Parents who are concerned about keeping their child off drugs have a big challenge ahead of them. With all the new names and types of drugs, parents may find all the information overwhelming, but with a little help, parents can eventually navigate through the details they need to know.

Denying a Problem

Ignorance is bliss, according to some people. Many parents take a hands off -”what we don’t know won’t hurt us” – approach to parenting, especially when it comes to teens and drugs. They feel that it is best if they don’t make a big deal of things. They believe all kids are going to experiment with drugs at least once, so the best thing to do is let kids be kids and get it out of their system.

Talk To Your Teen

Studies show, however, that parents who do not talk to their kids about drugs or who are accepting of their child’s drug experimentation end up with kids who do drugs – often in a dangerous way. Parents who talk to their kids, however, about the dangers of drugs are the voice that often influences the child so that they do say no to drugs. Parents need to be the first step in drug prevention for their child, and then continue to be aware and on the lookout for their teen to try drugs so they can get help if necessary.

Be Aware

It is important, therefore, for parents to have some knowledge of the current drug scene. This scares many parents, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating. Just do a little research. Many parents know about age-old drugs like marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and LSD. They are aware that club drugs like Ecstasy and meth are out there, and that prescription drugs like OxyContin are becoming a huge problem. Parents may need to investigate further, however, to find out about the new synthetic drugs making their way around the country, such as bath salts and synthetic marijuana. These substances are trickier because they can be very misleading and sometimes even legal, yet just as harmful as illicit drugs. “It’s chemistry. They’re able to change the chemical structure just by small amounts to avert the law, even though it would have some of the same common properties and same psychoactive effects”, said Bruce Reeve, of the Division of Criminal Investigations Crime Lab. (1)

Investigate the Topic

Parents can gather a lot of information by doing some quick Internet searches. The Internet provides a host of how-to sites on ways to make drugs, get drugs, and pass drug tests. If parents can access this kind of information, so can their teen, so it is important for parents to look for details about drug abuse in this way.

Parents can talk to local law enforcement or hospitals, or attend seminars that are designed to inform about drug trends. By doing a little investigating and talking to their teens, parents can feel confident in their knowledge of drug dangers that their child faces, in the hopes that they can help their child stay drug-free. Knowledge is power.

Sources

(1) Special Report: Synthetic Drug Use Spreading Fast

Guard Against Synthetic Drugs

Synthetic drug use hard to track

What if marijuana was legal? The marijuana debate has many people wondering the answer to that question. People are very polarized on the topic, and both sides think they can predict what would happen if marijuana were legalized. States like California that allow marijuana to be used and grown for medical purposes are a good place to start looking, but we can’t use them to predict accurately because marijuana is still illegal in our country, according to the federal government. That affects how the drug is sold, transported, and taxed.

True and complete legalization for marijuana would have implications that we just can’t predict. No society has suddenly made marijuana, which is used and abused in private across the country, free and legal for all to use. Experts on the subject are more than willing to make guesses at what would happen if marijuana was legal.

Keeping Marijuana Illegal

Scientific studies may have conflicting results, but overall they link smoking marijuana to heart and lung disease, throat cancer, and a decreased memory capacity. Therefore, making marijuana legal would increase the number of people being affected by these diseases. Others point to the staggering amount of drugs that have been seized coming into the United States. They point to how drug use is strongly linked to criminal activity, and predict that legalizing marijuana would lead to an increase in violence and crime. (1)

The federal government, which overall is working to keep marijuana illegal, agrees that there is no real benefit to legalizing marijuana. “As a former police chief, I recognize we are not going to arrest our way out of the problem,” wrote Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. “We also recognize that legalizing marijuana would not provide the answer to any of the health, social, youth education, criminal justice, and community quality of life challenges associated with drug use.”(2)

Legalizing Marijuana

Those who want to see marijuana become legal claim that the drug war is failing, that people arrested and imprisoned for marijuana use are not cured of their habit during time spent in jail. They predict that legalizing and controlling marijuana would decrease crimes associated with the substance, and lead to safer and more responsible use of the substance.(1)

Those in favor of legalization also point to the medicinal uses for marijuana. It relieves nausea suffered by cancer patients undergoing powerful chemotherapy. It is also used by patients who have multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, and AIDS. (3)

NORML, a group that is working to reform marijuana laws, makes the following summary. “Legalizing marijuana won’t address drug use.  It will address marijuana use by regulating it like we do alcohol and tobacco. Legal marijuana would be an answer to many Americans’ health challenges.  Legal marijuana would raise tax revenues to benefit society and community. Legal marijuana removes the cost of arresting, prosecution, and monitoring on parole and probation and, by definition, eliminates crime.”(4)

Sources

(1) History and background of marijuana in the United States

(2) Smoked Out! White House Rejects Marijuana Legalization Petitions

(3) Legalizing Marijuana

(4) White House response to NORML’s “We the People” marijuana legalization petition

The debate over the legalization of marijuana has been going on for decades. While some people contend that the drug does not produce ill-effects and should be legalized, others firmly believe that the marijuana of today is much more potent than the marijuana of decades past.

Higher Levels of THC

A 2008 study shocked Americans when it declared that the average potency of marijuana in the United States had exceeded 10 percent for the first time ever. The study examined levels of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, taken from samples seized by law enforcement agencies. Marijuana potency from 1983 averaged less than 4 percent. Today, some strains of marijuana test as high as 30 percent, which produces more effects on the user. “This potency level presents significantly more risk to the developing adolescent brain than past levels of marijuana,” said Kevin Friedrich, prevention director for the Community Assessment Referral and Education agency. “And as potency levels continue to increase, we’ve seen increased admissions to emergency rooms and drug treatment programs.” (1)

Greater Risk with More Potency

People fear what damage more potent marijuana will do to those who are expecting pot to be a harmless recreational drug. John Walters, former director of the National Drug Control Policy said, “Marijuana potency has grown steeply over the past decade, with serious implications in particular for young people, who may not only be at increased risk for various psychological conditions, cognitive deficits and respiratory problems, but are at significantly higher risk for developing dependency on other drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, than are nonsmokers.” (1)

Medical Marijuana

Those who are in favor of legalizing marijuana, especially for medical purposes, don’t see the potency as necessarily a negative thing. In fact, those who want to see marijuana used nationwide for medical patients believe that more potent strains will be good for patients. “It’s my fervent hope that today’s marijuana is more potent,” Rick Thompson, member of the Michigan Association of Compassion Centers, said. “It’s like comparing aspirin to Vicodin. To achieve a higher level of pain relief, we need more potent varieties.” (1)

Looking to Other Countries

While the U.S. might not be ready to legalize marijuana, except maybe for medical purposes, we can also look to other countries to see how they handle the marijuana debate. The Netherlands are getting tougher on their marijuana laws, specifically for pot cafes that in the past have been allowed to operate with little repercussion. The Dutch government is working to classify marijuana strains that are higher than 15% as a more dangerous drug (average potency there is 17.8 percent), and will try to keep these more potent strains out of the marijuana cafes.

The marijuana debate has been a difficult one throughout the world. We can learn a lot by watching what other countries do about it. With marijuana becoming more potent over time, more countries might follow the lead of countries like the Netherlands, or keep it illegal like the United States.

Sources

(1) Marijuana potency rising

Dutch Classify High-Potency Marijuana as Hard Drug

Marijuana potency surpasses 10 percent, U.S. says

Residents in some parts of the country have been surprised to see marijuana-shaped candy showing up in some convenience stores. While makers of this candy say very few people have a problem with it, at least one municipality is taking steps to get it out of their stores.

“Ring Pots”

The candy is called “Pothead Ring Pots” and “Pothead Lollipops”; candy in the shape of a marijuana leaf. It is distributed by the Kalan LP company located outside of Philadelphia, and is sold in about 1,000 stores across the country. Residents and council members in Buffalo, NY are ready to take action against the stores that carry the candy, fearing it is sending children the wrong message. “We’re already dealing with a high amount of drug abuse and drug activity and trying to raise children so they don’t think using illegal substances is acceptable,” said City Councilmember Darius Pridgen. “So to have a licensed store sell candy to kids that depicts an illegal substance is just ignorant and irresponsible.” (1)

Buffalo council members are working to make it difficult to sell the candy in stores in their area. They threaten to not grant licenses to stores that plan to sell the candy, and to “embarrass stores that do carry it”.

Promoting the Legalization of Marijuana

Company president Andrew Kalan states that his candy sells well, despite the newest complaint. “This is the first complaint I’ve heard,” Kalan said, “and people are usually not shy. I’m actually surprised this is the first.” (1)

The candy has a picture of a pot smoker making a peace sign on the package, and it has the word “legalize” on it. According to the company president, the goal is to help promote legalization of marijuana. Those who are opposed to the candy, however, do not understand why anyone would use candy to make their point about the legalization of marijuana. They say children should have no part in that debate.

As news of this candy spreads, there will likely be people who buy it and think it is clever or funny, and some kids might just end up with it in their Halloween bags this year. But many other people find it to be in poor taste and irresponsible. There are those that say candy will not make kids more likely to want to do drugs, but others aren’t so sure. They see the candy as an invitation to use marijuana, and argue that kids will be influenced by it.

Regardless of whether or not people are hoping to make marijuana legal someday, for now the substance is illegal, and it should not be presented in a way that is appealing to kids. The legalization debate is one that should continue to be held among lawmakers and residents, and not include children.

Sources

(1) Marijuana-shaped candy sparks outrage; snacks trivialize drug abuse, critics say

Will Candy that Resembles Illegal Drugs Make Kids More Likely to Want to Do Drugs?

Marijuana-shaped candy — what’s your reaction?

A new study revisits the effects of marijuana on the human brain. Many studies have been done on the topic in the past, but results are mixed. Most people have a strong opinion about whether using this drug is harmful or not, and whether it should remain illegal or be legalized.

Results of the Study

The study was a collaboration between the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health and U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, and was presented at a meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) in San Antonio, TX. The data have yet to be peer-reviewed and published, but the conclusions state that chronic use of marijuana decreased certain receptors in the brain by up to 20 percent. These cannabinoid receptors influence pleasure, appetite, pain tolerance, coordination, memory, and other mental and bodily functions in the body.

The study also found, however, that after quitting the drug, the cannabinoid receptors increased again. This means that some of the negative effects of marijuana can be reversed over time.

Other Conclusions

Past studies on the effects of marijuana have had a variety of conclusions, including that marijuana has no effect on the brain. While many people like to focus on studies with the results they personally want to hear, it is important for more information to be collected before we really know the long-term effects of marijuana.

Most people would admit that a pot user suffers from some sort of mental impairment. Whether it is a long-term effect or just for the moment, taking anything that decreases the capability of the brain is unhealthy. Even if the damage can be reversed, impairing one’s body and mind for moments of pleasure just doesn’t seem worth it to many.

Medical Uses for Marijuana

Over the years, studies have found some positive uses for marijuana. Cancer patients and others with chronic pain and fatigue sometimes find marijuana helps with pain or anxiety. It can help relieve nausea and stimulate the appetite in patients that are suffering from terminal illness. The medical marijuana field is booming in places like California that allow it, and more and more people are pushing to legalize the drug in the entire country.

The main concern with marijuana is that it does affect the brain, and it can influence the choices people make and the activities they participate in. We don’t want our kids to be smoking marijuana when they should be learning at school or participating in sports or extracurricular activities. We don’t want our employees doing pot because it makes them less productive. We don’t want our neighbors selling pot because it can lead to violence and the wrong crowd hanging around. While marijuana might not be the most devastating drug to most people, it does have negative effects, as studies show. There are better things for us and our young people to be doing with our time than getting high on pot for fun.

Sources

Molecular imaging shows chronic marijuana smoking affects brain chemistry

Top 10 Marijuana Studies The Government Wished It Had Never Funded

Chronic Pot Smoking Affects Brain Chemistry, Scans Show

We might be on the edge of a new era of drug laws, according to recent reports. An international commission has publicly denounced the war on drugs and is calling for reform.

Global Commission’s Recommendations

The Global Commission on Drug Policy is made up of 19 former world leaders, including former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, former Swiss President Ruth Dreifuss, former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso and former U.S. Federal Reserve chief Paul Volcker. The Commission released their report this week, and it immediately caused a stir. The Commission states that, “The global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world”. (1)

A Failed War

Even after the U.S. issued the war on drugs decades ago and other countries have dedicated years to criminalizing drug possession, the rates of drug abuse have continued to climb. Rather than people heeding the drug laws, drug cultivators, manufacturers, traders, and dealers have found creative ways to hide their drug business from authorities, using highly sophisticated drug rings and blatant gang activity.

Now, the commission is encouraging governments to “break the taboo on discussion of all drug policy options, including alternatives to drug prohibition,” according to former Colombian President Cesar Gaviria. (1) They are also promoting “experimentation by governments with models of legal regulation of drugs to undermine the power of organized crime and safeguard the health and security of their citizens,” adding: “This recommendation applies especially to cannabis, but we also encourage other experiments in decriminalization and legal regulation.” (2)

Impact of Legalization

All this may sound a bit chaotic and experimental, and people may be worried about what effect this would have on our world.  Some countries already have decriminalization practices in place, and for other countries, it could take years for anything to come of these recommendations.

Legalizing certain drugs would have a bigger impact on some countries than others. However, the Commission’s report concludes that decriminalization initiatives do not result in significant increases in drug use.

One Step at a Time

For those countries moving toward legalizing drugs, the first step would be to decriminalize drug possession for people who use drugs but do not harm others. Not all drugs would become legal at once, and the Commission encourages countries to first consider legalizing marijuana before other drugs. A critical practice that countries will need to put into place is offering more treatment options for nonviolent cases, rather than jail time. This would free up the criminal justice system to focus on drug traffickers and violent organized crime. In addition, more time and energy can then go toward prevention programs and to address the harmful consequences of drug use.

Sources

(1) Global war on drugs a failure, high-level panel says

(2) War on drugs has failed, say former leaders

Marijuana legalization: Is the war on drugs working?

If you would look up “silly laws” on the Internet, you would find a host of disregarded laws that are still on the books. There is the “Dominoes may not be played on Sunday” law of Alabama, and the “You must contact the police before entering the city in an automobile” law of Chicago. If a law isn’t enforced, it really loses all of its power.

There is a new law in Honduras that says that family members can call the police on people who smoke at home. The law is part of a widespread ban that prohibits smoking in most closed public or private areas. This law, no matter how well-meaning it is, will most likely not be enforced. The law is very vague, not actually saying it is illegal to smoke in the home, and police in the country are busy battling a huge crime problem. Opponents to the law call it ineffective and even pointless.

Drug Laws that are Hard to Enforce

Other laws are also hard to follow through with. Among the most common unenforced drug laws are marijuana laws. Sometimes it is because police and authorities look the other way and do not try to enforce the law. Other times, law enforcement is so busy arresting other offenders. In some areas, pot users are simply not afraid to light up in public because they know from past experience that nothing will happen to them. Is this really the message we want to be sending people about an illegal drug?

California Drug Laws

There have been many discussions about states like California and their marijuana laws, and how they impact the rest of the country. California allows marijuana to be sold and used for medical purposes. That means that there are a lot of people in the state in possession of this substance at any given time. If any of these people cross into another state, however, they could be charged with drug possession. Likewise, if the federal government wanted to, it could step in to California and prosecute those it finds with marijuana. This causes headache and confusion for those who want to legally use marijuana for medical purposes, as well as for law enforcement. The situation would get a lot stickier if California or any state would completely legalize pot, something that some people are pushing for.

Many people would argue that with any drugs, if we make them illegal, we need to follow through with that. Having a law that is deliberately broken serves no purpose, other than to make people think they don’t have to obey the law. In some cases, it might even make more sense to officially decriminalize the substance, rather than let offenders slide by. States are low on money, law enforcement has many other problems to focus on, and our court systems are jam-packed, but making futile laws or keeping unobserved drug laws around may be hurting our country’s anti-drug strategy in the long run.

Sources

What the Feds Can Do About Prop 19

NITROUS OXIDE LAW ‘DIFFICULT’ TO ENFORCE

Honduras law lets police be called on home smokers

Border patrol officers may think that they have seen it all, but even they can still be surprised. In recent months, on the border between the U.S. and Mexico, authorities have found drug smugglers using horses, airplanes, boats, submarines, and even tunnels to get drugs across to the United States. But this may be the first time authorities have come across a catapult.

The Marijuana Catapult

The device was found in the Mexican state of Sonora, which borders Arizona. U.S. National Guard troops saw the flying packages of marijuana on surveillance video near the Naco Border Patrol Station. U.S. officials worked quickly with Mexican military to stop the operation. The drug flingers fled before they could get caught, but officials confiscated the 3 meter tall catapult, 35 pounds of marijuana, and a sport utility vehicle with a flatbed trailer attached.

Mexican military personnel don’t remember ever seeing the catapult method for drug smuggling, and some are concerned that drug smugglers are going to continue to find other ways to get their drugs across. Shortly after the first catapult was discovered, another one was found nearby. If these drug traffickers can drive an SUV up to a fence and shoot pot over it to the U.S., there are going to be many other ways they will invent to get the drugs across once these have been discovered.

How to Keep Our Borders Safe

How can we keep our borders safe from drug smuggling? Is there really any way to patrol the entire border? We certainly don’t want the drugs here. We have enough trouble keeping our citizens off drugs, without increasing the supply from neighboring countries. Doing business with Mexican drug lords is bad news, as the violence has escalated in Mexico among these groups.

Many people think we need to do more to patrol our borders. Some would welcome a new security fence extending all along the border. Others propose a stronger military presence. Still other people believe this is a hopeless battle and we should not waste our resources on it anymore.

The good news is that the U.S. is working with the Mexican government to stop the trafficking. In the case of the catapult, the U.S. alerted Mexico and their military personnel were the ones to investigate. We need to continue working together to stop the smuggling.

The U.S. government is concerned about keeping our borders safe. The problem of drug trafficking has been going on for decades, and while smugglers are finding new, more creative ways to get drugs across, hopefully authorities are getting wiser also. We’ve found their tunnels and their catapult contraptions; we just need to keep looking for more techniques they might use.

Sources

Mexico finds 2nd ‘pot-catapult’ used to fling marijuana across border into US

Soldiers Seize Drug Slingshot on US-Mexico Border

Smugglers busted with pot flinging catapult at the Mexican border

The marijuana industry is booming. Some lawmakers in states like California have considered legalizing the drug simply for the fact that it would generate lots of tax revenue for the government. The debate still rolls on, but that isn’t stopping some people from coming up with new ways to use pot.

Weed Concoctions

Pot brownies, pot soup, smoking pot, drinking pot. When used for medical purposes, manufacturers provide a variety of ways to take the drug. A California company has come up with yet another way to dispense weed. With names like Canna Cola, Doc Weed, Sour Diesel, Grape Ape, and Orange Kush, they plan to market a whole line of soda pot flavors. A 12 oz bottle of the soda concoction will cost $10 to $15, and will be available to all California residents with a doctor’s prescription for medical marijuana.

The drink contains THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the chemical responsible for the high in marijuana. THC is known for its analgesic effects, and is also known to stimulate the appetite and curb nausea. There are actually other products like this out there, but many are more powerful, and many are marketed toward recreational use. The creator of Canna Cola wants to provide patients with a way to get their marijuana other than smoking it.

Marijuana is Still Illegal

While things like soda pot may be beneficial for patients who use marijuana to ease the pain of serious illnesses, this drug may need to be reclassified soon. Many countries have classified marijuana as illegal, but do not criminalize those who use it – it is simply ignored. Others take the stance that marijuana is illegal and unhealthy, so they prosecute recreational users, but on the other hand, they allow marijuana for medical use.

Many people feel that we should legalize the drug for everyone, and then educate the public about the dangers of misusing it. Others think pot should remain illegal for everyone so as not to confuse our young people. Still others see the benefit in keeping the substance illegal, except with a prescription. Our country already has many controlled substances that require careful monitoring and prescribing for use. Many of these drugs are still being abused, however, which may be an indication of what would happen if marijuana would be allowed by prescription only.

We as a country need to continue educating our young people about the dangers of abusing any substance. There are many legal substances that can do great damage to a person’s body or mind. There are also many illegal substances, like pot, that many people dismiss as being harmless. We need to help people understand, legal or not, that substance abuse is harmful.

What do you think? Should we legalize pot and let things like soda pot be the next great thing? Should we completely ban marijuana across the board? Or is there a middle ground that will allow us to permit it for those who medically need it, but keep our teens from using it recreationally?

Sources

Medical Marijuana Companies Formulating “Soda Pot” Drinks

New “Soda Pot” Flavors Entering California Medical Marijuana Market

Canna Cola, Doc Weed: Pot meets pop

The fact that the medical use of marijuana is legal in only some states can really cause a headache for people. The problem comes when a person who is using medical marijuana wants to travel to a different state. Then they need to either stop using the pot, or risk getting in trouble in the state that doesn’t allow it. A recent incident involving TV talk show host Montel Williams illustrated this point.

Airport Security

Montel Williams, talk show host of the 1990s and early 2000s, uses medical marijuana to manage pain associated with his multiple sclerosis. He was recently traveling to take part in experimental treatment for the MS when he was stopped at the Milwaukee airport for carrying drug paraphernalia. It turns out it was just an empty pot pipe that alerted authorities, but that’s the risk people who use medical marijuana have to take. Montel was on this way back from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he was participating in a treatment trial for MS. The study involved electrically stimulating the tongue, which allows the brain to process information better. Montel hopes the experimental study will lead to more effective treatment for things like MS, but for now, he still uses his marijuana to deal with the pain.

Risks of Using Medicinal Pot

For patients like Montel who are doing all they can to improve symptoms of diseases like MS, cancer, or AIDS, the decision has to be made if they will try something controversial like marijuana, and risk prosecution if caught. Medical marijuana laws become a nuisance to these people, and even Montel, who uses marijuana every day to manage pain, lives in New York, which by law doesn’t allow medical pot.

Montel reportedly did not criticize the officers in Milwaukee that ticketed him, but this is an issue that should be addressed, because of all the people that it may affect. There must be many people that struggle with the decision to take their medical marijuana to a place where it is illegal, and many face fines or other punishments if they do. But why should these people have to go without their medicine just because they cross a state line?

The Future of Medical Marijuana

Our states are going through a transition period here, where many are unsure if we should legalize marijuana for medical purposes or not. Some feel strongly that it should remain illegal, but many more are seeing the medical benefits of marijuana. Many patients feel they couldn’t go a day without marijuana now, and that they need the pot just to function without pain. As Montel Williams said, “I don’t get the same euphoria that other people do. I get neuropathic pain lessening, and that’s why I use it.” (1)

So what should we do? Should all 50 states legalize marijuana for medical purposes? Or will doing so make pot more available and appealing to our young people? It’s a debate that has been going on for years, but one that may come to a conclusion soon, as more and more states consider their medical marijuana laws.

 Sources

(1) Empty pot pipe causes more pain for Montel Williams

Medical marijuana used to treat MS patients

Jackson woman evicted from federal housing for medical pot use