cannabisnews.com: Counselor Says Dope is Getting Dangerous!





Counselor Says Dope is Getting Dangerous!
Posted by FoM on August 21, 1999 at 12:53:45 PT
By Mark D. Somerson, Dispatch Medical Reporter 
Source: Columbus Dispatch
Marijuana's appeal has grown with its potency, and that's a problem for pediatricians.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' second statement to its members on marijuana use this decade was written by Dr. Peter D. Rogers, a recovering drug and alcohol abuser and an adolescence substance-abuse counselor at Children's Hospital.He warns that the marijuana teens smoke today is not their parents'dope."Trends suggest that the low- dose, self-experimentation type of use typical of the 1960s may be giving way to the high-potency, high- reward pattern of compulsive marijuana use during the late 1990s,'' Rogers wrote in the paper, which will be published in the academy journal in October."The seriousness of the behavioral consequences of marijuana use is sufficient to cause great concern and should prompt the pediatrician to counsel young people against any use of the drug.''In an interview, Rogers said that despite working with thousands of youngsters through the years, his research taught him a lot about the drug many of his patients use. Rogers is a member of the academy's committee on substance abuse."My opinion has changed,'' he said. "When I first started, in 1985, I didn't think marijuana was that bad.'' Today, however, he said he's convinced the drug is stronger than it used to be and is addictive."John Lennon once said that marijuana was nothing more than a harmless giggle,'' Rogers said. "He was probably right. But today, its potency has increased.''Rogers' paper contends:Since the last academy statement on marijuana, in 1991, the use of the drug among young people has grown.In 1991, 10 percent of eighth- graders reported having used the drug at some time in their lives. In 1997, 23 percent reported the same.Among high-school seniors, the number of teens using marijuana grew from 37 percent to 50 percent during this period. The federal government's annual National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, released this week, found that one in 10 teen- agers uses marijuana or other illegal drugs, down from 1997 but double what it was in 1992.Marijuana's potency, which is measured in the percentage of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the dry weight of samples, has increased.The average potency of THC in 1975 was 0.71 percent. In 1997, the potency was 3.71 percent.Marijuana use has been associated with cardiovascular, pulmonary and reproductive problems. Chronic use can result in the same health problems associated with cigarette smoking.Marijuana can affect cognitive skills and memory among young users and can impair the ability to learn.Keith Stroup, executive director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, in Washington, D.C., said there are reports that contradict Rogers' findings about marijuana potency and addictiveness."You could say orange juice is addictive,'' Stroup said. "Or taking a shower every morning.''The group's position is that marijuana use should be restricted to adults only."I don't think marijuana is a dangerous drug, but pediatricians should talk to their patients about all kinds of drug use,'' Stroup said. Dr. Jennifer White, a pediatrician with Riverside Methodist Hospitals, said physicians and parents shouldn't wait to talk with young people."We start right away in the sixth grade,'' she said. "We have several questions we like to ask about what we call the 'spheres of interaction.' They are school, family and peers.''She said doctors should ask patients how they're doing in school, how they get along with their parents and siblings, and what they do with their friends."A discussion of drug use, including the use of marijuana, should be a routine part of primary health-care clinical preventive services for every child and every adolescent,'' Rogers wrote in his paper."An assessment of potential drug use gives the pediatrician the opportunity to offer anticipatory guidance before the onset of drug use, to intervene and minimize consequences if drug use has begun, and to detect and address issues of long-term or heavy use.''Rogers said parents need to keep a close eye on their children because most intervention programs don't work."I wish I had a nickel for every parent who said they smoked it in the '60s or '70s and that it's not a big deal,'' he said."No one has ever died from an overdose of marijuana, but it's not a safe drug.''Saturday, August 21, 1999A Counter Point:Young People Should Be Taught To Use Drugs Safely-8/17/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2535.shtml
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