Cannabis Study House - NORML Weekly News in Audio 2007.7.12

http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6650

Weekly News in Audio

July 12, 2007

NORML Television Ad Urges Viewers To "Discover A Whole New Outlook On Life" -- ‘No prisons for pot’ commercial now airing in Maryland

Texas: Seventy Percent Of All ‘Marijuana Treatment’ Admissions Stem From Arrest, Study Says

Washington, DC:
NORML Television Ad Urges Viewers To "Discover A Whole New Outlook On Life" -- ‘No prisons for pot’ commercial now airing in Maryland

Life moving too fast? Perhaps "Posativa" can help.

That’s the message of a new television commercial sponsored by The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). The 30-second ad spot is modeled after several well-known pharmaceutical commercials, and urges viewers to become involved in the organization’s nationwide efforts to end the criminal prohibition of cannabis.

The controversial new ad showcases two young couples enjoying the after-effects of "Posativa," while an off-camera narrator states:

Moving too fast to take the time for the things you really enjoy? Posativa can help bring back the pleasure of activities you used to love.

Some of the highlights of Posativa may include increased appetite … and significantly lower stress.
People who take ‘Posativa’ discover a whole new outlook on life.

Posativa may not be right for everyone. Consult your physician today.
Posativa 窶� now you have a choice 窶� a positive choice.

The ad concludes with a banner stating "No prisons for pot" and encourages audiences to visit http://www.norml.org for more information.

The commercial is running regionally on Antietam Cable (Washington County, MD), which airs in select markets in central Maryland, including Hagerstown and Sharpsburg.

NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said that a "longtime NORML donor and businessman donated the resources for the ad buy in hopes of sparking a public debate regarding the need for cannabis law reform in his home state of Maryland 窶� the Free State."

Founded in 1970, NORML provides a voice in the public policy debate for those Americans who oppose marijuana prohibition and favor an end to the practice of arresting and prosecuting marijuana smokers.

To view the ad, please visit: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7110

Austin, TX:
Texas: Seventy Percent Of All ‘Marijuana Treatment’ Admissions Stem From Arrest, Study Says

Nearly seventy percent of all adults referred to Texas drug treatment programs for cannabis are "legally coerced" into treatment, according to data published online in journal BMC Public Health.

Investigators at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia) reported that of the 27,198 adults entered into drug treatment for cannabis between 2000 and 2005, 69 percent of them were referred by the criminal justice system. By contrast, authors reported that only 20 percent of adults voluntarily admitted themselves into treatment, and only six percent were referred to treatment by friends or by members of their family.

Authors concluded, "Some 69% of cannabis admissions were involved with the criminal justice system, including those who had a legal status (awaiting trial, diverted to treatment, on probation, parole, or in jail) and those referred to treatment from a criminal justice source (probation, parole, police, or courts)."

Investigators noted that adults legally coerced into treatment were "less impaired" upon entering the program than those who entered treatment voluntarily, and were also more likely to complete the program.

The study’s state-specific data mimics national statistics indicating that the majority of individuals admitted to drug rehabilitation for marijuana are referred there by the criminal justice system.

"Contrary to claims by the Drug Czar’s office, it is the dramatic rise in ‘potent’ marijuana law enforcement 窶� not any increase in the prevalence or alleged dangers of so-called ‘potent’ pot 窶� that is driving America’s rates of marijuana 'treatment' admissions to record levels," NORML Senior Policy Analyst Paul Armentano said.

He added: "Few of the individuals in drug ‘treatment’ for cannabis are there because they or their families believe that their marijuana use is adversely impacting their lives. Rather, most of these individuals are arrested for possessing minor amounts of pot and are referred to drug treatment by the courts as either an alternative to jail or as a requirement of their probation. At a time when tens of thousands of Americans are being denied access to drug treatment due to a lack of bed space or federal funding, it is unconscionable that these clinics are bursting at the seams needlessly housing minor marijuana offenders."

According to US FBI data, approximately 95 percent of all marijuana arrests in Texas are for misdemeanor possession.

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