Marijuana.com

Hashishi

Early Marijuana Use a Warning Sign for Later Gang Involvement
New Report Shows Teens Who Use Drugs Are More Likely to Engage in Violent and Delinquent Behavior
6-19-07 | BlackNews.com

Philadelphia, PA (BlackNews.com) - John P. Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy, today released a new [*]Special Report showing that teens who use drugs are more likely to engage in violent and delinquent behavior and join gangs. Early use of marijuana – the most commonly used drug among teens – is a warning sign for later gang involvement.

The report, "Teens, Drugs, and Violence," released by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) today in Philadelphia, shows that teens who use drugs are twice as likely to commit violent acts than those who do not. It also shows that the more drugs a teenager uses, the more likely they are to engage in violent behavior. They are also more likely to steal and use other illicit drugs and alcohol than non-users.

"It is time – in fact, it is past time – for us to let go of 60's-era perceptions about marijuana," said ONDCP Director John Walters. "Today's research shows what too many families and communities have had to learn through painful experience: Drug use by teenagers isn't a 'lifestyle choice' or an act of 'personal expression;' it is a public health, and, increasingly, a public safety dilemma."

Although overall teen drug use has declined by 23 percent in five years and youth marijuana use is down by 25 percent over the same time period, more teens use marijuana than any other illicit drug. Research shows that other than alcohol, marijuana is the most widely used substance in gang life, and children who use marijuana are nearly four times more likely to join gangs.

The report also shows:

- Teens who use drugs, particularly marijuana, are more likely to steal and experiment with other drugs and alcohol, compared to teens who don't;

- One in four teens (27%) who used illicit drugs in the past year report attacking others with the intent to harm;

- Nearly one in six teens (17%) who got into serious fights at school or work in the past year report using drugs;

- Teens who use marijuana regularly are nine times more likely than teens who don't to experiment with other illicit drugs or alcohol, and five times more likely to steal; and

- Teens who do abstain from drug use, particularly marijuana use, function better than users during the transition to young adulthood.

"As our city works to create the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia, it's important to examine this link between teens using marijuana and being more likely to engage in violence," said youth behavior expert Ivan J. Juzang, Founder and President of Motivational Educational Entertainment Productions Inc. "Taking a prevention focus to ending youth violence means providing them with knowledge, support and positive alternatives so that they don't start using marijuana, which ultimately keeps our schools and communities safer."

The report also shows that parents remain the most powerful influence on their kids when it comes to illicit drugs. The majority of teens say the main reason they don't use drugs is fear of upsetting their parents or losing their respect. And teens who are supervised or involved in structured activities during after school hours are less likely to engage in risky behaviors, such as drug and alcohol use and violent or delinquent behaviors, than those youth who are unsupervised. Participation in after school activities can actually lead to better grades and improved behavior in teens.

Youth Service America (YSA), an organization that expands the impact of the youth service movement with communities, schools, corporations, and governments, is partnering with ONDCP to promote youth service as a tool to positively engage young people in communities across the United States. To reach parents across the country, YSA will electronically distribute a tip sheet on the benefits of youth service that will reach 9,000 organizations across the country.

"We know that kids who have a connection to their community are more committed to learning and personal achievement," said Steven Culbertson, YSA President and Chief Executive Officer. "Young people are our greatest resource and all have tremendous energy, passion, ingenuity, and idealism to help solve some of our most challenging problems."

[* The report may be seen HERE. -Hash]

 

troublemaker_42

More reefer madness......there are many factorsd that lead to gang involvement, and I personally don't believe "early use of marijuana' is one of them. I think its MUCh more likely that drug abuse is prevalent in the areas many gangs call home, and the overall environment found in many inner-city ghettos influences poeople to join gangs. Why isn't a reverse of this story published? "NEWSFLASH-Many teens who smoke marijuana don't join gangs, don't commit acts of violence, and go on to lead perfectly normal lives!" Because, of course, that wouldn't futther the governments consistently misguided viewpoint that theres something inherently evil about marijuana.

kcbennie

Is early alcohol use a sign of future spousal abuse?

__________________
"My friend said 'Man, the weather is really trippy' and I said 'The weather's not trippy. It's just the way that you perceive the weather that is in fact trippy.' And then I though to myself 'I should've just said 'Yeah.''"

- Mitch Hedburg

Buzzby

We know that kids whose relatively harmless after-school pastime isn't demonized and illegal are more likely to establish a connection to their community. We know that kids who are forced to go to the black market for their weed are more likely to interact with people more than willing to sell them any kind of drug they can.

I'm not in favor of teenagers' habitual use of mind altering substances of any kind, but if the are going to do it, marijuana is by far the least harmful of the "drugs of abuse", most especially including alcohol and tobacco.

Once again, the problems attributed to marijuana are actually problems stemming from marijuana prohibition.

__________________

reggie_the_dog

"- Nearly one in six teens (17%) who got into serious fights at school or work in the past year report using drugs;"

Don't more than one in 6 teens use drugs during the past year?

This would hint that drug using teens were LESS likely to be violent wouldn't it?

 

Abomonog

In truth there are only 3 factors that lead to gang involvement.
The first is family. Mom and dad always fighting. No one gives a damn what you do so long as you disapeer until dinnertime, and showing you face around dad might get a beer bottle thrown at you. Pretty common profile for a gang member.

The second is community. There has been a country wide effort to eliminate teenage hangouts. Pool halls, rollerrinks, and even city parks have been shut down and walled in in an effort to reduce places where teens can get together publicly. Many cities have police patrol their malls with the express purpose of removing teens who may just be hanging out. One fine example is Sarasota county, where any group of 3 or more minors without adult supervision is considered gang activity. This means that technically, even a 2 on 2 basketball game is illegal. Although I have never actually heard of the police breaking up spontainious teen sporting events, this law is vigorously enforced when it comes to other public activities (like going to the 7/11 for a slurpee).

The third is the police themselves. Go to any group of teens and ask them who their biggest problem is. Is it that older group of teens? Nope. Their parents? Nope. It's always the police. The police harrass us for playing on the elementary school equipment after hours. They harass us trail bike riding behind the local factory. They harass us for hanging out at the logical places for teens to hang out. They just don't care about teens.

These are the factors that lead to gang involvement. Teens join gangs not for drugs, but for a place to go and acceptance. The amount of gangs in an area is directly related to how they are treated by community, police and family in that area. The more places teens can go, more things for them to do, and a little less abuse from the alcohol dependant parents (and police) would go a long way to reducing gangs.

But hey, I only grew up on the north west side of Chicago and served as an "Angel" for the Vice Lords, El Rukins, Diablos, The Spans, The Confederates, and about half a dozen other gangs in the late 70's and early 80's.

I don't know nothin 'bout street gangs.

Because someone is gonna ask:

Angels were trusted neutral messengers who were given free roam among the gang territories so they could relay messages across enemy territory. They were called angels because only white people did the job.

__________________
It's all fun and games until the flying monkeys attack!

Hashishi

Maybe I was the only one to be caught out by this, but the citations (of the ONDCP and the Director of the NDCP) seemed to have some pretty decent credentials.

When you scroll down to the bottom of the actual report, however, it states: "this special report was compiled by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign". I'd have thought they'd at least make an attempt at veiling the spasm-inducing bias of this source! Maybe I'm just being naive, but it appears the editors at BlackNews.com took the initiative - or are there reasons for these faux-citations other than to conjure an ostensibly credible proponent of the material?

Broliette

"Isn't it curious that American drug companies and pharmacist groups* supply almost half the funding for the 4,000 "Families Against Marijuana" type organizations in America? The other half is supplied by Action (a federal VISTA agency) and by tobacco companies like Philip Morris, and by liquor and beer makers like Anheuser Busch, Coors, etc., or as a "public service" by the ad agencies who represent them. *Pharmacists Against Drug Abuse, etc."
- Jack Herer, The Emperor Wears No Clothes

__________________

Broliette

DUDE!

"...SAFER was in the news repeatedly during the months leading up to the election. We leaked our plans to put up a controversial billboard implying passage of the initiative would reduce domestic and community violence by allowing adults to use marijuana instead of alcohol. Although the billboard, featuring the face of a visibly battered woman with her abuser lurking in the background, was never installed, the image appeared in major newspapers and on multiple television newscasts. The press followed the story for more than a week and it culminated in a billboard going up with just a quotation from a study showing alcohol is more likely to contribute to domestic violence than marijuana. As a result of the whole charade, the media attentively covered this very simple message whereas they typically would not have given it the time of day." - Tvert, Mason. "Rocky Mountain High-Jinks." Cannabis Culture Mar/Apr. 2007: 26-34

HAD to share that article

godfather

Ummm...I'm going to have to give that one a considerable "do what now?!"

And How many of those were solely marijuana users?

It seems far more likely that drugs are just a byproduct of gang involvement.

Yet another reason to buy craft beers...