Book Smokes Out Marijuana Facts, Myths

[boulder]

Source: Alameda Times-Star

 

Few words inspire such a range of reactions, from anger and fear to excitement and laughter. Everybody's got an opinion about pot, and most of those opinions - whether for, against, neutral or incoherent - are based on myths and urban legends that have accumulated over the years.

 

If the federal government would ever commission a thorough, fair study of marijuana's short- and long-term effects, of course, people would have some facts to back up their already vehement opinions on the subject.

 

But given the decidedly non-apocalyptic conclusions of the least-biased book I've found on the subject, "Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence," by Mitch Earleywine, the White House is unlikely to commission such a study because the results wouldn't square with the marijuana-focused anti-drug policies in place since the Reagan years.

 

While I sympathize with sick people who find relief in medical marijuana, and while I have known plenty of smart, motivated people who smoke weed recreationally, I'm not the weed-proponent some readers think I am.

 

Why? Because I've seen talented, strong-willed people get hooked, line and sinker, contrary to the myth that pot isn't physically addictive. I've watched college classmates lose their motivation and energy as they degenerate from occasional tokers to wake-and-bake potheads.

 

And no matter how many rappers and professional athletes smoke out, I don't think the oft-repeated "It's no worse than alcohol" is anywhere near adequate justification for legalization.

 

That said, marijuana use is common among young people, and the pot leaf has become a pop-culture icon to the point of kitsch. According to a 1999 study, 19 percent of Americans age 12-17 had tried it, along with 52 percent of Americans age 18-25. Most young people don't buy the old line that marijuana is a "real drug" equivalent to heroin or cocaine, so they write off warnings about its dangers.

 

The significance of Earleywine's book is that instead of finding studies that fit his argument, the author synthesizes every available study on marijuana use and effects - and there have been hundreds, most of them flawed - in a coherent and critical form. And in his dual roles at the University of Southern California, where he's a professor of clinical science and director of clinical training in psychology, Earleywine seems to be a credible guide.

 

So let's cut to the chase. What follows comes courtesy of Earleywine.

 

Smokers will be interested to hear that vaporizers and water pipes (A.K.A. bongs) do not help filter out tar or contaminants, contrary to popular belief. They may cool the smoke, but they also decrease THC content (the active ingredient in marijuana), forcing a user to smoke more to get high, thus canceling out any presumed health benefits.

 

That's not the only myth he dispels. Another is that holding smoke in the lungs for a long time doesn't increase the effect; it just causes an oxygen-deficiency head rush and more tar sticking to the insides of the chest cavity.

 

But that's the trivial stuff. More important to know are the health effects of chronic use. As you might guess, "Marijuana is neither completely harmless nor tragically toxic," Earleywine writes.

 

The bad news, he says, is that chronic use of marijuana can damage the brain's ability to perform complex tasks quickly, and it can mildly alter brain functioning. It can aggravate psychotic disorders and - this is important - interrupt the development of adolescents' brains. Pregnant women shouldn't smoke pot, although the research on that subject is less than conclusive.

 

While high, a marijuana user's concentration and memory are often impaired. Pot smokers tend to be slow and careful drivers, but driving-while-stoned is dangerous because reaction times are slowed - most dramatically when weed is paired with alcohol. Earleywine reports that some pot-smokers also report guilt, paranoia, anxiety and next-day hangovers. The worst episodes of anxiety are reported by those who ingest the drug in food, such as brownies.

 

The good news? Respiratory problems associated with marijuana-smoking tend to be mild. Rumors about new, highly potent strains of marijuana have been overblown, for while some newer strains are two to three times as potent as older strains, most users now smoke less of the stronger stuff to get high, so they don't do themselves any greater harm.

 

Fears about fertility are largely overblown. "Large doses of cannabinoids can cause temporary changes in reproductive hormones and sperm, but these effects reverse with abstinence," Earleywine writes. If you're wondering, he's talking about abstinence from marijuana, not sex.

 

Anyway, there's lots more. And while the book's not particularly well-written and is sometimes rife with scientific jargon, anyone interested in the subject of pot - whether they side with Dennis Peron or Nancy Reagan - will benefit from reading "Understanding Marijuana." It's not the last word on the subject, but it goes a long way in sweeping away the myths and urban legends that have plagued this debate for too long.