TODAY'S STRONGER POT POSES REAL RISKS

The City: Local Expert Elizabeth Osuch Says Smoking Marijuana Can
Have Devastating Effect on Mental Health

A lot of Canadians think pot is pretty harmless.

We celebrate it in pop culture (Cheech and Chong, the TV series Weeds
and movies like The Pineapple Express, Saving Grace and Harold And
Kumar Go To White Castle), tolerate it on our streets (with the
ubiquitous pipe-peddling "head shops") and largely support its
legalization (according to a recent Angus Reid poll, 53% of Canadians
say smoking pot shouldn't be a crime).

And I think it's fair to say that many baby boomers recall that
smoking a joint in high school usually caused nothing more serious
than a bad case of the munchies.

But local expert Dr. Elizabeth Osuch begs to differ.

"I think we've lost sight of the fact that for a growing number of
people, frequent marijuana use - especially when it starts in
adolescence - is causing real problems," she says. "And I think we're
going to run into difficulties if we ignore that."

Osuch, who is Rea chair of affective and anxiety disorders with the
department of psychiatry at UWO's Schulich School of Medicine and
Dentistry, says smoking marijuana can have devastating effects on the
mental health of young people.

Osuch will talk about her research at the central library on Wednesday.

"I'm not an addictions expert by training," says Osuch, who is also
founder and executive director of the First Episode Mood and Anxiety
Program (FEMAP) at LHSC. "I got into this field because I see so many
kids who have been negatively affected by this substance."

Osuch insists we routinely downplay the negative effects of
marijuana, partly because many baby boomers don't realize the pot of
their youth was radically weaker than the marijuana of today.

"The pot smoked back in the '70s had a 0.5% THC concentration," she
says, referring to tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive
substance in marijuana. "This stuff now has 20 to 30% THC
concentration. It's not the same drug."

Osuch says that because their brains are still not fully developed,
pot-smoking adolescents face increased rates of depression, impaired
judgment, memory problems, lack of motivation and bipolar disorder.

"I've seen a number of people who get psychotic when they smoke pot,"
says Osuch, adding the problems increase with usage. "Studies have
shown that it (marijuana) is an independent risk factor for
schizophrenia, it is an independent risk factor for mania and it is
an independent risk factor for depression."

And some people are more affected than others.

"Some people can get away with using (marijuana) a lot and not have
any really serious problems," says Osuch. "But the problem is some
people can't. And you can't tell the difference before they start."

And to those who trivialize the effects of pot by arguing it's more
benign than booze, Osuch has a sobering message.

"Alcohol costs our health-care system billions of dollars, but we
still make light of it," she says. "And the same is true of marijuana."

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IF YOU GO

What: Youth & Marijuana: Is it as harmless as we like to think? a
presentation by Dr. Elizabeth Osuch

When: Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Where: Central Library, Wolf Performance Hall (251 Dundas St.)

Admission: Free (no registration required)

Ian Gillespie is the Free Press city columnist.