cannabisnews.com: Marijuana's Health Effects
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Marijuana's Health Effects
Posted by CN Staff on October 05, 2010 at 05:59:19 PT
By Itai Danovitch
Source: Los Angeles Times
California -- In the debate on legalizing marijuana, which Californians will vote on in November in the form of Proposition 19, the health risks of marijuana are often overlooked.Legalizing marijuana will almost certainly lead to a decrease in its price and an increase in its use, according to a recent Rand Corp. study. And because no drug or medicine is without side effects, increased marijuana use will mean increased health risks.
But what kind of risks? Supporters of legalization say marijuana is no more harmful than caffeine, whereas advocates of criminalization suggest that marijuana is highly toxic. Like other complex health issues, the truth lies somewhere in between.The California Society of Addiction Medicine is an association of physicians specializing in the treatment of alcoholism and other addictions. Though neutral on the issue of marijuana legalization itself, the society is concerned that Proposition 19 spreads misinformation about marijuana by stating: "Cannabis is not physically addictive, [and] does not have long-term toxic effects." Unfortunately, this statement ignores a large body of national and international scientific research over the last four decades that proves marijuana can be addictive.About 9% of adults who use marijuana develop an addiction to it. Among people who begin smoking before the age of 18, this number is as high as 17%. Although addiction to marijuana does not cause dramatic physical dependence, it can lead to substantial problems in education, work and relationships. In fact, addiction to marijuana is defined by the inability to stop using despite recognition of harmful consequences. Without harmful consequences, there is no diagnosis of addiction.The short-term effects of marijuana intoxication are well established. As part of the high produced by marijuana, intoxication impairs memory and learning. Marijuana use also impairs driving, causing a twofold to threefold increase in accidents. Though not as dramatic as the fifteenfold increase in accidents caused by alcohol intoxication, marijuana's impact on traffic safety does have significance.The long-term effects of marijuana are not often recognized because they are subtle, but they can have a cumulative impact over time. In people with preexisting vulnerabilities, marijuana use can unmask psychiatric problems such as schizophrenia. Many people with anxiety and depression use marijuana to soothe their symptoms; however, there is evidence that over time it may actually make these problems worse.Smoked marijuana irritates the linings of the respiratory passages and can lead to inflammation and bronchitis. Although marijuana has not been definitively shown to cause cancer, smoked marijuana has been linked to precancerous changes in the lungs.These long-term effects of marijuana are not as dramatic as those seen in other, "harder" drugs of abuse, but they do take a toll, and that toll appears to be greatest among people who begin smoking marijuana during adolescence, before the brain and body are finished maturing.Long-term marijuana use has not been shown to reduce general measurements of intelligence; however, there is evidence that the processing of highly complex information is slowed. Even after 28 days of abstinence, brain scans of long-term marijuana users show less activity in regions serving memory and learning.The bottom line is that although marijuana is less hazardous to health than many other legal or illegal drugs, it is not without risk, and voters and potential users need to fully understand this.Among treatment professionals, there is widespread consensus that incarcerating people for marijuana use or possession is wrong, and therefore, an alternative policy is long overdue. If we are to promote the public health, however, we need to anticipate and deal with the consequences of our policy decisions. California already does an abysmal job of making treatment resources available to people addicted to marijuana and other drugs, including adolescents. In the advent of legalization, there will be an increased need for prevention programs, education and treatment services.The decision to legalize marijuana is in the hands of California voters. It is vital that they make their decision on the basis of accurate facts. And if Californians do legalize marijuana, they should insist that revenue from its taxation be applied toward any problems that arise from its increased use.Itai Danovitch is an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He is a member of the California Society of Addiction Medicine's Committee on Public Policy. Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)Author: Itai DanovitchPublished: October 5, 2010Copyright: 2010 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comWebsite: http://www.latimes.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/azt42ZXnCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #15 posted by The GCW on October 05, 2010 at 22:57:09 PT
Health effects / The ultimate price for prohibitio
US CA: PUB LTE: Prop. 19 deserves supportEditor,Let‘s not for a moment forget cultivating cannabis (marijuana) is, “like hanging 100 dollar bills in your front yard” (Council Waits for Prop. 19, Sept. 22), because it is unfairly prohibited. Prohibiting the extremely popular and relatively safe, God-given plant is the only reason for the artificial black market pricing realities, which cause unnecessary risk and danger. When was the last time a 17-year-old died from a gunshot wound received while reportedly stealing from an alcohol producer such as grapes from a winery?Murder rates decreased for 10 years after ending the original prohibition with alcohol and there is reason to believe ending the sequel will have the same results. Prop. 19 deserves our support.Webpage: http://www.recorderonline.com/articles/deserves-46678-editor-let.htmlPubdate: 29 Sept.. 2010Source: Porterville Recorder (CA)Referred: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n770/a06.html?1398Coming soon the MAP http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/
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Comment #14 posted by Hope on October 05, 2010 at 21:28:26 PT
Happy Birthday to you, Runruff!
And many more!
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on October 05, 2010 at 14:33:45 PT
Happy Birthday Runruff
A song just for you!!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGtSpsYURAQ
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Comment #12 posted by Paint with light on October 05, 2010 at 13:37:49 PT
runruff
I ran across this video and couldn't resist.http://whoknew.news.yahoo.com/?vid=22270732Have a good one.Legal like birthdays.
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Comment #11 posted by Paint with light on October 05, 2010 at 11:02:27 PT
somebody is afraid of losing their job
"And because no drug or medicine is without side effects, increased marijuana use will mean increased health risks."Faulty logic."....advocates of criminalization suggest that marijuana is highly toxic. Like other complex health issues, the truth lies somewhere in between."Cannabis may be the least toxic medicine known. This guy ignores the truth."The California Society of Addiction Medicine is an association of physicians specializing in the treatment of alcoholism and other addictions."Bias....what bias?"Among people who begin smoking before the age of 18, this number is as high as 17%."I don't think many prop 19 advocates are for teen, pre-teen, or pre-puberty uncontrolled use unless it is prescribed as a beneficial medicine."Although addiction to marijuana does not cause dramatic physical dependence, it can lead to substantial problems in education, work and relationships."Most of these problems are caused by its illegality and not its effects. There are some people who are going to have problems no matter what the cause. That is human nature. Rather cannabis than alcohol, cigarettes, prescription drugs, or food all of which are more dangerous."....there is evidence that the processing of highly complex information is slowed."I don't like to be very stoned if I am speaking before a large group or if I am teaching a class. I find if I am trying to follow ten or more people and adapt my presentation to the group dynamics and interaction I can do so more effectively with less of a buzz.A slight buzz to reduce the natural stress of public speaking, I have found to mostly beneficial. However if I am out photographing, I like a good buzz. With the complexity of today's cameras and all the parameters and factors that go into producing great art, I can say that particular complex task is improved. I let my art speak for that fact.Different tasks require different levels and proportions of involvement of the thinking/feeling process."It is vital that they make their decision on the basis of accurate facts."Confronting BS like this is one of our jobs here at Cannabis news.Legal like alcohol.
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Comment #10 posted by Storm Crow on October 05, 2010 at 09:40:31 PT
"Man-boobs"..... LOL
Even the Army knew THAT was a lie- over 30 years ago!Gynecomastia and cannabis smoking: A nonassociation among US Army soldiers (abst - 1977)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/920892Yet, I still get questions about it, and the prohibitionist still use it as a "valid" argument!
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Comment #9 posted by por1 on October 05, 2010 at 09:10:04 PT:
runruff
Happy Birthday
Ive been smoking since seventy four age twelve My boobs should be quite large by now lol
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Comment #8 posted by museman on October 05, 2010 at 08:55:44 PT
BGreen
Well, in that case...I guess I got a few years left to work on the 'perfection' part. I do feel cured tho... :)
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Comment #7 posted by BGreen on October 05, 2010 at 08:50:01 PT
We ain't old, museman
We're all properly cured and aged to perfection.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #6 posted by museman on October 05, 2010 at 08:43:43 PT
"Holy '60's Batman..."
Runruff, you old dude!Hippy Birthday!
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Comment #5 posted by BGreen on October 05, 2010 at 08:19:50 PT
Happy Birthday, runruff!
Here's to another 64 years!The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #4 posted by runruff on October 05, 2010 at 08:05:45 PT
When I'm 64!
Today is my birthday 10-5-10 and I am 64 born 10-5-46. [46 = 10]I guarantee you, I am the antithesis of everything this guys claims.I am 64, took my first hit in '64 and been smoking strong ever since. If any of what this guy claimed were true I would surely be a mess by now instead of feeling [at 64] like I am a healthy forty. [everyone says I look 20 years younger]. It is immodest to make such a claim but I am only try to illustrate my point that everything this guy says has even the devil howling with laughter!If you consume cannabis everyday you will be healthier and happier, if you are the same as me, [human].
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Comment #3 posted by runruff on October 05, 2010 at 07:52:40 PT
What about the man-boobs?
Female hormones and such?Like Granny, I also have a list. It is runruff's BS list of "Lie's my Uncle told me". I can only say that anyone who would write an article like this in today's time and place, is either on a campaign to redefine reality or is the dumbest SOB ever to violate a keyboard!
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Comment #2 posted by An Adult on October 05, 2010 at 07:35:21 PT
What a bunch of BS propaganda
You're right, this L.A. Times article is complete BS. When Dr. Tashkin says that, "What we found was no association (between smoking cannabis and lung-related diseases) and even a suggestion of some protective effect", he was alluding to the fact that the cannabis smokers in his study actually showed less occurrences of lung disease than--not only tobacco smokers--but of NON-SMOKERS. That's correct, people who smoked cannabis--and Tashkin used HEAVY cannabis smokers, one guy claimed to have smoked approximately 20,000 joints in his lifetime--had fewer lung-related problems than people who DIDN'T SMOKE ANYTHING!Just more propaganda from the L.A. Times propaganda machine. And newspapers wonder why they're not reaching younger generations.
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Comment #1 posted by HempWorld on October 05, 2010 at 07:05:24 PT
What a load of BS from the LA Times!
"Although marijuana has not been definitively shown to cause cancer, smoked marijuana has been linked to precancerous changes in the lungs."Oh yeah?Lies, lies, lies:Top Anti-Drug Researcher Changes His Mind, Says Legalize Marijuana
Post to:TwitterFacebookDiggStumbleUponRedditby Scott Morgan, June 03, 2009, 09:52pm
For 30 years, Donald Tashkin has studied the effects of marijuana on lung function. His work has been funded by the vehemently anti-marijuana National Institute on Drug Abuse, which has long sought to demonstrate that marijuana causes lung cancer. After 3 decades of anti-drug research, here's what Tashkin has to say about marijuana laws:"Early on, when our research appeared as if there would be a negative impact on lung health, I was opposed to legalization because I thought it would lead to increased use and that would lead to increased health effects," Tashkin says. "But at this point, I'd be in favor of legalization. I wouldn't encourage anybody to smoke any substances. But I don't think it should be stigmatized as an illegal substance. Tobacco smoking causes far more harm. And in terms of an intoxicant, alcohol causes far more harm." [McClatchy]We've been told a thousand times that marijuana destroys your lungs, that it's 5 times worse than cigarettes, and on and on. Yet here is Donald Tashkin, literally the top expert in the world when it comes to marijuana and lung health, telling us it's time to legalize marijuana. His views are shaped not by ideology, but rather by the 30 years he spent studying the issue. He didn't expect the science to come out in favor of marijuana, but that's what happened and he's willing to admit it. Here's the study that really turned things around:UCLA's Tashkin studied heavy marijuana smokers to determine whether the use led to increased risk of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. He hypothesized that there would be a definitive link between cancer and marijuana smoking, but the results proved otherwise."What we found instead was no association and even a suggestion of some protective effect," says Tashkin, whose research was the largest case-control study ever conducted. Prejudice against marijuana and smoking in general runs so deep for many people that it just seems inconceivable that marijuana could actually reduce the risk of lung cancer. But that's what the data shows and it not only demolishes a major tenet of popular anti-pot propaganda, but also points towards a potentially groundbreaking opportunity to develop cancer cures through marijuana research.Over and over again, all the bad things we've been told about marijuana are revealed to be not only false, but often the precise opposite of the truth. So the next time someone tells you that marijuana is worse for your lungs than cigarettes, you might want to mention that the world's leading expert on that subject happens to be a supporter of legalization.
Top Anti-Drug Researcher Changes His Mind
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