Legalized pot doesn't spur teen use, study says

Legalized pot doesn't spur teen use, study says

Legalized Medical Pot Doesn't Spur Teen Use, Study Finds,Legal medical marijuana hasn't encouraged more kids to smoke, a new study found. (arguments for legalized medical marijuana | arguments against legalized medical marijuana). Researchers compared stats on teen pot use in a state with legalized medical marijuana Rhode Island, United States with its neighbor, Massachusetts, that doesn't have legal medical marijuana, and found no increase.Legalizing medical marijuana in Rhode Island did not increase illegal use of the drug among the state's youths, a new study shows.

"Our study did not find increases in adolescent marijuana use related to Rhode Island's 2006 legalization of medical marijuana; however, additional research may follow future trends as medical marijuana in Rhode Island and other states becomes more widely used," study researcher Dr. Esther Choo, of Brown University, said in a statement.

Rhode Island Hospital researchers aimed to assess the impact of Rhode Island's legalization of medical marijuana. They looked at survey results from 32,570 middle school and high school students in Rhode Island and Massachusetts collected as part of the Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System. The surveys were completed between 1997 and 2009.

The researchers found no difference in illegal marijuana use among youths between the Rhode Island and Massachusetts in any year. (Massachusetts has not legalized medical marijuana.)

The idea of legalizing medical marijuana has raised concerns about the drug subsequently becoming increasingly accessible to adolescents, who are most vulnerable to the adverse consequences of marijuana, according to Choo, who is also an emergency physician at Rhode Island Hospital.

Choo will present the study's findings tomorrow (Nov. 2) at the American Public Health Association meeting in Washington, D.C.

Most peaceful states

Most peaceful states

 The Institute for Economics and Peace recently issued the first ranking of peaceful states in the United States. Rankings were based on factors such as violent crime, incarceration population and the costs associated with violence. Check out the 10 most peaceful states in the nation.


Washington

 Known for its picturesque mountain views, Washington rounds out the 10 most peaceful states at No. 10. A leader on the West Coast, Washington ranked most peaceful in the Pacific division.

Iowa

 Once mistaken for heaven in an Oscar-nominated film, Iowa ranks as peaceful state No. 9. In the 18 years of conducting the study on peaceful states, Iowa has never fallen out of the top 10.

Rhode Island

 The small coastal state of Rhode Island saw a decrease in homicides from 4.28 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 2.94 in 2009. This helped land the state at No. 8 on the most-peaceful list.

Massachusetts

 Massachusetts  ranking seventh, showed significant decreases in both violent crime and homicide rates, and the incarceration rate has remained one of the lowest in the country. It’s home to a peace-promoting organization.

Utah

 Widely known as the Friendly State, Utah ranked most peaceful in the West region and the Mountain division and No. 6 overall.

North Dakota

 The Peace Garden State, named after the state’s treasured International Peace Garden, was ranked the most peaceful state for the first nine years of the study. Slight increases in violent crime moved North Dakota into the No. 5 spot.

Minnesota

 Ranked fourth peaceful, Minnesota has the third-lowest incarceration rate and fifth-lowest number of homicides. It recently launched a new system to notify violent-crime victims when offenders are released from prison.

New Hampshire

 Though the study indicated that peace was not linked to political affiliation, New Hampshire is famous for its role in the U.S. political process. The No. 2 most peaceful state has the lowest homicide rate in the country.

Maine

 Vacationland is the perfect nickname for the most peaceful state, which ranked first on three of the tested indicators of peace.

Vermont

Vermont attracts visitors and residents alike with its beautiful scenery and inviting ski slopes, not to mention this sweet industry. This peaceful state ranks third based on low homicide rates and a decreasing violent-crime rate.

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