Marijuana

Marijuana has a kind of happy, hip image in American culture. In movies like Up in Smoke, Dazed and Confused, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High (to name but a few), “smoking dope” is portrayed as innocent fun for laid-back people who are being persecuted by uptight government authorities.

In fact, many Americans are of the opinion that marijuana should be legalized because they believe that it is a harmless form of relaxation that is no more dangerous than liquor or cigarettes.

However, the truth is that the jury is still out on the medical effects of marijuana. Recently, the American Medical Association recommended that the drug should remain a Schedule I controlled substance until more research is completed. In 2009, the National Institute of Health began a $4 million, four-year study of the long-term effects of marijuana on learning, judgment, and self-control. Another goal of this study will be to find out if it affects young people differently and more adversely than it does adults.

Marijuana Facts

Marijuana consists of the dried leaves, stems, and flowers of the hemp plant. Users roll the drug in small papers to make a “joint” or cigarette, and then smoke it. Some people prefer to smoke marijuana through a pipe or bong, or drink it like tea. Still others take out the contents of cigars and then re-stuff them with marijuana and other drugs, usually cocaine or heroin.

The drug has hundreds of street names. Some of the more common terms are Aunt Mary, Bobby, Boom, Bud, Chronic, Dope, Ganja, Gangster, Assassin of Youth, Grass, Hash, Indo, Hydro, Herb, Kif, Mary Jane, Pot, Reefer, Sinsemilla, Skunk, and Weed.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), most of the marijuana that is used in the United States comes either from domestic sources or from Mexico and Canada. It is illegal to sell, buy or possess marijuana, but penalties vary depending upon the state in which the drug is being used, the amount of marijuana involved, and whether it is a first time offense.

The federal penalties for trafficking in marijuana can range between five and 40 years in prison and can include up to $10 million in fines, depending again on how much marijuana was involved and if the person is a repeat violator.

Marijuana Intoxication

The main active chemical in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Certain nerve cells in the brain have membranes with protein receptors that bind to THC. Once THC binds to these receptors, it stimulates a series of reactions that cause the “high” that people experience when they smoke marijuana. The amount of THC in the marijuana that is being consumed determines how strong the effect will be on the human brain.

A 2009 study from the University of Mississippi involved over 65,000 samples of marijuana seized by legal authorities in all 50 states between 1975 and 2008. The amount of THC in the “batches” kept increasing every year, reaching a thirty-year high between 2007 and 2008.

Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said this study was worrisome because high levels of THC increase the risk of mental impairment and addiction, especially among young people. Most of today’s marijuana is believe to be about twice as strong as it was 25 years ago.

Marijuana’s Effect on Health

Part of the reason that the medical establishment refuses to endorse the legalization of marijuana is that the much recent research has been troubling:

• A February 2009 study found that teenage boys who use marijuana experience a 70-percent increase in the risk that they will develop a deadly form of testicular cancer in their twenties and thirties.
• Australian scientists have reported in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology that, compared to adult rats, adolescent rats that are exposed to marijuana lose more long- and short-term memory and are more likely to become addicted to the drug.
• An earlier study found that adolescents are three times more likely than adults to develop marijuana dependency.

Most scientists believe that long-term abuse of marijuana causes changes in the brain the same way other illicit drugs do. The research points to increased risks for young users:

• Early abuse of marijuana has been associated with an increased risk for anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, psychosis, and schizophrenia.
• A study published in 2005 found that four out of five people with schizophrenia used marijuana regularly as teenagers. However, no one knows if marijuana causes these problems or if the abusers are self-medicating preexisting mental disturbances.
• An Australian study linked heavy long-term marijuana use with structural abnormalities in areas of the brain known as the hippocampus and amygdala.
• Other studies have found that marijuana can alter a woman’s menstrual cycle and suppress ovulation, and may cause future infertility.

Marijuana lingers in the body longer than most other drugs. The chemicals in marijuana are fat-soluble and can therefore accumulate in the liver, lungs, testes, and other organs. Again, no one is sure of the long-term effects of this.

Marijuana causes mental impairment similar to the effects of alcohol. A study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that marijuana affects reaction and response times for drivers. One study found that between 16 and 19 percent of automobile crash victims in trauma units tested positive for marijuana.

Additional Dangers

Marijuana users have trouble paying attention, making decisions, keeping their balance and coordination, and performing at school or work. Scientists believe that the reason for this is that marijuana narrows arteries in the head, leading to decreased blood flow to the brain. Chronic abusers often experience failures in career or lowered performance, and lose their motivation and ambition. Other studies found that marijuana users are more like to be absent or tardy from work, put in workmen’s compensation claims, and experience job accidents and job turnover.

A 1997 study found that the drug suppresses the immune system by damaging cells in the bronchial passages and the ability of immune cells in the lungs to fight infections. Marijuana is a carcinogen that is 50 percent to 70 percent more harmful than tobacco smoke. Marijuana smokers often have chronic coughs, more chest illnesses, lung infections, and obstructed airways the way tobacco smokers do.

Smoking marijuana increases the heart rate. You have a quadruple risk of a heart attack in the first hour after smoking marijuana.

Science does not back up the notion that smoking marijuana has proven medical value or helps dying patients. Other drugs work better at controlling nausea of cancer patients.

The American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the British Medical Association have issued statements that marijuana should remain a controlled substance or not be endorsed as a medication. The Drug Enforcement Agency has issued clear statements that it does not target sick or dying people who use marijuana, but criminals engaged in growing and trafficking in the drug.

Marijuana & Drug Treatment

There is a lot of evidence that marijuana is addictive. When heavy users try to quit, they experience drug cravings, anxiety, sleeplessness, and decreased appetite. Psychological dependency is also an issue among heavy smokers.

Marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal drug. Among high school seniors, 42 percent have tried it at least once, 32 percent within the past year, and 19 percent within the past month. Five percent of high school seniors report using the drug on a daily basis.

These teenagers can get in trouble with legal authorities and end up in court-ordered drug treatment programs. Many have experienced success after their parents have enrolled them in a  therapeutic boarding school, wilderness programs, or other type of residential treatment program.

About 16 percent of the people admitted into drug treatment facilities are there for marijuana dependency. This amounts to over 250,000 people per year. This group is 74 percent male, 52 percent white, and 36 percent teenaged.

The majority in treatment for marijuana started abusing it by age 14 years old. Most people enter treatment for a combination of marijuana and some other illicit drug or drugs. Most teenagers will do better in a treatment center designed specifically for their needs, and some studies show they prefer support meetings where other members are about their age.

The first step in recovery is detoxification, which takes two to four days, and is accomplished under constant medical supervision. There are currently no drugs available to counteract withdrawal symptoms.

After chemical withdrawal is complete, the person usually stays in residential treatment to learn the skills he will need to stay drug-free. He attends classes and lectures in drug dependency, and learns what triggers relapses into drug use and how to avoid them. Usually, he undergoes individual and group counseling to help understand why he grew dependent on drugs and how to find new goals and interests to fill the time formerly spent in drug use. Most residential centers offer physical exercise programs and recreational activities such as field trips and outdoor sports.

Once the person returns home, she needs follow-up care. This usually involves family therapy and continuance with individual therapy. She needs to find a new, non-drug using social network, and attend support meetings. Many times teens will undergo random urine tests as part of their follow-up care. The new theory of drug treatment is that most people will relapse at least once, and that this is part of the recovery process.

References
National Institute of Drug Abuse - http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/marijuana.html
Drug Enforcement Agency - http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/marijuana.html