Marijuana Use

Controversy continues to rage regarding the perceived dangers of marijuana use with two distinct camps emerging: on the one hand there are the strident accusers who maintain that marijuana is not as innocuous as it may seem while on the other hand there are the passionate advocates of a growing movement to decriminalize it.

The resulting confusion has left many people unsure of their own opinions on the drug's usage. Those who wish to decriminalize it point to Holland as a significant example of such a change in legislature. Figures show that when marijuana was legalized in that country the rate of usage of harder drugs like cocaine and heroin reduced.

This confounds those who believe marijuana to be a dangerous gateway drug that leads to more serious addictions.

These viewpoints clash radically with experts in the field of drug rehabilitation like Bob Meehan, founder of the respected Palmer Drug Abuse Program that has saved many a young life. He maintains that the negative effects of the drug are overlooked because they are so subtle and pervasive and only appear over time. He maintains that he would rather treat a heroin addict than a heavy dope addict.

Further investigation into the controversy reveals studies that support both sides of the argument. Those in favor of legalizing marijuana point out that it is less dangerous than alcohol which is freely available. They support this statement with the fact that there has never been a reported death from overdose in marijuana's long history. This fact goes undisputed by both sides. It is a known fact that one would have to smoke 40,000 times more marijuana than normal to affect a toxic overdose. Anything from four times as much alcohol can result in alcohol poisoning and death.

Bob Meehan points to the effects that the active chemical in marijuana has on the brain. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) connects to cannabinoid receptors on nerve cells in the brain. These are receptors that are found in parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception and coordinated movement.

On our campuses earnest young students bear petitions to legalize the use of marijuana while Meehan warns: "It changes the user's mind and his actions without even letting him know it."

Who is right? How do we do the right thing? Is marijuana demonized and no worse than a glass of red wine with a good meal? The answer is less in the ingredients of the drug than it is in the way we use it and this applies to all substances that humans have been taking since the beginning of time to affect a buzz.


Given the plethora of contradictory information that is available on marijuana we are thrown back on our own resources, forced to take a responsible, aware and thoughtful attitude towards substances that may be relatively harmless in moderation and which become monstrous when abused.

Western society has long since given up the control and limiting of alcohol consumption to people over a certain age and it is a known thing that thousands die from the abuse of it and still more are admitted to hospitals around the country, some on a regular basis.

Addiction is addiction. Yes, the experts may tell us that there is physical addiction and there is psychological addiction but really, when you are in the jaws of one it is all the same. Whether it is physical or psychological, alcohol or marijuana, if it has control of you it is indisputably destructive and a committed effort should be made to neutralize the hold it has.

Some experts would go even further and say that addiction is the demon of the piece. Whether it is an addiction to a particular substance, gambling, destructive relationships or food it will kill our spirits and steal our souls. Some substances will have more severe, possibly fatal, effects on our physical systems but really we are heading downhill anyway.

So, in view of all of this and the sustained political controversy surrounding marijuana it remains for us to make up our own minds. In an ideal society we would all take responsibility for ourselves rendering external policing agencies redundant. What may be right for me may not be right for you. This would be an enlightened world indeed.

But, while the authorities rally against each other, real knowledge and information is our best defense. It is hard to knowingly destroy ourselves through the extreme usage of any substance whether it be a smoky cabernet sauvignon or a joint if we are aware of what that substance has the power to do to us. This is far and away the most adult and mature attitude towards any potentially damaging substance, situation or relationship and one that does not rely on the paternalistic necessity to have our behavior modified by outside agencies. This is the beauty and potential of true responsibility.