Pubdate: Thu, 17 Mar 2016
Source: Chief, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Whistler Printing & Publishing
Website: http://www.squamishchief.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2414

SMOKED OUT OF OUR MINDS

It's a dangerous idea.

As more U.S. states have legalized marijuana and Canada is now
considering it, many people believe the drug is harmless. But
legalizing marijuana is a serious decision with potentially serious
consequences for all Canadians, our health-care system and our economy.

In the U.S., the number of young people who believe marijuana use is
risky is now decreasing, according to a 2014 study cited by the
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Among adults in both Canada
and the U.S., marijuana use is seen as a joke, a punchline to your
story about the kids in high school who seemed to be drifting through
life and mentally absent in classes. But many believed if these kids
simply stopped rolling joints and eating brownies, they could be
scholars again.

Now, as a society, we seem to have drifted even further along a
dangerous line of thinking, touting pot as medicine that can help
people deal with a long list of ailments, not just as pain relief for
dying cancer victims.

But marijuana can have dangerous consequences for users and
permanently affect lives. Short-term effects include difficulty with
thinking and problem-solving, impaired memory, altered senses,
impaired body movement and mood changes, according to NIDA.

Long-term effects are more disturbing and include altered brain
development in teenagers. Studies indicate that when marijuana use
starts in youth, the drug may affect how the brain builds connections
for thinking, memory and learning functions. Effects can be
long-lasting or permanent. A 2012 study cited by NIDA indicated that
people who started heavy marijuana smoking in their teens lost an
average of eight IQ points between ages 13 and 38, and mental
abilities did not fully return in those who quit as adults.

Other effects include breathing problems, increased heart rate,
development problems during pregnancy, hallucinations and paranoia.
And several studies have demonstrated that marijuana can be addictive
and cause lower life satisfaction, relationship problems and less
academic and career success.

As a society, we pay for these effects through increased health-care
costs and lower productivity that hampers our economy. And even the
entrepreneurs running pot shops won't benefit much from legalization.
It seems likely that Big Pharma will profit most, as major drugstore
chains will sell the drug. If home cultivation becomes rampant, houses
will be destroyed from indoor growing. And no one seems to be talking
about the possible carnage on our roads from drivers who are high.

Let's stop downplaying the risks of legalizing marijuana. It's not a
joke, and it's not harmless.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt