And people wonder, ask, why are things as they are now? How did it get this way? Many reasons. All are visible and understandable to anyone truly desiring to know. And understand. This is but one of those reasons…

Each year the push appears in more and more states to legalize every drug — as Oregon has done.

Look at the following;

MARIJUANA LEGALITY BY STATE – Updated Aug 1, 2023 | DISA

It isn’t benign. The answer to freeing up the justice system, or helping people. None of the lies have brought about a better America, a better place where you live.

And it is only going to get worse.

In November, Ohio Could Become the 24th State To Legalize Marijuana (reason.com)

Ohio recreational marijuana issue to go before voters in November (cincinnati.com)

Read on…

Ken Pullen, A CROOKED PATH, Friday, August 18th, 2023

Marijuana, hallucinogens, and alcohol use are at record highs in the U.S.

Friday, August 18, 2023

By Marc Lallanilla

Reprinted from The New York Post

It’s an all-time high for America.

New research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse reveals that marijuana and hallucinogen use has now reached never-before-seen levels in the U.S.

People in the U.S. and Canada spent over $53,000,000,000 on marijuana in 2016. And the use has only increased each year.

And it’s not just teenagers or young adults who are copping a buzz: Middle-aged adults between 35 and 50 are busting drug-use records nationwide.

“Substance use is not limited to teens and young adults, and these data help us understand how people use drugs across the lifespan,” Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said in a news release.

Americans are traveling a variety of pathways to altered states of consciousness — from pot to psychedelics like LSD, ecstasy, peyote, and psilocybin mushrooms.

But good, old-fashioned alcohol — and lots of it — remains a popular route as well, particularly among the middle-aged.

Among this older group, binge drinking climbed to its highest levels yet, reaching 29% of middle-aged people during 2022, continuing its steady climb over the past several years.

Meanwhile, overall rates of alcohol use — including daily drinking and binge drinking — have been on an overall downward trend for younger adults between 19 and 30 years old, the report reveals.

Binge drinking is down among younger adults, but older adults are picking up the slack. Getty Images/iStockphoto

The data came from the Monitoring the Future panel study, an annual survey of substance use behaviors and attitudes of U.S. adults 19 to 60 years old.

Since 1975, the MTF study has conducted annual surveys of substance use among samples of eighth, 10th, and 12th graders. The study then followed up on participants after high school to track their drug use into adulthood.

The participants are followed every other year through age 30, then every five years. The oldest survey participants are now in their 60s.

Overall, one undeniable fact emerges from the study — we love mind-altering substances and at increasing rates.

For example, daily marijuana use among younger adults reached its highest level in 2022 (11%), which was greater than five years ago (8% in 2017) and 10 years ago (just 6% in 2012).

And among middle-aged adults, past-year marijuana use reached an all-time high in 2022 (28%), more than double the rate 10 years ago (13% in 2012).

The use of hallucinogens like psilocybin mushrooms has doubled among middle-aged adults in just one year. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Past-year use of hallucinogens has also doubled in this older age group, reaching 4% in 2022, compared to 2% in 2021.

The survey also includes the use of sedatives, cigarettes, and non-medical use of opioids in its database. These substances show a 10-year decline for both adult age groups.

But the use of amphetamines shows an interesting divergence. While past-year use of amphetamines continued a steady 10-year drop among 19- to 30-year-olds, there was a 10-year increase among 35 to 50-year-olds.

“The value of surveys such as MTF is to show us how drug use trends evolve over decades and across development — from adolescence through adulthood,” Dr. Megan Patrick, a research professor at the University of Michigan and principal investigator of the MTF panel study, said in the news release.

“Behaviors and public perception of drug use can shift rapidly, based on drug availability and other factors,” Patrick noted. “It’s important to track this so that public health professionals and communities can be prepared to respond.”

“Understanding these trends is a first step, and it is crucial that research continues to illuminate how substance use and related health impacts may change over time,” Volkow added.