Last Blog On Earth

“Storefronts selling Valium and Vicodin—some of the drugs most abused by adolescents—are springing up across San Diego County, often within the vicinity of schools and other places kids congregate. Parents tell Channel 7 the prevalence of Walgreens, Vons and Rite Aids in San Diego sends the wrong message to children…”

OK, you’d never, ever see this report on television news, but why not? That’s the tack Channel 7’s Mari Payton took in her medical cannabis “investigation” on last night’s 11 p.m. newscast. The sensationalized top story, “Where’s the Weed?” was heavily promoted during commercial breaks and it’s currently splashed, with an image of a youth puffing on a joint, across the front page of the NBC affiliate’s web site.  The piece transposes images of cash and weed with images those shock! bending images of school signs and kids on campus.

Payton makes the argument that parents should be up in arms about how many dispensaries have popped up in San Diego County and how that encourages teen drug use. (Does it also encourage kids to get leukemia? After all these are medical facilities) Then she makes a big hoo-ha about how Green Earth Herbal Collective’s proprietor recommends the plant as a remedy for anxiety disorders. As if experimenting with SSRI cocktails isn’t just as irresponsible.

But those aren’t Schedule 1 narcotics. That’s the justification for the double standard. The data, though, indicates that when it comes to teen drug abuse,  it doesn’t matter whether the drug’s illegal or not.

According to a 2008 report by the White House’s Office of National Drug Policy, prescriptions were the second most abused drug by teenagers after marijuana: 3 percent of 12 to 17 years olds abused pharmaceuticals compared to 7 percent for marijuana. In addition, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 70 percent of stimulant-abusing teens also abused marijuana.

OK, I’ll concede that perhaps these dispensaries shouldn’t be near schools as liquor shops are generally not. What Payton misses—unforgivable for a journalist—is Thursday’s big news that San Diego’s dispensaries, under the umbrella of Southern California NORML, have offered up a draft city ordinance for regulating themselves. As CityBeat reported, the dispensaries are ready to agree to a rule that would prohibit operations within 500 feet of a school. SoCal NORML director Craig Beresh says there’s a lot of wiggle room, which presumably would include increasing that distance.

Beresh wasn’t interviewed and the Thursday afternoon press conference wasn’t included in the piece. Instead, Green Earth was the only pro-medipot source used to balance out opposition interviews with the District Attorney’s Office, law enforcement and upset parents.

Payton should learn to Google.

A few semi-related notes:

- A warning to Green Earth and other dispensaries who agree to grant access to television crews: First of all, you might get burned by the reporter. Secondly, according to at least two search-warrant affidavits filed in San Diego Superior Court,  dispensaries came to the attention of law enforcement  from television reports.

- Hillcrest Compassion Care, one of the dispensaries raided in September, is still advertising on cable TV. I saw the spot last night.

- Steve Breen had a poignant cartoon in Thursday’s U-T contrasting the willingness of medical cannabis providers to treat any condition with pot against the health insurance industry’s willingness to reject coverage for any condition.