Pubdate: Fri, 11 Jul 2003
Source: Ithaca Journal, The (NY)
Copyright: 2003, The Ithaca Journal
Contact: http://www.theithacajournal.com/news/letters.html
Website: http://www.theithacajournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1098
Author: Sherri Reynolds
Note: Sober Talk appears monthly in the Ithaca Journal. This column was
written by Sherri Reynolds, MA, CASAC, a clinician with the Alcohol & Drug
Council of Tompkins County.

WHAT DOESN'T HAPPEN WITH MARIJUANA

"I just use marijuana." This is often stated with the conviction that
marijuana is a relatively harmless drug. Many are in favor of
decriminalizing marijuana. After working as a clinician in the addiction
field for almost four years, I have seen a "criminal" side to marijuana use.
Some people argue that marijuana doesn't cause the harm to as many organs of
the body as does alcohol, or that it does not cause sudden death or sudden
addiction as does cocaine or crack. But it seems a crime to see the
potential and the goals of so many people unfulfilled due to the effects of
marijuana. For many people, this "harmless" drug has the side effect of
quietly, gradually, and cunningly stripping people of their desire to get
things done. Professionals use the term "Amotivational Syndrome."

Marijuana may be causing more problems than previously thought because
today's crop is much more potent. The effects of marijuana (both positive
and negative) have been amplified by the fact that the marijuana grown today
can contain up to 14 to 15 percent THC, the most active mood-altering
chemical in marijuana. In the 1970's, the THC content was between 1 to 3
percent.

Known physical dangers include lung, tongue and larynx cancer, emphysema and
chronic bronchitis. The effects of one joint are the equivalent of about
four tobacco cigarettes because the marijuana cigarette is unfiltered and
because the heat, tar and other toxins are inhaled deeply into the lungs and
held. Marijuana temporarily lowers testosterone levels. For male chronic
users, this can result in reduced size of testicles. Also, breast
development and milk production, and decreased fertility can result.
Marijuana also depresses the immune system, resulting in greater numbers of
viral and bacterial infections, and can cause weight gain due to increased
appetite. With the increased potency, marijuana can cause paranoia and even
hallucinations.

Sometimes these effects are gradual or so long-term that they are not
noticed. But, what can often be seen in the life of a heavy user (one who
smokes at least one joint three or more times a week) is what is not
happening in the person's life. When working with adolescents at Pahl House
in Troy, NY, I gradually became aware that no matter what the age of the
adolescent, whether 16, 17, or 18, nearly all had completed only the ninth
grade. The Amotivational Syndrome may explain some of this. Marijuana
reduces or shuts down the functioning of the temporal lobes of the brain.
These areas of the brain are responsible for motivation and short-term
memory. Marijuana slows learning and adversely affects concentration.
Finally, should the use of marijuana progress past the experimenting stage,
and then past habitual use, it can become the number one priority in the
life of the user. Family, friends, school lose meaning. The effect on adults
may present as little motivation for their work, household chores, repairs
and doing things with their spouse or their children. Hobbies, sports, or
doing almost anything other than the drug can fall by the wayside.

What also is often not happening in the life of a marijuana user is problem
solving. As in the use of other mood-altering drugs, a substance is reached
for to calm the mind rather than reach and struggle for a solution. Problems
with family members, friends, education, and/or employment remain, continue,
and pile up. The greater the problems, the greater is the need to escape
with another puff. The dangers of marijuana are significant.
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