DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE DANGER OF MARIJUANA USE

The cable channel Showtime recently released a 2001 musical remake of the
1936 anti-marijuana film "Reefer Madness." The original "Madness" became a
"cult classic," gleefully mocked for its blatant, often false propaganda.

In the decades since, Hollywood has released several films, from 1980's
"Cheech & Chong" to 1993's Dazed and Confused," depicting marijuana use as
"cool."

The films' target audiences were the teen and collegiate crowds. The
pot-smoking protagonists were always portrayed as lovable, bumbling slackers.

Not surprisingly, in our Hollywood-seeped America, many people are unaware
of the dangers of marijuana.

Worse, when presented with the facts on pot's destructiveness, many people
disregard it as "exaggerated," the "exception" rather than the norm.

Further, many people praise activist efforts to legalize marijuana in the
U.S., purportedly for medical use.

The truth is that marijuana is far from harmless. Marijuana is addictive.

I first learned about marijuana, along with heroin, cocaine and alcohol, in
fifth grade, when a DARE officer visited our health class to discuss how
drugs would hurt our brains.

While we were all horrified by the anecdotes involving lethal heroin
overdoses and alcohol poisoning, stories about the effects of marijuana did
not end in sobering tales of deadly indulgence.

One of my friends said her parents smoked marijuana when they were young.
"I guess it's not as bad as that other stuff, like heroin," she said.

My own parents, both Baby Boomers, were open about virtually everything.
Their communication with me as a child was always honest, straightforward
and direct. So, I believed them when they told me how much drugs, including
marijuana, could hurt me.

The following year, in sixth grade, rumors began to spread about a group of
peers, kids in the "cool" clique, who smoked marijuana on weekends.

=46rom then on, there was always a certain mystique about marijuana use.

In high school and even college, talking about heroin or crack use was
always revealed in a worried whisper.

Marijuana use, however, was practically celebrated as a way to "relax" and
socialize.

I'm proud to say that I've never been drunk and I've never smoked a joint
or a cigarette. I feel especially good about avoiding marijuana, now that
scientists know much more about the physical and psychological effect of
pot on the brain than they did even 10 years ago.

The effects of marijuana use on the brain are very similar to the effects
of heroin, alcohol or cocaine. According to the National Institute on Drug
Abuse (NIDA), withdrawal from THC, pot's active ingredient, inhibits the
activity of the body's natural anti-stress hormone, dopamine. Damage to the
dopamine neuron can result in the onset of deep depression, anxiety and
personality disturbances.

Due to the regeneration of THC over the past few decades, marijuana is far
more potent today than it was in the 1960s and 1970s.

Thomas Pasquarella of the Drug Enforcement Agency discussed this recently
at the Family University at Joel Barlow High School, sponsored by the
Easton-Redding Community Coalition (ERCC), in conjunction with the Redding
and Easton schools' PTAs.

Pasquarella made clear that in addition to being highly potent, marijuana
today is frequently laced with potentially instantly lethal substances,
including rat poison and the "club drug" ecstasy. (Note that ecstasy and
similarly manufactured "club drugs," are derived from horse tranquilizers).

Usage carries severe short- and long-term health consequences.

When someone smokes pot, THC passes rapidly through the lungs into the
bloodstream, where it travels to the body's organs, including the brain.

Short-term effects of marijuana use include problems with memory and
learning, difficulty in thinking and problem-solving, loss of coordination
and increased heart rate.

Research findings for long-term use are similar to those of so-called
"harder" drugs.

According to the NIDA, a user's risk of heart attack more than quadruples
in the first hour after smoking marijuana.

Further, a study of 450 individuals who smoked marijuana frequently but did
not smoke tobacco reported significantly more health problems and missed
more days of work than nonsmokers.

Even infrequent use can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and throat,
often accompanied by a heavy cough.

Someone who smokes marijuana frequently has many of the same respiratory
problems as cigarette smokers, including lung cancer

The NIDA cites many studies reporting that students who smoke pot
frequently get lower grades and are less likely to graduate from high
school compared to their non-using peers.

A study of 129 college students found that those who used marijuana heavily
(27 out of 30 days) had far inferior cognitive skills related to attention,
memory and learning. As a result, stated the NIDA, heavy users may be
functioning at a reduced intellectual level all of the time.

Marijuana is the top drug of choice among Americans; according to the NIDA,
and 60 percent of youth under 21 use marijuana more than any other illicit
drug.

Marijuana is often mistaken as a more "socially acceptable" alternative to
"harder" substances like heroin and cocaine - but as we know, the effects
on the body are alarmingly alike.

Remember, even experimen=ADtation can lead to addiction.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,
more teens are in treatment with a primary diagnosis of marijuana
dependence than all other illicit drugs combined.

So, be clear that today's marijuana is not the pot smoked by earlier
generations. It is addictive and horribly damaging to one's physical and
mental health and intellectual capacity.

Don't be fooled by the exploits of fun-loving celluloid "stoners." And
don't think just because your parents may have smoked marijuana, that it's
okay for you. It's not - the price is just too high.

This column reflects the opinion of Editor Larissa Lytwyn and does not
necessarily represent the views of Hometown Publications.