IT'S NOT 'JUST MARIJUANA'; IT CARRIES SOME REAL RISKS

In more than 20 years as a treatment professional, I have made
hundreds of presentations about drug use in the workplace. Earlier
this year, I was with a group of about 40 skilled laborers, ranging
from early 20s to early 40s.

As I talked with them, I noticed something interesting.

When I spoke about cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and other "hard"
drugs, I had no problem keeping their attention. But when I started
talking about marijuana, some workers smirked. One or two snickered.
Clearly, they were not taking the information as seriously.

This was not an isolated incident. While they won't do it in a
training session, it's not unusual for me to hear people ask, "What's
the big deal. It's just marijuana. Who cares if I smoke a little with
my friends. It's not hurting anybody."

This attitude is becoming more widely accepted, especially among
younger people: More than one in five Oregon high school students
recently reported using marijuana in the previous 30 days.

As with discussions around drug legalization, there is a grain of
truth in some of their arguments. There are people who try marijuana,
even use it every now and then, who don't seem much the worse for it.

And there is a national movement to legalize marijuana for medical use
- - and Oregon voters already have approved such use. The rationale is
based primarily on reports by ill patients, supported by their
physicians, that that the drug has relieved their suffering.

But just because some can smoke it occasionally without apparent ill
effect and some sick people feel better using it doesn't change the
facts: Marijuana comes with risks.

The active compound in marijuana, THC, is fat soluble. That means it
attaches to the fatty tissues - and the most important of these are
the brain and nervous system.

THC also is eliminated slowly, so it builds up in these tissues. Over
time, the chemical is known to impair brain and nervous system function.

Young people, because their bodies are still developing and thus more
sensitive to all drugs, are more susceptible to problems associated
with excessive marijuana use. I've seen it over the years: the lack of
motivation and enthusiasm, depression and memory problems.

It's important to remember, too, that marijuana has addictive
potential.

While 15 to 20 percent of people will experience problems with
drinking, it appears that 20 to 25 percent of people who abuse
marijuana will ultimately have trouble controlling it. Of these, a
fraction will end up becoming chemically dependent, with the
financial, work, legal, health and relationship problems it causes.

Today, I often hear the argument that "alcohol and tobacco are far
more dangerous than marijuana, yet they're legal. Why should marijuana
be different." On the surface, this makes sense, but it just doesn't
follow that because two dangerous substances are legal, a third one
should be, too.

Shouldn't we be doing the opposite - making it more difficult to buy
substances that contribute to social problems.

This debate is not going to be resolved soon. Marijuana has been
around for a long time, and as with all mood-altering chemicals, it
can be seductive. Societal attitudes seem to have shifted, but we need
to remember that marijuana is a drug. Using it involves real risks.

Saying "it's just marijuana" doesn't change that fact.