National District Attorneys Association
Scott Burns
Executive Director
Alexandria, VA

National Narcotics Officers’ Association Coalition
Ron Brooks
Director
San Francisco, CA

Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
Major General Arthur T. Dean U.S. Army, Retired Chairman and CEO Alexandria, VA

Partnership for a Drug-Free America
Steve Pasierb
President and CEO
New York, NY

National Association of Drug Court Professionals
C. West Huddleston
CEO and Executive Director
Alexandria, VA

The American Medical Association (AMA) recently adopted a resolution suggesting that marijuana’s federal Schedule I classification be reconsidered. Even though the AMA stressed that “this should not be viewed as an endorsement of state-based medical cannabis programs, the legalization of marijuana, or that scientific evidence on the therapeutic use of cannabis meets the current standards for a prescription drug product” the press coverage would lead you to believe otherwise.

Similarly, last month the Department of Justice announced new guidelines for Federal prosecutors in states that have passed ballot initiatives to legalize the use of “medical marijuana”. Proponents of marijuana legalization touted the DOJ memo as a signal that the new Administration was going to look the other way on marijuana. Clarifying statements released by both the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Drug Enforcement Administration failed to garner attention in the press.

Regrettably, in both cases, the public is not receiving the complete picture. The Media coverage has led to a number of misconceptions about ‘medical marijuana’ and has largely ignored two critical facts: 1) smoked marijuana is not a “medicine;” and 2) the more misinformation that gets to the public stating that marijuana is medicine the more youth will view it as harmless and the more likely they will be to use it.

ONDCP Director Gil Kerlikowske recently stated that “medical questions are best determined by science, and not by the ballot box.” We could not agree more. Leading experts from the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) agree that smoked marijuana has no currently accepted medical use in treatment and that marijuana is harmful and can be addictive. Furthermore, Dr. Jon A. Benson of the Institute of Medicine has stated that “while we see a future in the development of chemically defined cannabinoid drugs, we see little future in smoked marijuana as a medicine.” In fact, smoked marijuana as medicine has been rejected by the American Medical Association, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the American Glaucoma Society, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Cancer Society.

The national Monitoring the Future Survey has shown that there is an association between decreases in perception of harm and social disapproval and increases in drug use. Recent data from the National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health’s 2006-2007 State Estimates of Substance Use further confirms this association as ten of the 15 states with the highest percentage of past month marijuana users ages 12-17 are states where medical marijuana is legal. In these states, the perception of harm and social disapproval regarding marijuana use among youth are among the lowest rates in the nation. Why is this important? Because research has shown that when kids perceive less risk in a drug, they are more likely to use it, and the age of first use will continue to decrease. According to research from NIDA, the earlier that drug use begins, the more likely it is to progress to more serious abuse. This is exactly what we would like to avoid.

Vermont tops the list with highest past month users and the highest rates for new marijuana initiates among youth ages 12-17. Cindy Hayford, Executive Director of the Deerfield Valley Community Partnership in Wilmington, VT says having marijuana legal for medicinal purposes in her state sends a mixed message. “Kids are getting the false impression that marijuana is a harmless drug. It is not harmless—this is the number one reason for youth treatment admissions.”

In Oregon, the numbers of licenses to grow marijuana have increased 300 fold, to serve the estimated 23,800 people currently registered with a “medical need.” In drug prevention leader Maija Yasui’s home of Hood River, Ore, she sees a new law enforcement problem as young people steal pot from the licensed growers for recreational use.

Although progress has been made in recent years with respect to driving marijuana use rates down among youth, it is unfortunate that this issue of “medical marijuana” is on the front pages of newspapers throughout the country just as youth attitudes about the harmfulness/use of marijuana are softening and use is beginning again to creep up. The 2008 Monitoring the Future Survey found, for the first time, that marijuana use among 10th graders has eclipsed that of tobacco. The 2009 Pride Survey National Summary of Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Use shows small, but significant, increases in 30-day prevalence for all drug categories, including marijuana, for all grade levels, 6-12.

In the late 1990s, attention to drug use began to wane, and social disapproval for the use of drugs decreased. As a result, we saw tremendous increases in use. The stage is currently set for history to repeat itself and a decade of progress with our children will be lost. Unbalanced press coverage could further exacerbate youth drug use and these associated issues. This can be mitigated, in part, with a more balanced and science based approach to reporting about these issues that calls upon not only advocates for "medical marijuana" and legalization but experts in the fields of addiction, the judiciary, law enforcement and prevention.

 Signed,