Pubdate: Fri, 03 Mar 2017
Source: Haida Gwaii Observer (CN BC)
Copyright: 2017 Observer Publishing Co. Ltd
Contact:  http://www.haidagwaiiobserver.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2681
Author: Tom Kertes

QUEEN CHARLOTTE IS RIGHT TO GET READY FOR LEGAL POT

If the federal Liberals keep their campaign promise, legal pot is
around the corner. The Village of Queen Charlotte is rightly preparing
now for how to regulate marijuana retailers once it's legalized.Legal
or not, marijuana is a drug that affects the brain. We have a
responsibility as a community to regulate access to this drug and to
minimize harms from its use and distribution. According to the
Canadian Paediatric Society, cannabis harms brain development during
adolescence, making access for youth a matter of health. The society
writes that "cannabis use during adolescence can cause functional and
structural changes to the developing brain, leading to damage."
Doctors also raise concerns about marijuana dependence and
associations between pot use and depression, anxiety,and psychosis.

Many young people (and people of all ages) use marijuana as
"self-medication," often to help manage depression and anxiety.
Regardless of which comes first, the mental health need or the
marijuana, untreated mental illness is of no benefit to young people.
Well-being, not simply access to self-medicating drugs, is what's needed.

That said, de-stigmatizing the use of medication for depression,
anxiety, or other mental health needs through progressive policies
around harm reduction and regulated drug access can be helpful in many
instances. That's why we should be thinking now about what legal pot
means for the health of our community. I'm certainly no fan of
prohibition - not of marijuana or of other drugs. But that doesn't
mean I support drug dependence, addiction, and unregulated access to
powerful drugs that harm health. Decriminalization of drugs is not
pro-drug. It's meant to be pro-health, instead.

Making drugs illegal does not address the root issues around drug
dependence and addiction, and doesn't prevent the ill effects of
misuse from taking hold. Likewise, making drugs legal does little to
improve health on its own. With harmful drug use, there are two issues
to consider. The first issue is the adverse health effects of the drug
itself. Harmful and highly addictive drugs, like alcohol, heroin and
tobacco, must be regulated so harm is reduced. For these and other
harmful drugs, points of access should limit exposure and protect
users as much as possible. Related to access, people should understand
the health risks of drug use and should have accessible education and
information on how to limit the harms from use.

The second issue is over the drives, or the unmet needs, that lead
some to drug addiction or dependence. Using drugs to cope with pain
(mental or physical) only masks root causes. People in need of support
require more than these masking effects. Instead, they need healthy
communities that support everyone's well-being.

As a high school teacher, I am concerned about marijuana use by young
people in our community.Issues of legality aside, smoking pot as a
means to "cope" or being high much of the time is simply unhealthy.
Being high on a daily or almost daily basis means you are "out of it"
for much of your life.You learn less, limit your potential, miss out
on sports or other activities, and put your relationships with friends
and family at risk. If pot takes over your life, you risk missing out
on much. This is no different than any other drug taking over.

Just because marijuana will soon be legal doesn't mean that youth
won't be at risk for misuse of legal pot. The risks may even be
higher, given how legalization may change attitudes about the health
risks associated with cannabis use. Honest information about the risks
of using cannabis and how to reduce potential harms will be needed as
much in the future as it is now. Regulation of drugs is meant to make
things safer, providing access to safe dosages and untampered drugs.
Regulation is also meant to address the culture around drug use.
That's why it makes sense for the Village of Queen Charlotte to
consider the social and health impacts of bringing legal pot into our
village's retail sector. Handled correctly, the legalization of
marijuana presents a unique opportunity to make health and well-being
be our top priority when it comes to managing access to drugs.
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MAP posted-by: Matt