MARIJUANA STUDY REINFORCES DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ADULTS AND TEENS

There are many different points of view with regard to whether and how to
regulate the sale and use of chemicals that affect our ability to think
clearly. Of course, the prime example here in the United States is the
consumption of alcohol. Our government has wrestled with that issue to the
point of passing two constitutional amendments about it, one to prohibit
alcohol, the other to make alcohol legal again. In the meantime, ethanol
alcohol remains a relatively simple, natural, organic compound with some
good and some bad health effects.

We all know that there are some people who should not drink alcohol because
they cannot keep their consumption under control. It can take over their
lives and ruin their health, family and occupation. We know these people to
be "alcoholics." However, we also know that if they stop drinking alcohol,
they are only affected by the damage already done by their consumption,
like cirrhosis of the liver.

However, this column is not really about alcohol. It is about marijuana,
which is also called cannabis and hemp. All of these names describe the
same plant, cannabis sativa, and I will use both marijuana and cannabis in
this column.

One of the reasons cannabis has been in the news recently is a study about
the genetics of a problem called "cannabis psychosis." It seems that
English scientists at King's College in London's Institute of Psychiatry,
have found that 25 percent of people carry genes that leave them vulnerable
to psychotic illnesses if they smoke cannabis as teenagers.

Unlike alcoholics, who are healthy as long as they avoid alcohol, the
people who develop cannabis psychosis suffer from their disorder whether
they continue to consume marijuana or not.

The study did not find an increase in cannabis psychosis in those who carry
the gene if they waited until they were adults to begin their use of
cannabis. But teenagers are well known to be the "risk takers" of the world
and seem more likely to try illicit drugs, like marijuana. In fact, a
British study showed that 27 percent of 16 to 24 year olds smoke cannabis,
while 14 percent of 25 to 34 year olds and only 4 percent of 35 to 59 year
olds consume the "weed."

In addition to the study above, scientists in Australia previously reported
that girls who smoked cannabis were five times more likely to suffer from
depression. Their findings were based on a study of 1,600 teenagers over
seven years.

So you might be thinking to yourself, "Why do you care about all of this?
Marijuana is already illegal in the United States."

Well, I care because there are studies that show benefit when some of the
chemicals in cannabis are used to treat glaucoma and chemotherapy-induced
nausea and vomiting in cancer patients. There may also be a place for use
of these chemicals in the treatment of chronic pain and other disorders.

There is a movement in many states to gain approval for the use of "medical
marijuana" and these studies suggested that there is much to be learned
scientifically before many of us will be comfortable with any sort of
legalization. At the very least, they suggest that every chemical from
marijuana will need to be thoroughly tested before use in teenagers.

In the past few years, the difference in the effects of medicines between
teenagers and adults has been pointed out clearly with regard to the
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) anti-depressant drugs, like
Prozac and Zoloft. These drugs have been used effectively to help adults
avoid suicide, but seem to actually increase the occurrence of suicide in
teenagers.

Perhaps, the real lesson to be gained here is not about genetics or drugs,
but a reinforcement of something that every parent of a teenager will
gladly confirm: Teenagers are way different from adults and way different
the small angelic persons they once were. They may even be creatures from
another planet. However, they are here with us and we love them. We will
keep studying them (when they let us). Maybe, someday, we will understand
each other. (Maybe not.)

Dr. Terry Gaff practiced family medicine in Albion for 17 years and is now
medical director of the emergency department at Parkview Noble Hospital in
Kendallville and the Noble County EMS. He welcomes your questions. He can
be reached at terrygaff@pol.net