Cannabis Treatment Programs And Their Aim To Cut Down On Drug Use
Marijuana for years has served as the No. 1 illegal drug of choice for Americans. According to research from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 28.5 million U.S. residents who were at least 12 years old in 2009 had used the drug at least once over the previous year. At the same time, only about 30 percent of these U.S. residents who are arrested for violations related to marijuana are 19 or younger, according to the federal government website drugabuse.gov. The drug appeals to people of all ages for recreational uses and for medicinal purposes.
Marijuana is nothing new historically speaking either, with the drug’s seeds first being used for food as far back as 6,000 BC in China and for medicine as far back as 2,737 BC by Shen Nung, a former Chinese emperor who suffered from rheumatism and gout. China is the not the sole region to discover cannabis and use it for multiple purposes, with countries around the globe having their own individual histories of both discoveries of cannabis and uses for it. Some uses, like with Americans, have been for recreational purposes, while others have been more to make people reduce the side effects from the various conditions they suffer from.
Today, U.S. taxpayers pay about $10 billion each year on costs to prohibit this illegal drug, primarily to arrest the estimated 853,000 people per year who are found to be growing or selling large amounts of the drug to the public. Independent agencies are doing their part as well, mostly by employing cannabis addiction specialists to help people who no longer wish to be on the drug with their cannabis withdrawal symptoms. These independent clinics help people understand how to quit smoking marijuana, and they offer cannabis treatment options to marijuana addicts of all ages and stages.
For the average marijuana addict, it takes quite a while to complete a cannabis treatment program. However, for most people who have been on the drug long enough to see some long term side effects, this help is warranted and they are happier than ever to start up a cannabis treatment program that is tailored for them. As more people enter and eventually leave these cannabis treatment programs, less money ultimately should be spent on both treating these people through official cannabis treatment protocols and on arresting the individuals charged with selling marijuana on the streets or behind closed doors.
