NORML Executive Director Charges That Prohibition Fails To Keep Marijuana Out Of The Hands Of Kids
WASHINGTON, DC: Teens report they have easier access to marijuana than they have to either alcohol or tobacco, according to a national survey released today by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. The results marked the first time in the survey’s history that adolescents said it was easier to buy pot than cigarettes or alcohol.
Keith Stroup, Executive Director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), said the survey results speak directly to the failure of pot prohibition, and point to the need for the establishment of a regulated, non-criminal marijuana market.
“Despite spending billions of dollars and arresting 734,000 Americans annually to enforce marijuana laws, prohibition is failing to achieve its most fundamental and important goal: to keep marijuana out of the hands of kids,” Stroup said.
“The fact that teens say that marijuana is easier to attain than either alcohol or tobacco – two legal, regulated products – emphasizes the importance of developing a controlled market for marijuana – complete with age restrictions and serious penalties for anyone found distributing marijuana to those under 21.”
Stroup noted that Nevadans have an opportunity to vote for an initiative (Question 9) this November that would both eliminate criminal and civil penalties for the personal use of marijuana by adults and establish a regulated market for cannabis in that state.
“Unlike our current marijuana policies, the provisions set forth in Question 9 will free up police resources to deal with more serious and violent crime, and reduce the availability of marijuana to children under 21 years of age. According to the results of today’s CASA survey, passage of such a policy is long overdue.”
Thirty-four percent of teens said that marijuana is easier to attain than alcohol or tobacco, and more than one-third polled said they could purchase pot in just a few hours. By comparison, 31 percent of adolescents reported that they could buy cigarettes most readily, and only 14 percent said they could most easily purchase beer.
For further information contact Nicholas Thimmesch, NORML’s Communications Director, at normlmedia@earthlink.net