Pubdate: Wed, 19 Mar 2014
Source: Willits News (CA)
Copyright: 2014 Willits News
Contact:  http://www.willitsnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4085
Author: Rita Carole

MARIJUANA IS NOT A HARMLESS DRUG

I am concerned about marijuana's impact on the human brain and the 
laissez-faire attitude of the public. On the one hand, research 
demonstrates it is very helpful in alleviating pain and anxiety for a 
variety of medical conditions. On the other hand, the number of 
psychotic breaks as a result of marijuana use has increased 
significantly. For many people, smoking marijuana is a huge mental 
health hazard. The increased amount of THC in the strains these days 
is a factor we did not have to consider in the '60s and '70s.

I am not suggesting we turn back the hands of time but I do think an 
informative dialogue of scientific facts would be helpful. 
Personally, I would like to see a conversation about the health 
impacts of marijuana on people minus the social issue aspects. I 
understand the positive medical advantages, particularly in the area 
of pain management, but how many people are actually using marijuana 
for those reasons?

Given all the PR ads about drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco, why 
is marijuana not included in the discussion? Given its wide-spread 
use, shouldn't people be as informed about it as they are about other 
substances? By ignoring the issue, I fear we are ignoring our public 
responsibility and are sending a terrible message to our kids. I just 
heard a piece on NPR about the negative impact of marijuana on the 
developing brains of teens. Despite this information, 60 percent of 
teens believe that weed is completely safe.

Marijuana is not harmless, no matter how much people may want to believe it is.

Rita Carole

Arcata
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