PARENTS ARE URGED TO LEARN ABOUT TODAY'S MARIJUANA

So it's only marijuana. Many individuals do inhale marijuana and the
youth have been given the message that smoking this drug isn't as bad
as those "other" drugs. That is if the person that is giving the
message even acknowledges that marijuana is a drug.

But today's marijuana is not yesterday's marijuana. I find this to be
very interesting information for parents, teachers and anyone who has
had the questions asked or will be asked: What's so wrong with
smoking marijuana? It's not a drug? Right?

Today's Marijuana

You can hardly walk out the door, turn on the TV or read the
newspaper without being confronted with the issue of marijuana - its
harmfulness or harmlessness, its medical usefulness or lack thereof,
its grouping with alcohol as the first drug of experimentation, not
to mention the fact that state laws and federal laws regarding its
use and legality are often out of sync.

There is so much misinformation about marijuana out there, due to
efforts by some to desensitize society to the harms and risks of this
illegal substance. Marijuana is not only harmful, but addictive and
potentially deadly. It is not a medicine in its smoked form - and
hey, if you don't believe it, ask the Food and Drug Administration.
It is scientifically proven to lead to the use of harder drugs. Read
on about the issues and arm yourself with the truth about marijuana.

Is Marijuana Harmful

One of the most difficult challenges facing parents today is
discussing alcohol, tobacco and drug use with an adolescent son or
daughter. Most adults were teenagers themselves during the 1970s, 80s
and 90s, a time when drug experimentation could be dismissed as a
rite of passage to adulthood. But times have changed. Marijuana today
is 15 to 25 times more potent than the pot smoked 30 or 40 years ago.

According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, average THC
(the psychoactive component in marijuana) levels rose from less than
1 percent in the mid-1970s to more than 6 percent in 2002. Sinsemilla
(highly potent form of marijuana obtained from unpollinated female
plants) potency increased in the past two decades from 6 percent to
more than 13 percent, with some samples containing THC levels of up
to 33 percent.

Research shows that recurrent or frequent use of this drug suppresses
the immune system, damages brain cells and decreases short-term
memory, attention span and motivation. Low levels of THC make the
user feel relaxed, silly and sleepy. Higher amounts may cause mild
sensory distortions, an altered sense of time, loss of short-term
memory, loss of balance and difficulty in completing thought
processes. Extremely high amounts may result in anxiety, panic,
hallucinations, delusions and paranoia.

Physical effects may include an increase in heart rate, tightness of
the chest, difficulty breathing, lack of muscle coordination and
reddened eyes. Chronic smokers are susceptible to significant
respiratory problems including recurring chest cold, bronchitis,
emphysema, asthma and potentially lung cancer.

Marijuana affects necessary skills for safe driving. Marijuana
affects alertness, the ability to concentrate, coordination and
reaction time. It also makes it difficult to judge distances and
react to signals and signs on the road.

According to the National Institutes of Health, someone who smokes
five joints per week may be taking in as many cancer-causing
chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes per day.
Smoking one marijuana cigarette deposits about four times as much tar
into the lungs as a filtered tobacco cigarette.

In all, marijuana contains more than 400 chemicals including tar and
other cancer-causing agents. It also contains some of alcohol's
depressant properties and similarly damages the central nervous
system, causing neurological and psychological abnormalities.

Finally, marijuana is called a "gateway" drug. Among marijuana's most
harmful consequences is its role in leading to the use of other,
harder drugs. Long-term studies of students who use drugs show that
very few young people use other illegal drugs without first trying
marijuana. Not everyone who uses marijuana will move on to other
drugs, but using marijuana sometimes lowers inhibitions about drug
use and exposes users to a culture that encourages experimentation
and use of other drugs. Marijuana users are two to five times more
likely to go on to use harder drugs.

Hopefully this will give readers new information and can help answer
questions about marijuana's physical harm, addiction and long-term effects.

For more information, visit http://captus.samhsa.gov.

Diane M. Peebles is the prevention coordinator for the Amador County
Behavioral Health Services, Substance Abuse Division.