the lead in to hard drugs are the lies about the softer ones
There are those that think the most dangerous lies are the ones that some parents (in this case users and proponents of so-called soft drugs) tell their children. It is doubtfull that a parent that condones soft drug use will sit down with their kids and tell them BOTH sides of the story regarding drug use. They simply tell the kids it's OK and that somehow justifies their own habits. The facts that follow are never presented to the children of these parents:
REALITY CHECK: WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH MARIJUANA?
The calls for the decriminalizing or legalizing Marijuana are no longer just coming from easily dismissed small fringe groups. Suddenly mainstream politicians from all stripes and a variety of media commentators have supported more lenient laws regarding the use of cannabis. In presenting their case, many claims about marijuana have been made, but just how accurate are they?
We looked at 9 common claims made by those seeking to soften the laws prohibiting marijuana use and compared them to what the evidence actually reveals. When it comes to information on marijuana its pretty clear that Canadians are getting a bad deal.
MYTH #1
Smoking marijuana does not lead to heavier drug use.
REALITY
While not everyone who smokes a marijuana joint will always move on to harder drugs, many do. Research has clearly shown marijuana to be a 'gateway' drug, leading to the use of more serious drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
One longitudinal study in New Zealand* showed that marijuana users were 100 times more likely to use other more illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin than non-users.1
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) found that adolescents who use marijuana are 85 times more likely to use cocaine than teens who have never smoked marijuana. Sixty percent of youngsters who use marijuana before they turn 15 later go on to use cocaine.2
*The gateway effect remained even when extraneous variables were factored out including: substance use by peers, proclivity to risk-taking behaviours, socio-economic status, and various family and childhood factors. The study also revealed a dose-response relationship in which increased rates of cannabis use were positively correlated with use of other illicit drugs.
MYTH #2
Marijuana is safer and healthier than tobacco or alcohol.
REALITY
While tobacco and alcohol use are associated with health problems, medical evidence indicates that marijuana is certainly not a safer or healthier alternative.
The amount of tar found in one marijuana joint is 50% more than that found in a strong tobacco cigarette.3 Marijuana smokers tend to hold smoke in their lungs longer, which causes more pulmonary damage.4 Much like tobacco smoking, effects of regular marijuana smoking include chronic cough and phlegm, chronic bronchitis symptoms, more chest colds, and abnormal lung functioning.5
Like alcohol, cannabis impairs judgment, interferes with motor coordination, and reduces attention span.6 Marijuana's effects also resemble those of alcohol in that they can affect a developing unborn child. Studies have found babies born to mothers using marijuana during pregnancy to have a lower birth weight (and the associated health problems) than the children of non-using mothers.7
Marijuana users also are more likely to experience a number of other health problems. For example, when heavy marijuana users were compared to light users through various tests, heavy users made more errors and had trouble keeping attention and transferring attention to different tasks. The heavy users also had trouble processing and using information.8 Furthermore marijuana induced memory and learning problems have been shown to last for at least a week after use is discontinued"9 and can last for years.10
Psychological changes resulting from marijuana use include mood changes, distorted sense of time, sudden panic or anxiety, pseudo-hallucinations, and the triggering of latent schizophrenia.11
There are also other physical health problems associated with marijuana use. "Serious, chronic marijuana abuse can increase the risk of stroke, even in young men (age 18-40), by reducing the amount of blood flow to the brain…In fact, brain blood flow in the brain of young males remains at the level seen in 60 year olds for at least 4 weeks after marijuana use has ceased."12 In young women marijuana use can inhibit ovulation.13 And a study with mice found that THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) impairs the immune system and promotes tumor growth.14
MYTH #3
Smoking marijuana has positive health benefits.
REALITY
While the negative health impacts of smoking marijuana are well documented (see above), the claims that smoking marijuana has positive medical effects are less certain. Many within the Canadian medical community have raised concerns about the medical use of marijuana.
In July 2001 the federal government announced it had invested $235,000 in research being carried out at McGill University to examine whether marijuana can be used to effectively control pain. Those clinical trials are currently ongoing and have yet to determine if smoking marijuana can provide beneficial health results.
Other studies have shown that some patients experience positive results with the use of the active ingredient in marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, (commonly referred to as THC) does show positive results in some patients. When effective, it can reduce or eliminate nausea and vomiting in patients suffering from terminal illnesses and cause an increase in appetite, particularly for people living with AIDS.15
However, even if marijuana is shown to provide exclusive benefits in treating certain conditions, there is no need to approve marijuana use for medical purposes. Patients can receive a synthetically created version of THC through prescription drugs such as Marinol.16 While marijuana must be smoked and can vary wildly in its THC content, making it very difficult to prescribe the correct dosage, Marinol is taken in pill form that allows the carefully measured THC to be time-released. Pharmaceutical drugs like Marinol are much more safer than marijuana.
It is important to note that Canadian government has not approved any drug for therapeutic use that must be smoked. As noted above (under Myths #2) there are serious health risks associated with smoking marijuana. In fact, one study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that marijuana burdens the respiratory system four times more than an equivalent amount of tobacco smoking. No other country has approved the use of marijuana as a therapeutic drug, including the United States where the Food and Drug Administration has repeatedly refused to approve marijuana for medical purposes.
MYTH #4
Marijuana is not addictive.
REALITY
The symptoms of marijuana withdrawal make it clear that marijuana is indeed a dependency-producing drug. Withdrawal symptoms can include insomnia, restlessness, loss of appetite, and irritability.17
In one study of 54 temporarily abstaining marijuana users, 57% reported experiencing at least six common marijuana withdrawal symptoms to a moderate degree and 47% reported experiencing at least four such symptoms severely. The withdrawal symptoms were more severe in individuals with the most frequent marijuana use.18
In a New York study, marijuana smokers were assigned a cycle which included four-day periods in which subjects were given a non-THC substance which they were led to believe was marijuana. These periods of refraining from marijuana use were accompanied by reports of anxiety, irritability, stomach pain and significantly reduced food intake in comparison to the pre-withdrawal period.19
MYTH #5
Marijuana does not affect driving abilities.
REALITY
Marijuana can seriously hinder the skills necessary for safe driving.
A Dutch study found that marijuana use results in drivers not paying sufficient attention and not having optimal control over velocity and lateral position of a vehicle. These effects can remain at or even increase from their initial level for two and a half hours.20
Research carried out for the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found a startling impairment on driving reaction times, perception and coordination after marijuana use. The drivers had difficulty maintaining a constant speed, remaining in the same position within the lane, responding to changes in other vehicle speed, and reactions took 36%longer than unimpaired drivers.21
Forty-six percent of patients admitted to the Accident and Emergency Unit in a West Indian hospital with trauma injuries were found to have cannabis blood positivity. In addition, 50% of road accidents and 55% of victims of interpersonal violence were linked with cannabis use. Surprisingly, these rates were higher than those found for blood alcohol.22
Research with airplane pilots has shown that this marijuana-induced impairment affects the ability to operate machinery for up to 24 hours after the substance is administered.23
The evidence on the effects of marijuana use on driving has led the World Health Organization to conclude the following:
"There is sufficient consistency and coherence in the evidence from experimental studies and studies of cannabinoid levels among accident victims to conclude that there is an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents among persons who drive when intoxicated with cannabis."24
MYTH #6
Marijuana does not seriously and permanently affect the behaviour of young people.
REALITY
Marijuana's effects are particularly devastating on teens and young adults.
Marijuana dependence has been shown to be a contributor to suicide, a leading cause of deaths among teenagers. In one sample, 16.2% of individuals making serious suicide attempts were found to meet the American Psychological Association's criteria for cannabis dependence, versus 1.9% of the control subjects. The link between marijuana use and suicide attempts remained even when influences such as psychiatric disorders were factored out.25
Marijuana use has also been linked to the completion of fewer years of education and to lower incomes. This effect was seen even when all study subjects had parents with similar parental income and education levels.26
Marijuana use in the early teens can interfere with the development of important cognitive skills. Early cannabis use has been found to impair reaction times in visual scanning tests. As visual scanning goes through a major period of development somewhere between ages 12 and 15, it is assumed that the main deleterious effects on attentional function when marijuana use take place at this age.27
MYTH #7
Young people are going to use marijuana regardless of whether it is illegal or not.
REALITY
Evidence in other countries and with other controlled substances proves that legalization or decriminalization leads to increased use.
In the Netherlands, marijuana decriminalization was accompanied by large increases in the number of users, particularly among youth. From 1984 to 1992 the rate of cannabis use among students increased by 250%. Between 1991 and 1993 the incidence of cannabis dependency (addiction) increased by 30%.28
Currently, the use of "regulated" legal substances such as tobacco and alcohol is much higher than the use of illegal substances such as marijuana and cocaine.29
MYTH #8
Parents cannot do anything to prevent their children from using marijuana.
REALITY
Teens who do not use drugs most commonly say that this success is due to their parents' actions.30
The quality of the teen-parent relationship has an influence on substance abuse risk. While teens with a poor or fair relationship with one or both parents have a risk of substance abuse which is 55% above the natural average, the risk for teens with a good parental relationship is only 25% higher than the average.31
"Students living on campus or off campus without family reported higher rates of cannabis use both during the previous 12 months (35.8% and 31.2% versus 24.7%) and since September (24.3% and 20.7% versus 14.5%) than students living with their family."32
MYTH # 9
Enforcing marijuana laws consumes a large amount of money and police time which could be used preventing more serious crimes.
REALITY
Marijuana related law enforcement takes up only a tiny fraction of the resources used to enforce laws dealing with alcohol, cigarettes, and illegal drugs.
According to the Canadian Police Association (CPA), "Law enforcement costs for illicit drugs, including courts, corrections and border protection, represent only 2 percent of the total [law enforcement] costs to Canadians of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug [related crimes]." The CPA attributes this difference to the fact that marijuana use is currently illegal and therefore it's use is much less common than the use of alcohol and tobacco. The Association predicts that if marijuana were to be legalized, use would increase and consequently the time and resources spent by police on dealing with marijuana-related crimes would be higher than they currently are.33
1. Horwood, D.M., & John, L. (2000). "Does cannabis use encourage other forms of illicit drug use?" Addiction; 95(4)
2. "Cigarettes, Alcohol, Marijuana: Gateways to Illicit Drug Use," Study conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 10-00-94. Summary
3. Physicians for a Smoke-free Canada (2002). Ottawa.
4. Ibid.
5. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2002). NIDA Info Facts: Marijuana; online: nida.nih.gov
6. Rintoul, S. & MacKillican, C. (2001). Designer Drugs and Raves(2nd Ed.) Addictive Drug Information Council and the RCMP "E" Division Drug Awareness Service.
7. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2002). NIDA Info Facts: Marijuana; online: nida.nih.gov
8. Pope, H. & Yurgilun-Todd, D. (1996) in: NIDA (2002). NIDA Info Facts: Marijuana; online: nida.nih.gov
9. Grady, M. (2002). "Cognitive deficits associated with heavy marijuana use appear to be reversible". NIDA Notes; 17(1)
10. The Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission has more on this.
11. Rintoul, S. & MacKillican, C. (2001). Designer Drugs and Raves(2nd Ed.) Addictive Drug Information Council and the RCMP "E" Division Drug Awareness Service.
12. Herring, R.I. & cadet, J.L. (2001) in: "Chronic marijuana abuse may increase risk of stroke" NIDA Notes: Bulletin Board; 17 (1): April 2002.
13. For more information see: The Council for Drug Education, www.acde.org
14. Dubinett, S.M. (2002) in: "Study finds marijuana ingredient promotes tumor growth, impairs anti-tumor defenses." NIDA News Release, June 20, 2000l; online at nida.nih.gov.
15. Joy, J.E. , Watson,, S.J., & Bensen, J.A.editors, Marijuana And Medicine: Assessing The Science Base Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 00-00-98;. 207.
16. For more information see: marinol.com
17. Dr. Alan I. Leshner, NIDA Director "Chronic marijuana users become aggressive during withdrawal." News Release, April 20, 1999.
18. Budney, A.J. (1999)."Marijuana withdrawal among adults seeking treatment for marijuana independence." Addiction; 94(9): 1311-1322.
19. Haney, M., Ward A.S., Comer S.D., Foltin, R.W., & Fischman M.W. (1999)."Abstinence symptoms following smoked marijuana in humans." Psychopharmacology; 141(4): 395-404
20. Robbe, H.W.J. & O'Hanlon, J.F. (1999), in Rintoul, S. & MacKillican, C. (2001). Designer Drugs and Raves(2nd Ed.) Addictive Drug Information Council and the RCMP "E" Division Drug Awareness Service.
21. Institute for Human Psychopharmacology. (1999). "Marijuana, alcohol, and actual driving performance." NTSA Technology Transfer Series. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; 201: 1-4.
22. McDonald A. (1999). "Alcohol, cannabis and cocaine usage in patients with trauma injuries." West Indian Medical Journal; 48(4):200-202
23. Leirer et al., 1991 in: World Health Organization (1997). Cannabis: a health perspective and research agenda. Division Of Mental Health and Prevention of Substance Abuse.
24. World Health Organization (1997). Cannabis: a health perspective and research agenda. Division of Mental Health and Prevention of Substance Abuse.
25. Beautrais, A.L. (1999). "Cannabis abuse and serious suicide attempts." Addiction; 94(8):1155-1164
26. Pope, H. (2002) in: Grady, M. (2002). "Cognitive deficits associated with heavy marijuana use appear to be reversible". NIDA Notes ; 17 (1)
27. Ehrenreich, H., Rinn, T., Kunert, H.J., Moeller, M.R., Poser, W., Schilling, L., Gigerenzer, G., Hoehe, M.R., (1999). "Specific attentional dysfunction in adults following early start of cannabis use." Psychopharmacology; 142(3):295-301
28. Ibid.
29. DuPont, R.L. and Voth, E.A. (1995). "Drug legalization , harm reduction, and drug policy." Annals of Internal Medicine; 123(6); 461-465
30. National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, ( 1999) "Back to School: National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse V: Teens and Their Parents," Columbia University
31. Ibid.
32. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Canadian Campus Survey, 1998.
33. Niebudek, M. Speaking Notes - Testimony before the House of Commons Special Committee on Non-Medical Use of Drugs, May 8, 2002 cpa-acp.ca; Retrieved Sept 5, 2002. |
