WHEREAS, the Food and Drug Administration has studied the effectiveness of smoked marijuana and determined that it is not suitable for use as a medicine; and

WHEREAS, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has reported that there are a number of studies that have shown an association between chronic marijuana use and increased rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and schizophrenia; and

WHEREAS, the National Institutes of Health found that a person who smokes 5 marijuana cigarettes (joint) per week may be taking into their lungs as much tar and cancer-causing chemicals as a person who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day; and

WHEREAS, a 2007 Yale School of Medicine Study found that long-term exposure to marijuana smoking is linked to the same health problems as tobacco smoke, such as increased respiratory symptoms; and

WHEREAS, a study conducted by Columbia University found smoking marijuana weakens the immune system and raises the risk of lung infections; and

WHEREAS, the University of Mississippi found that the average THC content of marijuana has risen from 2.83 percent in 1985 to 9.96 percent in 2008; and

WHEREAS, on May 8, 2008, the British Government reclassified marijuana to higher, more restrictive drug classification , after observing an increase in crime and various health problems when marijuana was downgraded to a Class C drug; and

WHEREAS, the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) reported on July 31, 2008, that the great majority of males arrested for any violation in America have drugs in their system at the time of arrest, with marijuana being the most often detected;

WHEREAS, the White House National Drug Control Strategy 2009 Annual Report confirms that marijuana has long been the mainstay of drug trafficking organizations, accounting for much of their illicit revenue; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police, duly assembled at its 117th Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, continues to oppose any and all efforts to legalize the cultivation, sale and possession of marijuana in the United States and countries throughout the world..

WHEREAS, the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 (CMEA) restricted access to medicines containing pseudoephedrine, a precursor chemical required for the manufacture of methamphetamine, by requiring that pseudoephedrine be sold behind the counter and restricting the amount of pseudoephedrine that an individual may purchase on a daily basis; and

WHEREAS, individuals manufacturing methamphetamine are avoiding CMEA purchasing restrictions by using a technique called smurfing; and

WHEREAS, smurfing permits an individual, or groups of individuals working in concert, to obtain large quantities of pseudoephedrine by purchasing pseudoephedrine from multiple retail stores, thereby exceeding the per person, daily quantity restrictions established by the CMEA; and

WHEREAS, in 2005, Oregon enacted legislation making pseudoephedrine available only by prescription; and

WHEREAS, since enactment of the Oregon prescription requirement, methamphetamine labs in Oregon have dropped from 472 labs in 2004 to 10 labs in 2009; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police, duly assembled at its 117th Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, endorses the adoption of a model legislation that is consistent with the provisions of the Oregon legislation requiring a prescription for the purchase of pseudoephedrine because such legislation is an effective method to eliminate smurfing and to combat methamphetamine production and abuse.

Submitted by: Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs Committee
NDD.020.a10

WHEREAS, in the United States there are more current non-medical users of prescription controlled substances than the number of abusers of cocaine, heroin, and hallucinogens (other than marijuana) combined (SAMHSA, 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health); and

WHEREAS, 1 in 5 teens report abusing prescription controlled substances to get high at least once in their lives and 1 in 7 in the past year and the presence of unused controlled substance prescription drugs in the household is likely contributing to increasing rates of prescription drug abuse among teens who believe they are safer than street drugs (Partnership for Drug Free America); and

WHEREAS, the IACP recognizes that many consumers of legally obtained prescription controlled substances currently have limited options by which they can properly dispose of unwanted or expired drugs; and

WHEREAS, there is growing concern regarding the effects of disposing of unused prescription drugs into the waste system that may be contributing to the contamination of drinking water; and

WHEREAS, the federal Controlled Substance Act (CSA) and implementing regulations establish requirements to prevent the diversion of controlled substances from legitimate sources while ensuring an adequate supply for legitimate uses; and

WHEREAS, the CSA and its implementing regulations do not currently contemplate a situation in which a legitimate consumer would distribute a controlled substance, even for destruction, restricting the opportunity to utilize community take-back programs; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police duly assembled at its 117th Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, strongly supports establishment of National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days, to be conducted twice yearly in the Spring to coincide with high school year-end activities and in the Fall in conjunction with National Law Enforcement Week; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP urges consideration of amendments to statutory and regulatory requirements regarding controlled substances to provide for safe and responsible disposal of prescription controlled substances in a manner consistent with the CSA and implementing regulations in the best interest of public health and safely.

WHEREAS Mexico is the transit point for almost 90 percent of all cocaine consumed in the United States, is the primary source of foreign methamphetamine and marijuana, and is one of the primary sources for heroin; and

WHEREAS Mexican drug trafficking organizations currently represent the greatest organized crime threat to the United States, controlling drug distribution in most U.S. cities and gaining strength in those markets that they do not yet control; and

WHEREAS Mexican drug trafficking organizations are heavily armed, have members and affiliates in cities across the United States, and use sophisticated communications and transportation networks to carry out their operations; and

WHEREAS state and local law enforcement agencies have limited resources to combat drug trafficking and gang-related crimes along the United States borders in addition to their traditional role of enforcing local laws and protecting their communities; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED that the International Association of Chiefs of Police duly assembled at its 117th Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, encourages Congress to provide greater resources and support to state, local and tribal law enforcement for drug interdiction and to combat violence at the Southwest Border of the United States.

Submitted by: Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs Committee
NDD.022.a10

WHEREAS, the Communication Assistance for Law Enforcement Act was passed by Congress in 1994 and has not been amended in over 15 years to address the number and diversity of current and emerging communication technologies; and

WHEREAS, the Federal Communications Commissions CALEA First Report and Order issued in August 2005 and CALEA Second Report and Order issued in May 2006 were not sufficient to ensure that law enforcement maintains electronic surveillance capabilities in the rapidly evolving communication age; and

WHEREAS, according to the Cellular Telephone Industry Association there were more than 822 billion text messages in the second half of 2009 with over 1.5 trillion for the year, the number of multimedia messages more than doubled in the past year with more than 24.2 billion reported in the last half of 2009, wireless data revenues rose 25.7 percent from the last half of 2008 to reach more than $22 billion in the last half of 2009; in addition, there are now 257 million data capable devices in consumers hands, 50 million of which are smart or phones or wireless PDAs, up from 228 million at the end of 2008; and

WHEREAS, third and fourth generation communication networks including Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Wi-Max are or will be deployed by the end of 2012; and

WHEREAS, the means of engaging in wireless communications has expanded beyond the cellular telephone network and increasingly involves using publicly available or free Wi-Fi access without requiring a subscription or other traditional means of identifying the user; and

WHEREAS, the number and diversity of communication applications, such as Voice over Internet Protocol and text messaging, available through application stores is growing exponentially; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement does not have adequate financial and technical resources to pay for the development and maintenance of electronic surveillance capabilities on emerging communication technologies; and

WHEREAS, the cost and disparity between companies charges for electronic surveillance assistance and disclosure of records is already adversely impacting law enforcements ability to investigate criminal organizations; and

WHEREAS, the drug related violence and crime plaguing America from major cities to rural communities is a serious public safety issue; and

WHEREAS, the members of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) recognize the importance of domestic and international drug law enforcement efforts as part of an overall strategy to reduce drug demand and dependency in the United States; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the IACP recognizes the effectiveness that electronic surveillance used by federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement authorities has had on attacking the command and control structure of narcotics trafficking organizations within the United States; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP strongly supports efforts to update the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act to ensure that law enforcement maintains its ability to conduct electronic surveillance by requiring companies that provide individuals with the ability to communicate also provide law enforcement with the ability to intercept those communications in a timely and cost effective manner.

Submitted by: Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs Committee
NDD.023.a10

WHEREAS the April 2008 Attorney Generals Report to Congress on the Growth of Violent Street Gangs in Suburban Areas advises that gangs are present in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and all U.S. territories; and

WHEREAS the April 2008 Attorney Generals Report to Congress on the Growth of Violent Street Gangs in Suburban Areas advises that more than 20,000 gangs consisting of approximately 1 million members exist in the United States; and

WHEREAS the National Gang Threat Assessment 2009 (NGTA) found that criminal gangs commit as much as 80 percent of the crime in many communities; and

WHEREAS gangs are responsible for a large number of violent crimes committed each year throughout the country, including homicides, drug trafficking, armed robbery, assault, auto theft, alien smuggling, extortion, fraud, home invasion, identity theft and weapons trafficking; and

WHEREAS gangs dominate retail-level drug distribution across the United States and increasingly are becoming involved in wholesale-level drug trafficking through connections with foreign drug trafficking organizations (DTOs); and

WHEREAS national and regional level gangs pose unique law enforcement challenges and a multi-jurisdictional threat, giving rise to a need for greater coordination between federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies in intelligence gathering of information regarding gang activities; and

WHEREAS the NGTA further found that gang members are migrating from urban areas to suburban and rural communities, expanding the gangs influence in most regions; and

WHEREAS the NGTA found that 58 percent of state and local law enforcement agencies reported that criminal gangs were active in their jurisdictions in 2008 compared with 45 percent of state and local agencies in 2004; and

WHEREAS, while federal law enforcement agencies and local law enforcement agencies in major urban areas often have specialized units dedicated solely to addressing gang activity, smaller law enforcement agencies in suburban and rural communities often lack sufficient resources to staff specialized gang units or task forces and, as a result, may receive only limited gang intelligence; and

WHEREAS it is critical for all state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to receive intelligence gathered by law enforcement about gang activities; and

WHEREAS better methods of more fully collecting, analyzing and disseminating gang intelligence would lead to greater success in combating gang activity nationwide, it is therefore

RESOLVED that the International Association of Chiefs of Police duly assembled at its 117th Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, supports development of new initiatives to increase coordination between federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies of gang enforcement activities and the collection, analysis and dissemination of gang intelligence.

Submitted by: Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs Committee
NDD.024.a10

Reporting Violence Against Police Officers and noting the Link Between Drug Trafficking and Increasing Violence Against Law Enforcement Officers
Submitted by: Narcotics Dangerous Drugs Committee
ndd.013.A11

WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) recognizes that the law enforcement community has the singular responsibility to preserve law and order and protect the rights of all persons; and

WHEREAS, violence is a primary concern of communities worldwide; and

WHEREAS, according to statistics released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), 56 law enforcement officers in the United State were feloniously killed in the line of duty during 2010 and, of these, 15 were killed during ambushes. The FBI's statistics for 2009 indicate that 48 officers were feloniously killed and 14,985 of 57,268 assaulted officers suffered injuries, all of whom were performing their duties at the time; and

WHEREAS, the illegal drug trade has been identified as a key contributor of violence; and

WHEREAS, based upon reputable news reports, there is reason to believe that law enforcement officers worldwide are increasingly targeted by members of violent drug trafficking organizations and other criminal elements; and

WHEREAS, there is a lack of statistical reporting that specifically tracks drug-related violence against law enforcement officers; and

WHEREAS, violence against law enforcement officers resulting from their efforts to disrupt the illicit drug trade is equivalent to a deliberate attack on society and the rule of law; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police, duly assembled at its 118th Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois, strongly encourages all law enforcement agencies to actively and systematically record and report all acts of violence against law enforcement officers; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police strongly encourages all law enforcement agency to specifically identify those acts of violence that are drug-related; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED that these information be used in order to build support for increasing the penalties for such acts and to demonstrate the need for law enforcement officers to be provided with additional resources to protect themselves and the communities which they serve.

Supporting Legislation Prohibiting or Controlling Synthetic Stimulants
Submitted by: Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs Committee
ndd.012.A11

WHEREAS, synthetic stimulants are sold over the Internet and at retail locations as legal alternatives tocontrolled substances such as cocaine, amphetamine and Ecstasy; and

WHEREAS, synthetic cocaine and methamphetamine-like substances are commonly sold as 'bath salts'or 'plant food;' and

WHEREAS, these synthetic compounds are falsely marketed as "not for human consumption" or "fornovelty use only," and contain a variety of stimulants, including Mephedrone andMethylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV); and

WHEREAS, these stimulants have become a serious drug abuse problem and have increased both thethreat to public safety and the commission of crime, to include vehicular accidents, suicide and homicide;and

WHEREAS, the American Association of Poison Control Centers reported in June 2011 that poisoncontrol centers in the U.S. fielded more than 2,371 calls as of May 31, 2011 regarding 'bath salts', whichwas a marked increased from the 302 calls received in 2010; and

WHEREAS, neither Mephedrone nor MDPV have been approved for any known medical use in theUnited States; and

WHEREAS, unregulated synthetic stimulants that mimic the effect of illicit controlled substances areoften chemically formulated in a manner that prevents traffickers from being prosecuted under Federaland State drug analogue provisions; and

WHEREAS, numerous states have banned, or are considering banning, a variety of synthetic stimulantsthat include those banned by DEA as well as Mephedrone and MDPV. Local and state laws, such asthose from Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, NorthDakota, Oregon, West Virginia, and Washington, include chemicals not currently under federal ban andare readily enforceable against smaller scale distributers by local and state law enforcement agencies;now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), duly assembled at its 118thAnnual Conference in Chicago, Illinois, strongly supports state and federal legislation banning syntheticstimulants that mimic the effects of illicit controlled substances when used for human consumption.

Supporting Legislative Model Requiring Prescription For Pseudoephedrine, Ephedrine and Phenylpropanolamine
Submitted by: Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Committee
ndd.011.A11

WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) recognizes that the recreational use of amphetamine and methamphetamine is a significant law enforcement and societal problem; and

WHEREAS, chemical precursors such as pseudoephdrine, ephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine are essential ingredients for the illicit production of amphetamine and methamphetamine; and

WHEREAS, within the United States, pseudoephdrine, ephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine (hereinafter chemical precursors) are often obtained legally by purchasing pharmaceuticals containing these chemical precursors over-the-counter at pharmacies; and

WHEREAS, the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act (CMEA) was enacted in 2006 to stem the availability of these chemical precursors; and

WHEREAS, CMEA regulates, among other things, retail over-the-counter sales of products containing these chemical precursors by limiting daily sales, imposing 30-day purchase limits, and isolating products from direct customer access; and

WHEREAS, although CMEA was initially successful in reducing the availability of these chemical precursors, traffickers have adopted a technique called "smurfing" to circumvent the requirements of the CMEA. Smurfing is the practice of using fake forms of identification to purchase several small quantities of the required chemical precursors at multiple retail establishments to avoid the CMEA purchase limitations; and

WHEREAS, to further restrict access to these chemical precursors in light of efforts to circumvent the CMEA, several state jurisdictions have either enacted or are contemplating enacting legislation that would require a prescription for the purchase of all products containing these precursor chemicals; and

WHEREAS, there are indications that such legislation is successful in stemming the availability of these chemical precursors and reducing the supply of these precursor chemicals and would result, over time, in a decreased number of methamphetamine labs, societal costs, and crime rates; and

WHEREAS, requiring a prescription for all products that contain these chemical precursors would control the availability of chemical precursors essential to the production of amphetamine and methamphetamine; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police, duly assembled at its 118th Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois, recommends that the availability of all compounds, mixtures, or preparations that contain a detectable amount of pseudoephdrine, ephedrine, and/or phenylpropanolamine, or their salts or optical isomers, be limited by requiring a prescription from a licensed physician or licensed health care professional authorized to prescribe medications.

Restoration of Funding for Clandestine Laboratory Cleanup
Submitted by: Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Committee
ndd.014.A11

WHEREAS, despite legislative efforts such as the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act aimed at decreasing illegal methamphetamine production, law enforcement agencies continue to confront problems concerning clandestine chemical laboratories used for the illegal production of methamphetamine; and

WHEREAS, state, local and tribal law enforcement conduct the overwhelming number of clandestine laboratory seizures within the United States. According to the National Seizure System (NSS) that tracks clandestine laboratory seizures, in calendar year (CY) 2010, state, local and tribal police conducted 11,278 clandestine laboratory seizures, more than 99 percent of which were categorized as methamphetamine and/or amphetamine laboratories; and

WHEREAS, clandestine laboratories pose unique, difficult and costly challenges for law enforcement because they involve hazardous waste disposal and environmental contamination cleanup, and require increased public safety measures to protect against fires, explosions, and poisonous gas; and

WHEREAS, in CY 2010, state and local police reported to the NSS 17 incidents of clandestine laboratories that used explosives and/or booby traps, 899 incidents during which children were affected (i.e., present or injured), and 27 incidents where law enforcement officers were injured; and

WHEREAS, state and local law enforcement and other government agencies must oversee the dismantling of clandestine laboratories and the removal of dangerous chemicals in compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal and state regulations; and

WHEREAS, providing a coordinated, effective response to these challenges requires specialized law enforcement training; and

WHEREAS, the cost of cleaning up and removing these chemicals in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements is extremely expensive and significantly exceeds state and local law enforcement agency resources; and

WHEREAS, between Fiscal Years (FYs) 1998 and 2010, the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program provided $184 million to DEA to take the lead role in assisting state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies with the proper removal and disposal of hazardous materials at clandestine methamphetamine laboratories, including funds for training, technical assistance, and for the purchase of equipment. During this period, DEA oversaw the cleanup of over 71,000 clandestine laboratories for state and local agencies; and

WHEREAS, for FY 2011, the monies COPS received from Congressional appropriations to transfer to DEA for clandestine laboratory cleanups was only $8.2 million, despite an estimated $22 million in expected cleanup costs for FY 2011. As a result of the budget shortfall, DEA is unable to fund fully the cleanup of all clandestine laboratories uncovered by state, local and tribal law enforcement personnel in FY 2011; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police, duly assembled at its 118th Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois, urges Congress to appropriate sufficient funds so that state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies may continue their essential role in the proper removal and disposal of hazardous materials at clandestine laboratories.

National Guard Education and Eradication Efforts - Support for Adequate Funding
Submitted by: Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Committee
ndd.015.A11

WHEREAS, Congress first authorized the National Guard Counterdrug Program in 1989; and

WHEREAS, 2,500 National Guard personnel are engaged daily in support of drug interdiction and demand reduction missions; and

WHEREAS, the National Guard Counterdrug Program reached over 3 million people in Fiscal Year 2009, with its positive anti-drug message; and

WHEREAS, the National Guard Counterdrug Program's personnel are woven into the fabric of our communities across America operating in all 54 states and territories; and

WHEREAS, the National Guard Counterdrug Program bridges the gap between Department of Defense (DoD) and non-DoD institutions in the fight against illicit drugs and transnational threats to the Homeland; and

WHEREAS, the National Guard Counterdrug Program includes a Demand Reduction Program, the National Guard Counterdrug School System, and robust aviation support; and

WHEREAS, the Demand Reduction Program's mission is to use the National Guard's resources to help create the best opportunity for America's youth to make the decision to be drug-free; and

WHEREAS, the Demand Reduction Program works closely with local law enforcement, educators, and community-based organizations to reduce the chances of exposure of illegal drugs to our nation's children; and

WHEREAS, one of the National Guard Counterdrug Program's missions is to provide education to include tutoring, mentoring, support of after-school programs, drug-free activities, role model programs, and sports-drug awareness programs; and

WHEREAS, one of the keystones of the National Guard Counterdrug Program is the education of this nation's youth, including Stay on Track which focuses on America's middle school students; and

WHEREAS, during the 2009-2010 school year Stay on Track was implemented in 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico; and

WHEREAS, the implementation of Stay on Track during the 2009-2010 school year reached over 120,000 students; and

WHEREAS, as of January 2009 and after middle school students had been exposed to the Stay on Track curriculum, 21% had an increased knowledge of the harmful effects of drugs, 50% of the students reported that they now had the skills to resist drugs, and 94% of the students advised that they now had the skills to help friends resist drugs; and

WHEREAS, after the 2009-2010 school year and after middle school students had been exposed to the Stay on Track curriculum, 10% had an increased knowledge of the harmful effects of drugs, 23% had an increased knowledge of substance use by their peers, 93% were prepared to refuse drugs, 87% were prepared to advocate that their peers resist drugs, 91% thought it was wrong for their peers to use drugs, and 81% perceived that it was risky to use illicit substances; and

WHEREAS, the National Guard Counterdrug School System consists of five schools that provide nocost training to law enforcement agencies and community-based organizations through resident, distance learning, and export courses offered by the Midwest Counterdrug Training Center, Des Moines, IA; the Multi-Jurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training facility, St. Petersburg, FL; the Northeast Counterdrug Training Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, PA; the Regional Counterdrug Training Academy, Meridian, MS; and the Western Regional Counterdrug Training Center, Tacoma, WA; and WHEREAS, the National Guard Counterdrug Program provides National Guard personnel serving as investigative criminal case analysts to civilian law enforcement. These analysts focus on four core competencies: link analysis, document exploitation, commodity/financial transaction analysis, and drug trafficker case construction; and WHEREAS, as recently as Fiscal Year 2008, 781 National Guard investigative criminal case analysts supported drug law enforcement agencies and task forces throughout the nation including 471 who supported the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program; and WHEREAS, one of the National Guard Counterdrug Program's missions is to provide domestic cannabis eradication assistance, including: aerial, logistics, and communications support; intelligence, planning, and medical support; operational staff coordination; physical security; ground transportation; the actual eradication and destruction of contraband; and the spraying of herbicides; and

WHEREAS, National Guard Counterdrug Program funding has not kept pace with pay adjustments for program personnel, nor has it kept pace with demands for increased National Guard counter-drug support; and now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police, duly assembled at its 118th Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois, urges Congress to appropriate sufficient funds to adequately and fully fund the National Guard Counterdrug Program so that it can effectively continue its education, analyst, aviation support, and cannabis eradication missions.

WHEREAS, marijuana is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) and, therefore, it is illegal under federal law to manufacture, distribute or possess marijuana for any purpose other than Government-approved research, and;

WHEREAS, in the midst of heated public debates regarding the efficacy of marijuana use for medicinal purposes, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) completed a scientific and medical evaluation of marijuana in 2006 which recommended to DEA that marijuana remain a Schedule I controlled substance because of its high potential for abuse, lack of currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and lack of an accepted level of safety for use under medical supervision; and

WHEREAS, to date there are no adequate and well-controlled clinical trials supporting the therapeutic use of smoked marijuana. To the contrary, recent studies have found that the use of marijuana significantly increases the probability that certain people will develop schizophrenia and that regular cannabis use among young people increased their risk of developing a psychotic illness later in life by more than 40 per cent; and

WHEREAS, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an HHS component, testified before Congress on April 1, 2004, that the use of botanical products such as marijuana for medicinal purposes poses unique concerns such as: lot-to-lot consistency, strength, potency, shelf life, dosing and toxicity monitoring; and

WHEREAS, despite its illegality under federal law and the lack of a science-based approach to evaluating the merits of marijuana for medicinal purposes, sixteen states and the District of Columbia have passed laws permitting the use of marijuana for the treatment of certain medical conditions; and

WHEREAS, state legalization of "medical" marijuana creates the false perception that there are circumstances in which marijuana possession is legal when, in fact, such possession violates federal law unless authorized as a part of government-approved research; and

WHEREAS, state legalization also creates the perception that marijuana may be used safely when, in fact, its use is associated with a variety of adverse health effects including addiction, respiratory and mental illness, poor motor performance, and impaired cognitive and immune system functioning; and

WHEREAS, under the guise of state-authorized medical use, marijuana is being sold to individuals who do not have serious medical conditions and who are using marijuana for recreational purposes; and

WHEREAS, the World Health Organization ranked the United States first among 17 European and North American countries for prevalence of marijuana use; and

WHEREAS, according to the Monitoring the Future Survey, conducted by the University of Michigan, nationwide fewer adolescents now perceive that there is a risk associated with marijuana use and fewer adolescents disapprove of marijuana use since a survey regarding these same perceptions was conducted in 2009; and

WHEREAS, historical data reveal that softening of attitudes regarding drug use typically signals future increases in use; and

WHEREAS, the Monitoring the Future Survey reported that marijuana use, which had risen sharply among teens in 2008 and 2009, continued to rise again in 2010; and

WHEREAS, the Supreme Court held in United States v. Rutherford, 442 U.S. 544 (1979), that public safety must prevail over the rights of terminally ill patients seeking a cure and "inventive minds" who manufacture and sell unproven panaceas; and

WHEREAS, Congress has determined that marijuana is a dangerous drug and that the illegal distribution and sale of marijuana is a serious crime that provides a significant source of revenue to large scale criminal enterprises, gangs, and cartels; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police, duly assembled at its 118th Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois, calls for the repeal of state legislation legalizing the manufacture, distribution and possession of marijuana for medical purposes.

Submitted by: Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs Committee
ndd.016.A11