Pubdate: Thu, 05 Sep 2002
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2002, The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.globeandmail.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Raju Hajela
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1636/a04.html

WHERE THERE'S SMOKE

Kingston, Ont. -- I read The Flin Flon Flip-Flop by Spider Robinson (Sept. 
2) with interest, notwithstanding his potshots at the medical profession, 
Anne McLellan and me.

For those interested, marijuana smoke produces 50 per cent more tar and 
contains 70 per cent more benzopyrene than the same weight of tobacco. 
Marijuana smokers generally take a two-thirds larger puff volume, one-third 
greater depth of inhalation, and a fourfold longer breath-holding time than 
tobacco smokers. So it is easy to see how researchers arrive at the 
estimate of joint/cigarette harm of about 1:10 when one looks at acute and 
chronic respiratory symptoms of smoking, in addition to the risk of cancers.

Chemically, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana is a hallucinogen that 
interferes with perception and is addictive. I have many patients who 
turned to marijuana for comfort but ended up with destruction of various 
aspects of their lives.

Marijuana has been around for millenniums, but it has not become popular as 
good medicine precisely because its safety and efficacy are not 
established. As a science-fiction writer, Mr. Robinson can invent ideas 
that sound scientific; but he must remember that science related to our 
daily lives needs to be grounded in reality.

Raju Hajela MD, past president, Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine
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