WHAT ABOUT MARIJUANA?

 

There is a pervading myth in our culture that marijuana is a harmless natural substance. Many people believe that teenagers will grow out of their marijuana use with few consequences. Actually marijuana is a powerful psychoactive substance that keeps their brain from developing during a critical stage that determines their future.

Adolescence is a period of learning new skills that will help them become successful independent adults, i.e driving, dating, getting an education, socializing, and working. At a time when vital neural pathways are being created and teens are making important decisions, marijuana can rob them of ambition, motivation and mental clarity.

Marijuana can also endanger their lives- 40% of all car accidents involve marijuana. Most young people who have social, academic or addiction problems begin using drugs and alcohol between the ages of 12-17 years old.

The Adverse Effects of Marijuana Usage

• The loss of a sense of time — students can be easily bored and abandon their books leading to poor school performance.

• Marijuana impairs tracking ability (the ability to follow a moving ball).

• The sedation, impairment of judgement, and short-term memory loss caused by marijuana, makes it difficult to perform tasks that acquire multiple and interactive action such as driving a car, playing sports.

• Marijuana also causes a temporary disruption of the secretion of the male

hormone testosterone. That might be critical to a user with a hormonal imbalance

or somebody in the throes of puberty and sexual maturation. It also leads to a

slight decrease of organ size in males.

• Damage to lungs and breathing passages — 1 joint equals 14 to 16 cigarettes.

• One great concern about marijuana is the discovery that it persists in the body

for up to six months after a single joint is smoked even though the major effects

are over within 4 to 6 hours after smoking. These residual amounts may disrupt psychological functions for a longer period of time through their effect on brain neurotransmitters.

• Marijuana has been shown to slow learning and disrupt concentration. It has

a specific effect on short-term memory and greatly impairs the ability to retain

this information. Long term memory is not impacted as much and this is why

some students can smoke and do OK in school for some period of time, relying

on their long-term memory to get by.

• Clinicians are now using the term "Amotivational syndrome" to describe the

apathy and lack of motivation that chronic users exhibit.

• Chronic marijuana usage often develops for one of two reasons; as a shortcut to acquire a pleasing physical sensation or to counteract boredom or emotional pain.

• This avoidance of uncomfortable "growthful" situations impairs and delays emotional and psychological development and maturation.

• Marijuana is a "gateway" drug. Once this psychedelic is seen as "safe" it is

natural to experiment with the other psychedelics, LSD, MDMA (Ecstasy), and Mushrooms. This is usually followed by the use of nicotine and even an openness

to experiment with the "hard" drugs.

 

Excerpted from Uppers. Downers. All Arounders. Physical and Mental Effects of Psychoactive Drugs by Darryl S. Inaba, Pharm.D. (2nd Edition)