Marijuana: A Policy In Motion

Transcription

1 Marijuana: A Policy In Motion Kevin A. Sabet, Ph.D. Director, Drug Policy Institute, University of Florida Co-Founder, Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana)

2 The false dichotomy: Legalization OR incarceration? vs Icons: Ddigital Innovation, FR; Iconathon; Edward Boatman (The Noun Project) 2

3 What about decriminalization? Too broad a term - it could mean anything from a simple fine to a more rigorous policy. Often mixed up with full legalization. Also, how decriminalization law is structured makes a difference: Fine? Public/Private Use? Minors? Use/Possession/Cultivation/Give-Away 3

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6 Portuguese policy: similar to drug courts In 2001, Portugal changed policy to send users with small amounts of drugs to dissuasion panels social worker panels who refer individuals to treatment, administer fine, etc. Portugal also implemented robust treatment plan 6

7 Portuguese results are mixed Youth drug use has increased since 2001 Deaths from drug use have gone down The impact of the policy unclear, despite extreme rhetoric 7

8 Marijuana use has been on the rise in the last decade, since legalization laws became common Percentage of population ages 12 and up who used marijuana in the past month CAGR = 5.48% Medical marijuana legalized in 13 states Recreational legalization in CO & WA Source: NSDUH 8

9 Rising support for legalization follows a massive political spending campaign Source: various media outlets 9

10 Money also may explain the success of marijuana initiatives in Alaska, Oregon, and DC in 2014 The pro-marijuana lobby was responsible for ~96% of campaign spending Source: SAM 10

11 This tide of money has resulted in legalization across a large portion of the United States In California alone, up to $25 million is expected to be spent promoting the 2016 recreational marijuana initiative AK Washington, D.C HI Legend: = Recreational use legalized = Medical use legalized = Medical use legalized; 2016 initiative to legalize recreational use 11

12 ILLICIT DRUG EXPENDITURES Cocaine $30 B $15B Marijuana $10 B $40B Source: Caulkins, RAND 12

13 Daily marijuana use has risen to historic highs Percentage of people in the United State using marijuana daily Source: Heavy Marijuana Use in the United States: A Growing Policy Concern Jonathan Caulkins and Maria Cuellar 13

14 JAMA Psychiatry journal: Marijuana use and addiction has skyrocketed since Past Year Use Addiction (Use Disorder) Source: JAMA Psychiatry, Oct 2015, Prevalence of Marijuana Use Disorders in the United States, Between and , Deborah S. Hasin, PhD; Tulshi D. Saha, PhD; Bradley T. Kerridge, PhD; Ris. B. Goldstein, PhD, MPH; S. Patricia Chou, PhD; Haitao Zhang, PhD; Jeesun Jung, PhD; Roger P. Pickering, MS;W. June Ruan, MA; Sharon M. Smith, PhD; Boji Huang, MD, 14 PhD; Bridget F. Grant, PhD, PhD

15 Reefer Sanity : Exploding myths about marijuana As seen on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble 15

16 Legalization = Big Marijuana Legalization measures will inevitably lead to mass commercialization 16

17 Alcohol companies depend on heavy drinkers to make money The top 10% of the population make up 75% of the alcohol industry s U.S. sales Average of drinks/week or over 10 drinks per day Belies the slogan Enjoy Responsibly Would the marijuana industry be any different? Source: Cook, P. J. (2007). Paying the tab: The economics of alcohol policy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press 17

18 Heavy users dominate marijuana consumption Frequency of marijuana use (days used/month) Source: Jonathan Caulkins 18

19 The U.S. marijuana industry is already a multi-billion dollar enterprise Source: Marijuana Business Factbook

20 Not a backyard business anymore: institutional capital is increasingly important Source: Marijuana Business Factbook

21 Icons: Till Teenk (The Noun Project) 21

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23 The early days of big tobacco 23

24 Big Marijuana : a $10 billion/year dream for the tobacco industry since the 1970s The use of marijuana... has important implications for the tobacco industry in terms of an alternative product line. [We] have the land to grow it, the machines to roll it and package it, the distribution to market it. In fact, some firms have registered trademarks, which are taken directly from marijuana street jargon. These trade names are used currently on little-known legal products, but could be switched if and when marijuana is legalized. Estimates indicate that the market in legalized marijuana might be as high as $10 billion annually s report commissioned by cigarette manufacturer Brown and Williamson (now merged with R.J. Reynolds) 24

25 Vaporizing industries: Nicotine and Marijuana Pax by Ploom: Japan Tobacco International (JTI) is the third largest international tobacco company, behind Philip Morris International. In 2011, JTI bought a portion of Ploom a Silicon Valley-based startup that produces a loose-leaf vaporizer that can be used to inhale heated vapor from marijuana as well as tobacco, called the Pax. Stock image from Pixabay 25

26 Marijuana has become significantly more potent since the 1960s THC: Psychoactive Ingredient CBD: NON-Psychoactive Ingredient Source: Mehmedic et al.,

27 Marijuana is not just a plant anymore derivatives contain up to 98% THC 27

28 Dabs : the new frontier of marijuana With dabs your local action news team gets to do a marijuana story that shows crack pipe torches used on sticky heroin-looking goo made from a process that blows up like meth labs. - High Times magazine 7 May

29 Marijuana edible displays 29

30 Edibles: a clear and present danger to Colorado s children Doctors at the UCH and Children s Hospital Colorado emergency departments identified edible marijuana as the culprit behind the most troubling cases there, including severe burns and cycling vomiting syndrome. Source: Monte, Zane, and Heard, Journal of the American Medical Association, January 20,

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32 Marketing to Children 32 32

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35 Use in CO and WA are both (A) higher than and (B) rising faster than the national average Percentage of population ages 12 and up who used marijuana in the past month Source: NSDUH state estimates 35

36 Accidental ingestion by children has risen sharply Between 2008 and 2011, an average of 4 children between the ages of 3 and 7 were sent to the ER for unintentional marijuana ingestion. In 2013, eight children went to the CO children s hospital for accidental ingestion In the first half of 2014, at least 14 children had already been sent to the ER for accidentally ingesting marijuana products -- more than doubling from the year before 36 Source: Children s Hospital of Colorado Emergency Department

37 Marijuana-related poisonings are up in Washington Since the state legalized recreational use, the Washington Poison Center has seen an increase in the number of human exposures related to accidental or excessive consumption/inhalation of marijuana and marijuana edibles, particularly among pediatrics Source: Washington Poison Center 37

38 Emergency marijuana-related calls to the WA Poison Center have skyrocketed post-legalization 56% increase Source: Washington Poison Center 38

39 Teen marijuana arrests are up in Denver Arrests for marijuana use in Denver public schools increased by 6% between 2013 and 2014 Source: Denver Police Department Versadex and OSI database 39

40 Teen admissions to drug treatment are also up Teen admissions to treatment for marijuana use at the Arapahoe House treatment network in CO increased by 66% between 2011 and Source: Arapahoe House Treatment Network

41 Pot has had an increasing impact on DWIs in WA postlegalization 1/3 of cases now test positive Percentage of total DUI/DRE cases testing positive for THC* in Washington state Legalization *Delta-9-THC Source: NPR, from data provided by the WA State Toxicology Laboratory 41

42 Recent marijuana users now account for 85% of all fatal accidents in Washington state Note: Recent marijuana use indicated by presence of active THC in blood tests Source: Washington Traffic Safety Commission 42

43 WA and CO also show increases in of on-the-job marijuana use well above the U.S. average Source: Quest Diagnostics ( 43

44 Pundits/elites suggest that large majorities support marijuana legalization and that it is inevitable [Legalization in California] is an inevitability I am not opposed to the legalization of marijuana. - California Attorney General Kamala Harris It seems only a matter of time before more politicians join [Bernie] Sanders in taking more definitive policy positions that move along the drug's slow but apparently inevitable march toward acceptance in America. Maybe it's this election, maybe it's the next. - Amber Phillips, Washington Post 44

45 Going beyond marijuana? We're at a tipping point where it's starting to feel like marijuana legalization is no longer a question of if -- but when. But what about the other drugs? My colleagues and I at the Drug Policy Alliance are committed to ensuring the decriminalization of all drug use becomes a political priority. Many of the reasons why marijuana legalization makes sense can be applied to drugs more generally -Tony Newman, Director of Media Relations, Drug Policy Alliance (reported in the Huffington Post) 45

46 Americans are uncomfortable with incarceration policies, but don t like having pot in their backyard STRONG FEELINGS ABOUT PRISON & INEVITABILITY BUT MORE AMBIVALENCE ABOUT RECREATIONAL USE Source: Pew Research Center (2014) 46

47 Well over half of Colorado municipalities have banned marijuana sales since legalization Legal status of retail marijuana sales in CO municipalities 67% of municipalities have banned sales Source: Colorado Municipal League (current survey from April 2015) 47

48 The cartels are not what you might think they are from watching Netflix Zetas: According to Guatemalan officials, up to 50% of its revenues in 2013 came from: tobacco smuggling; arms running; and human trafficking Knights Templar: a top Mexican 2 official identified the top three revenue streams for this cartel as: illegal mining; logging; and extortion Source: Guatemalan officials (as reported by Excelsior); Huffington Post 48

49 Solutions Smart International Prevention Treatment Recovery Enforcement Efforts Kevin A. Sabet, Ph.D., 49

50 What is SAM? A 501(c)(3) non-profit, educational organization funded by volunteers & private organizations Our mission: Educate citizens on the science of marijuana Promote health-first, smart policies and attitudes that decrease marijuana use and its consequences We envision a society where marijuana policies align with science, and commercialization and normalization of marijuana are no more 50

51 What is SAM, and what does it do? 1. To inform public policy with the science of today s marijuana. 2. To have honest conversations about reducing the unintended consequences of current marijuana policies, such as lifelong stigma due to arrest. 3. To prevent the establishment of Big Marijuana that would market marijuana to children and to prevent Big Tobacco from taking over Big Marijuana. Those are the very likely results of legalization. 4. To promote research of marijuana s medical properties and produce pharmacy-attainable medications. 51

52 SAM s board members and supporters American Society of Addiction Medicine American Academy of Pediatrics American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Other leading public health authorities Over 30 state affiliates, including: Treatment centers Recovery groups Prevention organizations Law enforcement Leading medical authorities Volunteer citizens 52

53 Bipartisan Co-Chairs (Kennedy + Frum) Launched in 2013 Over 250,000 press mentions Public Health Scientific Advisory Board 32 state-wide affiliates, 1 int l affiliate 53

54 Thank you!