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Ska_Pastora
Cannabis Sacrament Minister
Joined: 19 Dec 2003
Posts: 105
Location: Toronto, Canada
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 Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2004 7:27 am Post subject: 8% of Canadian teens use pot daily |
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By ANDRÉ PICARD PUBLIC HEALTH REPORTER
Almost 85,000 Canadian teens smoke marijuana daily, according to research commissioned by Health Canada.
A survey of 12- to 19-year-olds conducted this fall found that 34 per cent said they had tried marijuana on more than one occasion. Among those repeat users, one in four smoked at least once a week, including 8 per cent who smoked daily.
"Curiosity, friends are doing it, relaxing and just wanting to have fun are the main reasons given for smoking marijuana," the 74-page report said.
Eleven per cent of the teens surveyed said they had tried psychoactive mushrooms, but experimentation with other drugs was low: Four per cent had taken ecstasy; 3 per cent had smoked crack cocaine; 3 per cent had sniffed solvents, and 1 per cent had injected heroin.
The survey, conducted by GPC Research, also said more teenagers now drink alcohol regularly than smoke cigarettes: 14 per cent versus 19 per cent.
Today's teens also say that tobacco is far more harmful to one's health than alcohol or marijuana. Almost 80 per cent said cigarettes were harmful, but only 38 per cent said that for marijuana and 13 per cent for alcohol.
The biggest concern of teenaged cannabis smokers was that the drug could cause "organ damage" or lead to them "losing control." They also expressed some concern about getting in trouble with the law or with their parents. The survey did not ask specifically whether they supported decriminalization.
But Cynthia Callard, executive director of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, said all the responses in the survey point to support for decriminalization.
"In general, I think the survey shows that kids are where Canadian adults are. They see marijuana not as a criminal issue, but as a health matter."
Ms. Callard said her group's biggest worry is not that smoking marijuana is moving out of the criminal realm, but that Health Canada is not providing adequate information to those who consider doing so. "Our concern is that the relaxation of criminal sanctions may increase disease because measures are not being put into place to ensure that people who use marijuana (a) are well informed of the health risk and (b) provided with any degree of consumer health protection," she said.
Like cigarette smoking, marijuana use creates second-hand smoke and is linked to lung and cardiovascular problems.
The number of teens smoking marijuana increased from 13 per cent in 1993 to almost 30 per cent in 1999, and to 34 per cent in 2003. There are about three million teens aged 12-19 in Canada.
The government of Jean Chrétien made major strides toward liberalizing marijuana laws by providing medical marijuana to people with certain health conditions and by promising to decriminalize possession of small amounts. (However, Bill C-38 has not become law.) Paul Martin's government seems to be reconsidering those measures.
Ms. Callard said the flip-flopping has created the worst of both worlds, leaving the impression that pot smoking is acceptable, while not introducing any public-health measures to educate smokers and protect non-smokers. "Criminalizing sales -- but not actually being able to stop them -- is a good way of avoiding responsibility for regulatory control," she said.
The report notes that Health Canada is "in the process" of developing a comprehensive health promotion and prevention strategy to discourage Canadians, and teens in particular, from smoking marijuana.
As part of that plan, GPC Research was commissioned to do polling. They surveyed 1,253 teens from Aug. 16 to Sept. 2. The findings have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
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"In the hands of the wise, poison is medicine. In the hands of a fool, medicine is poison."
-Giovanni Casanova |
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Rev. Chazman
Cannabis Sacrament Minister
Joined: 15 Nov 2003
Posts: 1403
Location: Illinois - USA
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| Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2004 7:59 am Post subject: |
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Thanks Ska. I saw this on the other board. Its interesting. Its still anybodys guess what might happen. Worth keeping an eye on for sure.
Peace
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I praise good thoughts, good words, and good deeds and those that are to be thought, spoken, and done. I do accept all good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. I do renounce all evil thoughts, evil words, and evil deeds. ---Avesta: Yasna
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Future Servant of Cannatopia ©2004 - ∞ Rev. Chazman all rights reserved |
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indicaspice
Cannabis Sacrament Minister
Joined: 16 Nov 2003
Posts: 1491
Location: somewhere on earth
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| Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2004 5:30 pm Post subject: |
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| Ms. Callard said the flip-flopping has created the worst of both worlds, leaving the impression that pot smoking is acceptable, while not introducing any public-health measures to educate smokers and protect non-smokers. |
She has a point. I personally have no problem in this if it will help in the decrim process. They have anti smoking campaigns yet people still continue to smoke.
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What worries you masters you.
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Boojum
Full member
Joined: 14 Dec 2003
Posts: 95
Location: Brighton
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| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2004 12:35 am Post subject: |
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That's kinda why it's so hard to talk to pro-prohibition folks. To them, it's like 'well it's dangerous so it should be banned', but even if it was dangerous (which it isn't, it ain't 100% 'safe', but neither is anything else), even if it was fatal, they still don't have the right to tell us we can't do it. They hide behind all their medical factiods & psychometric tests (the figures, for example, who's really sure what the true teen tokeing figures are, I mean do you really expect a bunch of early-mid teens to give honest answers - I know if I'd have been asked at that age, if I toked I'd have said I didn't out of general mistrust of authority, and if I didn't I'd have said I did to look cool...), but that's all irrelevant. It isn't a public health issue, it's a private freedom issue...
Sorry, dunno if that's on topic, contributing, or just me having an off the cuff rant... I think Ms Callard has a very good point, even if she's kinda coming at it from the opposite angle to me, however - how 'bout a new slogan - first legalisation THEN education...
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And that's the day I knew there was this entire life behind things, and... this incredibly benevolent force, that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever. Video's a poor excuse. But it helps me remember... and I need to remember... Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it, like my heart's going to cave in.
American Beauty. |
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