Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
Two recent reports on smoking describe two very different trends.
When it comes to tobacco, a state Health and Human Services Agency survey released last Monday found that more and more California residents are kicking the habit. The rate of decline is more than double the national average, and California's incidence of lung cancer has fallen three times as fast as the national average.
When it comes to teenagers, however, a survey funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that a decline in cigarette smoking has been eclipsed by an increase in marijuana smoking. The national survey was released Dec. 14.
Among high school seniors, 21.4 percent reported smoking marijuana, compared to 19.2 percent who said they smoke cigarettes. About one in 16 said they smoke pot daily.
The study also found growing use of marijuana use by younger teens and even 'tweens. Sixteen percent of eighth-graders said they had smoked pot in the past year, about 10 percent more than in last year's survey.
While the results are alarming, perhaps they're not so surprising.
The message about tobacco is unambiguous: It can kill you. Stark new warning labels on cigarette packages reinforce that message. California has sponsored effective anti-tobacco ads for nearly 20 years. Remember the 1997 spot featuring a Debi Austin, a lifelong smoker, puffing through her tracheotomy incision? If you don't, the state is revisiting her in a new ad.
It's little wonder that just 13 percent of Californians smoke cigarettes, down 42 percent since 1988, according to the state's survey data. Regrettably, the number is higher in Sonoma County, which at 16.4 percent, is the worst in the Bay Area.
Messages about marijuana are murkier.
In November, voters rejected a measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use. But Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said medical marijuana is a factor in rising use among teens, and she's probably right. No, kids aren't smoking pot to combat text anxiety. But they're certainly aware that the flimsiest claim is enough to qualify under Proposition 215, the state's overly permissive medical marijuana law.
Looking for goals in the new year? If you smoke, stop. If you believe marijuana has medical value - and we do - support efforts to define those values and establish guidelines for doctors to follow in recommending marijuana as they would any other medicine.
NewsHawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Press Democrat, The (Santa Rosa, CA)
Copyright: 2010 The Press Democrat
Contact: letters@pressdemocrat.com
Website: Santa Rosa News, Weather, Sports and Business | PressDemocrat.com | The Press Democrat
Details: MapInc
When it comes to tobacco, a state Health and Human Services Agency survey released last Monday found that more and more California residents are kicking the habit. The rate of decline is more than double the national average, and California's incidence of lung cancer has fallen three times as fast as the national average.
When it comes to teenagers, however, a survey funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that a decline in cigarette smoking has been eclipsed by an increase in marijuana smoking. The national survey was released Dec. 14.
Among high school seniors, 21.4 percent reported smoking marijuana, compared to 19.2 percent who said they smoke cigarettes. About one in 16 said they smoke pot daily.
The study also found growing use of marijuana use by younger teens and even 'tweens. Sixteen percent of eighth-graders said they had smoked pot in the past year, about 10 percent more than in last year's survey.
While the results are alarming, perhaps they're not so surprising.
The message about tobacco is unambiguous: It can kill you. Stark new warning labels on cigarette packages reinforce that message. California has sponsored effective anti-tobacco ads for nearly 20 years. Remember the 1997 spot featuring a Debi Austin, a lifelong smoker, puffing through her tracheotomy incision? If you don't, the state is revisiting her in a new ad.
It's little wonder that just 13 percent of Californians smoke cigarettes, down 42 percent since 1988, according to the state's survey data. Regrettably, the number is higher in Sonoma County, which at 16.4 percent, is the worst in the Bay Area.
Messages about marijuana are murkier.
In November, voters rejected a measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use. But Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said medical marijuana is a factor in rising use among teens, and she's probably right. No, kids aren't smoking pot to combat text anxiety. But they're certainly aware that the flimsiest claim is enough to qualify under Proposition 215, the state's overly permissive medical marijuana law.
Looking for goals in the new year? If you smoke, stop. If you believe marijuana has medical value - and we do - support efforts to define those values and establish guidelines for doctors to follow in recommending marijuana as they would any other medicine.
NewsHawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Press Democrat, The (Santa Rosa, CA)
Copyright: 2010 The Press Democrat
Contact: letters@pressdemocrat.com
Website: Santa Rosa News, Weather, Sports and Business | PressDemocrat.com | The Press Democrat
Details: MapInc
