The UN reports that world wide, marijuana use is going down, except in the US. Given the capitalistic excitement that is underway in that country over legal marijuana (the report opens with this:
In Seattle this weekend, a school bus rigged up as a food truck will start sellingwe can be sure that use will increase.
items infused with marijuana. The menu includes truffle popcorn, peanut
butter and jelly, and a Vietnamese pork banh mi, reports the Los Angeles Times.)
Increased use has been leading to increased treatment being sought. I also note this:
According to the National Institutes of HealthThe UN report notes (wisely):
(NIH), about 9 percent of people who use marijuana become dependent on
it – a number that increases to about one in six among those who start
using it at a young age, and to 25 to 50 percent among daily users.
“Based on assumptions regarding the size of the consumer market, it
is unclear how legalization will affect public budgets in the short or
long term, but expected revenue will need to be cautiously balanced
against the costs of prevention and health care,” the report states.
“In addition to the impact on health, criminal justice, and the economy, a
series of other effects such as consequences related to security, health
care, family problems, low performance, absenteeism, car and workplace
accidents and insurance could create significant costs for the state,”
the UN report cautions. “It is also important to note that legalization
does not eliminate trafficking in that drug. Although decriminalized,
its use and personal possession will be restricted by age. Therefore,
the gaps that traffickers can exploit, although reduced, will remain.”
No comments:
Post a Comment