Teens indulging stronger marijuana

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), July, 2008

The levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)--the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana--have reached the highest-ever amounts since scientific analysis of the drug began in the late 1970s, according to the latest analysis from the University of Mississippi's Potency Monitoring Project (PMP). The results were released by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Washington, D.C. The latest data on marijuana samples indicates that the average amount of THC in seized stashes has reached a new high of 9.6%. It was just under four percent in 1983.

As of a few months ago, PMP had analyzed 62,797 cannabis, 1,302 hashish, and 486 hash oil samples confiscated in 48 states by law enforcement agencies since 1975. The highest concentration of THC found in a single marijuana sample during this period was 37.2%. "Baby boomer parents who still think marijuana is a harmless substance need to look at the facts," stresses John Waiters, Pres. George W. Bush's "Drug Czar."

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"Marijuana potency has grown steeply over the past decade, with serious implications in particular for young people, who may be not only at increased risk for various psychological conditions, cognitive deficits, and respiratory problems, but are also at significantly higher risk for developing dependency on other drugs, such as cocaine and heroin than are nonsmokers."

"The increases in marijuana potency are of concern since they increase the likelihood of acute toxicity, including mental impairment," notes Nora Volkow, director of NIDA. "Particularly worrisome is the possibility that the more potent THC might be more effective at triggering the changes in the brain that can lead to addiction."