cannabisnews.com: Don’t Let The THC Fog Settle on Alaska Youth





Don’t Let The THC Fog Settle on Alaska Youth
Posted by CN Staff on October 28, 2004 at 17:01:25 PT
By Dave Allen - Guest Column
Source: Kodiak Daily Mirror 
Are you high? That is the question that my friends and I would ask in college when someone would make a nonsensical statement or question. That same question goes through my mind when I hear or read articles supporting the legalization of marijuana. I have taught and coached for 23 years in Alaska and witnessed the effects of marijuana on young minds and bodies. Marijuana contains the chemical THC (the stuff that gets you high) which is fat soluble, so it remains in your body for up to 30 days or more.
During this time the drug wears away at your memory and cognitive processes in complex thought; it also slows your response time mentally and physically. Marijuana is also synergistic which means when taken with other drugs, it has a multiplying effect. I have seen students that use marijuana trying to solve multi-step math problems. It was almost impossible for them, for when they would get to the second or third step they would forget what was going on in the first step. Even worse, with continued use of marijuana by students, I witnessed a social retardation of maturity. In high school young people are suppose to grow in responsibility and take ownership for their actions. Students in a constant THC fog will not get to that maturity level. It seems as though they are always blaming others for their misfortunes such as getting an MIP or worse. Conversations with these young people run in circles; they simply cannot make the connection between their own actions and the unfortunate results. So what is this pot smoking issue all about? It’s about self medication. Shouldn’t the side effects of a drug at least balance with the potential benefits of the drug? And shouldn’t you figure out why you are truly medicating? By the way, doctors have been writing legal prescriptions for Marinol (a pill form of marijuana) for years for chemo patients. This seems to be one of the few justifications I can understand. I don’t think the time that people have spent in jail for marijuana issues even compares to the brilliant young minds that I have seen wasted in a THC fog. If anyone thinks that legalizing marijuana is not going to have a negative effect on young people … well, I would have to repeat the question that I asked in my college years. Dave Allen is a teacher and coach at Kodiak High School. Source: Kodiak Daily Mirror (AK)Author: Dave AllenPublished: Thursday, October 28, 2004Copyright: 2004 Kodiak Daily MirrorContact: jbrooks kodiakdailymirror.comWebsite: http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Yes on 2 Alaskahttp://www.yeson2alaska.com/Alaska’s Marijuana Measure Bucks Fedshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19714.shtmlAdvocates Push Groundbreaking Measure in Alaska http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19709.shtmlDoctor: Marijuana is Relatively Harmlesshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19650.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #9 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on October 29, 2004 at 04:15:50 PT
LTE
Sirs,  High School teacher and coach Dave Allen bemoans the minds he claims to have seen in a haze of THC, and warns against changing the marijuana laws. But his experience with these kids also points out the obvious fact: the war on marijuana isn't making it very hard for kids to get. Proponents of drug law reform point out that alcohol, which is legally available only for adults, is more difficult for kids to get than marijuana. Why? Because alcohol is sold in legal outlets, the law can specify who can and who can not purchase it. It is not possible to regulate an underground black market. The product can not only be sold TO children, but also BY children. The extensive network of marijuana sales has become the ultimate multi-level-marketing scheme, which kids are easily lured into. And while the plant itself is not responsible for any human deaths, the laws surrounding it create a war zone of cops versus smugglers all across America. It only took America 13 years to realize alcohol prohibition was making society worse instead of better and repeal the laws; we've had over thirty years of an intense war on marijuana and just about any kid in school can get you some. No wonder so many people think it's time to try something else.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by warhater on October 29, 2004 at 02:36:59 PT:
Thanks Observer!!! 
Just downloaded Maxima. I never heard of it before. Must be that damn THC fog I'm alway in. I just smacked my head against the monitor and knocked out all my teeth. I do this kind of thing all the time. I just can't seem to connect my actions to the unfortunate consequences. I gotta go. I'm doing volunteer work for the Bush campaign today, right after I put my hand in the garbage disposal.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by warhater on October 29, 2004 at 02:19:34 PT:
Anectodes Mean Nothing
Did he minor in pseudo-science when he was getting his teaching degree?His stories are dubious. Does he give his students a survey on their drug use at the beginning of the school year? I mean how does he know which students smoke pot and which students don't? Wait, I think I know how he figures it out: He assumes that the dumb and unmotivated students are the ones who smoke pot. This guy is like Mr. Hand in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"."I have seen students that use marijuana trying to solve multi-step math problems. It was almost impossible for them, for when they would get to the second or third step they would forget what was going on in the first step."I have a undergrad degree in Biology. I did better then almost every student at a major University in science and math classes. To this day I can solve complex math problems that even the most advanced high school classes would never approach. I solve differential equations for fun (I know, its geeky). I smoked pot almost every day when I was in college. This is not scientific evidence that MJ does not cause mental damage, but it is a counter-example to his observations. "I have taught and coached for 23 years in Alaska and witnessed the effects of marijuana on young minds and bodies. Marijuana... so it remains in your body for up to 30 days or more. During this time the drug wears away at your memory and cognitive processes in complex thought;..." A study has been done that shows MJ use causes no long term cognitive damage, at least in terms of IQ point loss. Sorry I don't have a link, but I remember the study. It showed a very minor(5%) reduction in IQ while the person was under the influence. When the subjects stopped smoking pot their IQ's actually went up a little. I don't remember the exact withdrawal time, but I'm sure it was less than 30 days. His use of "wears away at your memory and cognitive processes" implies permanent damage. This is a distortion. "Marijuana is also synergistic which means when taken with other drugs, it has a multiplying effect."I have only observed what I would call a synergistic effect with one other drug; Alcohol. In fact Alcohol is synergistic with a number of other drugs. MJ isn't even in the same ballpark. Its good to see that coach can use a big word like "synergistic". "...with continued use of marijuana by students, I witnessed a social retardation of maturity...Students in a constant THC fog...simply cannot make the connection between their own actions and the unfortunate results."I am not a psychologist, but I am sure that a test for the traits he is assessing qualitatively here would be extremely complex. It frightens me that a teacher is so incapable of thinking critically about his observations. It may be true that problem kids gravitate towards pot, but that doesn't mean that pot causes their problems.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by dr slider on October 29, 2004 at 00:49:11 PT:
dope
I'd like to give the coach some slack but...I know different!Prior to this year (I've entered my fifth decade), my junior year in high school was the last time I had imbibed daily for a full trip around the sun. I was also dusting AP english, aceing 1st semester college calculus, and locking in my second language. Those that blame their ineptitude on the humble weed...deserve pity.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by observer on October 28, 2004 at 19:13:25 PT
I got your 'multi-step math problems', right here
[3]
That same question goes through my mind when I hear or read articles supporting the legalization of marijuana.
(Sentence 3) re: "legalization" - Drug policy options are presented as either total prohibition, or as total "legalization." No middle ground is contemplated in the "zero-tolerance" world of prohibition. Absolute prohibition executed with religious fervor and purpose! (Total Prohibition or Access (propaganda theme 7) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme7.htm#7 ) 
 
 
[8]
I have seen students that use marijuana trying to solve multi-step math problems.
(Sentence 8) re: "use marijuana" - "This strategy equates the use and abuse of drugs and implies that it is impossible to use the particular drug or drugs in question without physical, mental, and moral deterioration." [W.White,1979] (Use is Abuse (propaganda theme 4) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme4.htm#alluseisabuse ) 
 
 
[11]
In high school young people are suppose to grow in responsibility and take ownership for their actions.
(Sentence 11) re: "young people" - Prohibitionists forever claim that children are corrupted by drugs, and this is why adult users must be punished harshly. (Children Corrupted (propaganda theme 5) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme5.htm#5 ) 
 
 
[14]
Conversations with these young people run in circles; they simply cannot make the connection between their own actions and the unfortunate results.
(Sentence 14) re: "young people" - Prohibitionists play on parental fears by exaggerating the dangers to children of drugs. Adults must be jailed (reason prohibitionists), because kids might be corrupted with drugs. (Children Corrupted (propaganda theme 5) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme5.htm#5 ) 
 
 
[22]
If anyone thinks that legalizing marijuana is not going to have a negative effect on young people  well, I would have to repeat the question that I asked in my college years.
(Sentence 22) re: "young people" - Being a prohibitionist means you can never shed too many crocodile tears for the "children". (As you lustily jail or kill their parents for using drugs.) (Children Corrupted (propaganda theme 5) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme5.htm#5 ) re: "legalizing" - Any mention of lessening the harshness of drug laws is portrayed as a sinful "legalization". Only total prohibition (or more jailings) will be righteous. (Total Prohibition or Access (propaganda theme 7) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme7.htm#7 ) 
 
 Oh, yeah ... and here's what I recommend for your multi-step math problems .. Maxima (Macsyma) ! ... it does symbolic algebra, symbolic integral calculus, numerical operations, plots and more ... Arbitrary precision arithmetic means you can calulate %e, %pi, %phi (etc.) to as many places as you want! It has an embedded LISP interpreter/compiler, and will even translate equations to FORTRAN if you want. (GNU Foratran compilers are free these days, too ... calculate your own moon shots! The possibilities are infinite.) The price of Maxima is right (free). Use it to check your math homework.http://maxima.sourceforge.net/ 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by siege on October 28, 2004 at 18:38:23 PT
off topic 
Last-Minute Change in Gender Gap; Bonnie Erbe and Democracy Corp Offer Women's Vote Analysis of Current Polling Data
10/28/2004 7:13:00 PM
http://www.usnewswire.com/NLPC Files FEC Complaint Against George Soros
WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) today filed a formal Complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against George Soros.http://releases.usnewswire.com/
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by runderwo on October 28, 2004 at 18:16:59 PT
Hmm
"I have taught and coached for 23 years in Alaska and witnessed the effects of marijuana on young minds and bodies."I've witnessed the effects of alcohol on young minds and bodies. Your point? Neither of them would be legal for people under 21 to consume."I have seen students that use marijuana trying to solve multi-step math problems. It was almost impossible for them, for when they would get to the second or third step they would forget what was going on in the first step."Are such students high during class or just chronically bad at math? Can you really distinguish between the two simply based on their problem-solving performance?"It seems as though they are always blaming others for their misfortunes such as getting an MIP or worse."This would be an effect of THC I've never seen brought out in any study. On the other hand, I regularly encounter people who are unwilling to take responsibility for their actions or unable to realize cause and effect."By the way, doctors have been writing legal prescriptions for Marinol (a pill form of marijuana) for years for chemo patients."Everyone claims Marinol is a pill form of marijuana, like it's some exact replica, and claim it is somehow better at least in part because it is sanctioned by the pharmaceutical industry. Fact is, Marinol contains only one of the active ingredients in marijuana, and there are patients who are dissatisfied with its medical effect compared to marijuana."I don’t think the time that people have spent in jail for marijuana issues even compares to the brilliant young minds that I have seen wasted in a THC fog."Sorry pal, it's not your place to run other people's lives. Many brilliant minds have been wasted by playing golf, or getting in car accidents, or shooting themselves in the head, or taking prohibitionist propaganda at face value. It must hurt for you to realize that in a free country, adults are free to waste their lives in any way they want to as long as no harm is brought to another, but that's a fact, and it's why legalizing marijuana for adult use is the only action a truly free society would consider.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by mayan on October 28, 2004 at 18:12:19 PT
Death Compares!!!
I don’t think the time that people have spent in jail for marijuana issues even compares to the brilliant young minds that I have seen wasted in a THC fog.Just tell that to Peter McWilliams or Johnathan Magbie, to name just a couple. Never mind, you can't tell them BECAUSE THEY ARE DEAD!!! And those "brilliant young minds" that Allen claims were "wasted in a THC Fog" were "wasted" under the failed policy of prohibition.Here's some unexpected news... Bob Barr supports Badnarik for President:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/10/prwebxml171018.phpThe way out is the way in...Firefighter Said Black Boxes Were Found at Ground Zero:
http://www.summeroftruth.org/groundzero.html9/11 "black box" cover-up at Ground Zero? -- a Campaign Extra!/PDN exclusive:
http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/extra/archives/001139.html9/11: New Cover-up revealed? 9/11 Black Boxes "found":
http://inn.globalfreepress.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=9419/11 skeptics who seek a real investigation - politicians, authors, military officials, citizen activists and 9/11 family members:
http://www.oilempire.us/skeptics.html100 leaders and 9/11 families launch 9/11 Truth Statement:
http://www.911citizenswatch.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=412&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil:
http://www.septembereleventh.org/alerts/ruppert.php
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by ekim on October 28, 2004 at 17:55:14 PT
make a nonsensical statement or question. 
I don’t think the time that people have spent in jail for marijuana issues even compares to the brilliant young minds that I have seen wasted in a THC fog. WASHINGTON (AP) -- How many people have gotten home after a blindingly 
stressful day and realize they've forgotten some important event or errand?Well, now at least there's a scientific explanation for the oversight.Stress makes you forgetful.People going on stage or taking an exam or finding themselves in similarly 
tough situations already knew this, of course.But a team of researchers has found how it happens, a discovery that they 
say could point the way to better treatments for such illnesses as 
schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.Stressful situations in which the individual has no control were found to 
activate an enzyme in the brain called protein kinase C, which impairs the 
short-term memory and other functions in the prefrontal cortex, the 
executive-decision part of the brain, says Dr. Amy F. T. Arnsten of Yale 
Medical School.The findings were reported Thursday in the journal ScienceThe PKC enzyme is also active in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and 
Arnsten notes that a first psychotic episode can be precipitated by a 
stressful situation, such as going away to college for the first time or 
joining the military.By affecting that part of the brain, the researchers say, PKC could be a 
factor in the distractibility, impulsiveness and impaired judgment that 
occurs in those illnesses.The finding that uncontrolled stress activates PKC indicates a possible new 
direction for treatments -- seeking drugs that inhibit PKC, Arnsten said in 
a telephone interview."These new findings may also help us understand the impulsivity and 
distractibility observed in children with lead poisoning," she said. "Very 
low levels of lead can activate PKC, and this may lead to impaired 
regulation of behavior."The researchers used chemicals to induce stress in rats and monkeys because 
the stress levels are easily controlled, Arnsten said.It was similar to humans exposed to loud noise or panicking before an exam, 
she said."It doesn't have to be traumatic, as long as you feel out of control," she 
said. "Control is the essential factor.... If you are confident, you don't 
have these problems."PKC affects a part of the brain that allows abstract reasoning, using 
working memory that is constantly updated."This kind of memory, the ability to concentrate, seems to be impaired when 
exposed to mild stresses," she said.Scientists think the effect evolved as a protective mechanism in the event 
of danger, she said."If you're in dangerous conditions it helps to be distractible, to hear 
every little sound in the woods and react rapidly, instinctually," she 
said. "It's like getting cut off on the highway. You don't want to be a 
slow, thoughtful creature.... You want to react and hit brakes."The research was funded by the Public Health Service, the Stanley 
Foundation, National Institute of Mental Health, Stanley Medical Research 
Institute and the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and 
Depression.
http://www.leap.cc/events
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment