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Newshawk: Richard Lake
Votes: 3
Pubdate: Feb 2000
Source: Mother Jones (US)
Page: 86
Contact:
Address: 731 Market Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94103
Fax: (415) 665-6696
Website: http://mojones.com/
Note: This advertisement appears in the current issue of Mother Jones. It
is part of a continuing series of ads published by the Common Sense for
Drug Policy Foundation. The full page ads are easily copied - thus making
excellent handouts. This text version does not do the ad justice. A better
representation of this ad, and the others in the series, may be found at:
http://www.csdp.org/ads/
CAN WE HANDLE THE TRUTH ABOUT MARIJUANA?
MYTH: Marijuana is a gateway drug.
FACT: For every 104 people who have used marijuana, there is only one
regular user of cocaine and less than one heroin addict. ( 1 )
MYTH: Marijuana is addictive.
FACT: Less than one percent of people who consume marijuana do so on a
daily or near daily basis. An even smaller minority develop dependence on
marijuana. Withdrawal symptoms, if experienced at all, are mild. ( 2 )
MYTH: Marijuana lowers motivation.
FACT: For twenty five years, researchers have searched for a marijuana-
induced amotivational syndrome and have failed to find it. Of course,
people who are constantly intoxicated, no matter what the drug, are not
likely to be productive. ( 3 )
MYTH: Higher concentrations of THC make marijuana more dangerous.
FACT: There is no possibility of a fatal overdose from smoking marijuana,
regardless of potency. High potency marijuana may be less harmful to the
lungs because people can use less to achieve the desired effects. ( 4 )
MYTH: Marijuana causes brain damage
FACT: No medical test used to determine brain damage has indicated brain
damage in humans who use marijuana - even after long-term use. ( 5 )
SO, WHY DID WE ARREST 642,000 AMERICANS LAST YEAR FOR MARIJUANA OFFENCES?
SOURCES: ( 1 ) Department of HHS, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse,
1997. ( 2 ) Department of HHS, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1997;
Jones, r.t. et al, "Clinical Relevance of Cannabis Tolerance and
Dependence," Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 21:143-526 ( 1981 ). ( 3 ) Pope,
H.G. et al, "Drug Use and Life Style Among College Undergraduates in 1989:
A Comparison With 1969 and 1978,: American Journal of Psychiatry
147:998-001 ( 1990 ); Kandel, D. et al, "The Impact of Drug Use on Earnings;
A Life-Span Perspective," Social Forces 74:243-270 ( 1995 ). ( 4 ) Department
of Health and Human Services, "Marijuana and the Cannabinoids," pp., 131-44
in Drug Abuse and Drug Abuse Research, third Triennial Report to Congress
from the Secretary ( 1991 ). ( 5 ) Hannerz, l and Hindmarsh, T. "Neurological
and Neuroradiological Examination of Chronic Cannabis Smokers," Annals of
Neurology 13:207-10 ( 1983 ); Stuve, F.A. and Straumania, J.J.,
"Electroencephalographic and Evoked Potential Methods in Human Marijuana
Research Historical Review and Future Trends," Drug Development Research
20: 369-88 ( 1990 ).
A complete discussion of the effects of marijuana is available from
Marijuana Myths / Marijuana Facts: A Review of the Scientific Evidence by
Lynn Zimmer, Ph.D. and John Morgan, M.D. available from Bookworld Services
1-800-444-2524.
Visit Drug War Facts at: www.drugsense.org
Common Sense for Drug Policy, Kevin B. Zeese President, 703-354-5694,
703-354-5695 ( fax ), csdp@drugsense.org
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake
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