MARIJUANA NOT WITHOUT HEALTH RISKS

In Legalization Debate, the Facts Are Often Overlooked, Says Itai Danovitch

In the debate on legalizing marijuana, 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.

I am a member of the California Society of Addiction Medicine, an
association of physicians specializing in the treatment of alcoholism
and other addictions. Though neutral on the issue of marijuana
legalization, the society is concerned that Proposition 19, which
Californians will vote on in November, spreads misinformation about
marijuana by stating: "Cannabis is not physically addictive, [and]
does not have long-term toxic effects." 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 percent 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 percent. Although addiction to marijuana does not
cause dramatic physical dependence, it can lead to substantial
problems in education, work and relationships.

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 pre-existing 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.

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. Yet California does
an abysmal job of making treatment resources available to people
addicted to marijuana and other drugs, including adolescents.

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.