Op-ed: Don’t legalize marijuana. It’s addictive
Via The NY Times
MANY baby boomers and their children still believe the folklore of the 1960s and ’70s that marijuana can’t be addictive, because it’s just an herb. But several decades of research clearly show that what we believed 40 years ago is wrong. Marijuana addiction is common.
About 9 percent of people who smoke marijuana even once become addicted to it, and that figure approximately doubles when people begin using the drug as adolescents.
To prevent addiction from spreading, Washington voters should not legalize marijuana and reject Initiative 502 on the Nov. 6 ballot.
Marijuana addiction statistics are similar to the percentage of people who become alcoholics. Rates of marijuana dependence rise to 20 to 30 percent when people use it at least five times, and 35 to 40 percent for those who use marijuana daily. Marijuana dependence is the most common type of drug dependence in the United States, besides alcohol and tobacco.
[Full article here]