Press Release

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(Washington, DC)—Today, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) released its largest-ever compilation of data relating to marijuana. The 2008 Marijuana Sourcebook contains important data on marijuana in the United States including the latest use patterns and trends, health effects, criminal justice aspects, supply sources, and information regarding so-called “medical marijuana.” The publication draws from a wide variety of national scientific and research-based data sources.

The Sourcebook also contains data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics that reveals that less than one half of one percent of inmates in state prisons are serving time for marijuana possession only. Additionally, the Sourcebook contains the latest analysis from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) which reveals that levels of THC – the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana – have reached the highest-ever amounts since scientific analysis of the drug began in the late 1970s. The average amount of THC in the most recently seized samples of marijuana has reached a new high of 9.6 percent. This compares to an average of just under 4 percent reported in 1983 and represents more than a doubling in the potency of the drug since that time.

“Marijuana is the blindspot of drug policy,” said John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy. “Baby Boomers have this perception that marijuana is about fun and freedom. It isn't. It's about dependency, disease, and dysfunction. As the data released today reveal, marijuana is a much bigger part of our Nation's addiction problem than most people realize. While teen marijuana use is down sharply, adult use, with all the social, economic, and health consequences that go along with it, will not improve until we start being more honest with ourselves about the seriousness of this drug. Too many of us are in denial, and it is time for an intervention.”  

Recent marijuana data also reveal the following:

• The great majority of males arrested for any violation in America have drugs in their system at the time of arrest, with marijuana being the most often detected. The rate testing positive for marijuana ranged from a third to more than a half of all male arrestees at the time of arrest. Further, marijuana is the drug most likely to be reported by arrestees when asked about lifetime, prior year, and recent (prior 30 days) drug use. (Source: An analysis of 10 major U.S. cities, Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring System (ADAM), 2003).

• High potency of marijuana may be contributing to a substantial increase in the number of American teenagers in treatment for marijuana dependence.  According to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), one in four 12-17-year-olds who report using marijuana in the past year display the characteristics of abuse or dependency. For younger users, the risk of marijuana abuse or dependency exceeds that for alcohol or tobacco.

• Rates of marijuana use among young people have declined substantially since 2001. Since that time there has been a 25 percent drop in the number of teens using the drug. (Monitoring the Future, 2007)

• Emergency department episodes involving marijuana almost tripled from 1994 to 2002. Marijuana steadily increased over that decade, surpassing heroin – which remained relatively flat – in 1998. (SAMHSA Drug Abuse Warning Network)
  

  Potency of Seized Marijuana, 1983-2007

  

  Potency of All Tested Cannabis Specimens