Pubdate: Thu, 02 Dec 2004 Source: Mcgill Daily, The (CN QU Edu) Copyright: 2004 The Mcgill Daily Contact: http://www.mcgilldaily.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2638 Author: Zainab Al-Dhaher Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) MUCH ADO ABOUT A SPLIFF Pot May or May Not Help You Write Sonnets "I felt like I was everywhere. I was thrilled. I'd been trapped in my own experiences - now I was free. The world was filled with incredibly tiny spaces where no one could find me or care what I was doing. I was alone. My mind could see itself." The description: a drug high. The author: not a pot-smoking college student, but rather the Nobel Prize winner Kary Mullis, inventor of the revolutionary DNA amplifying technique PCR (polymerase chain reaction). Mullis is not the only genius/cannabis connoisseur. Astronomer and author Carl Sagan was an avid marijuana smoker, crediting it with inspiring essays and scientific insight. And according to the South African Journal of Science even Shakespeare might have taken a hit or two. Scientists documented the presence of cocaine, myristic acid, and marijuana in 17th century clay pipes preserved at Shakespeare's home. Marijuana, a drug associated with giving a mellow high, is also associated with unusual insight, heightened focus, and inspiration. But to what degree can cannabis stimulate Mullis-like originality or Shakespearean ingenuity? "All I can say is that weed makes you focused," says Luke, a student and regular pot-smoker, when asked about the effects of marijuana. "It's a refreshing focus, a focus on the moment." Erin, who has smoked marijuana many times, describes a similar sensation. "Time slows down when you smoke," she says. "You can become so focused on something so small." But Kristen's experiences with marijuana have neither been focusing nor inspiring. "I think that it calms people but then again it's what you make of it. It's kind of like a placebo," she says. Marijuana has been thought by many to have the power to enhance any experience, from eating to music listening to sex. Erin described it as intensifying everything, even watching movies and having conversations. Can this boost explain marijuana's alleged effects creativity? "Under normal circumstances, you don't allow your mind to wander," explains Erin. "But while you're high, your mind wanders to thoughts you wouldn't have otherwise. So in that sense, I guess weed can make you more creative." Luke can also see how weed could inspire some, but admits that it never really fuels his own productive drive. For Every High, There's A Low Although none of the smoking students believe weed affects their daily lives, they all know of people who are hooked on weed. For many of Erin's friends, weed was the stepping stone to harder drugs. As with all drugs, the low is indeed low. "You're so out of it when you come down from being high," says Erin, who reports feeling slow and sluggish afterwards. Similarly, Luke and Kristen describe feeling lethargic and dulled the next day. Are any of the millions of cannabis users in this country producing anything comparable to Shakespeare's sonnets or Mullis' inventions? A group of Ottawa researchers recently studied the effects of marijuana on IQ. From their research, which examined current and former young adult marijuana users, they concluded that marijuana does not have a long-term negative impact on global intelligence. Despite experimental research findings, students remain cautious about the effects of marijuana. "Let's just put it this way," says Erin, "Although it may focus and inspire, I would never smoke up before a midterm." Perhaps cannabis was Shakespeare's tenth muse. But it might be that, for an average student, all's sober that ends well. All names changed for privacy. - ---