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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 3, 2018
CONTACT:
Pat Brogan
Annual HHS Survey Finds Marijuana Use Higher in “Legal” States;
Colorado Leads Nation For First Time Adolescent Pot Use
Legal States Use Rates Nearly 45% Higher Than Other States; Alcohol Use Also Up in Colorado
(Alexandria, VA) - More young people are trying marijuana for the first time in Colorado, the first state to allow recreational marijuana, than anywhere else in the nation, according to the nation’s most authoritative study on drugs, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA), a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services. The survey also finds the state is at the top of the list for the lowest perception of risk of using marijuana among teens.
Almost 8% of Colorado teens admitted to using marijuana for the first time last year, compared with 7.9% in Massachusetts, 7.4% in DC and 7.1% in Alaska, all jurisdictions with “legal” marijuana (marijuana remains illegal in the U.S. per the Controlled Substances Act). Past month use of marijuana is double in “legal” states among all age groups, and 45% higher in the 12 to 17 year-old category (9.1% versus 6.3%).
 “The effects of legalization are revealing our worst fears,” Dr. Kevin A. Sabet, president and founder of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), and a former White House drug policy advisor, said. “Big Pot’s profits-over-people business model is hooking more people on highly potent marijuana gummies, candies, waxes, and blunts while governments look the other way. How many lives have to be affected until we take action?”
 Sabet continued, “There should be a moratorium on legalization until we can better understand what is happening. The social harms –increased stoned driving, more youth use, crime, and hospital mentions — keep piling up. We need to stop the bleeding.”
Key findings of the study:
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About SAM: Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) is a nonpartisan, non-profit alliance of physicians, policy makers, prevention workers, treatment and recovery professionals, scientists, and other concerned citizens opposed to marijuana legalization who want health and scientific evidence to guide marijuana policies. SAM has affiliates in more than 30 states. Evidence shows that marijuana – which has skyrocketed in average potency over the past decades - is addictive and harmful to the human brain is addictive and harmful to the human brainespecially when used by adolescents. In states that have already legalized the drug, there has been an increase in drugged driving crashes, youth marijuana use, and costs that far outweigh pot revenues.These states have seen a black market that continues to thrive, a black market that continues to thrive, sustained disparities in marijuana arrest rates, and tobacco company investment in marijuana.
For more information about marijuana use and its effects, visit www.learnaboutsam.org.
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Marijuana laws have changed a lot in Washington in just the last few years. But if there’s one thing you need to know, it’s that marijuana—also called pot, weed, or cannabis—is still illegal for people under 21. Some basic knowledge can help you understand the law and the benefits of steering clear of marijuana.