SMOKING POT IS NO PARTY

Though Less Hazardous Than Many Other Drugs, Marijuana Is Not Without
Risk, and Prop. 19 Voters Need to Understand This.

In the debate on legalizing marijuana, which Californians will vote
on in November in the form of Proposition 19, the health risks of
marijuana are often overlooked.

Legalizing marijuana will almost certainly lead to a decrease in its
price and an increase in its use, according to a recent Rand Corp.
study. And because no drug or medicine is without side effects,
increased marijuana use will mean increased health risks.

But what kind of risks? Supporters of legalization say marijuana is
no more harmful than caffeine, whereas advocates of criminalization
suggest that marijuana is highly toxic. Like other complex health
issues, the truth lies somewhere in between.

The California Society of Addiction Medicine is an association of
physicians specializing in the treatment of alcoholism and other
addictions. Though neutral on the issue of marijuana legalization
itself, the society is concerned that Proposition 19 spreads
misinformation about marijuana by stating: "Cannabis is not
physically addictive, [and] does not have long-term toxic effects."
Unfortunately, this statement ignores a large body of national and
international scientific research over the last four decades that
proves marijuana can be addictive.

About 9% of adults who use marijuana develop an addiction to it.
Among people who begin smoking before the age of 18, this number is
as high as 17%. Although addiction to marijuana does not cause
dramatic physical dependence, it can lead to substantial problems in
education, work and relationships. In fact, addiction to marijuana is
defined by the inability to stop using despite recognition of harmful
consequences. Without harmful consequences, there is no diagnosis of addiction.

The short-term effects of marijuana intoxication are well
established. As part of the high produced by marijuana, intoxication
impairs memory and learning. Marijuana use also impairs driving,
causing a twofold to threefold increase in accidents. Though not as
dramatic as the fifteenfold increase in accidents caused by alcohol
intoxication, marijuana's impact on traffic safety does have significance.

The long-term effects of marijuana are not often recognized because
they are subtle, but they can have a cumulative impact over time. In
people with preexisting vulnerabilities, marijuana use can unmask
psychiatric problems such as schizophrenia. Many people with anxiety
and depression use marijuana to soothe their symptoms; however, there
is evidence that over time it may actually make these problems worse.

Smoked marijuana irritates the linings of the respiratory passages
and can lead to inflammation and bronchitis. Although marijuana has
not been definitively shown to cause cancer, smoked marijuana has
been linked to precancerous changes in the lungs.

These long-term effects of marijuana are not as dramatic as those
seen in other, "harder" drugs of abuse, but they do take a toll, and
that toll appears to be greatest among people who begin smoking
marijuana during adolescence, before the brain and body are finished maturing.

Long-term marijuana use has not been shown to reduce general
measurements of intelligence; however, there is evidence that the
processing of highly complex information is slowed. Even after 28
days of abstinence, brain scans of long-term marijuana users show
less activity in regions serving memory and learning.

The bottom line is that although marijuana is less hazardous to
health than many other legal or illegal drugs, it is not without
risk, and voters and potential users need to fully understand this.

Among treatment professionals, there is widespread consensus that
incarcerating people for marijuana use or possession is wrong, and
therefore, an alternative policy is long overdue. If we are to
promote the public health, however, we need to anticipate and deal
with the consequences of our policy decisions. California already
does an abysmal job of making treatment resources available to people
addicted to marijuana and other drugs, including adolescents. In the
advent of legalization, there will be an increased need for
prevention programs, education and treatment services.

The decision to legalize marijuana is in the hands of California
voters. It is vital that they make their decision on the basis of
accurate facts. And if Californians do legalize marijuana, they
should insist that revenue from its taxation be applied toward any
problems that arise from its increased use.