NEWS: Sydney Morning Herald - 19/02/07 'Pot not hot: weed fast losing its cool'

[lil angel15]

Pot not hot: weed fast losing its cool
February 19, 2007

SMOKING a joint is no longer cool among the young, according to a new poll, which found one in three regard it as unacceptable.

A study by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre found marijuana had become socially unfashionable in the same way as cigarettes.

"Clearly, it's not as acceptable as it once was to be stoned," said Paul Dillon, a spokesman for the centre at the University of NSW.

The survey found that although almost half of those aged under 30 had friends who used cannabis, one-third said their peer group found its use unacceptable.

Of the 1500 adult Australians surveyed, three in four felt smoking dope was dangerous or very dangerous, and half thought it could trigger schizophrenia or anxiety disorders.

About 40 per cent believed marijuana was always addictive, and one in five believed it was always a gateway to harder drugs. Sixty-eight per cent thought cannabis use could lead to other crimes.

The results, published in the latest Pfizer Health Report, reflect a shift in attitudes, even among people who are more likely to come into contact with the drug.

"In the 1970s the people who got stoned were cool but now younger people just see a gang of guys who sit around smoking a bong, eating a pizza and watching television," Mr Dillon said.

"There's a general perception they're just 'stoners' and that's a real change."

Mr Dillon said the findings proved the success of school drug programs, which focus on immediate social impacts of the drug rather than long-term health problems. The study also suggests young people are aligning marijuana with tobacco.

"Smoking cigarettes is now realistically unacceptable in this country and it might just be that that same attitude has jumped across to cannabis."

SMH

 

[lil angel15]

Government anti-dope campaign 'working'
February 19, 2007

A NEW report showing young Australians no longer considered cannabis harmless showed the government's drugs campaign works, a federal MP says.
The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre study suggests that marijuana has become socially unfashionable in the same way as cigarettes.

The drug once perceived as harmless is now overwhelming viewed as dangerous, addictive and linked to a range of serious health and social problems.

The survey found that although almost half of under 30-year olds have friends who use cannabis, one third said their peer group found its use unacceptable.

Of the 1500 adult Australians surveyed, three in four felt that smoking dope was dangerous or very dangerous, and half thought it could trigger schizophrenia or anxiety disorders.

About 40 per cent think cannabis is always addictive, and one in five believe it is always a gateway to harder drugs.

And 68 per cent thought cannabis use could lead to other crimes.

The results, published in the latest Pfizer Health Report, reflect a shift in attitudes, even among people who are more likely to come into contact with the drug.

Mr Pyne said the government's most recent National Drugs Campaign focused on the effect that cannabis can have on young people.

“I think this study shows that the campaign really had an impact,” he said.

The new study comes after a survey of secondary schools last year showed a significant decline in the use of cannabis among secondary students, Mr Pyne said.

The Australian

 

[lil angel15]

A link to the Pfizer Health Report and website are shown below.

Pfizer Australia HEALTH REPORT - AUSTRALIANS AND CANNABIS

Pfizer Australia Website

 

[lil angel15]

NDARC Media Release

CANNABIS ACCEPTANCE UP IN SMOKE

New research has cast doubt on the perception that most young Australians consider cannabis to be a benign and harmless drug with a third now viewing it as unacceptable. Data in the latest Pfizer Australia Health Report jointly published with the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), based at the University of NSW, shows that a high proportion of young adults perceive the drug as dangerous, addictive and linked to a range of health and social problems.

The study finds that although almost half (47 percent) of under 30s have friends who use cannabis, one third say that their peer group find its use unacceptable.

“There appears to be a shift in attitude regarding cannabis, even among those people in our community who are more likely to come into contact with the drug,” says Paul Dillon from NDARC.

Concern about the effects of cannabis on the community is also high with 83 percent of all Australian adults believing there are social problems associated with its use.

Other findings include:

• Three-in-four Australians feel cannabis use is dangerous or very dangerous;
• Around 40 percent think cannabis is always addictive with one-in-five thinking it always leads to other drug use, and 60 percent thinking it sometimes leads to other drug use;
• Sixty-eight percent of all Australians believe cannabis use can lead to other crime;
• Close to two-thirds would be equally concerned over whether their adolescent child was smoking cigarettes or smoking cannabis;
• Half of all Australians believe that cannabis can cause schizophrenia, depression and anxiety disorders to a moderate or large degree.
The report also reveals public opinion is in favour of more action by governments on cannabis. Seventy seven percent of those surveyed believed that authorities should run a public health campaign about the effects of cannabis.

The introduction of roadside drug testing is strongly supported by close to 80 percent of those surveyed. Most felt that cannabis would affect a person’s ability to drive a car and increase the likelihood of a car accident.

The research found that 60 percent agree that people arrested for cannabis use and possession should be referred to treatment programs rather than be punished under the criminal justice system.

“It appears that although Australians believe cannabis is not acceptable in their peer group, they do feel that there should be support given to those who use it,” Paul Dillon commented.

Currently only 10 percent of Australians get their information about cannabis from a drug or alcohol service with others seeking information from sources such as friends, internet, magazines and television.

Mr Dillon says it is important that Australians seek information from a reliable source.

“Friends, family, even the internet can sometimes get it wrong, especially when it comes to separating fact from fiction,” Mr Dillon said.
“There are no black and white answers with cannabis, only shades of grey. These subtleties are often difficult to communicate and can lead to misinformation being disseminated and a polarisation of views.”

“This research clearly shows that it is important that the Australian public is provided good quality information on the health and social impacts of cannabis. There are plans for a new National Cannabis Centre to be opened this year, funded by the Australian Government, which will hopefully assist in this area.”

NDARC has collaborated with Pfizer Australia to assist with educating the public about cannabis to produce this month’s edition of the Pfizer Australia Health Report. Filled with useful information, free copies can be requested by phoning 1800 675 229 or by visiting www.healthreport.com.au where people can also sign-up for email alerts of future editions.

Findings are based on responses from 1439 Australians aged 18 years and over. The research was conducted in 2006 by independent consultants Stollznow Research.

NDARC Media Release

 

[echo off]

yay, now less of those 'cool' focused people will waste my time...

 

[Dave82]

Smoking joints ain't cool because it's too expensive

On a more serious note, I am glad to see this media report being released.

I agree with it for the most part (I'm a smoker myself trying to cut down) I don't think it leads to crime though. I think the health concerns are very real and the sooner we lose the soft drug mentality associated with cannabis, the better.

 

[johnboy]

This is a great example of being able to compare a press release to the final stories. Compare Paul's quotes in each.

Notice how this quote never made it into any story:

“There are no black and white answers with cannabis, only shades of grey. These subtleties are often difficult to communicate and can lead to misinformation being disseminated and a polarisation of views.”

The media doesn't do subtlety.

 

[phase_dancer]

A close friend and RaveSafer was recently working with a group that focuses on assisting young people on the street and while attending underage events.

She said she found that, in relation to pot, young people were saying that while many preferred pot and would smoke it if they could get it through the gates, they often instead took Ecstasy before entering, and so could stay high for the event and not have to worry about getting caught.

 

[Dave82]

A close friend and RaveSafer was recently working with a group that focuses on assisting young people on the street and while attending underage events.

She said she found that, in relation to pot, young people were saying that while many preferred pot and would smoke it if they could get it through the gates, they often instead took Ecstasy before entering, and so could stay high for the event and not have to worry about getting caught.

Why on earth would you want to have a downer like pot at a rave is beyond me.

 

[ayjay]

This downward trend in the popularity of cannabis mirrors a similar trend in the US over the last decade. An interesting trend in the US now is the increase in use of prescribed medications by young people, at least in part because these drugs are perceived as "safer". I wonder if we'll see that here too...

Link: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/press07/021407.html

New users of prescription drugs have now caught up with new users of marijuana. Prescription drugs are now the second most commonly used illegal drug by teens to get high, behind marijuana. The report, "Teens and Prescription Drugs: An Analysis of Recent Trends on the Emerging Drug Threat," released today by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), also shows that the majority of teens, who use these products, are getting them easily and for free.

 

[Flinch]

Not around here, alcohol and weed is treated pretty much the same

 

[swilow]

Nah i agree, i prefer bongs

 

[Misterwize2]

Wonder whether the release of this article has something to do with Snoop Dogg glorifying weed at **** and openly smoking a jay on stage?

I think its a little too much of a coincidence.........

[EDIT: No event names, thanks. hoptis]

 

[Rated E]

^^
haha that was dooze. The people in the crowd who were handing a joint around when snoop came on, you rock

As for the article... Congrats media / govt, you now have statistics to let you know how well you're misleading people :thumbs up:

People who do drugs because its cool are losers.

 

[Dave82]

Wonder whether the release of this article has something to do with Snoop Dogg glorifying weed at **** and openly smoking a jay on stage?

I think its a little too much of a coincidence.........

Haha did he really do that? Doesn't surprise me. Just find it odd because a few months ago on David Letterman he was saying he quit weed. Probably just trying to sell more records or some other agenda 8)

 

[lil angel15]

Let's try and keep it on topic guys.

 

[tribesman]

Why on earth would you want to have a downer like pot at a rave is beyond me.

Marijuana isn't really a downer, although it turns into one for most people who smoke for a while. Don't you remember those early days? For me it was much more of a combination of a stimulant and a hallucinogen to use the sort of general terms you hear from your health teacher in high school. I'd say in those days weed would have been quite fun at a rave.

 

[koggi]

how could i find out what area/s this survey was done? the reason being that i'm sure that the results would be heavily influenced by alot of factors. would these results be the same from outer working class suburbs to the wealthy areas?

 

[lil angel15]

I would imagine if you got in contact with the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of NSW, they would be able to help you.

Their contact details are provided below;

Postal Address
NDARC
University of New South Wales
Sydney NSW 2052, Australia

Street Address
Randwick Campus
22 – 32 King Street
Randwick NSW 2031

T +61 (2) 9385 0333
F +61 (2) 9385 0222

 

[peaked]

This is a great shame. All that will be achieved is further segregation of smokers from non-smokers. I highly doubt that drug use will be decreased in any manner either. The young population will just switch from cannabis to somthing more harmful like alcohol, or other, less stigmatized illicit drugs.