POT USE DOUBLED IN DECADE, STUDY SAYS

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POT USE DOUBLED IN DECADE, STUDY SAYS


14% Smoked Up in the Past Year


Drug Laws a Minor Factor: Researchers


OTTAWA--The number of Canadians who say they have used cannabis in the past year has doubled in a decade, according to a major new survey.


Data from the Canada Addiction Survey, the most comprehensive addiction survey ever done in Canada, presents a disturbing picture of a society increasingly dependent on mood-altering substances.


Fourteen per cent of respondents said they had used cannabis in the last year, up from 7.4 per cent in 1994. About a third said they had failed to control their cannabis use.


About 269,000 Canadians said they had used an injectable drug in the past year, up from 132,000 in 1994. Nearly 4.1 million Canadians reported using injectable drugs at least once in their life. That's up from 1.7 million in 1994.


The proportion of drinkers rose to 79.3 per cent this year from 72.3 per cent in 1994. Seven per cent of respondents described themselves as frequent heavy drinkers, up from 5.4 per cent in 1994.


Conservative justice critic Vic Toews said rising rates of abuse are an indictment of federal drug policy, including the planned easing of marijuana laws and the establishment of safe injection sites.


"Certainly the Liberal drug strategy is failing," he said. "The safe injection sites aren't safe. There are more deaths in Vancouver than before the safe injection sites were put in place.


"I am concerned about the decriminalization of marijuana or any other drug. I am concerned that the government has not put forward a national strategy to deal with the whole issue of addictions."


Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh rejected suggestions that the plan to decriminalize possession of small quantities of marijuana is leading to increased use.


"We have the current laws in place at this time, they haven't been changed and the rate is going up. ... I would focus on the drug strategy, which is the issue of education."


Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan said the government is not legalizing marijuana, and considers it a health threat. "All we're doing is changing the penalty regime."


Researchers who conducted the study said that drug laws appear to be a relatively minor factor in determining drug use, and suggested that a much broader understanding of drug abuse is needed.


Robert Hanson of Health Canada said the department is working on a campaign targeted at youth to discourage cannabis and alcohol use.

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NATIONAL SURVEYS BACK LEGALIZED POT


OTTAWA -- A pair of national surveys prove Canadians would support the decriminalization of pot, according to an advocacy group.


The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORMAL) said a new SES poll which shows that 57% of those polled think adults who are caught with small quantities of marijuana should be left alone and not face criminal charges.


"Our poll shows that the majority of Canadians agree with us.


Marijuana should be taxed and regulated like beer and wine," said NORMAL spokesman Jody Pressman.


The SES poll reflects a similar trend found by the Canadian Addiction Survey released this week that showed drug use among Canadians between the ages of 15 and 24 has doubled in the last 10 years.

[serotonin]

GO ME!!!!!

[Curtains]

its funny they did a survey andthe school i go to has higher marijuana usage than all of the state staticly....but the school is also considered to have one the highest in GPA and SAT scoring in the state...i mean how are u suppose to look at