Policy Courts are forcing marijuana users to get drug treatment they probably don’t need

Landrew

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By Christopher Ingraham
December 14, 2015 at 2:59 p.m. EST

Opponents of marijuana legalization often cite the "skyrocketing" number of people seeking treatment for marijuana addiction in their arguments. Project SAM, the nation's leading anti-legalization group, notes with some alarm that "data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that in 1993, marijuana comprised approximately 8 percent of ALL treatment admissions, but by 2009 that number had increased to 18 percent."


But new data out this month from the Department of Health and Human Services provides some important context behind those numbers. In 2013, more than half of marijuana users in treatment were sent there by the courts or the criminal justice system. That's more than the share of court-ordered referrals for any other drug, including far more deadly ones like alcohol and heroin.

Overall, fewer than 1 in 5 marijuana treatment seekers checked themselves in voluntarily. That too is a lower share than for any other drug.

 
By Christopher Ingraham
December 14, 2015 at 2:59 p.m. EST

Opponents of marijuana legalization often cite the "skyrocketing" number of people seeking treatment for marijuana addiction in their arguments. Project SAM, the nation's leading anti-legalization group, notes with some alarm that "data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that in 1993, marijuana comprised approximately 8 percent of ALL treatment admissions, but by 2009 that number had increased to 18 percent."


But new data out this month from the Department of Health and Human Services provides some important context behind those numbers. In 2013, more than half of marijuana users in treatment were sent there by the courts or the criminal justice system. That's more than the share of court-ordered referrals for any other drug, including far more deadly ones like alcohol and heroin.

Overall, fewer than 1 in 5 marijuana treatment seekers checked themselves in voluntarily. That too is a lower share than for any other drug.

Really, I didn't think weed was addictive, angelsandfairies are real had a thread about people outgrowing ( bad pun, I know) about people getting older 30's and older not being able to or want too smoke weed anymore.

Never been addicted to illegal shit, just booze, nicotine and caffeinne;laugh all you want but drink a lot, I mean pots of coffee a day, and watch the headache you'll get if you stop or can't get any. A coffee taper, sad but true.

Weed? Maybe all the super strong stuff and most likely the concentrated resin or whatever; the wax and shit that is super strong that people vape I guess. Ordered to rehab for pot?.

My imagination is in overdrive. Never been to rehab, never needed to, self control except nicotine. But can you imagine all the people sitting around in group therapy( seen too many movies) talking about how crack, meth , heroin, fentanyl, cocaine,( powder) opiod pain killers, booze ect talking about loosing everything: house, car, family, job, friends, freedom( long jail stays and prison). No particular order smartasses; then they come to you and you are like I got caught with 2 joints for the weekend. And a judge in some dim witted state( yeah well Michigan is still smarter than Illinois) saying prison or rehab; but It was the final 4 and I wanted to relive my teen years years while having a few beers and a couple of joints. Sad. I don't like weed. Hate alcohol, sad but I actually had self control, I had or have severe depression, OCD( seriously), and boredom along with aimlessness. Not sure, I was just physically addicted but could control it. Always could be sober when I wanted too. Didn't want too, except when I had shit to do( rarely).

But I supposed the, in my screwed up imagination, there had to be at least one neurotic loser who went to rehab for addiction to long lasting OTC nasal spray. My mom was addicted to that shit, I broke her nose when I was 2, no car seat laws in the later 1970's. My mom and other cursed afrin or whatever that long lasting nasal spray is. Shit will make you worse if you use it for a while and stop or run out. Seriously, David Swimmer( lame even for the cast of Friends) had a great story about that stuff.

I use to joke with her, she bought the generic shit at the dollar store, I was like mom this has got to stop, you have a $2 a week habit( $2.12 with tax, damn OCD)
 
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