in the analysis. Fourteen participants (N=14/64; 22%) reported use of cannabis, of which half used cannabis for either cancer treatment or symptom management, or both. Leukemia (n=9/14; 64%) was the most frequent diagnosis in children whose caregivers reported using cannabis and the majority of them were still receiving active cancer treatment (N= 5/9; 56%). All of the respondents using cannabis (14/14, 100%) experienced symptom improvement. Most of the caregivers procured cannabis from their friends (N=5/14; 36%), and oil was the most commonly used formulation (N=12/14; 86%). Cannabis-related information was received from another parent (N=4/14; 29%) or from a doctor (N=4/14; 29%). The reported monthly expenditure on cannabis varied widely from less than $50 CAD (N=4/14; 29%) to more than $500 CAD (N=3/14; 21%).

Conclusions
Our survey shows that cannabis, mostly oil products, was used by one-fifth of children with cancer during or after the completion of cancer treatment. These findings require validation in a larger nationwide survey.'

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00520-021-06202-z


What better way of targeting children than to try and make sure that everyone else around them is gradually infected with the coronavirus through vaccination...the icing on the cake after the many months of being deprived of school, outdoor games and interaction with their peers. Luckily for the young ones, their immune systems are yet to be assaulted by long term use of the barrage of synthetic pharma drugs that the adults have subjected themselves to...and luckily for them pharma companies, the medical industry and governments are focusing more on profiting from the affluent adults...at least for the time being...

May 18, 2021 4:50:08pm


'Current law gives principals discretion to set policies allowing or preventing schools to store and administer cannabis-based medicines. But under the new legislation Polis signed, that discretion is removed and school boards will be required to create policies on storage of cannabis medicines and allowing personnel to volunteer to possess and administer it to qualifying students who need it.'

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/colorado-governor-signs-bill-to-expand-medical-marijuana-access-for-students-in-schools/


'This time, the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) analyzed youth surveys of high school students from 2009 to 2019, concluding that there’s been “no measurable difference” in the percentage of those in grades 9-12 who reported consuming cannabis at least once in the past 30 days.

The report, which relies on data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, also found that access remained stable during that time period, with no statistically significant changes in the percentage of youth who say they’ve been offered, sold or gifted illegal drugs on school grounds in the previous 30 days.

What makes the report notable is the timeline.'

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/youth-marijuana-use-remained-stable-after-states-started-enacting-legalization-federal-report-finds/


'In an email blasted out last week to city doctors and public health officials, DOH chief medical officer Dr. Michelle Morse described a troubling uptick in kids puffing on pot, e-cigarettes and hookah.

Though just 3.3 percent of city public high school kids smoke cigarettes, 17.7 percent reach for reefer, Morse wrote in the email, a copy of which was obtained by The Post.

An “alarming” 15.2 percent use e-cigarettes, 6.3 percent puff on cigars or cigarillos and 5.6 percent fire up the hookah, Morse added, citing unpublished data from a 2018 youth tobacco survey.'

https://nypost.com/2021/05/31/heath-chief-warns-of-kid-pot-dangers-as-ny-readies-for-legal-weed/


'Consistent with prior data, the federal report concludes that youth marijuana use has remained unchanged over the better part of the past decade – during which time numerous jurisdictions have legalized the sale of marijuana products to adults. It reads: “The overall percentage of students who reported using marijuana at least 1 time during the previous 30 days in 2019 was not measurably different from the percentage in 2009…. There was no measurable difference between 2009 and 2019 in the percentage of students who reported that illegal drugs were made available -to them on school property.”

Commenting on the study’s findings, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: “These data reaffirm that youth marijuana use has remained stable despite the liberalization of adult use laws. These findings make it clear that cannabis access can be legally regulated for adults in a manner that is safe, effective, and that does not inadvertently impact young people’s habits.”'

https://norml.org/news/2021/06/03/federal-study-no-changes-in-youth-marijuana-use-trends-following-legalization


'The international policy process does not fare any better, with existing conventions built on a view of illegal drugs that is “increasingly at odds with current knowledge” (p. 218), and to a large extent reflecting a US desire to globalise their own policies. The international war on drugs has “often served as a flexible instrument for forwarding general American policy interests” (p.214); cannabis was included in the 1961 convention under “heavy international pressure” so as to “globalize the [American] Marijuana Tax Act” (p.205); the 1971 convention was established “as a reaction to the rise of youth counterculture of the late 1960s” (p.214); and poor nations are regularly threatened with “serious fiscal and reputational consequences” (p.215) if they fail to comply with US policy requests.' 

 

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1515/nsad-2015-0034


'Cross-sectionally, we detected no significant neurocognitive differences before initiation of drug use. However, after controlling for confounders, light cannabis use as well as late-onset thereof was associated with increased decision-making skills both cross-sectionally at follow-up as well as longitudinally compared to non-using controls.

In summary, our data suggests that decision-making is not impaired when cannabis is used in moderation and onset of use occurs after the age of 15. In addition, we find no evidence to support the presumption that cannabis consumption leads to a decline in neurocognitive ability.'

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0885201421000678


'Investigators determined: “[A]s a whole, cannabis use patterns did not change with legalization across a range of cannabis use and polysubstance use behaviors, nor did the perception of ease of access or safety of the source of cannabis.” Authors also reported “no change in mental health symptomatology or substance use dependence” following legalization.

They concluded, “Cannabis use does not appear to have changed substantially in the short-term following legalization among youth seeking services for substance use disorders, whether or not the youth have reached the age of majority.”'

https://norml.org/news/2021/07/08/study-marijuana-legalization-not-associated-with-changes-in-marijuana-use-among-high-risk-youth


'Authors reported, “Living near more outlets of any type was not significantly associated with intentions to use in the full sample, adjusting for individual- and neighborhood-level characteristics.”

They concluded: “This is the first study to simultaneously examine the density of both MCDs [medical cannabis dispensaries] and RCRs [recreational cannabis retailers] around young adults’ homes and associations with future intentions to use cannabis, including the co-use of cannabis with tobacco/nicotine. Our results suggest that young adults who lived in an area with a greater density of any type of outlet were not significantly more likely to report stronger intentions to use cannabis, e-cigarettes, or cannabis mixed with tobacco/nicotine in the future.”'

https://norml.org/blog/2021/07/12/density-of-cannabis-outlets-not-associated-with-increased-intention-to-use-marijuana-by-young-adults/


'Researchers reported that cannabis use was not independently associated with a greater risk of suicidal thoughts at young adulthood after investigators controlled for subjects’ use of alcohol, tobacco, and other substances. In addition, researchers reported that adolescents who suffered from depression were more likely to use cannabis later in life, not vice-versa.

Authors concluded: “This population-based study is the first, to our knowledge, to examine the temporal relation between cannabis use, depression and suicidal ideation simultaneously over five years during adolescence. Depression (but not suicidal ideation) predicted weekly cannabis use throughout adolescence. Weekly cannabis use predicted suicidal ideation (but not depression), but this association was no longer significant after taking into account other substance use including alcohol, tobacco and other drugs consumption. … These findings highlight the importance of targeting depressive symptoms during this sensitive developmental period in an attempt to offset the potential increased use of cannabis over time.”'

https://norml.org/news/2021/07/15/study-adolescent-cannabis-use-not-independently-predictive-of-depression-suicidal-ideation


'Those with a history of cannabis use do not possess an increased risk of early-onset ischemic stroke, according to the findings of a population-based case-control study published in the journal Stroke.

Researchers with the University of Maryland School of Medicine assessed the relationship between cannabis and stroke risk in a cohort of 1,564 subjects between the ages of 15 to 49.

Investigators said that their study was “the largest case-control study to date” evaluating the association between marijuana and ischemic stroke risk.

They reported, “After adjusting for other risk factors, including the amount of current tobacco smoking, marijuana use was not associated with ischemic stroke, regardless of the timing of use in relationship to the stroke, including ever use, use within 30 days, and use within 24 hours.”

Authors concluded, “These analyses do not demonstrate an association between marijuana use and an increased risk of early-onset ischemic stroke.”'

https://norml.org/news/2021/07/22/cannabis-use-not-independently-linked-to-increased-risk-of-ischemic-stroke-in-young-adults


'Responding to the study’s findings, NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said, “Modern science is setting the record straight and exposing much of the ‘reefer madness’ of the past decades.

Unfortunately, many of these myths still remain prevalent in our society, and are often raised by politicians in their efforts to justify the failed policies of marijuana prohibition and stigmatization It’s is time for America to set aside these myths and adopt cannabis policies based on facts, not fears”

The study’s authors concluded: “Our findings do not support a relationship between cannabis use and reductions in motivation over time in a sample of adolescents at risk for escalation in cannabis use. … The current study contributes to the extant literature by examining these associations longitudinally in a large sample of adolescent cannabis users while controlling for important and often overlooked confounds, including sex and depression. … Future studies should continue to examine these associations longitudinally to determine whether heavier levels of cannabis use lead to reductions in motivation, and whether these reductions may be responsible for poorer educational and later life outcomes.”'

https://norml.org/blog/2021/07/20/study-cannabis-use-not-linked-to-motivation-loss/


'“I think it’s 100 percent necessary that we actually have an understanding of the consequences of legalizing marijuana are going to have into the children and adolescent brain and what are the consequences,” Volkow replied. “We owe it to the public to actually provide that information.”'

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/senators-and-federal-officials-discuss-marijuana-legalization-and-drug-harm-reduction-at-overdose-hearing/


'Results
We identified eight completed and five ongoing studies meeting the inclusion criteria. All studies reported substantial behaviour and symptom improvement on medicinal cannabis, with 61-93% of subjects showing benefit. In the three studies reporting on concomitant psychotropic medication usage and with cannabis use, up to 80% of participants observed a reduction in concurrent medication use. Adverse events related to cannabis use were reported in up to 27% of participants related, and two participants had psychotic events.

Conclusions
Early reports regarding medicinal cannabis in pediatric ASD symptom management are presented as positive; the evidence, however, is limited to very few retrospective cohort and observational studies. Evidence of safety and efficacy from prospective clinical trials is needed.'

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cch.12909


'A team of researchers affiliated with the University of California at Irvine and with Pennsylvania State University assessed the relationship between medical cannabis legalization laws and cigarette initiation among adolescents.

They concluded: “Our results indicate lower odds of initiating cigarettes, in every age group (8 years old or younger, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17 years old or older) in states with MMLs [medical marijuana laws] when compared to non-MML states. … Further research should evaluate how MMLs and recreational marijuana policies are associated with e-cigarette initiation and use.”'

https://norml.org/news/2021/08/19/study-medical-cannabis-laws-associated-with-declines-in-youth-cigarette-use


'Consistent with prior studies, investigators identified virtually no incidences of retailers selling cannabis to patrons without first validating that they were age 21 or older.

They reported, “California laws further require ID check before any purchase, and overall compliance with this rule was high at 678 [out of 700 eligible] RCDs [recreational cannabis dispensaries] (96.8 percent).”

Studies from other states where marijuana sales are legal, such as Colorado and Oregon, have similarly reported exceptionally high compliance rates among licensed facilities. '

https://norml.org/news/2021/08/19/california-retailers-not-selling-cannabis-to-underage-patrons


'They conclude: “In the lead up to legalization, professional associations … suggested that legalization posed a threat to public health, advocated for the legal age for cannabis use to be set at a minimum age of 21 or 25, or that Canada should not legalize at all because it would place youth at greater risk of harm. With such categorical fears now shown to be largely unfounded, this should provide the basis to move forward on more nuanced grounds. … [O]n the balance, cannabis legalization – especially when considering the severe adverse social impacts of criminalization, and especially for youth – continues to offer the potential to better protect and achieve consequential net benefits to public health and welfare of cannabis users and society at large.”'

https://norml.org/blog/2021/08/17/analysis-marijuana-legalization-opponents-fears-have-not-come-to-fruition-in-canada/


'Volkow said on Drug Policy Alliance founder Ethan Nadelmann’s show that she was “expecting the use of marijuana among adolescents would go up” when states moved to legalize cannabis, but admitted that “overall, it hasn’t.” It was reform advocates like Nadelmann who were “right” about the impact of the policy change on youth, she said.

She also acknowledged that changes to cannabis laws are having a broader range of diverse impacts, saying that some “states that have legalized actually have better outcomes” while “the adverse effects of marijuana use are much worse in some states.”'

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/top-federal-drug-official-admits-legalizers-were-right-about-teen-marijuana-use-and-touts-psychedelics-therapeutic-potential/


'The study, which received partial funding through a federal National Institutes of Health grant, also found that youth cannabis consumption decreased in states where recreational legalization had been in place for two years or more.

“Consistent with estimates from prior studies, there was little evidence that RMLs or MMLs encourage youth marijuana use,” the researchers said. “As more post-legalization data become available, researchers will be able to draw firmer conclusions about the relationship between RMLs and adolescent marijuana use.”

The study authors didn’t attempt to explain why youth might not be using marijuana more frequently in states that have legalized, but it’s a trend that doesn’t surprise advocates who have long reasoned that permitting sales in a regulated environment would detract from the illicit market and minimize youth access.'

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/marijuana-legalization-doesnt-lead-to-increased-youth-use-american-medical-association-study-finds/


'Cannabis contains a multitude of different compounds. One of them, cannabidiol – a non-psychoactive substance – might counteract negative effects of delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol on hippocampus-dependent memory impairment. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of vaping cannabidiol on verbal episodic memory in healthy young subjects. We used a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover trial in 39 healthy young subjects. Participants received once a single dose of cannabidiol e-liquid (0.25 ml, 5% cannabidiol, 12.5 mg cannabidiol) and once placebo for vaping after learning 15 unrelated nouns. The primary outcome measure was the short delay verbal memory performance (number of correctly free recalled nouns) 20 min after learning. 34 participants (mean age: 22.26 [3.04]) completed all visits and entered analyses (17 received cannabidiol and 17 received placebo first). Cannabidiol enhanced verbal episodic memory performance (placebo: 7.03 [2.34]; cannabidiol 7.71 [2.48]; adjusted group difference 0.68, 95% CI 0.01 to 1.35; R2ß = .028, p = .048). Importantly, we did not detect medication effects on secondary outcome measures attention or working memory performance, suggesting that CBD has no negative impact on these basic cognitive functions. The results are in line with the idea that vaping cannabidiol interacts with the central endocannabinoid system and is capable to modulate memory processes, a phenomenon with possible therapeutic potential. Further studies are needed to investigate optimal dose-response and time-response relationships.'

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002239562100546X


'Cannabis was an open conversation in my family, and in the summer before I left for university, my dad gave me advice that I’ve followed to this day: Don’t get high until you finish your homework.

Looking back, I wish better product information and healthier consumption options like vaping and edibles were as available in 1997 as they are now, but otherwise I wouldn’t change a thing about my undergrad years.

I graduated near the top of my class, attended a master’s program on full scholarship, and smoked weed on the regular—but only after I’d nailed my daily deadlines.

Take that, stoner stereotypes.'

https://www.leafly.com/news/lifestyle/stoned-college-student-guide


' We live in strange times.
We also live in strange places: each in a universe of our own. The people with whom we populate our universes are the shadows of whole other universes intersecting with our own. Being able to glance out into this bewildering complexity of infinite recursion and say things like, 'Oh, hi, Ed! Nice tan. How's Carol?' involves a great deal of filtering skill for which all conscious entities have eventually to develop a capacity in order to protect themselves from the contemplation of the chaos through which they seethe and tumble. So give your kid a break, OK?
Extract from Practical Parenting in a Fractally Demented Universe.'

- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Complete Trilogy of Five, Douglas Adams


'“The United States is facing an unprecedented crisis of overdose deaths fueled by illegally manufactured fentanyl and methamphetamine,” said Anne Milgram, Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. “Counterfeit pills that contain these dangerous and extremely addictive drugs are more lethal and more accessible than ever before. In fact, DEA lab analyses reveal that two out of every five fake pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose. DEA is focusing resources on taking down the violent drug traffickers causing the greatest harm and posing the greatest threat to the safety and health of Americans. Today, we are alerting the public to this danger so that people have the information they need to protect themselves and their children.”

These counterfeit pills have been seized by DEA in every U.S. state in unprecedented quantities. More than 9.5 million counterfeit pills were seized so far this year, which is more than the last two years combined. DEA laboratory testing reveals a dramatic rise in the number of counterfeit pills containing at least two milligrams of fentanyl, which is considered a lethal dose. A deadly dose of fentanyl is small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil.

Counterfeit pills are illegally manufactured by criminal drug networks and are made to look like real prescription opioid medications such as oxycodone (Oxycontin®, Percocet®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), and alprazolam (Xanax®); or stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall®). Fake prescription pills are widely accessible and often sold on social media and e-commerce platforms – making them available to anyone with a smartphone, including minors.'

https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2021/09/27/dea-issues-public-safety-alert-sharp-increase-fake-prescription-pills


'Researchers reported: “Epidemiological studies have repeatedly shown that individuals who use cannabis are more likely to develop psychotic disorders than individuals who do not. It has been suggested that these associations represent a causal effect of cannabis use on psychosis, and that psychosis risk may be particularly elevated when use occurs in adolescence. … This study, however, does not support these hypotheses, suggesting instead that observed associations are more likely due to confounding by common vulnerability factors.”

They concluded, “[T]he results suggest this association is likely attributable to familial confounds rather than a causal effect of cannabis exposure. … Our results suggest that the threat of potential harm to adolescents via meaningful increases in risk of long-term psychotic illness may be overstated. … Thus, clinical and public health interventions aimed at decreasing the prevalence and burden of psychotic illnesses may benefit from focusing their attention elsewhere.”'

https://norml.org/news/2021/09/30/twin-study-adolescent-cannabis-exposure-not-an-independent-cause-of-psychosis-in-adulthood


'But recent studies paint a grim picture of the impact of the extended school closures. Students from rural areas, where a majority of the country’s population resides, and those from marginalized communities, faced multiple barriers to continuing their education even before the pandemic.

A survey in August spanning 15 states found that 37 percent of children in grades one through eight in rural areas were not studying at all, and nearly 50 percent could not read more than a few words. Results in urban areas were only marginally better. The survey of nearly 1,400 children focused on students from underprivileged backgrounds who studied in public schools.'

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/10/02/coronavirus-india-school-closures/


'Sir Paul McCartney is growing hemp at his farm - but he has to hide his crops to stop teenagers from stealing the plants.

The Beatles icon has started producing crops of hemp - a type of cannabis plant - at his family farm in Peasmarsh near Rye, but he is having an issue with the local youths trying to steal his plants so they can use it to try and get high.

Paul, 79, insists he is following government regulations to grow hemp along with crops of rye, peas and wheat.

He said: “We grow crops, I like doing things like spelt wheat, rye, we grow peas.

“We’re actually just getting into growing hemp, the funny thing with government regulations is you’ve got to keep it where people can’t see it, because you get all the kids coming in and robbing it!”'

https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/sir-paul-mccartney-hides-cannabis-25145525


'Highlights

- This study evaluating the use of cannabidiol-enriched cannabis oil in children with WS.
- The study shows that four (50%) of eight had a more than 50% seizure reduction.
- The cannabidiol-enriched cannabis oil in children with WS had a good tolerability.
- The patients were treated with a standardized plant extract of cannabis.

https://www.seizure-journal.com/article/S1059-1311(21)00321-6/fulltext


'Due to Students for Sensible Drug Policy reach across the U.S. and our chapter structure, SSDP is uniquely situated to make local policy change in multiple states and begin to directly end the War on Drugs by directing pressure at their town and county governments. The Resolution to Advance Sensible Drug Policy is an effort to equip all SSDP members with clear policy grounded in science, reason and compassion. This resolution empowers all SSDP members and their allies to further the movement to end the war on drugs in their local context, with support from an international movement. Leveraging the expertise of young people worldwide toward local policy change is where the SSDP network can be most effective.'

https://ssdp.org/blog/public-announcement-of-the-resolution-to-advance-sensible-drug-policy/


'While more college students than ever before are trying cannabis and enjoying the benefits of ever-expanding legalization, every single one of them had a first time.

Scores of soon-to-be or newly-turned 21-year-olds are attending university in the 18 states where cannabis is legal for all adults, and understanding how to navigate weed can be overwhelming.

Doubly so when you don’t qualify for medical cannabis, or it’s flat-out illegal in your home state.

Leafly asked cannabis educators their best advice for newly turned 21-year-olds navigating cannabis for the first time. Here’s what they had to say.'

https://www.leafly.com/news/health/turning-21-what-you-need-to-know-about-cannabis


'Results
In total, 122/259 (47.1%) physicians completed the survey. Although 62.2% of the physicians completed some form of training about medical cannabis, nearly all (95.8%) desired to know more about the dosing, side effects, and safety of cannabis. Physicians identified a potential role of cannabis in the management of nausea and vomiting (85.7%), chronic pain (72.3%), cachexia/poor appetite (67.2%), and anxiety or depression (42.9%). Only four (0.3%) physicians recognized cannabis to be potentially useful as an anticancer agent. Nearly all physicians reported that cannabis-related research for symptom relief is essential (91.5%) in pediatric oncology, whereas 51.7% expressed that future studies are necessary to determine the anticancer effects of cannabis.

Conclusions
Our findings indicate that most pediatric oncologists and palliative care physicians recognize a potential role for cannabis in symptom control in children with cancer. Well-conducted studies are required to create evidence for cannabis use and promote shared decision making with pediatric oncology patients and their caregivers'

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cnr2.1551


'“Children are not at risk for contaminated treats," Joel Best, a University of Delaware professor of sociology and criminal justice, told the site. "For one thing, edible marijuana products are very expensive and this would be a very expensive prank.”

It's this simple: Edibles that are worth buying cost from $18 to $40 a bag. Do the math. No one is dropping hundreds of dollars on perfectly good THC snacks to turn around and drop them in some kids' bags. Even if only 50 trick-or-treaters come to the house, that's still a lot of dough.'

https://dailyvoice.com/new-jersey/cresskill/news/halloween-hysteria-cmon-do-you-really-think-anyones-giving-trick-or-treaters-pot-edibles/818879/


'Youth marijuana use dropped in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic and as more states moved to enact legalization, a newly released federal survey found.

The latest dataset from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is yet another example of a federally backed study challenging the prohibitionist narrative that ending cannabis prohibition for adults will lead to increased underage usage.

Past-year cannabis use for those aged 12-17 dipped from 13.2 percent to 10.1 percent from 2019-2020, the survey, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), found. And even for those in the 18-25 age category, past-year use dropped from 35.4 percent to 34.5 percent in that timeframe.'

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/teen-marijuana-use-is-not-increasing-as-more-states-legalize-another-federal-study-shows/


'Every year the news warns us of treacherous stoners who are filling your children’s plastic pumpkins with cannabis edibles disguised as Halloween candies. And every year, every person around this office sighs the largest of sighs because we all know that these concerns are ridiculous and meritless.

Why? Multiple reasons. And because I have too much time on my hands and too much pettiness in my soul, I’m going to tell you the top 5 reasons why NO ONE IS GIVING YOUR KID EDIBLES.'

https://www.leafly.com/news/lifestyle/no-one-wants-to-give-your-kid-marijuana-edibles


'“Investigators have confiscated candies and snacks containing pot from marijuana dispensaries, and they are concerned such items could wind up in children’s trick-or-treat bags… The warning comes days before Californians vote on Proposition 19, the marijuana legalization measure.” The result was a defeated legalization effort, with 53.46 percent of votes not in favor of the Proposition, and 46.54 percent voting in favor.

University of Delaware Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice Joel Best recently spoke with Fox News regarding his thorough research on the topic.

“My research stretches back to 1958,” Best shared with Fox News. “I have been unable to find any evidence that any child has been killed or seriously injured by a contaminated treat picked up in the course of trick-or-treating.” '

https://hightimes.com/news/the-myth-of-cannabis-infused-halloween-candy-debunked/


https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisroberts/2021/10/31/somehow-marijuana-legalization-is-making-the-annual-marijuana-tainted-halloween-candy-myth-worse/


'Results
Two per cent had been charged for drug-related offences, and 37% reported drug offending. Use of cannabis was the primary infraction statistically related to a criminal charge. Having parents with 4+ years university education (14% of the sample) was associated with lower risk for being charged than having parents with no higher education (OR 4.87; 95% CI: 1.16–20.52) or with a short university education (OR 4.76; 1.05–21.48). The association between parental education and drug charges remained stable when controlling for self-reported drug law infractions and other potential covariates.

Conclusion
In Norway, adolescents who have parents with higher university education, may be protected from getting a drug charge, even though they report similar levels of drug law infractions as other adolescents.'

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395921004047?via%3Dihub


A newly issued CDC publication, Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report: 2011-2021, finds that the percentage of high-schoolers who report having used cannabis over the past 30 days fell from 23 percent in 2011 to 16 percent in 2021. The decline was more pronounced among males than females.

Commenting on the study’s findings, NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said, “These latest findings add to the growing body of scientific literature showing that legalization policies can be implemented in a manner that provides access for adults while simultaneously limiting youth access and misuse. Furthermore, these findings stand in sharp contrast to the sensational claims often made by legalization opponents, claims that thus far have proven to be baseless.”

https://norml.org/blog/2023/02/17/cdc-report-rates-of-current-marijuana-use-among-teens-decline-has-steadily-declined-over-past-decade/


'There are twenty-five million or so new voters between eighteen and twenty-five - going, maybe, to the polls for the first time - who supposedly hold the fate of the nation in the palms of their eager young hands. According to the people who claim to speak for it, this "youth vote" has the power to zap Nixon out of office with a flick of its wrist. Hubert Humphrey lost in '68 by 499,704 votes - a miniscule percentage of what the so-called "youth vote" could turn out in 1972.

But there are not many people in Washington who take this notion of the "youth vote" very seriously. Not even the candidates. The thinking here is that the young people who vote for the first time in '72 will split more r less along the same lines as their parents, and that the addition of twenty-five million new (potential) voters means just another sudden mass that will have to be absorbed into the same old patterns...just another big wave of new immigrants who don't know the score yet, but who will learn soon enough, so why worry?

Why indeed? The scumbags behind this thinking are probably right, once again - but it might be worth pondering, this time, if perhaps they might be right for the wrong reasons. Almost all politicians and press wizards who denigrate the "so-called youth vote" as a factor in the '72 elections have justified their thinking with a sort of melancholy judgment on "the kids" themselves.'

- The Campaign Trail: The Million-Pound Shithammer, February 3, 1972, Fear and Loathing at the Rolling Stone, The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson


'The implication, every time, is that the "youth vote" menace is just a noisy paper tiger. Sure, some of these kids will vote, they say, but the way things look now, it won't be more than 10 percent. That's the colleges; the other 90 percent are either military types, on the dole, or working people - on salary, just married, hired into their first jobs. Man, these people are already locked down, the same as their parents.

That's the argument...and it's probably safe to say, right now, that there is not a single presidential candidate, media guru, or backstairs politics wizard in Washington who honestly believes the "youth vote" will have more than a marginal, splinter-vote effect on the final outcome of the 1972 presidential campaign.

These kids are turned off from politics, they say. Most of 'em don't want to hear about it. All they want to do these days is lie around on waterbeds and smoke that goddamn marrywanna...yeah, and just between you and me, Fred, I think it's probably all for the best.'

- The Campaign Trail: The Million-Pound Shithammer, February 3, 1972, Fear and Loathing at the Rolling Stone, The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson


'What the experts appear to be saying is that in fact the sudden addition of twenty-five million new voters between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five will not make much difference in the power-structure of American politics. No candidate wll say this, of course. For the record, they are all very solicitous of the "youth vote." In a close election, even 10 percent of that bloc could mean two and a half million votes - a very serious figure when you stack it up against Nixon's thin margin over Humphrey in 1968.

Think of it: only 10 percent! Two and a half million. Enough - even among Nixon's own wizards - to swing about almost any election. It is a general assumption, in the terms of contemporary presedential elections, that it would take something genuinely vile and terrifying to cause either one of the major party candidates to come away with less than 40 percent of the vote. Goldwater managed to do this in '64, but not by much. Even after allowing Johnson's TV sappers to cast him as a stupid bloodthirsty ghoul who had every intention of blowing the whole world off its axis the moment he got his hands on "the button," Goldwater still got 27,178,188 votes or 38.5 percent.

The prevailing wisdom today is that any candidate in a standard-brand, two-party election will get about 40 percent of the vote. The basic assumption here is that neither party would nominate a man more than 20 percent different from the type of person most Americans consider basically right and acceptable. Which almost always happens. There is no potentially serious candidate in either major party this year who wouldn't pass for the executive vice-president for mortgage loans in any hometown bank from Bangor to San Diego.'

- The Campaign Trail: The Million-Pound Shithammer, February 3, 1972, Fear and Loathing at the Rolling Stone, The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson


'The girl riding with me tonight is looking for an old boyfriend who moved out of Boston and is now living, she says, in a chicken coop in a sort of informal commune near Greenville, N.H. It is five or six degrees above zero outside and she doesn't even have a blanket, much less a sleeping bag, but this doesn't worry her. "I guess it sounds crazy," she explains. "we don't even sleep together. He's just a friend. But I'm happy when I'm with him because he makes me like myself."

Jesus, I thought. We've raised a generation of stone desperate cripples. She is twenty-two, a journalism grad from Boston University, and now - six months out of college - she talks so lonely and confused that she is eagerly looking forward to spending a few nights in a frozen chicken coop with some poor bastard who doesn't even know she's coming.

The importance of Liking Yourself is a notion that fell heavily out of favor during the coptic, anti-ego frenzy of the Acid Era - but nobody guessed, back then, that the experiment might churn up this kind of hangover, a whole subculture of frightened illiterates with no faith in anything.'

- The Campaign Trail: Fear and Loathing in New Hampshire, March 2, 1972, Fear and Loathing at the Rolling Stone, The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson


'The girl was not interested in whatever reasons I might have for going up to Manchester to spend a few days with the McGovern campaign. She had no plans to vote in any election, for president or anything else.

She tried to be polite, but it was obvious after two or three minutes of noise that she didn't know what the fuck I was talking about, and cared less. It was boring, just another queer hustle in a world full of bummers that will swarm you every time if you don't keep moving.

Like her ex-boyfriend. At first he was only stoned all the time, but now he was shooting smack and acting very crazy. He would call and say he was on his way over, then not show up for three days - and then he'd be out of his head, screaming at her, not making any sense.

It was too much, she said. She loved him, but he seemed to be drifting away. We stopped at a donut shop in Marlborough and I saw she was crying, which made me feel like a monster because I'd been saying some fairly hard things about "junkies" and "loonies" and "doom-freaks."'

- The Campaign Trail: Fear and Loathing in New Hampshire, March 2, 1972, Fear and Loathing at the Rolling Stone, The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson


'Once they let you get away with running around for ten years like a king hoodlum, you tend to forget now and then that about half the people you meet live from one day to the next in a state of such fear and uncertainty that about half the time they honestly doubt their own sanity.

These are not the kind of people who really need to get hung up in depressing political trips. They are not ready for it. Their boats are rocking so badly that all they want to do is get level for long enough to think straight and avoid the next nightmare.

The girl that I was delivering up to the chicken coop was one of those people. She was terrified of almost everything, including me, and this made me very uncomfortable.'

- The Campaign Trail: Fear and Loathing in New Hampshire, March 2, 1972, Fear and Loathing at the Rolling Stone, The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson


'A lot of blood has gone under the bridge since then, and we have learned a hell of a lot about the realities of Politics in America. Even the politicians have learned - but, as usual, the politicians are usually much slower than the people they want to lead.

This is an ugly portent for the twenty-five million or so new voters between eighteen and twenty-five who may or may not vote in 1972. And many of them probably will vote. The ones who go to the polls in '72 will be the most committed, the most idealistic, the "best minds of my generation," as Ginsberg said it fourteen years ago in "Howl." There is not much doubt that the hustlers behind the "Youth Vote" will get a lot of people out to the polls in '72. If you give twenty-five million people a new toy, the odds are pretty good that a lot of them will try it at least once.

But what about the next time? Who is going to explain, in 1976, that all the people who felt they got burned in '72 should "try again" for another bogus challenger? Four years from now there will be two entire generations - between the ages of twenty-two and forty - who will not give a hoot in hell about any election, and their apathy will be rooted in personal experience. Four years from now it will be very difficult to convince anybody who has gone from Johnson-Goldwater to Humphrey-Nixon to Nixon-Muskie that there is any possible reason for getting involved in another bullshit election.'

- The Campaign Trail: Fear and Loathing in New Hampshire, March 2, 1972, Fear and Loathing at the Rolling Stone, The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson


'The pervasive sense of gloom among the press/media crowd in Miami was only slightly less obvious than the gungho, breast-beating arrogance of the Nixon delegates themselves. That was the real story of the convention: the strident, loutish confidence of the whole GOP machinery, from top to bottom. Looking back at that week, one of my clearest memories is that maddening "FOUR MORE YEARS!" chant from the Nixon Youth gallery in the convention hall. NBC's John Chancellor compared the Nixon Youth cheering section to the Chicago "sewer workers" who were herded into the Stockyards convention hall in Chicago four years ago to cheer for Mayor Daley. The Nixon Youth people were not happy with Chancellor for making the remark on camera. They complained very bitterly about it, saying it was just another example of the "knee-jerk liberal" thinking that dominates the media.

But the truth is that Chancellor was absolutely right. Due to a strange set of circumstances, I spent two very tense hours in the middle of that Nixon Youth mob on Tuesday night, and it gave me an opportunity to speak at considerable length with quite a few of them...

What happened, in a nut, was that I got lost in a maze of hallways in the back reaches of the convention hall on Tuesday night about an hour or so before the roll-call vote on Nixon's chances of winning the GOP nomination again this year...I had just come off the convention floor, after the Secret Service lads chased me away from the First Family box when I was trying to hear what Charleton Heston was saying to Nelson Rockefeller, and in the nervous wake of an experience like that, I felt a great thirst rising...so I tried to take a shortcut to the Railroad Lounge, where free beer is available for the press; but I blew it somewhere along the way, ending up in a big room jammed with Nixon Youth workers, getting themselves ready for a "spontaneous demonstration" at the moment of climax out there on the floor...I was just idling around in the hallway, trying to go north for a beer, when I got swept up in a fast-moving mob of about two thousand people heading south at good speed, so instead of fighting the tide, I just let myself be carried along to wherever they were going...'

- The Campaign Trail: More Fear and Loathing in Miami: Nixon Bites the Bomb, September 28, 1972, Fear and Loathing at the Rolling Stone, The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson


'"Don't worry," I assured them. "You'll be proud of me. There's a lot of bad blood between me and John Chancellor. He put acid in my drink last month at the Democratic Convention, then he tried to humiliate me in public."

"Acid? Golly, that's terrible! What kind of acid?"

"It felt like Sunshine," I said.

"Sunshine?"

"Yeah. He denied it, of course - But hell, he always denies it."

"Why?" a girl asked.

"Would you admit to a thing like that?" I said.

She shook her head emphatically. "But I wouldn't do it, either," she said. "You could kill somebody my making them drink acid - why would he want to kill you?"

I shrugged. "Who knows? He eats a lot of it himself." I paused, sensing confusion..."Actually, I doubt if he really wanted to kill me. It was a hell of a dose, but not that strong." I smiled. "All I could remember is that first rush: it came up my spine like nine tarantulas...drilled me right to the bar stool for two hours; I couldn't speak, couldn't even blink my eyes."

"Boy, what kind of acid does that?" somebody asked.

"Sunshine," I said. "Every time."

By now several others had picked up on the conversation. A bright looking kid in a blue gabardine suit interrupted: "Sunshine acid? Are you talking about LSD?"

- The Campaign Trail: More Fear and Loathing in Miami: Nixon Bites the Bomb, September 28, 1972, Fear and Loathing at the Rolling Stone, The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson


'Now the others understood. A few laughed, but others muttered darkly, " You mean John Chancellor goes around putting LSD in people's drinks? He takes it himself?...He's a dope addict?..."

"Golly," said the girl. "That explains a lot, doesn't it?"

By this time I was having a hard time keeping a straight face. Those poor, ignorant young waterheads. Would they pass this weird revelation to their parents when they got back home to Middletown, Shaker Heights, and Orange County? Probably so, I thought. And then their parents would write letters to NBC, saying they'd learned from reliable sources that Chancellor was addicted to LSD-25 - supplied to him in great quantities, no doubt, by Communist agents - and demanding that he be jerked off the air immediately and locked up.

I was tempted to start babbling crazily about Walter Cronkite: that he was heavy into the white slavery trade - sending agents to South Vietnam to adopt orphan girls, then shipping them back to his farm in Quebec to be lobotomized and sold into brothels up and down the Eastern seaboard...'

- The Campaign Trail: More Fear and Loathing in Miami: Nixon Bites the Bomb, September 28, 1972, Fear and Loathing at the Rolling Stone, The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson


'To date, not a single state that has implemented legalization has reversed course. That’s because these policies are working largely as politicians and voters intended — and because they are preferable to marijuana prohibition.

Ultimately, common sense regulation allowing for the legal, licensed commercial production and sale of cannabis best addresses adult consumers’ demand while keeping marijuana products largely out of the hands of young people.

By contrast, the continued criminalization of cannabis only compounds the public safety risks posed to young people and others by the unregulated marketplace.'

https://norml.org/blog/2023/03/24/norml-op-ed-in-the-era-of-legal-marijuana-the-kids-are-alright/


'Ah...mother of jabbering god, how the hell did I get off on that tangent about teenage street crime? This is supposed to be a deep and political essay about Richard Nixon...

Although maybe that wasn't such a tangent after all. The original point, I think, had to do with the street-punk mentality that caused Nixon to push his luck so far that it was finally almost impossible not to get himself busted. For a while, he had the luck and arrogance of a half-smart amateur. From their base in the White House, Nixon and the L.A. account execs he brought with him treated the old-line Washington power structure with the same kind of contempt that the young burglars casing Georgetown seem to have for the forts of the rich and powerful - or that I had for the poor bastard who owned the gas station in Lexington.

This is a very hard thing for professional cops, journalists, or investigators to cope with. Like doctors and lawyers, most of the best minds in police work have been trained since puberty to think in terms of patterns and precedents; anything original tends to have the same kind of effect on their investigative machinery as a casually mutilated punch card fed into a computer. The immediate result is chaos and false conclusions...But both cops and computers are programmed to know when they've been jammed by a wild card or a joker, and in both cases there are usually enough competent technicians standing by to locate the problems and get the machinery working again pretty quickly.'

- Fear and Loathing in Limbo: The Scum Also Rises, October 10, 1974, Fear and Loathing at the Rolling Stone, The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson

 'The question is frequently asked: Why does a man become a drug addict?

The answer is that he usually does not intend to become an addict. You don't wake up one morning and decide to become a drug addict. It takes at least three months' shooting twice a day to get any habit at all. And you don't really know what junk sickness is until you have had several habits. It took me almost six months to get my first habit, and then the withdrawal symptoms were mild. I think it is no exaggeration to say it takes about a year and several hundred injections to make an addict' - Prologue, Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953


'For nature wishes every thing to remain itself; and whilst every individual strives to grow and exclude and exclude and grow, to the extremities of the universe, and to impose the laws of its being on every other creature, Nature steadily aims to protect each against every other. Each is self-defended. Nothing is more marked than the power by which individuals are guarded from individuals, in a world where every benefactor becomes so easily a malefactor only by continuation of his activity into places where it is not due; where children seem so much at the mercy of their foolish parents, and where almost all men are too social and interfering. We rightly speak of the guardian angels of children. How superior in their security from the infusions of evil persons, from vulgarity and second thought! They shed their own abundant views on the objects they behold. Therefore they are not at the mercy of such poor educators as we adults. If we huff and chide them they soon come not to mind it and get a self-reliance; and if we indulge them to folly, they learn their limitation elsewhere.' - Uses of Great Men, Emerson, The Basic Writings of America's Sage


'The stereotypical image of a cannabis smoker is someone who sprawls on the sofa for hours surrounded by a haze of smoke and half-eaten snacks. The scene is played up for laughs in films, but social psychologist Angela Bryan thought it could be cause for concern. After all, cannabis is known to increase appetite and aid relaxation, which might put people at risk of health conditions such as obesity, says Bryan, who is at the University of Colorado Boulder.

But digging into health trends revealed the opposite. Nationwide US studies report that, compared to non-users, cannabis users actually have a lower prevalence of obesity.'
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02529-0


'In addition to the continued and “dramatic” capital inflow into the cannabis industry, Kagia noted a “dramatic reassessment of cannabis's place in society and the escalation of the legalization debate in capitals and local communities across the country.” Although legislative roadblocks still hobble some states, such as New York and New Jersey, from moving ahead with legalization, public support and pressure notwithstanding, right now, the issue has assumed great importance in the political landscape. Nearly every Democratic presidential candidate “has affirmed support for some measure of federal cannabis policy reform, adding to the likelihood of a substantial policy debate during the 2020 election cycle," added Kagia. With a majority of Americans supporting legalization, according to the latest Gallup poll, and “support among younger voters being dramatically higher than that of older voters, the trend toward a more accepting view of cannabis will be generational.”'
https://www.forbes.com/sites/irisdorbian/2019/09/24/new-cannabis-report-predicts-legal-sales-to-reach-nearly-30-billion-by-2025/

 

 

'The question, of course, could be asked: Why did you ever try narcotics? Why did you continue using it long enough to become an addict? You become a narcotics addict because you do not have strong motivations in any other direction. Junk wins by default. I tried it as a matter of curiosity. I drifted along taking shots when I could score. I ended up hooked. Most addicts I have talked to report a similar experience. They did not start using drugs for any reason they can remember. They just drifted along until they got hooked. If you have never been addicted, you can have no clear idea what it means to need junk with the addict's special need. You don't decide to be an addict. One morning you wake up sick and you're an addict.' - Prologue, Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953


'After discussing the data limitations of the study, the authors concluded that “it indeed seems to be the case that legalizing the recreational use of marijuana results in fewer marijuana related arrests and court cases” and that while law enforcement sources voiced various concerns, several “indicated that methamphetamine and heroin were much larger problems for their agencies than was marijuana.”

The team “saw no evidence that marijuana legalization had an impact on indicators in border states,” adding that they “found no indications of increases in arrests related to transportation/trafficking offenses.”'
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/study-funded-by-feds-debunks-myths-about-marijuana-legalizations-alleged-harms/


'Safety First: Real Drug Education for Teens is the nation’s first harm reduction-based drug education curriculum for high school teachers. The free curriculum consists of 15 lessons that can be completed in a 45- to 50-minute class period.

Each lesson is designed to engage students through interactive activities such as discussions and role-playing. The curriculum is aligned with National Health Education Standards as well as Common Core State Standards so it can be easily integrated into Health classes. '
http://www.drugpolicy.org/resource/safety-first-real-drug-education-teens


'More than half of the studies, however, have shown that cannabis and alcohol are substitutes, meaning that the increased use of one substance reduces the use of the other. Other researchers have also suggested that cannabis, especially cannabis for medical use, may serve as a substitute for alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, including prescription drugs.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_4.pdf


'In Washington state, the past-month use of cannabis among high-school students of different grades has generally remained stable, although it increases by grade, with the highest past-month prevalence found among twelfth grade students, as in Colorado. The perception of risk relating to cannabis use among high-school students has also declined since the nonmedical use of cannabis was legalized, with nearly three quarters of twelfth grade students seeing no or low risk in trying cannabis a few times and less than half perceiving no or low risk in the regular use of cannabis in 2018. Similarly, some 38 per cent of twelfth grade students considered that it was fairly easy to get cannabis.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_4.pdf


'While the daily or near-daily use of cannabis among high-school students in Colorado has declined, the prevalence of occasional users, that is, those who report having used cannabis one or two times in the past month, has increased since legalization. Nevertheless, 4.7 per cent of high-school students reported using cannabis daily or nearly daily (20 or more times in the past 30 days) in 2017. Moreover, although the share of high-school students smoking cannabis declined from 92 per cent in 2015 to 84 per cent in 2017, there was an increase in the share of those who reported using edibles with high THC content (from 28 per cent in 2015 to 36 per cent in 2017) or “dabbing” cannabis extracts and concentrates (from 28 per cent in 2015 to 34 per cent in 2017) in the past month.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_4.pdf

 

 

'Junk is a cellular equation that teaches the user facts of general validity. I have learned a  great deal from using junk: I have seen life measured out in eyedroppers of morphine solution. I experienced the agonizing deprivation of junk sickness, and the pleasure of relief when junk-thirsty cells drank from the needle. Perhaps all pleasure is relief. I have learned the cellular stoicism that junk teaches the user. I have seen a cell full of sick junkies silent and immobile in separate misery. They knew the pointlessness of complaining or moving. They knew that basically no one can help anyone else. There is no key, no secret someone else has that he can give you.' - Prologue, Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953


'One concern about legalizing the non-medical use of cannabis for adults (21 years and older) is that its use could also increase access to cannabis and its use among adolescents. Based on national data, cannabis use among high-school students remained stable overall, whereas the risk perception of the occasional use of cannabis declined in the United States over the period 2012–2018. In Colorado, although there has been a decline in daily or near-daily use of cannabis among high-school students, they are now consuming and exposed to cannabis products with far higher THC content than was available or used earlier. In 2017, about 20 per cent of high-school students in Colorado reported non-medical use of cannabis in the past month; that rate is comparable to the national average among high-school students.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_4.pdf


'In 2019, young people aged 15–24 were more likely than those in older age groups to obtain cannabis from illegal sources, whereas a larger share of older cannabis users relied solely on legal sources; 41 per cent of cannabis users aged 65 or older reported using only legal sources to obtain cannabis, compared with roughly one quarter of the other age groups.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_4.pdf


'The transition from the illegal market to legal sources of cannabis has been a gradual one. The proportion of cannabis users sourcing their products from the legal market increased from around 25 per cent in the second and third quarters of 2018 to about 50 per cent one year later, and in 2019 nearly 30 per cent relied solely on the legal market for their cannabis (compared with 10 per cent in 2018). Many users relied on multiple sources to obtain their cannabis, with about 40 per cent of cannabis users still getting their product from illegal sources.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_4.pdf

 

 

'As I began using stuff every day, or often several times a day, I stopped drinking and going out at night. When you use junk you don't drink. Seemingly, the body that has a quantity of junk in its cells will not absorb alcohol. The liquor stays in the stomach, slowly building up nausea, discomfort, and dizziness, and there is no kick. Using junk would be a sure cure for alcoholics. I also stopped bathing. When you use junk the feel of water on the skin is unpleasant for some reason, and junkies are reluctant to take a bath.' - Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953


'Along with the increase in prevalence, the frequency of cannabis use also increased marginally. At the beginning of 2018, some 5 per cent of the population aged 15 and older were daily users of cannabis products; by the third quarter of 2019, this proportion had increased to 6 per cent. Increases in the proportion of daily users of cannabis were observed mainly among males, young people aged 18–24 and those aged 65 and older. Daily or near-daily use of cannabis is more frequent in younger users than in older ones. Nearly 8 per cent of people aged 15–24 and 9 per cent of those aged 25–44 were daily or near-daily users of cannabis, compared with 4 per cent of people aged 45–64 and nearly 3 per cent of those aged 65 and older. Men were twice as likely as women to be daily or near-daily cannabis users. A commonly observed pattern of use is that regular and frequent users of cannabis, such as daily or near-daily users, represent a small proportion of all cannabis users, but they account for the bulk of cannabis products consumed. It is estimated that in 2018, for example, around half a million people in Canada consumed some 810 tons of cannabis, of which half (426 tons) were consumed by daily or near-daily users and another 355 tons by those who reportedly used cannabis at least once a week.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_4.pdf


'There is a considerable level of overlap between the medical and non-medical use of cannabis products in Canada, although the proportion varies by age group. In the second and third quarters of 2019, 52 per cent of cannabis users aged 65 and older reported using cannabis for medical purposes (with or without proper documentation for such use). On the other hand, nearly 60 per cent of cannabis users aged 15–24 reported the use of cannabis products for non-medical purposes, and one third of respondents in that age group reported using those products for both medical and non-medical reasons.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_4.pdf

 

 

'We were having trouble filling the scripts. Most drugstores will only fill a morphine script once or twice, many not at all. There was one drugstore that would fill all our scripts anytime, and we took them all there..' - Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953


'At the baseline, in the first quarter of 2018, nearly 14 per cent of Canadians (12.2 per cent of women and 15.8 per cent of men) reported that they had used cannabis, including cannabis products for medical purposes, in the past three months. The highest prevalence rates were reported among those aged 25–34 (26 per cent) and 15–24 (23 per cent). By the beginning of 2019, the prevalence of use in the past three months had increased to 17.5 per cent, and it remained close to that level until the third quarter of 2019 (17.1 per cent). While the prevalence of cannabis use in the past three months rose in most age groups in 2019, the most marked increase was observed in the oldest age group (65 and older), for which the prevalence nearly doubled in comparison with 2018. There also seems to be a larger proportion of new users among older adults than in other age groups: while 10 per cent of new cannabis users were aged 25–44 in the second and third quarters of 2019, more than one quarter were aged 65 and older.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_4.pdf


'The objectives of the current cannabis legislation in Canada are to keep cannabis away from young people (under 18 years of age), to prevent criminals from profiting from the distribution and sale of cannabis and to safeguard public health and safety by allowing adults (aged 18 and older) legal access to cannabis. Under the constitutional division of powers in Canada, the federal Government and provincial governments have different responsibilities. As the provinces historically developed their own systems to regulate the sale of alcohol, a similar approach has been applied to regulate the non-medical use of cannabis products.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_4.pdf


'The oral administration of cannabis-based products is associated with improvements in autistic patients with self-injurious behaviors and co-morbid epilepsy, according to data published in the journal Seminars in Pediatric Neurology.

 A pair of investigators affiliated with the Tufts University School of Medicine described their clinical experience working with children and young adults with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) who had consumed either cannabis or hemp-based products. Among subjects with ASD-associated aggression, 60 percent reported improvements following treatment. Among subjects diagnosed with both ASD and epilepsy, 91 percent reported some improvement in seizure control.'
https://norml.org/news/2020/07/16/study-cannabis-based-products-may-ease-symptoms-in-autistic-patients

 

 

'A lot of nonsense has been written about the changes people undergo as they get a habit. All of a sudden the addict looks in the mirror and does not recognise himself. The actual changes are difficult to specify and they do not show up in the mirror. That is, the addict himself has a special blind spot so far as the progress of the habit is concenrned. He generally does not realize that he is getting a habit at all. He says there is no need to get a habit if you are careful and observe a few rules, like shooting every other day. Actually, he does not observe these rules, but every extra shot is regarded as exceptional. I have talked to many addicts and they all say they were surprised when they discovered they actually had the first habit. Many of them attributed their symptoms to some other cause.' - Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953



'Data on the United States also indicate a marked decline in the use of NPS. In particular, the prevalence of synthetic cannabinoid use among twelfth-grade students fell from 11.4 per cent in 2011 to 3.3 per cent in 2019. Similarly, the use of ketamine fell from 1.7 to 0.7 per cent over the same period, and the use of “bath salts” (synthetic cathinones) dropped from 1.3 per cent in 2012 to 0.6 per cent in 2018, the most recent year for which data are available. This happened in the context of a deterioration in the reputation of many of those substances among young people, in parallel to several waves of controls of synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones at the national level during the 2010–2012 period and later at the global level, as well as the control of ketamine at the national level in 1999. Over the 2000–2019 period, the annual prevalence of ketamine non-medical use among twelfth-grade high-school students fell drastically, from 2.5 per cent to 0.7 per cent' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_4.pdf


'The 2019 drug use survey in India estimated that nearly 1 per cent of the population aged 10–75 had misused pharmaceutical opioids in the past year and that an estimated 0.2 per cent of the population (2.5 million people) were suffering from drug use disorders related to pharmaceutical opioids. Although the breakdown by type of pharmaceutical opioids misused in India is not available, buprenorphine, morphine, pentazocine and tramadol are the most common opioids misused in the country.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_4.pdf


'The non-medical use of tramadol among other pharmaceutical drugs is reported by several countries in South Asia: Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. In 2017, 130,316 capsules containing tramadol and marketed under the trade name “Spasmo Proxyvon Plus (‘SP+’)” were seized in Bhutan. In Sri Lanka, about 0.2 per cent of the population aged 14 and older are estimated to have misused pharmaceutical drugs in the past year. Among them, the non-medical use of tramadol is the most common, although misuse of morphine, diazepam, flunitrazepam and pregabalin have also been reported in the country. The misuse of more than one pharmaceutical drug (including tramadol) is also a common pattern among heroin users who may use them to potentiate the effects of heroin or compensate for its low level of availability. Recent seizures of tramadol suggest the existence of a market for the drug: in April and September 2018, 200,000 and 1.5 million tablets of tramadol were respectively seized by customs in Sri Lanka.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_4.pdf

 

 

'As a habit takes hold, other interests lose importance to the user. Life telescopes down to junk, one fix and looking forward to the next, "stashes" and "scripts," "spikes" and "droppers." The addict himself often feels that he is leading a normal life and that junk is incidental. He does not realize that he is just going through the motions in his non-junk activities. It is not until his supply is cut off that he realizes what junk means to him.' - Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953  


'In North Africa, tramadol is reported as the main opioid used non-medically in Egypt, where scientific literature about tramadol misuse is more available than elsewhere in the subregion. An estimated 3 per cent of the adult population misused tramadol in 2016, the latest year for which data are available, while 2.2 per cent were diagnosed with tramadol dependence. In drug treatment, tramadol was also the main drug, accounting for 68 per cent of all people treated for drug use disorders in 2017. A cross-sectional study conducted over the period 2012–2013 among 1,135 undergraduate college students in Egypt showed that 20.2 per cent of male and 2.4 per cent of female students had misused tramadol at least once during their lifetime, resulting in an overall lifetime prevalence of 12.3 per cent The average age of initiation of non-medical use of tramadol was around 17 years. Polydrug use was also quite common, with the majority of respondents (85 per cent) reporting use of either tobacco, alcohol or cannabis with tramadol. Among those who had misused tramadol, 30 per cent were assessed to be tramadol dependent.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_4.pdf


'The non-medical use of tramadol is of particular concern among young people in many countries in that subregion. For example, a cross-sectional study among 300 young people in western Ghana found that while the majority (85 per cent) of respondents knew someone who misused tramadol, more than half of the young people interviewed had used tramadol themselves for non-medical purposes, and one third of the users reported misusing 9–10 doses of tramadol per day. Another qualitative study from Ghana reported curiosity, peer pressure and iatrogenic addiction as the three main factors for initiation and continuing non-medical use of tramadol, while perceived euphoria, attentiveness, relief from pain, physical energy and aphrodisiac effects were mentioned as some of the reasons for continuing non-medical use of tramadol.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020,
https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_4.pdf

 

'When you're sick, music is a great help. Once, in Texas, I kicked a habit on weed, a pint of paregoric and a few Louis Armstrong records.' - Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953 - Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953


'Does legalizing marijuana for adults lead to a tidal wave of teens going to treatment? Not according to a new study out of Temple University, where researchers in fact found decreases in youth admission rates for problem cannabis use in two legal states.

 The findings, published this month in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, run counter to speculation from legalization opponents, law enforcement and some public health experts, who have warned that relaxing cannabis laws could lead to an explosion in cannabis use disorders among children. If that’s happening, the study found, treatment admissions data so far show no sign of it.'
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/youth-marijuana-treatment-admissions-fell-after-legalization-study-finds/


'An international team of investigators from Uruguay, the United States, and Chile assessed the impact of legalization policies on youth use patterns. Uruguay initially approved legislation regulating the use of cannabis by adults in 2013, although retail sales in licensed pharmacies did not begin until 2017.

Authors found "no evidence" to indicate that legalization was associated with any impact on young people's "cannabis use or perceived risk of use."'
https://norml.org/news/2020/05/14/uruguay-teen-cannabis-use-not-adversely-impacted-by-adult-use-legalization


'Results
 We found different MLAs [minimum legal age] for different outcomes: 21 for educational attainment, 19 for cigarette smoking and mental health and 18 for general health. Assuming equal weight for these individual outcomes, the ‘overall’ MLA for cannabis use was estimated to be 19 years. Our results were robust to various robustness checks.'
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-020-08639-z

 

 

'About this time an anti-narcotics drive hit the town. The chief of police said, "This drive is going to continue as long as there is a single violator left in the city." The State legislators drew up a law making it a crime to be a drug addict. They did not specify where or when or what they meant by drug addict.
The cops began stopping addicts on the street and examining arms for needle marks. If they found marks, they pressured the addict to sign a statement admitting his condition so he could be charged under the "drug addicts law." The addicts were promised a suspended sentence if they would plead guilty and get the new law started. Addicts ransacked their persons looking for places to shoot in outside the arm area. If the law could find no marks on a man they usually let him go. If they found marks they would hold him for seventy-two hours and try to make him sign a statement.' - Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953

'They concluded: “To our knowledge, this is the first study examining the effect of recreational legalization of marijuana in the US on adolescent treatment admissions for marijuana use. Our results indicate that RML in Colorado and Washington was not associated with an increase in treatment admissions. Rather, we observe a substantial decline in admissions rates across US states, with evidence suggesting a greater decline in Colorado/Washington following RML as compared to non-RML states. … While we are encouraged that rates of new treatment admissions for marijuana use among adolescents exhibited a general decline in the states we examined, it is unclear whether this finding reflects trends in the prevalence of CUD (cannabis use disorder) or, rather, changes in treatment seeking behaviors due to changing perceptions of risk and public attitudes towards marijuana use.'
https://blog.norml.org/2020/05/20/study-adult-use-legalization-associated-with-decline-in-youth-treatment-admissions/


'Student substance use rates, at least once during the month before COVID-19, were 31.1% tobacco, 58.2% alcohol, 1.7% cannabis, 1.5% Ritalin or similar substances, 13.8% pain relievers, and 6.5% sedatives. Males more than females use tobacco (i.e., cigarettes) (47.6% vs. 27.2%; p < 0.001) and cannabis, which are prohibited in both countries (4.6% vs. 1.0%; p = 0.002). Females more than males use pain relievers (15.9% vs. 5.2%; p = 0.001). Secular more than religious students use cigarettes (40.8% vs. 24.4%; p < 0.001), alcohol (62.9% vs. 54.8%; p < 0.017), cannabis (4.0% vs. 0.2%, p < 0.001), and sedatives (9.4% vs. 4.3%; p =0.003). Russian students, compared to those from Belarus, use more tobacco (33.9% vs. 21.0%; p = 0.001) and pain relievers (16.0% vs. 5.6%; p < 0.001). Those who reported last month substance use before COVID 19 report their use increased as a COVID-19 consequence. Among substance users, the following increases were reported: 35.6% tobacco, 29.6% alcohol, 27.3% cannabis, 16.7% Ritalin or similar substance, 18.2% pain relievers, and 23.5% sedatives. Russian and Belarusian students under quarantine/strict self-isolation conditions had a significantly higher rate of alcohol use than those not restricted (34.3% vs. 24.6%; p = 0.017)'
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7241583/

 

 

'There was a raw ache in my lungs. People vary in the way junk sickness affects them. Some suffer mostly from vomitting and diarrhea. The asthmatic type, with narrow and deep chest, is liable to violent fits of sneezing, watering at eyes and nose, in some cases spasms of the bronchial tubes that shut off the breathing. In my case, the worst thing is lowering of blood pressure with consequent loss of body fluid, and extreme weakness, as in shock. It is a feeling as if the life energy has been shut off so that all the cells in the body are suffocating. As I lay there on the bench, I felt like as if I was subsiding into a pile of bones.' - Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953


'Conclusions
The present study, although with some limitations, shows a good safety profile of medical cannabis in children and young patients with drug-resistant epilepsy and encourages the possibility of further studies with oral cannabis-based drugs. The correlations between THC-CBD plasma concentrations and their administered dosages underline the need of a therapeutic drug monitoring for cannabinoids therapy.'
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965229919316012?via%3Dihub


'Dubiel and another officer approached the teens hanging outside a Parker Ave. home on June 4, claiming they got a call about someone smoking marijuana, according to ABC 6 News.

“Officer walked up talking about ‘we have a call for marijuana,’ but nobody had marijuana on them,'” James Horn, 16, told the television station.

 Shaky cellphone video posted on Woodlynne.net shows Dubiel pulling out the pepper spray and firing it directly at one of the teens, who is sitting on the brick railing of the porch. No one appeared to have approached the cop before he fired the chemical.

“So this is what y’all do now to innocent people?” a woman is heard saying in the video.'
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/ny-woodlynne-pepper-spray-police-20200611-igpfc7lfebelzg7krizffavrlq-story.html

 

 

'I was too weak to get out of bed. I could not lie still. In junk sickness, any conceivable line of action or inaction seems intolerable. A man might simply die because he could not stand to stay in his body.' - Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953


Cannabis is not some new pharma product that you can blindly stick standard antidrug drivel onto..its been around for tens of thousands of years all over the world and yes, many children have been using it for this period of time, mostly as natural medicine. In today's world it is increasingly being used to treat children with epilepsy, autism and cancer. If IQ in the world has any connection with cannabis, then it is quite obvious that it has dropped drastically since the plant has been banned, leading to two world wars, petrochemical based climate change and pharmaceutical pandemics..and of course, the increased appearance of people like this...

'It's unequivocal – the drug makes those of our teenagers who use it, the next generation, less intelligent and turns them into people more likely to waste their lives. Israel has been blessed with human treasure, wonderful young people who reach international achievements in every field.

We must not harm them by legitimizing cannabis, a plant that damages motivation, IQ, poses a risk of addiction to soft and hard drugs, and facilitates the onset of psychosis.

You've been warned!'
https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/say-no-to-legalization/


'Adolescents and young adults account for the largest share of those using drugs. While that age group grew by 16 per cent in developing countries over the period 2000–2018, it declined by 10 per cent in developed countries.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_1.pdf


'Cannabis is the most widely used drug among young people. Globally, it is estimated that there were 13 million past-year users of any drug among students aged 15–16 in 2018, with an estimated 11.6 million past-year users of cannabis. This corresponds to an annual prevalence of cannabis use of 4.7 per cent among this age group – a rate that is higher than the rate among the general population aged 15–64 (3.9 per cent). Past-year use of cannabis among young people aged 15–16 is high in Oceania (17.8 per cent), the Americas (12.1 per cent) and Europe (11.7 per cent).' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_Booklet_2.pdf

 

 

'He asked the question they all ask. "Why do you feel that you need narcotics, Mr Lee?"
When you hear this question you can be sure that the man who asks it knows nothing about junk.
"I need it to get out of bed in the morning, to shave and eat breakfast."
"I mean physically."
I shrugged. Might as well give him his diagnosis so he will go. "It's a good kick."
Junk is not a "good kick." The point of junk to a user is that it forms a habit. No one knows what junk is until he is junk sick.
The doctor nodded. Psychopathic personality.'
- Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953


'The increase in treatment demand related to cannabis use disorders in some regions warrants special attention. There is great variability in the definition and practice of what constitutes treatment of cannabis use disorders. Treatment at present consists of behavioural or psychosocial interventions, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (in which irrational, negative thinking styles are challenged and the development of alternative coping skills is promoted) and motivational interviewing (in which a user’s personal motivation to change their own behaviour is facilitated and engaged). These interventions may vary from one-time online contact or screening and brief intervention in an outpatient setting, to a more comprehensive treatment plan including treatment of other comorbidities in an outpatient or inpatient setting. Some of the factors that may influence the number of people in treatment for cannabis use disorders include changes in the number of people who actually need treatment; changes in the treatment referral system; changes in awareness of potential problems associated with cannabis use disorders; and changes in the availability of and access to treatment for cannabis use disorders.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_Booklet_2.pdf


'Treatment for the use of amphetamine-type stimulants is more common in Asia (predominantly for the use of methamphetamine) and Oceania (based on data from Australia and New Zealand) than in other regions. As is the case with cannabis users, people who are in treatment for disorders related to the use of amphetamines tend to be younger – in their mid-twenties – than users of opioids in treatment, and the majority of them also tend to be first-time entrants. People receiving treatment for the use of methamphetamine account for more than three quarters of those in treatment in Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_Booklet_2.pdf

 

 

'After a junk cure is complete, you generally feel fine for a few days. You can drink, you can feel hunger and pleasure in food, and your sex drive comes back on you. Everything looks different, sharper. Then you hit a sag. It is an effort to dress, get out of a chair, pick up a fork. You don't want to do anything or go anywhere. You don't even want junk. The junk craving is gone, but there isn't anything else. You have to sit this period out. Or work it out. Farm work is the best cure.' - Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953


'Parents sought medical cannabis as a treatment because of a perceived unmet need stemming from the failure of antiepileptic drugs to control their children's seizures. Medical cannabis was viewed as an acceptable treatment, especially compared with adding additional antiepileptic drugs. After learning about medical cannabis from the media, friends and family, or other parents, participants sought authorization for medical use. However, most encountered resistance from their child's neurologist to discuss and/or authorize medical cannabis, and many parents experienced difficulty in obtaining authorization from a member of the child's existing care team, leading them to seek authorization from a cannabis clinic. Participants described spending up to $2000 per month on medical cannabis, and most were frustrated that it was not eligible for reimbursement through public or private insurance programs.'
https://www.epilepsybehavior.com/article/S1525-5050(20)30299-7/pdf


'A ballot issue passed in 2015 by Pueblo County voters stipulates that the first 50 percent of marijuana excise tax dollars are required to go toward scholarships. The second half can be used for capital infrastructure projects.

“This is tremendously impactful for local students who receive this award,” said Pueblo County Commissioner Garrison Ortiz.

Ortiz said the goal always was to increase the amount of the scholarships.'
https://www.chieftain.com/news/20200626/2m-plus-in-marijuana-scholarships-to-be-given-to-pueblo-students


'More than 90% of respondents to that survey said recreational marijuana should be legal in the state. The NewsHouse survey also found widespread use of cannabis products, including CBD, on New York college campuses.

Students are far more concerned about the effects of alcohol and cigarettes on health than they are about marijuana, the survey found.

Many of the survey respondents indicated they would like to take courses on marijuana and the cannabis industry, something several Empire State colleges and universities have already experimented with.'
https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2020/06/29/poll-why-ny-college-students-support-legalizing-marijuana-and-use-cbd/5307514002/

 

 

'When a junkie off junk gets drunk to a certain point, his thoughts turn to junk.' - Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953


'While Grinspoon’s accolades and leadership positions in medicine played a major role in how important his voice was to the cause, it was also the voice of a father who had deeply personal experiences with medical cannabis. As his son Danny battled terminal cancer, Grinspoon witnessed the benefits of medical cannabis to someone going through an aggressive chemotherapy regime.

Danny lost his life to leukemia, but the lessons his father learned in helping him live a better quality of life would go on to help millions. As cannabis rose to prominence in the last 20 years, it’s undeniable the tale of a Harvard Medical School professor and his son went a long way to calming nerves around what was still a very illicit substance in the eyes of so many.'
https://www.laweekly.com/the-cannabis-world-mourns-dr-lester-grinspoon/


'While the annual prevalence of methamphetamine use more than doubled from 0.3 to 0.7 per cent of the population aged 12 and older in the United States over the period 2008–2018, the number of psychostimulants involved in drug poisoning deaths in the United States rose from 1,302 to 12,676 deaths over the same period, equivalent to an almost 10-fold increase. This increase may have been inflated by an increasing number of contaminations of psychostimulants with opioids (such as fentanyl and its analogues); however, psychostimulant-related deaths excluding any involvement of opioids still showed an eightfold increase, from 807 deaths in 2008 to 6,271 deaths in 2018.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_Booklet_3.pdf


'If the bill is passed and assented by the President, cannabis plantation will generate income far more than oil as cannabis now has various benefits and value chain in pharmaceutical industries for drugs and cosmetic manufacturing as well as other research purposes for institutions, saying by so doing it will create employment for the teeming youths in Nigeria.'
https://www.sunnewsonline.com/the-bill-to-legalise-medical-use-of-marijuana/


'Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a multifactorial, pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder defined by the core symptoms of significant impairment in social interaction and communication as well as restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior. In addition to these core behaviors, persons with ASD frequently have associated non-core behavioral disturbance (i.e. self-injury, aggression), as well as several medical comorbidities. Currently, no effective treatment exists for the core symptoms of ASD. This review reports the available pre-clinical and clinical data regarding the use of cannabis and cannabidiol (CBD) in the treatment of core symptoms, non-core symptoms and comorbidities associated with ASD. Additionally, we describe our clinical experience working with children and young adults with ASD who have used cannabis or CBD. At present, pre-clinical and clinical data suggest a potential for therapeutic benefit amongst some persons with ASD and that it is overall well tolerated. Further research is required to better identify patients who may benefit from treatment without adverse effects.'
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1071909120300449


'As a further factor, in most countries the highest prevalence of drug use is found among adolescents and young adults, in particular those aged 18–25. Over the period 2000–2018, the population in that age group grew significantly in developing countries – by 18 per cent, thus raising the overall vulnerability to drug use in those countries. In developed countries, by contrast, the population in that young age group decreased by 10 per cent over the same period.' - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_4.pdf

 

 

'An addict may be ten years off the junk, but he can get a new habit in less than a week; whereas someone who has never been addicted would have to take two shots per day for two months to get any habit at all. I took a shot daily for four months before I could notice withdrawal symptoms. You can list the symptoms of junk sickness, but the feel of it is like no other feeling and you can not put it into words. I did not experience this junk sick feeling until my second habit.' - Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953


'The lack of disaggregated data makes it impossible to obtain a global overview of drug use as distributed between urban and rural areas and to analyse interacting global trends in urbanization and drug markets. From the information available, it seems that drug use is more prevalent in urban areas than in rural areas, in both developed and developing countries, with the exception of some major rural drug-producing areas. Urbanization has also been found to be a general risk factor for drug use; for example, data from school surveys in Colombia and Mexico show the prevalence of use of some drugs being up to 60 per cent higher in urban areas than in rural areas. Data on drug law offences including possession and trafficking of drugs in Germany and Austria confirm the same patterns with main cities showing higher per capita offences than the national average (typically around 50 per cent higher in 2018)'- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2020, https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_BOOKLET_4.pdf

'Results provided no evidence that policy change influenced heavy-using adolescents’ rates of use nor the proposed risk factors associated with problematic use patterns.'

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1178221818815491


'“Rates of marijuana use by teens have been of great interest to researchers over the past decade, given major social and legislative shifts around the drug; it is now legal for adult recreational use in 10 states plus the District of Columbia, and it is available medicinally in many more,” reads a press release from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Fortunately, even as teens’ attitudes toward marijuana’s harms continue to relax, they are not showing corresponding increases in marijuana use.”'

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/teen-marijuana-use-remains-lower-than-pre-legalization-levels-federally-funded-survey-finds/

 

 

'I knew that I did not want to go on taking junk. If I could have made a single decision, I would have decided no more junk ever. But when it came to the process of quitting, I did not have the drive. It gave me a terrible feeling of helplessness to watch myself break every schedule I set up as though I did not have control over my actions.' - Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953


'The results are contrary to often-expressed fears from prohibition supporters who argued that the move would lead to skyrocketing youth cannabis consumption rates.

But in fact, past-month cannabis use actually declined among 8th and 10th grade students from 2010-2012 to 2014-2016, the new research letter published in JAMA Pediatrics found. There were no statistically significant changes in cannabis consumption for 12th grade students during the time period studied.'

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/teen-marijuana-use-actually-declined-in-washington-state-after-legalization-study-finds/


'“It was well known at just about any high school you would choose to go over the past decade, which kid you could go to to get marijuana,” Trudeau said

He told the audience he pushed for the legalization of the substance because if it was treated like alcohol, anyone who wants it would need to go to an official store and show an ID to demonstrate that person is the age of majority. There are some hiccups in terms of how transitioning into a country where the recreational use of cannabis is allowed, but the federal government is working on it, he said.

Trudeau told the crowd that legalizing cannabis “doesn’t 100 per cent prevent it” from ending up in the hands of youths, but “it makes it slightly more difficult.”'

https://forterieobserver.ca/2019/01/prime-minister-justin-trudeau-talks-about-hot-button-issues-at-brock-town-hall/

 

 

'Safe in Mexico, I watched the anti-junk campaign. I read about child addicts and Senators demanding the death penalty for dope peddlers. It didn't sound right to me. Who wants kids for customers? They never have enough money and they always spill under questioning. Parents find out the kid is on junk and go to the law. I figured that either Stateside peddlers have gone simple-minded or the whole child-addict set-up is a propaganda routine to stir up anti-junk sentiment and pass some new laws.
Refugee hipsters trickled into Mexico. "Six months for needle marks under the vag-addict law in California." "Eight years for a dropper in Washington." "Two to ten for selling in New York."' - Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953

  
'In truth, the program is a lot like marijuana laws in America – a work in progress. But so far it’s hitting the key goal it set, persuading more and more kids to give pot a pass. '

https://denver.cbslocal.com/2018/11/08/campaign-educates-teens-marijuana-risks/


Whether you are an adolescent, youth or adult, marijuana is most likely a coping mechanism for underlying problems rather than the cause it is often made out to be...if we seriously want to help the adolescents and youth then it is more important to identify and address these underlying issues rather than blame marijuana which may be helping them handle these issues at some level...

'“The present findings showed that conduct problems predicted cannabis use but not vice versa, particularly during mid–late adolescence,” the researchers wrote.

“Thus… we were able to demonstrate for the first time that increases in conduct problems precede increases in cannabis use within individuals.”'

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/using-marijuana-doesnt-cause-youth-behavioral-problems-study-finds/



Legalize ganja for people aged 21 years and above to reduce drug peddling...regulate ganja like alcohol so that schools and educational institutions are not targeted by drug peddlers selling ganja...legalizing ganja will also address the other major problem i.e. reduce consumption of pharmaceutical drugs by by not just teenagers, but also youth, adults and the aged.

'One of the reasons for its popularity is the fact that it is considered harmless and less addictive as compared to cocaine or heroin. However, there is a growing problem of the drug being sold near schools and educational institutions. Teenagers are being lured into trying it. It is easily available and cheaper when compared to other narcotics,” said a senior police officer.

“The other major problem is the abuse of pharmaceutical drugs,” added the officer.'

https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/Ganja-is-the-top-choice/article16972147.ece

 

 

'When you give up junk, you give up a way of life. I have seen junkies kick and hit the lush and wind up dead in a few years. Suicide is frequent among ex-junkies. Why does a junkie quit junk of his own will? You never know the answer to that question. No conscious tabulation of the disadvantages and horrors of junk gives you the emotional drive to kick. The decision to quit junk is a cellular decision, and once you have decided to quit you cannot go back to junk permanently any more than you could stay away from it before. Like a man who has been away a long time, you see things different when you return from junk.'

- Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953


'“Students whose medical condition requires the use of medical marijuana are allowed to access and utilize marijuana in accordance with state law,” the policy states.

Officials say school personnel are not legally allowed to administer medical marijuana to students, but the district will provide a private location for a caregiver to administer medical marijuana to students at school.'

https://kfor.com/2019/01/15/oklahoma-city-public-school-board-approves-medical-marijuana-policy/


'Northern Michigan’s programme combines chemistry, biology, botany, horticulture, marketing and finance to offer a four-year degree. Officials say the programme fills a need because 29 States have legalised medical marijuana'

https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/northern-michigan-university-offers-marijuana-degree/article19864275.ece


'“Some people have argued that decriminalizing or legalizing medical marijuana could increase cannabis use amongst young people, either by making it easier for them to access, or by making it seem less harmful,” Coley said. “However, we saw the opposite effect.”

“We were not able to determine why this is, but other research has suggested that after the enactment of medical marijuana laws, youths’ perceptions of the potential harm of marijuana use actually increased. Alternatively, another theory is that as marijuana laws are becoming more lenient, parents may be increasing their supervision of their children, or changing how they talk to them about drug use.”'

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/states-with-legal-medical-marijuana-have-lower-teen-use-rates-large-scale-study-finds/

 

 

'It would seem that junk is the only habit-forming drug. Cats cannot be addicted to morphine, as they react to an injection of morphine with acute delirium. Cats have a relatively small quantity of histamine in the blood stream. It would seem that histamine is the defense against morphine, and that cats, lacking this defense, cannot tolerate morphine. Perhaps the mechanism of withdrawal is this: Histamine is produced by the body as a defense against morphine during the period of addiction. When the drug is withdrawn, the body continues to produce histamine.'

- Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953


Legalize it for 21 years and above.

'The accused was reportedly a wholesale dealer in the drug racket that mostly targeted school and college students in the city. He was identified on the basis of information obtained by the District Anti-Narcotic Special Force (DANSAF), which was constituted to counter drug abuse with the assistance of school authorities.'

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/tn-native-arrested-with-17-kg-of-ganja/article24498651.ece


Legalize ganja so that students do not indulge in peddling and police do not crack the whip on students.

'Police said of these seven were engineering students and one was a student of physiotherapy. All of them originally hail from Kerala and were staying in Mangaluru for education.

Based on information from credible sources that the accused were selling and consuming ganja at a ground near Morgans Gate here, the police cracked the whip on them.'

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mangaluru/8-college-students-caught-red-handed-while-selling-ganja/articleshow/67517053.cms

 

 

Officially sponsored myth 1 -'"All drugs are more or less similar and all are habit forming."
 
This myth lumps cocaine, marijuana and junk together. Marijuana is not at all habit forming and its action is almost the direct opposite from junk action. There is no habit to cocaine. You can develop a tremendous craving for cocaine, but you won't be sick if you can't get it. When you have a junk habit, on the other hand, you live in a state of chronic poisoning for which junk itself is the specific antidote. If you don't get the antidote at eight-hour intervals, and enough of it, you develop symptoms of allergic poisoning: yawning, sneezing, watering of the eyes and nose, cramps, vomiting and diarrhea, hot and cold flushes, loss of appetite, insomnia, restlessness and weakness, in some cases circulatory collapse and death from allergic shock....When I say "habit-forming drug" I mean a drug that alters the endocrinal balance of the body in such a way that the body requires that drug in order to function. So far as I know, junk is the only habit forming drug according to this definition.'

- Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953


By prohibiting natural cannabis flower, we have opened the illegal market for concentrates with high percentages of one or two compounds. The natural flower with its balanced compounds have given way to extremely high potency extracts. People who want the extra high, especially youth, have been left exposed to this due to lack of information, lack of regulation, misinformation that concentrates are cool and lack of access to natural cannabis. This is similar to how prohibition of alcohol leads to the manufacture of illicit alcohol using dangerous methods to increase potency. The victims are often the adventurous misinformed. The perpetrators are the ones who have imposed prohibition and the ones trying to make a quick buck using the situation. Legalize ganja in its natural forms to prevent the proliferation of potentially dangerous practices and to protect the youth and the vulnerable.

'City youths have started consuming the latest forms of marijuana — Weed Wax and Shatter — which are a rage among teenagers in Western countries. And the youths are willing to shell out 50 times more than the normal price for a weed pack.'

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/delhi-youths-hooked-to-new-forms-of-marijuana/articleshow/67330899.cms


'RESULTS:There were 95,695 patient calls that were coded for intentional abuse between 2004 and 2013 for adolescents aged 13 to 19 years. The most common agent reportedly ingested in intentional-abuse cases was antihistamine and/or decongestant with dextromethorphan, and this agent remained the most common throughout the 10-year study period. The next 4 most common agents remained similar across the study period as well and included ethanol, benzodiazepines, dextromethorphan alone, and marijuana. These 5 agents remained the most commonly reported across the study period for all US regions (West, Midwest, South Northeast, and US territories). CONCLUSIONS:Over a recent 10-year period, common cough preparations remain the most commonly reported intentional abuse ingestion among all years and regions for adolescents.'

https://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/27749797

 

 

Officially sponsored myth 2 - '"A drug habit is formed instantly, on first use, or at most, after three or four shots."
 
From this notion derive the stories of people becoming addicts after using a few "headache pills" given them by the Sympathetic Stranger. Actually, a non-user would have to take a shot every day for at least a month to get any kind of habit. The Stranger would go broke handing out samples. But a cured addict, even if he has not used it for years, can get a new habit in a few days. He is allergic to junk.'

- Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953


Parents teaching their kids bad habits. It's safer to use marijuana than to use dangerous non-medical prescription opioids which are typically gateways to heroin or fentanyl.

'RESULTS:Controlling for other factors, parental NMPO[non-medical prescription opioid] use was associated with adolescent NMPO use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-1.56). Mothers' use had a stronger association with adolescent use than fathers' use (aOR 1.62 [95% CI 1.28-2.056] versus aOR 0.98 [95% CI 0.74-1.24]). Associations between parental and adolescent NMPO use did not differ by adolescent sex or race and/or ethnicity. Parental lifetime smoking, low monitoring, and parent-adolescent conflict were uniquely associated with adolescent NMPO use (aOR 1.19-1.24) as were adolescent smoking, marijuana use, depression, delinquency, and perceived schoolmates' drug use (aOR 1.25-1.71). Perceived risk of drug use and religiosity were associated with lower rates of adolescent NMPO use (aOR 0.77-0.93). Use among older adolescents was higher than among younger adolescents (aOR 1.27; 95% CI 1.21-1.34). CONCLUSIONS:Parent-based interventions targeted at adolescent NMPO use should address parental NMPO use and smoking and promote positive parenting.'

https://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/30804077


In the largest longitudinal examination of marijuana use and IQ change, using two samples to replicate results and a genetically informative design, we find little evidence to suggest that adolescent marijuana use has a direct effect on intellectual decline. Although marijuana users showed greater decline than nonusers in areas of Gc, the presence of baseline differences before marijuana involvement, the lack of a dose–response relationship, and an absence of meaningful differences between discordant siblings lead us to conclude that the deficits observed in marijuana users are attributable to confounding factors that influence both substance initiation and IQ rather than a neurotoxic effect of marijuana.
http://www.pnas.org/content/113/5/E500


'Dr. Tan explains that the teenage brain is still developing, making it more susceptible to, and affected by, substance abuse.

"In a teenage brain, impulse control functions are not fully developed yet," he says. "This can lead to an increased risk of substance use and abuse, which can damage the brain structure, leading to psychological issues later, on," he says.'
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/community/chi-ugc-article-is-marijuana-causing-mental-issues-in-teens-2018-06-21-story.html

 

 

Officially sponsored myth 5 - '"Addicts never get enough. They have to keep raising the dosage. They need more and more. Finally, I quote from a recent movie called Johnny Stool Pigeon - They tear the clothes off their skinny bodies and die screaming - for more junk."
 
This is preposterous. Addicts get enough and they do not have to raise the dosage. I know addicts who have used the same dose for years. Of course, addicts do occasionally die if they are cut off the junk cold. They don't die because they need more and more. They die because they can't get any.'

- Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953  


'AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) urges that marijuana be dropped to Schedule II—a category of drugs used to treat patients that also must be handled carefully, because they have a “high potential for abuse,” according to DEA. Schedule II drugs include many narcotics, such as morphine and oxycodone, as well as stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall.'
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/01/us-should-make-it-easier-study-marijuana-pediatrics-group-says


Minimum age of 21 for recreational cannabis...

'In summary, the current study provides direct evidence that exposure to THC during adolescence alters the trajectory of developing mPFC circuitry. Adolescent THC exposure, by reshaping PFC pyramidal neurons on a molecular and morphological level, may alter psychiatric vulnerability particularly in individuals with overlapping genetic disturbances within THC-sensitive gene networks linked to cytoskeletal architecture and synaptic plasticity.'

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-018-0243-x 


Many people try recreational marijuana in their teens when they ideally shouldn't and are overwhelmed by the experience. They then shun the herb as adults or worse still, oppose the herb and other adults who use the herb. This is like having a non-optimal sexual experience as a teen, then avoiding sex altogether as an adult and worse still, advocating a ban on sex and imprisonment for other adults who engage in sex.


'In her view, "it's really important to talk about both sides so they understand what the medicinal piece means, and that recreational use is different than that. Plus, recreational is only legal for those over 21, just like alcohol, and recreational can be appropriate or not. It's problematic when people drink and then get into a car and drive, and it's the same if they use marijuana and then get into a car and drive. But other people might use marijuana in their home, and that's okay, because it's legal for adults."'
http://www.westword.com/news/how-a-marijuana-researcher-talks-to-her-kids-about-pot-10320082


'"Cannabis specifically has become the substance of choice for young people, who are unable to purchase alcohol because of its strict regulation," he said.

"Therefore the criminalisation of the drug has had the exact opposite effect to the deterrence it was meant to induce. We ought to consider a more mature approach to drugs policy, which is based in health rather than criminality."'
https://news.sky.com/story/cannabis-easier-for-kids-to-buy-than-alcohol-report-claims-11495618

 

 

Officially sponsored myth 8 - '"Peddlers try to get high school children on junk, or marijuana. A recent magazine article depicts peddlers slipping laudanum into the Coca-Cola of teenagers."
 
This is utterly ridiculous. No peddler wants kids for customers. They never have enough money, they talk too much and they cannot stand up under police questioning. The best customers are the old-timers. They know all the angles and generally have some source of revenue.'
- Junky, William S Burroughs, 1977, originally published in 1953  


Smoking marijuana may make you lose your money making drive and that's not good for business...

'The swift expulsion of three students allegedly caught smoking marijuana in their hostel rooms at Indian Institute of Management, Indore, this past week has led Delhi’s student and teaching fraternity to believe that the Institute acted in undue haste and failed in its moral duty towards the students.'
https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/undue-haste-shown-in-expelling-iim-students-caught-smoking-marijuana/article18726376.ece


'In wave 7 (when participants were aged 20/21 years old) lifetime use of substances were as follows: alcohol (94 per cent), tobacco (70 per cent), cannabis (45 per cent)...The study also focused on cocaine use: results revealed increasing frequency of reported lifetime use of cocaine in the final years of post-primary education (age 13 to 16): cocaine use was associated with social deprivation and being from disrupted families. Analyses also revealed a positive association between the amount of money young people received and higher rates of drug use. While illegal drug use has, largely, been declining in the UK over the past decade, this period has witnessed the emergence of a range of new, mostly synthetic substances that mimic many of the effects of “traditional” drugs. These are known as “legal highs”, or new or novel psychoactive substances (NPS).'
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0195192


'"If we eliminate the segment of the population between 18 to 19 and 21 years, which is a population often in university, often in areas where they'll try to consume, we're keeping an important segment of potential consumers for the black market," he told reporters in Yerevan.'
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/trudeau-says-quebec-cannabis-plan-093446060.html


'“Women should definitely be counseled that it’s not a good idea to use marijuana while pregnant. If you’re breastfeeding, we would encourage you to cut back or quit,” said Seth Ammerman, a co-author of the report and professor of pediatrics at Stanford.'
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/marijuana-found-in-breast-milk-6-days-after-use/


'All 25 marijuana dispensaries in Oregon passed the latest round of state minor decoy operations. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC), which regulates the marijuana industry, periodically sends minors to try to buy marijuana from retail outlets. The latest operations targeted dispensaries in Portland, Bend and Salem, all of which had a compliance rate of 100 percent.'


Legalize ganja for 21 years and above to eliminate the black market and so that Narcotics Cell can focus on illegal prescription drugs and more harmful drugs. Implement drug awareness education at student level. These are measures being implemented successfully in many places worldwide.

'One trend, which the Narcotics Cell officers say is catching up fast among school and college students, is to visit hospitals, take an OP ticket, and then without seeing the doctor, use the ticket to make fake prescriptions and purchase prescription drugs, among which a tablet, Nitrosun-10, which contains nitrazepam, was quite popular.'

https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/citys-drug-trends-worry-cops/article7732921.ece


Legalize marijuana for 21 years and above to remove the incentive for traffickers adult or youth...

'According to the official, investigations have pointed to the operation of rackets that lure school students to try the narcotic or get involved in the supply chain. “The network of suppliers is very well connected to these youths and this way of selling marijuana at a personal level is making it difficult to trace the source,” he adds.'
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/youngsters-on-a-slippery-slope-of-marijuana-abuse/article8036160.ece


Legalize it for 21 years and above. Have education programs in schools like for sex, tobacco and alcohol highlighting pros and cons. Parents and teachers have mature conversations with children about using it like with alcohol. Take the herb out of the black market so that it can be normalized and not sold illegally to students by peddlers. Students have wide access to information and knowledge so parents and teachers need to get educated as well. You can't stop the plant but you can learn how to live with it like it was before the ban.

'The police said that some sections of students displaying such a nonchalant attitude towards a serious problem such as drug abuse, it was high time that the parent-teacher community rose to address the issue in a responsible manner.'
https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/ganja-arrest-sends-shock-waves-on-kerala-campuses/article25975607.ece


'Marijuana use among junior high and high school students is down across all age levels in California, according to the first survey of teen drug consumption conducted in the state since voters legalized recreational cannabis.'
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/teen-marijuana-use-is-down-in-california-following-legalization-state-funded-study-shows/


“The drug conviction question, which remains on the FAFSA, serves solely as a deterrent to higher education from the students who might benefit from it most: particularly, students of color whose communities have been overpoliced and marginalized by the drug war,” Betty Aldworth, executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, told Marijuana Moment.'
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/cory-booker-bill-would-let-students-with-drug-convictions-keep-financial-aid/


'A supposed negative impact on children is one of the most common arguments deployed by prohibitionist activists and anti-legalization groups. And it is one for which there is little evidence.

The new study is the latest in a string of reports that have found that marijuana legalization, be it for medical or recreational use, is having a negligible impact on whether juveniles will use the drug.'
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/yet-another-study-legal-marijuana-doesnt-lead-to-increased-youth-use/


For teenagers, smoking marijuana is often an act of rebellion against adults and society..if society in general has an open attitude to marijuana then for teenagers this ceases to be as attractive and many will move on to something else through which they can try and assert their independence...channelizing this rebellious energy of a teenager into something positive is the challenge for all of us..

'"For now, there appears to be no basis for the argument that legalizing medical marijuana has increased teens' use of the drug," senior study author Deborah Hasin, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, said in a statement. '
https://www.livescience.com/61829-medical-marijuana-does-not-increase-teen-use.html


'Roughly half of survey respondents identified law enforcement as the main opposition group, specifically the Texas Sheriff’s Association (TSA). In testimony before the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, members of the TSA argued that legalizing marijuana would “send the wrong message” to youth about the harms of drug use and that legalization in other states has led to increased use among teens. The focus on risks of marijuana reform for youth is a common framing choice among prohibition supporters (see Ferraiolo 2014). Whereas prohibition was once justified by beliefs that marijuana itself was evil and marijuana use immoral, such arguments increasingly strain credibility. Realizing this, marijuana opponents have sought more realistic frames. The message that marijuana is a gateway to further delinquency for youth that harms their health and achievement has resonated with a larger audience than past arguments based solely on morality claims....The TSA represents an organized interest that favors the status quo, and it intends to fight to preserve that status quo'
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0043820017716683


'However, the growing body of research that includes this study suggests that medical marijuana laws do not increase adolescent use, and future decisions that states make about whether or not to enact medical marijuana laws should be at least partly guided by this evidence.'
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(15)00267-9/fulltext


'Given the importance of youth marijuana prevention, policies to prevent youth access to influential marijuana messages on social media are a critical consideration for lawmakers, prevention scientists and child advocates.'
https://substanceabusepolicy.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13011-018-0152-7


Brother, that's precisely why marijuana needs to be legalized. Just like there is no control over bootleg alcohol during prohibition, there is no control over marijuana potency when it is prohibited federally. Legalization federally will help bring back natural varieties with balanced compounds and raise awareness of all the pros and cons.

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams tweeted, "There’s evidence that much of the marijuana available today has substantially higher THC content than in years/ decades past, & that may present a unique risk to certain subgroups (eg young people, developing fetuses, and those w mental health concerns). Further, young people especially are consuming in ways (eg via edibles, e-cigarettes, and 'dabbing,'- if you’re a parent and you don’t know what dabbing is, look it up!) that can further increase the concentration of THC (the part of MJ that gets one 'high') reaching the brain."
https://twitter.com/Surgeon_General/status/1108476130745614337


Increasing normalization and decreasing intolerance augurs well for the future...

'The researchers didn’t speculate about possible factors driving this trend, but it seems to reflect broader shifts in attitudes toward cannabis that have been observed in numerous surveys. A majority of the country (62 percent) now supports marijuana legalization, for example, and 65 percent say smoking cannabis is “morally acceptable,” according to 2018 polls.'
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/high-schoolers-are-growing-more-tolerant-of-peers-who-use-marijuana-study-shows/


'In this 2015 cross-sectional survey of Los Angeles 10th-grade students, use of cannabis via alternative administration methods was of appreciable prevalence, predominantly observed in conjunction with polyuse of other cannabis products, and unequally distributed across sociodemographic strata. Surveillance, regulatory restrictions, and prevention of adolescent use across the increasingly diverse spectrum of cannabis products might be warranted to manage the cannabis-related pediatric public health burden.'
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2703946


'Concern over societal discrimination was common among youths in Los Angeles in 2016 and was associated with behavioral health problems 1 year later. Adolescents’ behavioral responses to recent societal expressions of discrimination may warrant public health attention.'
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2696519


'In any case, the main takeaways from the meta-analysis are pretty cut and dry: adolescents really aren’t using marijuana more frequently in states that have legalized, adults who were current users before a state legalized ended up consuming more post-legalization and cannabis use disorder doesn’t seem to be increasing even as more states opt to liberalize their marijuana laws.'
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/youth-marijuana-use-isnt-increasing-after-states-legalize-meta-analysis-of-55-studies-concludes/


'Developing support systems within schools for gender-nonconforming students may be an important avenue to improving mental health and reducing substance use in this population. Providing safe spaces and school staff contacts who are knowledgeable and supportive of gender-nonconforming youths may also help to buffer stresses of the school environment. School staff may benefit from professional development on gender diversity to support students who are gender nonconforming more competently. Health education that is inclusive of discussions about gender and the variety of ways that it is expressed may be useful to decrease stigma for gender-nonconforming youths.'
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2703480


'This trial offers potential advancement for the implementation science field, specifically in its thorough examination of a data-driven technical assistance method to support long-term implementation of a marijuana-focused MET (Motivational Enhancement Therapy) intervention in schools. If shown to be clinically useful and affordable, the concept of a fidelity drift alarm could be readily translated—alone or in future conjunction with emerging methods to automate MI (Motivational Interviewing)/MET fidelity-monitoring—for use with other empirically supported therapies and in other settings. The described trial adds to other recent efforts in furthering momentum for the adoption and effective implementation of efficacious therapies for youth populations through a focus on methods of purveyor technical assistance to assure quality in therapy delivery.'
https://implementationscience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13012-017-0633-5


This is starting to look like healthy balanced growth now that the curbs are being removed..

'The data showed that marijuana use was increasing in males and females in many age groups, although it was increasing a little faster in young adults, ages 18 to 29, and in males, said Deborah Hasin, one of the study authors and a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health in New York City. The rates of use were also increasing among middle-age and older adults, she said. But the trends in increasing use appear to be limited to adults: Marijuana use is not increasing among teenagers, Hasin said. Two major studies have shown that marijuana use has been relatively stable in adolescents over the last few years, she said.'
https://www.livescience.com/60094-marijuana-popularity.html


'School substance-misuse policies have a near universal coverage in Welsh secondary schools. National government recommendations on the involvement of students in policy development were not associated with student drug use. While nearly all schools had a referral process for drug-using students, few recommend methods of harm minimisation. Future prospective research on the impact of harm minimisation in school substance-misuse policies, and student involvement in policy development and awareness of content may help strengthen this limited evidence base'
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6009502/


'This study was developed to explore the association of Internet addiction with the use of new technologies, relationship with parents (both mothers and fathers), emotion regulation (in its two dimensions: cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), and callous-unemotional traits (in its three dimensions: callousness, uncaring, and unemotional) among Italian adolescents.'
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5989287/


'Findings highlight the value in providing tailored summaries to schools participating in longitudinal school health research, as schools actually used these findings to make changes. Partnerships between schools, researchers, and public health were formed, leading to benefits for all groups. Knowledge brokering provided feedback to researchers to enhance the study, contributed to low school attrition, and increased researchers’ understanding of school environments. Knowledge exchange may provide a mechanism to help schools achieve the components needed for implementing a health-promoting schools approach, increasing implementation fidelity. '
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5851156/


'Focusing on participants in the eighth (n=570), 10th (n=582), and 12th (n=508) grades, the OYOF survey revealed that American Indian students, compared with their Monitoring the Future counterparts, reported significantly higher use of virtually all substances except amphetamines and tranquilizers. These differences are greatest at eighth grade and continue, albeit slightly attenuated, into the 12th grade. Of special concern is that such disparities appear to be growing at an alarming rate. Swaim and Stanley note that, in reference to their previous 2014 survey, the relative risk of American Indian students using alcohol and marijuana in 2016-2017 did not change. However, the likely use of other drugs by Native youths increased substantially between these 2 periods.'
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2682592


Relatively better I am tempted to say..however the best option would be to legalize marijuana across the board so that illegal sales to youth is curbed and age restrictions of 21 years and above are set for marijuana, tobacco and alcohol..

'The number of 12 to 21-year olds who used marijuana before any other drug (including cigarettes and alcohol) nearly doubled from 4.8% in 2004 to 8% in 2014, Newsweek reports about the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development study. Over the same period, the number of smokers in that age group has significantly declined from 21% to only 9%.'
http://fortune.com/2018/05/18/more-young-people-are-using-marijuana-before-cigarettes-or-alcohol/

 
 'Anita Rao, director of medical services at T.T. Ranganathan Clinical Research Foundation - TTK Hospital, said, “Pharmaceuticals provide easy access to everyone, and we see children aged between 12 and 17 abusing sleeping tablets, painkillers and cough syrups.” They combine them with alcohol as well, she added.

With such easy availability of prescription drugs, abusers of other drugs have moved on to this as a ‘safer’ option. “I no longer have to meet with dealers for marijuana. I prefer prescription drugs as it is easy to get them,” said Prasad.

According to M. Ponnuswamy, additional director general of the National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics, pub culture has fostered the abuse of drugs.'

https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/prescription-drug-abuse-soars/article6172289.ece


Additional links
https://norml.org/marijuana/fact-sheets/item/maternal-marijuana-use-and-childhood-outcomes
https://norml.org/marijuana/fact-sheets/item/marijuana-regulation-and-teen-use-rates
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-pot-really-does-to-the-teen-brain/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161205091216.htm

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/why-educated-youngsters-end-up-peddling-ganja/article25542735.ece
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1yUKfvnqRQ

https://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/30861391
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/youth-marijuana-use-isnt-increasing-after-states-legalize-meta-analysis-of-55-studies-concludes/