FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: August 18, 2009

Aerial Arrest Maps Show Low-Income and Minority Communities Bear Greater Burden of Marijuana Law Enforcement

DALLAS, TX - This week ProtectYouth.org, a Dallas-based nonprofit, released a collection of aerial maps that show where arrests for marijuana possession and sales have occurred in 30 cities throughout Texas during years 2006 - 2008. ProtectYouth.org believes it is important that the public is aware of the marijuana market trends in their community and law enforcement's impact on trends, such as youth marijuana use rates. The maps show that in some cities, such as Dallas and Fort Worth, minority and low-income neighborhoods bear a significantly greater burden of the marijuana law enforcement than in other areas.

To accompany the release of the maps, ProtectYouth.org has also released a Tobacco and Marijuana Market Impact Index report to track long-term trends in tobacco and marijuana use among youth attending Texas school districts, grades 7 - 12. The information is based on results from the established Texas School Survey, which has been administered to over 500 Texas school districts since 1989 and coordinated by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) in conjunction with the Public Policy Research Institute (PPRI) at Texas A&M University.

The ProtectYouth.org study shows that despite record levels of marijuana arrests in Texas over the past ten years, current use of regulated tobacco cigarettes has dropped below current marijuana use, or is declining at a significantly faster rate, among middle and high school students in school districts across the state. This trend is also reflected among school districts that participated in the nationwide 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which is conducted biennially by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cities such as Houston and San Antonio have seen teen cigarette use drop below marijuana use while arrests for marijuana possession and sales in those cities have skyrocketed since 1997 with little or no impact on marijuana use rates.

The Fiscal Year 2009 Annual Synar Report showed that since the passage of comprehensive tobacco control laws by the state and federal governments in 1997 there has been a dramatic decrease in tobacco sales to minors. In Fiscal Year 1997, 56 percent of Texas retailers violated laws against tobacco sales to minors. In 2009, the rate had dropped to 11.3 percent.

"Texas has been dramatically successful in reducing cigarette use among young teens with the retailer "We Card" programs, passage of public smoking bans, and state and federal tax increases on cigarettes, which fund our tobacco enforcement and education programs. It’s time to apply that success to the marijuana market to reduce its influence on our youth and stop enriching criminal groups who are currently exploiting the unregulated market," said Craig Johnson, the executive director of ProtectYouth.org.

For more information, visit www.ProtectYouth.org