Drug-drops-americas-youth-rises-over-50-crowd

[blackspade]

Some mixed news about drug use cloaked in drug war rhetoric:

Drug use among America's youth is dropping, but it's booming among people over 50, a U.S. government survey released Wednesday shows.

Last year, the rate of illicit drug use among children and teenagers 12 to 17 years old dropped to 9.5 percent, down from 11.6 percent a decade earlier, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) latest national survey.

But there is no discussion about why that would be. My guess would be that folks over 50 are far more stressed due to the shitty economy and poor job prospects. Apparently marijuana is the #1 drug of choice.
The article continues by focusing on youth drug use (on the decline!) with this little bullshit gem:

"There's no question that marijuana is harmful to the developing brains of adolescents," said SAMHSA administrator Pamela Hyde, adding that marijuana use has been linked to "significant I.Q. declines."

No studies are cited, no evidence given, and no focus on the 50+ age group that has had the increase in drug use.
Finally this little bit of crap:

In 1997, at age 12, he won a contest for writing an essay titled "Why I Won't Try Drugs." A month later, suffering from insecurities and depression, he started smoking marijuana, which ultimately led him to heroin and, as he put it, "the funerals of five good friends."

Marijuana did not lead to either his heroin use or the death of his friends. This is classic drug war false causality. It was his insecurities and depression that lead him to drug use, not MJ.
This story is just more anti-pot propaganda.

Link:
http://news.yahoo.com/drug-drops-americas-youth-rises-over-50-crowd-202408530--abc-news-topstories.html

[seabeyond]

1. ha ha ha. that is what i see in my household. lmfao.... well,

there really is more to the story i am not gonna share on the net.

[yesphan]

2. The propaganda

has been working for over 80 years.

[malthaussen]

3. Oh, one might speculate that the over-50s have been using it all along.

As to why the stats for the younger set might be falling, one reason might be less disposable income.

-- Mal

[stevenleser]

4. I'm getting a visual of Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine... nt