DEPENDING ON WHOM YOU ASK, POT'S HARMLESS OR HAZARDOUS

A lack of scientific consensus on the possible medical benefits and
health risks of marijuana may contribute to the public's wildly
different perspectives on the drug.

Nearly a third of students at Ohio University report using marijuana
at some level, and many see it as less harmful than other
recreational drugs, despite contradictory medical evidence, according
to the OU Department of Health Promotion.

Terry Koons, associate director of Health Promotion, said that
marijuana, like alcohol (and increasingly unlike tobacco), is viewed
by many as socially acceptable, despite its health risks. Despite
popular opinion, however, smoking marijuana is more physically
harmful than smoking cigarettes, he said. Marijuana smokers tend to
hold the smoke in their lungs longer, exposing them to more
carcinogens, and marijuana is also generally unfiltered when smoked,
again increasing the carcinogen exposure.

On the other hand, pot smokers these days often only take a few puffs
or "hits," unlike cigarette smokers, who puff away until the
cigarette is burned down to the filter.

Part of the reason marijuana gets a free pass with regard to lung
cancer, emphysema and other ailments related to smoking, is that
people don't believe marijuana is comparably harmful, and there is a
lack of scientific research, compared to tobacco, to conclusively
show that it is.

"No one knows anyone who has died of cancer (from smoking
marijuana)," Koons said.

Health Promotion conducted its most recent biennial survey on student
drug and alcohol use last spring, in compliance with the Drug Free
Schools and Campuses Act, which affects federal financial assistance.
More than 1,500 OU students were polled and the 30 percent figure
was down 5 points from the 2005 study.

In his class, Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs, Koons said he tries to get
his students to evaluate their opinions on marijuana and drug use.
Many students do not consider pot to be in the same category as
harder drugs such as cocaine, crystal meth or heroine.

"I want the students to think about use in a different way," he said.
"Any drug you're using can become addictive."

According to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration
classification, marijuana is considered a Schedule I drug, meaning
that it is considered to have no medical benefits and a high
potential for abuse. Other Schedule I drugs are heroin, ecstasy, LSD
and GHB. Schedule II drugs include cocaine, opium, morphine and
amphetamines, among others, and while they are considered to have a
high potential for abuse, some of them may also have an accepted
medical use.

Many health professionals, including most recently the American
College of Physicians, have recommended that marijuana be changed to
a Schedule II drug so that research into possible medical benefits
may be conducted. While some states have passed laws allowing the
use and prescription of marijuana for medicinal purposes, patients
and health professionals may still be prosecuted under federal
statues. In 2005, U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., introduced the
States' Rights to Medical Marijuana Act, which would give marijuana
Schedule II status and allow states to determine their own guidelines
for medical usage of the substance. The bill is still in committee,
according to GovTrack, a non-commercial Web site that tracks bills
and roll call votes.

Marijuana has been prescribed for relief of chronic pain and nausea
related to chemotherapy and other antiretroviral therapies such as
those used in HIV treatment. Patients with chronic pain, insomnia and
anorexia have also shown benefits with marijuana treatment,
according to a report issued by the American Medical
Association.

The FDA has approved Marinol, a drug that contains a synthetic
version of THC, the intoxicating ingredient in marijuana. According
to the DEA Web site, Marinol is considered effective at alleviating
the same symptoms as smoking marijuana.

The Journal of the American Medical Association documented the
cognitive effects of marijuana use. Heavy users (defined as using
marijuana 29 out of the last 30 days) showed decreased cognitive
function and ability to focus even after not using the drug for 24
hours.

And on an anecdotal level, many pot smokers freely acknowledge that
their motivation and productivity tends to decline when they're high.
Longstanding stereotypes about pot-smokers, after all, didn't just
come out of nowhere.

On the other hand, Koons noted that many heavy users become so used
to functioning at high levels of marijuana intoxication that "it's
not until they stop using that they feel unusual or strange." Also,
because THC is stored in fat cells and takes longer to vacate the
body, effects of withdrawal like those related to alcoholism or other
drug addictions may not be experienced, he said.

Relatively mild consequences in Ohio for marijuana possession also
contribute to its widespread abuse as a recreational drug. However,
work places across the country are increasingly requiring drug tests,
or mandating random tests for employees they suspect are smoking
pot.

At OU, marijuana prevention and education programs tend to take a
backseat to anti-alcohol initiatives, because high-risk drinking is
more prevalent, Koons said.

In the same survey on marijuana use, 78 percent of the student
respondents reported high-risk drinking activity in the preceding two
weeks.