Drugs - Marijuana
- Mar 13, 2006 -
Two women in Spokane, Washington made so much money growing marijuana in their homes that they bought three neighboring houses so they could expand their business. Kathleen Jenny and Virginia Erickson, both 59, began the operation in 1994 in their basements. It eventually became a $1 million business. It got so big they even brought their husbands and at least one other person into the operation. When agents searched the homes they found more than 500 marijuana plants, psychedelic mushrooms, and $110,000 in cash. The two women face up to six years in prison. Their husbands and the other man face two and one-half to three years each. How did law enforcement find out about the operation? A bank teller tipped the police, saying that the deposits made by the women smelled like marijuana.
“Pot-Scented Cash Leads to Major Drug Bust,” http://www.nytimes.com , January 8, 2003 [Access fee required]
“Marijuana use among twelfth grade students has fluctuated substantially over the last several decades. In 1980, 34 percent had used marijuana in the month preceding the survey. By 1992, that proportion had decreased dramatically to 12 percent. The percentage then doubled to 24 percent in 1997, and was at 20 percent in 2004.
“The percentage of tenth graders who had used marijuana in the month preceding the survey increased during the early 1990s, leveled off towards the end of the decade, and then decreased between 2001 and 2003 from 20 percent to 17 percent. In 2004, 16 percent of tenth graders used marijuana in the 30 days preceding the survey.
“Marijuana use among eighth grade students followed a similar pattern, increasing during the early 1990s, leveling off towards the end of the decade, and then decreasing between 2001 and 2004 from 9 percent to 6 percent.
“More than twice as many students report having used marijuana at some point in their lives than report use in the last month. In 2004, 16 percent of eighth graders, 35 percent of tenth graders, and 46 percent of twelfth graders reported having used marijuana at least once in their lifetime.”
“Marijuana Use,” http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org (Child Trends DataBank) [Accessed November 1, 2005]
“Since the late 1960s, Gallup has periodically asked Americans whether the use of marijuana should be made legal in the United States. Although a majority of Americans have consistently opposed the idea of legalizing marijuana, public support has slowly increased over the years. In 1969, just 12 percent of Americans supported making marijuana legal, but by 1977, roughly one in four endorsed it. Support edged up to 31 percent in 2000, and now, about a third of Americans say marijuana should be legal.
“Support for marijuana legalization varies greatest by gender and age. Overall, younger Americans (aged 18 to 29) are essentially divided, with 47 percent saying marijuana should be legal and 50 percent saying it should not be. Support for legalization is much lower among adults aged 30 to 64 (35 percent) and those aged 65 and older (22 percent). Men (39 percent) are somewhat more likely than women (30 percent) to support the legalization of marijuana in the country.
“When looking at the combined results by age and gender, the data show 44 percent of men aged 18 to 49 support the legalization of marijuana. This sentiment is lower among older men (33 percent for men aged 50 and older) and women of any age (34 percent for women aged 18 to 49 and 27 percent of women aged 50 and older).
Joseph Carroll, Who Supports Marijuana Legalization? (Gallup Poll), November 1, 2005 [Subscription required]
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