1. Pot Poster Boy to NORML Nemesis: What History Can Teach Us
Robert L. DuPont, MD
President
Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc.

2. Long-Term Trends in Marijuana Use by High School Seniors, 1975-2015
Decriminalization
The Parents’ Movement
Medical Marijuana
Legalization
Monitoring the Future

3. Past Year Marijuana Use and Perceived Risk of Harm of Occasional Use Among High School Seniors,
Marijuana Use
Perceived Risk of Harm
Monitoring the Future

4. Past Month Use of Any Alcohol and Cigarettes by High School Seniors, 1975-20015
Alcohol Use
Cigarette Use
Monitoring the Future

5. A New Prevention Message
“No use of alcohol, nicotine, marijuana and other drugs for reasons of health”
Reflects the powerful research on the negative effects of these substances, not only on the body’s vital organs but also on the uniquely vulnerable adolescent brain
This public health message of no-use is realistic: More Teens are Choosing Not to Use Any Substance

6. Abstaining from Illicit Drugs, Alcohol and Cigarettes – Lifetime
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
Monitoring the Future

7. The Major Public Health Issue
It is not about marijuana; it is about drug use
It is not about adult use, it is about youth use of alcohol, nicotine and marijuana – the three gateway drugs
They are all “recreational pharmacology” and all are bad for the health, safety and success of youth 

8. What Is Needed
An annual comprehensive scientific report on the consequences of marijuana use and marijuana legalization -- for “medical” and “recreational” purposes 

9. A Strategy to Assess the Consequences of Marijuana Legalization
Calls for Congressional mandate with adequate funding
Federal leadership, state reporting initiatives like those of the Rocky Mountain and Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTAs)
Recommends New Sustained Research Initiatives
Reinstating Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) collecting Emergency Department data and Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) collecting drug test data from local arrestees
Systematic testing of seriously injured drivers in at least six sites to collect evidence on the roles of marijuana, alcohol and other drugs in highway safety
Ongoing study of the role of marijuana and other substance use on academic achievement and dropout using established national surveys and new studies.
Urges private organizations and foundations to become involved
Available at

10. Adding a third drug legal for adults?
The United States is leading the world down this road
The two currently legal drugs are two of the nation’s leading causes of preventable illness and death
Adding a third drug will not reduce the use of alcohol or tobacco; legalization of marijuana will increase their use

11. Illicit Drug and Marijuana Use Greater Among Smokers and Drinkers Aged 12-17
Not surprisingly, illicit drug, marijuana and tobacco use are also more prevalent among alcohol users
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2013)

12. Thank You!

13. Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc.
IBH is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that develops strategies to reduce drug use
For more information and resources, visit the IBH websites: