Pubdate: Wed, 09 Dec 2015
Source: Nanaimo Daily News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Black Press, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.nanaimodailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1608
Author: Aaron Hinks

'WE NEVER HEAR THE DOWNSIDE'

Counsellor says all areas of marijuana issue should be discussed

Marijuana is going to be legalized.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's speech from the throne, read Friday by
Gov. General David Johnston, said the Liberal government would
introduce legislation that will "legalize, regulate and restrict
access to marijuana."

But before you run to the nearest dispensary and buy a dime-bag of
their finest ganja, maybe it's time to step back and evaluate the
downside of the drug.

It's not hard to find research that highlights the positive, medicinal
effects of marijuana.

And it's not hard to find studies the reveal the damaging short and
long-term effects of heavy use.

Some pro-pot advocates will argue that marijuana doesn't have any
addictive properties, that it's a nearly harmless drug.

Lorne Hildebrand, executive director of Edgewood Treatment Centre, has
a message for those who only want to read one-side of the argument.

"Not everybody who smokes pot will become a marijuana addict. But
there's a limited percentage of people that will smoke this stuff and
become addicted to it. What we have been really upset about is all we
really hear are the fluffy positive things. We never hear the
downside. I keep hearing people say pot is harmless, it's not going to
hurt anybody," said Hildebrand. "The fact of the matter is we treat
people for serious marijuana addiction at Edgewood all of the time.

"If we're going to have a discussion about this stuff, for heavens
sake, let's have an honest one."

Hildebrand said addiction counsellors at Edgewood find the
overwhelming hype for legalization troubling.

"There are people that aren't going to abuse it, they aren't going to
have a hard time with it. But there are a certain percentage of people
that are genetically susceptible to the disease of addiction. They can
get addicted to marijuana," he said.

To identify a substance abuse problem, whether it be opiates, cocaine,
or alcohol, Edgewood counsellors use a questionnaire tool titled CAGE.

The questions that are asked are: Have you ever felt the need to cut
back or has someone tried to get you to cut back? Have you ever found
that you're annoyed at someone because they're telling you to cut
back? Have you ever felt guilty or has someone made you feel guilty
about the amount of use? Do you use when you don't intend to or use
all the time, to the point where it feels uncontrollable?

"If you have some of those going on, three of the four or even two of
the four, you need to be questioning yourself. If all four of those
are going on then you need to be seen by an addictions professional,
be assessed and see if there's a problem," Hildebrand said.

When Hildebrand started at Edgewood 20 years ago alcohol was the
substance of choice for individuals who used only one substance. Now,
more frequently that drug has been marijuana.

Legalization is a complex issue that pot advocates are trying to make
simple, Hildebrand said. Advocates, growers and producers, are so
gung-ho about legalization that they're swamping the information
market with one side of the story.

"It's not this wonderful great natural weed that everyone can get
healthy by and it will solve every problem. It's not this evil thing
that everybody will turn into an addict. But there are certainly
issues we need to be talking about when we legalize it," Hildebrand
said.

One such issue is parenting.

It is documented and a well known fact that alcohol abuse can lead to
neglectful parenting. Alcohol abuse can break parental structure and
routine and cause parents to become less in tune with their children's
needs.

"There's no question that marijuana can do exactly the same thing.
I've seen families break up because somebody was a marijuana addict
and not engaging with their family. Stoned all the time and not
engaging with their children. That's a horrible way to live,"
Hildebrand said. "We've done interventions in families where the wife
or the husband said to the marijuana-dependant person that you either
stop or I'm done, we break up and I leave."

Hildebrand has a concern that edibles are marketed to a younger
consumer. Studies indicate that the developing brain is the most
vulnerable to any type of psychoactive substance.

"Firstly I'm glad that someone isn't smoking it but the part that I
don't like is edibles make it an even broader reach. They are aimed at
kids more. I think we need to be careful of this. This is just people
trying to make money from selling a drug. That's all it is," he said.

Edibles also make it easier to hide from a police officer if you're
driving while high, he claimed. If you smoked it, the smell may be an
indicator for the police.

Despite the above concerns, Edgewood isn't doing anything special to
prepare for the proposed legalization. The reason being, Hildebrand
said, is that it's practically legalized in parts of Canada already.

"Police won't bust you for small amounts, doctors will give away
medical marijuana licenses in some cases in a drop of the hat. For
other cases they're more careful about it. For all intents and
purposes it really is legalized anyways. It's not really for us about
how we prepare for it, it's already here. We're already seeing a
change, we can deal with someone who is dependent on marijuana. We
know how to treat it, we know what the right steps are. I'm guessing
that it will just be more of that."

Hildebrand says he's trying to pick the middle of the road when it
comes to legalization.

"I think what I'm trying to say about this, I'm not saying marijuana
is bad. I'm saying for some people, it's bad, for others it's not. But
let's have that discussion. I'm all for stopping organized crime and
all for more tax revenue to pay for better services. But I'm not for
making something legal that's going to create more problems for those
folks who could be dependent."
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MAP posted-by: Matt