DON'T BE FOOLED BY SOFT DRUGS

Editor:

Re: Marijuana is not the drug problem by Derek L. Vandenberg, Chilliwack
Times, Sep. 12.

As anyone who knows anything about addictions is aware, the biggest
problem with drugs is denial. The alcoholic on skid row if asked will
tell you, "I can quit anytime." The chronic marijuana user only uses
it, "because it relaxes me."

It does not hurt me. I hope not. We used to say that about alcohol and
cigarettes too, all in my short life time.

Marijuana is not harmless. Besides the many physical harmful effects
that are similar to cigarette smoke; there are some disturbing
psychiatric effects that are just being reported in the medical journals.

As a psychiatrist here in Chilliwack for 22 years I observed over and
over again how young persons were admitted to the psychiatric ward
with an acute psychosis (mental breakdown with loss of contact with
reality).

In hospital they did not report their marijuana use. They recovered in
about three days. Several months later they were admitted again with a
similar condition. This time it took them about a week to recover. We
did a urine drug screen and found it positive for marijuana. The third
admission was even longer. After the fourth admission they did not
seem able to come out of their psychosis. They were identical to
chronic schizophrenia.

Were these people just genetically predisposed? We will never know. At
the recent Australian Psychiatric Association meeting in Sydney,
Australia a psychiatrist presented evidence that supported the clear
link between marijuana and a schizophrenic illness.

So it seems that you have been lucky--so far anyway. Lots of people
smoke all their lives and never get lung cancer. Lots of people drink
heavily all their lives and never get liver cirrhosis. They are the
lucky ones.

I, for one, won't take those kind of chances. Why would
you?

Dr. W.D.Gutowski M.D.

Retired Psychiatrist