Just Facts

There are correlations between cannabis use and mental health issues, but studies have yet to show causation. The more provable consensus is that people who are already at risk of mental health issues are more likely to suffer adverse effects from cannabis use. Though cannabis is not a physically addictive substance in the way tobacco or harder drugs are—withdrawal symptoms are minimal—it is possible to develop a dependency. The risk of dependence among those who use cannabis is nine percent compared to 16 percent for alcohol. But that risk almost doubles for people who begin consuming as teenagers.

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Troopers say the driver was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. A second victim was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

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A school-based survey shows nearly 1 in 11 U.S. students have used marijuana in electronic cigarettes, heightening health concerns about the new popularity of vaping among teens.

E-cigarettes typically contain nicotine, but many of the battery-powered devices can vaporize other substances, including marijuana. Results published Monday mean 2.1 million middle and high school students have used them to get high.

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Teens who used e-cigarettes and hookah were up to four times more likely to use marijuana later, according to a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California surveyed 2,668 students at 10 public high schools in Los Angeles beginning in fall 2013, when they were 14 years old and in ninth grade.

The students answered a paper-and-pencil, phone or internet survey that asked whether they had ever used (or had used in the past 30 days) e-cigarettes, combustible cigarettes or a hookah water pipe. They were also asked whether they had used any type of marijuana product. The use of less popular tobacco products such as smokeless tobacco and cigars was not studied.

In a followup survey in fall 2015, when the students were 16 years old and in 11th grade, the survey asked whether they had used three types of marijuana products: combustible, vaped or edible.

The researchers found that the students who had tried e-cigarettes when they were freshmen had a more than three-fold greater likelihood of ever using marijuana and using marijuana in the past 30 days than students who hadn’t tried e-cigs.

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IFI is very concerned about the move by certain state lawmakers to legalize “recreational” marijuana in Illinois. In 2014, so-called “medical” marijuana became legal in the Land of Lincoln. Over the past four years, state lawmakers and bureaucrats at the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) have dramatically expanded the qualifying medical conditions. Today, anyone determined to use pot can easily apply for and receive a medical cannabis registry identification card.

According to IDPH’s July Update, there are currently over 39,800 qualified users in the state’s “medical” marijuana registry and there are 55 authorized dispensaries statewide.

In July 2016, Illinois state lawmakers passed legislation to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana (under 10 grams) to a $100–200 fine. In addition, records are expunged twice a year.

But these actions are evidently not enough for some lawmakers and for pro-marijuana activists like George Soros. It seems that to satisfy these enthusiasts, the floodgates must fly open and the right to pursue addiction, vice and intoxication must be made readily available for anyone over the age of twenty-one. (Yet in Colorado, the evidence suggests that teen use has grown dramatically.)

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Both local state representatives in the [New York] senate and assembly are against the legalization of recreational marijuana.

“I am opposed to legalizing recreational marijuana,” Young said. “I think it sends a mixed message when the (state) Department of Health comes out in favor of adult recreational use of marijuana, while at the same time, the state spends $30 million a year highlighting the dangers of smoking and on anti-smoking campaigns. Marijuana smoke has the same carcinogens as tobacco smoke. It is just as dangerous.”

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The legalization of recreational marijuana in Oregon brought a significant increase in pot poisoning in animals, a more serious problem than it sounds.

Dr. Adam Stone, a veterinarian at Bend Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center, was working at a Portland animal hospital when recreational marijuana retail sales became legal.

“We saw more cases of marijuana toxicity in the first couple months of 2016 than we had in the previous year,” Stone, 31, said. “There was a pretty severe increase once it was legalized recreationally.”

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The North Dakota Peace Officer’s Association is urging a “No” vote this November on recreational marijuana.

The legalizing of marijuana will be on the November ballot as Measure 3.

The North Dakota Peace Officer’s Association was having a conference this week in Minot. The group voted on a resolution about Measure 3 during their meeting today.

In a press release, the group says “The North Dakota Peace Officers Association cannot support the blatant contradictions the content of Measure 3 presents against current laws, and the possible dangers the measure presents to North Dakota citizens. Measure 3 appears to go beyond legalizing a controlled substance and it would prohibit legislative ability to implement reasonable restrictions of its use.”

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