This story was reported for San Diego News Network on July 8, 2009.
With the Golden State strapped for cash, a pro-marijuana group is launching an ad to encourage legislators to legalize and tax the drug as means for revenue. But, a poll conducted by a local agency, says people under 18 who’ve smoked marijuana are more likely to move on to harder-hitting drugs and 51 percent of California’s young people are at risk.
The 30-second spot [see video], paid for by the Marijuana Policy Project, features a retired 58-year-old state worker who says state leaders “are ignoring millions of Californians who want to pay taxes.”
In February, Assemblymember Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) introduced a bill to tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol. Bill supporters estimate the state’s pot industry could bring in more than $1 billion in taxes. The amount seems tempting for legislators who are facing a $25.3 billion deficit (the deficit did grow to $26.3 billion but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he’ll be tapping into $1 billion of reserves). In fact, Schwarzenegger said the idea should be considered earlier this year but after receiving much criticism, he stopped addressing it.
But, Gayle Francis, founder of KeepComingBack.com, said legalizing marijuana shouldn’t be considered because it’s a gateway drug. An April poll, conducted by Competitive Edge Research (with questions drafted by National University System Institute of Policy Research) and commissioned by KeepComingBack.com — a drug addiction recovery organization — found that marijuana use will lead to use or harder drugs in the future.
“Marijuana is the gateway drug,” said Francis. “There is a clear correlation between marijuana problems, meth problems and cocaine problems. If you’re under 18, you’re at risk.”
Marijuana is the common term, cannabis is the scientific term, and weed or pot are the slang terms but a definitive term for describing the drug is “controversial.” This debate, however, simply questions whether recreational use of marijuana will lead to more dangerous drugs; addiction-recovery advocates like Francis say “yes,” whereas advocates of the legalization of marijuana, including members of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) say “no.”
In California, 45 percent or 12.4 million adults have tried marijuana compared to 48 percent or 105 million nationally. The poll also found that Southern California residents are more likely to have used drugs.
“Adults in Southern California, south of Los Angeles, are also more likely to have experimented with drugs,” stated the poll. “While the difference is not as drastic as San Francisco, half in Southern California have tried at least one drug compared with 45 percent of the rest of the state. This might have something to do with its proximity to Mexico and drugs coming through the southern border of California.”
While 51 percent of young people (under 18) have tried marijuana, 25 percent have tried Ecstasy, 25 percent have tried meth and 16 percent have tried crack or crack cocaine.
Education also seems to play a factor as to whether one tries illegal drugs.
“A whopping 76 percents of adults with a high school diploma at most tried at least one drug prior to turning 18, while only 42 percent of those with at least some college report the same thing,” stated the poll. “This provides some evidence that drug use stunts the pursuit of higher education.”
And, according to the poll, the young people who’ve experimented with marijuana will move on to hazardous drugs.
“Drug users who began using at least one drug under the age of 18 are more likely to continue on to use more and harsher drugs,” stated the poll. “Drug experimentation at an early age allows for more time to incorporate drug use into one’s lifestyle and immerse oneself in the drug culture. The ‘slippery slope’ notion is supported by our data.”
Francis, who is also the co-founder of AMN health care and former nurse, said addiction to marijuana is more serious than advocates believe. She said through her work she has seen marijuana cause serious damage to the user and to those surrounding him or her.
“Marijuana doesn’t help productivity, it makes people relax and hurts people from being their true selves and reaching their full potential,” Francis said. “Marijuana is a drug that causes addiction; it’s a highly-dependent drug and it’s a disease of lack of will. They can’t say no.”
Francis also said those addicted to drugs often don’t realize how “widespread” the addiction can become. She said the abusers’ addictions will affect those surrounding him or her and can strain relationships. These consequences, Francis said, is why marijuana will never be legalized.
But Mark Fitt, of the Orange County chapter of NORML, doesn’t buy into the idea. Fitt, a medical marijuana patient, said marijuana doesn’t lead to more dangerous drugs nor is it addicting.
“It really shouldn’t be compared to cocaine, meth or heroin,” Fitt said. “If there’s any sort of stepping stone involved it’s probably because you have to get marijuana from the same person who sells the harder drugs too. If marijuana was a stepping stone drug, then in the 60s, at the hype of marijuana usage, you would have seen a rise in cocaine and meth too but that wasn’t the case.”
Fitt’s argument is supported by the 1997 book, “Marijuana Myths” by Lynn Zimmer. Zimmer writes in her book that the stepping stone theory isn’t true.
“In the end, the gateway theory is not a theory at all,” stated the book. “It is a description of the typical sequence in which multiple-drug users initiate the use of high-prevalence and low-prevalence drugs. A similar statistical relationship exists between other kinds of common and uncommon related activities. For example, most people who ride a motorcycle (a fairly rare activity) have ridden a bicycle (a fairly common activity). Indeed, the prevalence of motorcycle riding among people who have never ridden a bicycle is probably extremely low. However, bicycle riding does not cause motorcycle riding, and increases in the former will not lead automatically to increases in the latter.
“Nor will increases in marijuana use lead automatically to increases in the use of cocaine or heroin.”
Furthermore, Fitt argues, alcohol is more potent than marijuana.
“Marijuana makes you sleepy but it wears off a few hours later,” Fitt said. “With alcohol, you take it and you’re drunk – you want to go out and party.”
Despite alcohol being proven to be more potent than marijuana, marijuana has more consequences, Francis said.
“Alcohol is addicting. Has it been proven to lead to other drugs? No,” she said. “Has Marijuana? Yes.”
The pro-legalizing-pot-ad will air on several cable news channels and network broadcast affiliates in Los Angeles, Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay area, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.
The group said in a statement that three California stations – KABC-TV in Los Angeles, KGO-TV of San Francisco and KNTV-TV in San Jose – refused to air the ad.
Representatives from the three stations did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press seeking comment. Representatives from Visions Adolescent Treatment Center have not yet responded to requests for interviews.
Associated Press writer Marcus Wholsen contributed to this report. Hoa Quach is the political editor for the San Diego News Network.