SMOKING MARIJUANA IS NOT SAFE

Cynicism unmistakably came from the child's lips: "If cigarettes are
so bad for you, why are they legal?" Part of my job is speaking in
schools, camps, and youth groups about the abuse substances, so I did
my best to answer the question.

Since the child's cynicism had its birth in her understanding of the
word "legal," which to her meant "good" or "acceptable," my mind raced
to a subject often discussed today - the legalization of marijuana.

If we do not hold forth truth, youth travelling down a future road may
well ask, "If marijuana is so bad for you, why was it legalized?" That
question demands a correct response today.

Did you know:

Comparing today's marijuana with that of the mid-1970s is dangerous.
Because of home grown nutrients being added, today's marijuana contains
up to 10 times as much delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the
psychoactive ingredient. (See Robert Schwartz, "Marijuana: An
Overview," Pediatric Clinics of North America. Vol. 34, April 1987:
page 306)

Long term psychological effects of this increased THC are not known;
however, it is known that today's marijuana is more powerful and more
addictive.

A typical marijuana cigarette has 50 per cent more benzopyrene than a
regular cigarette. Benzopyrene destroys the body's protection against
cancer. (See Mikhail F. Denissenko, et al, "Preferential Formation of
Benzo[a]pyrene Adducts at Lung Cancer Mutational Hotspots in P53,
Science. Vol. 274, October 1996: page 430)

Smoking marijuana involves twice or triple the amount of tar (a
cancer-causing agent) and carbon monoxide as a regular cigarette. (See
T.C. Wu, et al, "Pulmonary hazards of smoking marijuana as compared
with tobacco," The New England Journal of Medicine. Vol. 318, 1988:
pages 347-351.)

Two marijuana cigarettes will do as much damage to a person's lungs as
20 regular cigarettes. (J. Dewitt Fox M.D., Why Not Smoke, Review and
Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D.C. 1968)

Disrupted menstrual cycles, lower sperms counts, poorer sperm quality
and damaged chromosomes have all been associated with marijuana use.

No one knows for sure how using marijuana affects the body's sexual
development; however, using it is taking a risk. (See Arthur and Selma
Zimmerman, "Genetic Effects of Marijuana," The International Journal
of the Addictions. Vol. 25, 1990: pages 19-29

Each year 45,000 Canadians die as the result of tobacco smoking and
smoke-related diseases. One can only speculate about the potential for
an increase in this number due to smoking marijuana.

Studies have shown that children whose parents discuss the dangers of
drugs with them are less likely to use drugs.

An excellent 14-page booklet entitled "What Your Teen Wants to Know
About Smoking Pot" can be obtained from the Family Research Council.
(You can contact the Council by calling, toll free,
1-800-225-4008).