<p>“. A few case reports to back up your claim of crack-adulterated marijuana, maybe?”</p>
<p>The National Institute on Drug Abuse sponsors 21 Community Epidemiology Workgroups (CEWGs) around the country that report regularly on drug abuse trends seen in metropolitan communities across the nation. I have sat on the Seattle-King County CEWG since 2000. As far as I am aware, we have no reports of crack-adulterated marijuana, either from the DEA or from community and youth workers, and I haven’t seen a single report of anyone known to use such a substance recently admitted (past five years) to publicly funded treatment.</p>
<p>Back in 1998, we saw some cases of intentionally adulterated marijuana, but it was adulterated with formaldehyde.</p>
<p>On balance, and having seen firsthand hundreds and hundreds of cases of individuals who have a psychological dependence on marijuana, and understanding the risks inherent in the approach, I’d legalize it (for those age 21 and over), regulate it or sell it in state stores, and put the money into treatment where it is sorely needed. I have seen too many kids who, having discovered that we either lied or at least stretched the truth when it comes to talking about marijuana, think we are also not telling the truth when it comes to methamphetamines or, perhaps worse, the prescription opiates they find in mom’s medicine cabinet which have terrific addiction potential. Our methadone system in Washington State is now being overwhelmed by individuals addicted to prescription opiates, with addiction often dating to the teen years, and, from a pharmacological perspective, there is little difference between the prescription opiates and heroin in their addictive potential.</p>
<p>I fully understand the risks inherent to such an approach, but as a medical matter it just is the case that alcohol abuse - among both youth and adults - has both more serious health and social consequences, and a far greater physical addiction potential - and withdrawal from alcohol, unlike withdrawal from heroin, is, from a medical perspective, extremely dangerous.</p>