Tracknum: 26899.ggejlhnophhbckkocdllieeddeaa.kenbo01 Pubdate: Mon, 19 Apr 1999 Source: Manila Bulletin Website: http://www.mb.com.ph/frntpage.asp Address: Muralla corner Recoletos Sts., Intramuros, Manila Email: Philippines Fax: 527-7534 Author: Dr. Eduardo G. Gonzales Note: Address inquiries on health matters to Dr. Eduardo G. Gonzales, DLSU College of Medicine, Dasmarinas, Cavite, 4114 THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA I would like to request you to write about the two most popular prohibited drugs in the country, marijuana and shabu. What are the adverse effects of these drugs? Do they cause permanent damage to health? - Rosita Flores, Sampaloc, Manila In today's column, I'll discuss marijuana which, no doubt, is the most widely used illegal drug in the Philippines. The write-up on shabu will appear in a future column. Marijuana consists of the dried flowering tops and leaves of the plant Cannabis sativa. It is used primarily because of its psychoactive properties. Marijuana can either be eaten or rolled into a joint and smoked like a cigarette. The latter is the more popular way of taking the drug because it is the faster way to achieve the drug's effects. The active constituent of marijuana is tetrahydrocannibol (THC). Its health and psychological effects are not yet fully understood. There have been many well-controlled, conclusive, scientific studies about the drug using animal subjects, but most of the studies involving humans have given rise to inconclusive and sometimes equivocal results. At any rate, enough reliable data is available to identify most of the effects (proven and possible) of the drug. Most people who take marijuana become "high." In this "pleasant and desirable" state - which is attained soon after smoking a joint - their heart rate increases and they become relaxed and euphoric. Some become unusually talkative and prone to laughter. Many experience perceptual alteration, time distortion and intensification of ordinary sensory experiences such as watching films and listening to music. Occasionally, however, marijuana use leads to a "bad trip," an unpleasant state characterized by anxiety and panic reactions. If large doses are taken, the "bad trip" can include confusion, amnesia, delusions and hallucinations. "Bad trips" are more common among inexperienced users although even heavy users experience them occasionally. However, regardless of whether he/she gets a "high" or a "bad trip," a person under the influence of marijuana experiences impairment of short-term memory, motor skills and reaction time. This simply means he/she is at risk of getting involved in an accident if he drives or operates a piece of machinery. This risk is probably not worse than the risk one has when driving or operating machinery while under the influence of liquor. But a combination of drug and alcohol is, definitely, deadly. Acute marijuana toxicity occurs very rarely. There have been no reported deaths yet from THC poisoning. Occasional marijuana use probably does not lead to long-term health problems, but habitual or chronic marijuana use does. (Note: some of these health problems are irreversible). Chronic marijuana smoking leads to chronic bronchitis. In addition, marijuana smoke may be carcinogenic (cancer-producing), it may increase the risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus and lungs. Marijuana may impair the production of male sperm and disrupt the female cycle. Some studies have suggested that marijuana use during pregnancy results in babies with low birthweights, but the risk of birth defects is probably nil. Children of women who use marijuana while pregnant have an increase risk of developing leukemia, and a couple of other cancers. Likewise, at ages four to nine years they have been found to have attention, memory and intellectual problems. Chronic marijuana users are also at risk of developing memory, attention and intellectual impairment, but at a degree that is probably much less than those experienced by alcoholics. They also develop tolerance to the drug, which means they need to take more and more to experience the effects they want. About 10 percent of heavy marijuana users develop dependence - similar to that seen among alcoholics - on the substance. Chronic marijuana users are at risk of becoming schizophrenic (psychotic). This is especially true among those who have a family history of psychosis. Finally, perhaps the most insidious effect of marijuana lies in the fact that many chronic users eventually graduate to using "harder" illegal drugs.