Pubdate: Sun, 21 Feb 2016
Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 The Toronto Star
Contact:  http://www.thestar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456
Author: Vaughan Dowie
Page: A11

LEGALIZING POT: LET'S GET IT RIGHT

The legalization of marijuana in Canada now appears to be a question
of when and how, not if. The new federal government has committed to
this initiative and is now looking at how to implement it.

A large part of our society believes marijuana is a relatively
harmless substance, but that isn't entirely true. The impact of
marijuana on an adolescent's brain can be severe. In fact, study after
study has shown that frequent marijuana use by young people can have a
number of negative effects and leave lasting impairments on a brain
that is still growing and developing.

In a recent report, for example, the Canadian Centre on Substance
Abuse states that "early and frequent (marijuana) use can seriously
limit a young person's educational, occupational and social
development, and some of these adverse effects may be
irreversible."

And yet much of our population still sees marijuana as a relatively
benign drug. Not unlike alcohol, it is often used socially to alter
consciousness for a period of time, break down social inhibitions and
help one feel included, normal. For many youth, however, it does not
work this way.

Pine River Institute is a residential treatment facility for
adolescents struggling with addictive behaviours. We serve young
people from across Ontario at our campus northwest of Toronto.

The majority of those we treat use a range of substances, but most
identify their primary drug of choice as marijuana. It has not worked
for them, and they are not functioning well socially, at home or at
school. They do not feel normal.

Most of the youth we see have experienced a number of interventions
before coming to us: individual psychotherapy, family therapy, medical
intervention, day treatment, or short-term residential programs. They
have not responded to these less intensive approaches, and continue to
spiral down. Conversations with our colleagues who work with
adolescents across North America tell us this is a common profile.

When marijuana is made legally available to adults, like tobacco and
alcohol, its use will be normalized. One potential effect that
legalization may have is an increase in use by adolescents due to
greater social acceptance, increased availability and possibly lower
prices. Young Canadians already have the highest rate of marijuana use
in the developed world.

What can we do to reduce negative consequences for young people? At
the very least we need to reinvest a significant portion of the
revenue that the federal and provincial governments will be collecting
from both the taxing and potential retailing of marijuana into funding
additional treatment. The current system is significantly
under-resourced; at Pine River Institute alone we have more than 200
names on our waiting list for services.

The second focus must be on developing creative and effective
public-education approaches. Despite the clear dangers, many
adolescents and even their families believe that nothing really bad
can happen from using marijuana.

The lessons we've learned from neuroscience about the impact of
marijuana on the still-developing brain of a young person are not as
well-known as they should be, especially by young people themselves.
We need to create effective approaches that will resonate with
adolescents so that they better understand the dangers that come with
the drug, particularly with early and frequent use. We must also
develop tools to educate and enable families to initiate these
conversations at home.

As we embark on the discussions that will lead up to the eventual
legalization and retailing of marijuana, much will be said about the
safeguards that must be put in place to prohibit the sale of pot to
minors. The reality is that no plan is foolproof and right now there
are not enough services for adolescents with addiction issues and
their families. Significant investments need to be made to address
both the current deficiencies and the potential increased demand.

The legalization of marijuana appears to be inevitable, so we need a
robust public policy approach that effectively reduces the negative
consequences of marijuana use by young people. If we choose to
legalize marijuana, we need to get it right.

Vaughan Dowie is the CEO of Pine River Institute.
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MAP posted-by: Matt