Marijuana:The Scientific Realities

Myths and Misconceptions:the Hippies

1. Marijuana is a natural plant.

2. Marijuana is harmless to humans.

3. Marijuana is not addictive.

4. Everyone smokes pot.

5. Native Americans smoked pot in their peace pipes.

Myths and Misconceptions:the Government

1. Marijuana users all go insane and end up in asylums.

2. Marijuana turns users into criminals and murderers (Reefer Madness).

3. Marijuana is a “gateway” drug: every marijuana user moves on to “hard” drugs.

Reality: Pot Use in AmericaWhen we double the answers given in several NIDA national surveys we find:1. 25 million adult Americans smoke pot on

a regular basis (once a month or more).2. 5 million adult Americans smoke pot on a

daily basis.3. Total of of 30 million American adults

who smoke pot monthly or more.

Pot Use in America (cont.)4. There are currently 330 million adults in

America.

5. Which means that only 9.6% of adult Americans smoke marijuana on a regular basis.

6. Compared to 60% of American adults who drink alcohol on a regular basis.

Reality: What is Marijuana?1.Marijuana is the dried leaves, stems and

seeds of Cannabis, a psychoactive form of the hemp plant.

2.Cannabis Sativa—1% THC content.

3.Cannabis Ruderalis—1.5% THC content.

4.Cannabis Indica—3% THC content.

What is Marijuana (cont.)5. The average THC content of marijuana sold on the streets today is 14%!

6. We have not seen natural marijuana on the streets since 1985.

7. Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the world.

8. Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the United States.

Reality: What’s in Marijuana?1. In it’s natural form, marijuana contains

435 chemicals.2. 66 of those chemicals are cannabinoids.3. Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is

the main psychoactive chemical.4. Cannabidiol (CBD) has pain relieving

effects.

5. Cannabichromene (CBC) has anti-nausea effects.

What’s in Marijuana (cont.)6. Some dealers still sell low-grade pot mixed with: a. Phencyclidine (PCP)—Capt. Jeffrey McDonald

b. Ketamine c. Formaldehyde7. Some marijuana growers use pesticides long-banned by the EPA, such as DDT.

What’s in Marijuana (cont.)8. Burning marijuana creates an additional 2000 chemicals (mostly toxins and carcinogens).

9. We have 200 naturally occurring neurotransmit- ters in our brains.

10. We know what 30 of the neurotransmitters do– we have no clue what the other 170 do.

11. So far, only two reactions that occur when the 2435 chemicals combine with our 200 neuro- transmitters are helpful to humans (CBC and CBD). Raise any questions???

Reality: The Effects of Marijuana1. Marijuana is a STIMULANT drug!2. Marijuana use immediately increases

heart rate and blood pressure by 50%, while simultaneously decreasing the blood’s ability to transport oxygen by 50%.

3. This results in a fourfold increase in risk for heart attack, stroke, and respiratory collapse.

The Effects of Marijuana (cont.)4. As marijuana becomes more potent, it becomes more toxic.

5. In 1999, the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) reported a total of 96,004 hospital emergency room admissions for marijuana- related illnesses.

6. In 2009, DAWN reported a total of 374,467 emergency room visits related to marijuana use—some of those people died!

Reality: Marijuana in the Brain1. THC fills Anandamide receptors in the hippocampus, part of the brain’s limbic system that governs: a. Memory b. Learning c. Motivation d. Integrating sensory experiences with emotions (Funeral story).

Marijuana in the Brain (cont.)

2. THC inhibits the activity of nerve cells in the hippocampus, changing the way sensory information is processed in the brain.3. The change in processing leads to the hallucinogenic properties of marijuana (higher potency is bringing more powerful hallucinations), and to the four stages of marijuana intoxication:

Marijuana in the Brain (cont.)Stage 1: Euphoria, Relaxation, Giddiness, Disinhibition.Stage 2: Sedation, Tranquility, the Munchies. (The Holy Grail of Mood States)Stage 3: Mood Changes, Fragmented Ideas and Memories.Stage 4: Confusion, Fear, Anxiety, Helpless- ness which can turn into Paranoia and Panic.

Marijuana in the Brain (cont.)4. In the rest of the brain, THC clogs the tiny spaces between nerve cell endings called synapses.

5. Impedes the transmission of information in the brain by slowing the relay of infor- mation between nerve cells.

6. The effects last for 15—30 days, as long as THC remains in the brain, resulting in:

Marijuana in the Brain (cont.) a. Problems with Memory and Learning. b. Distorted Perceptions of Time and Distance. c. Loss of Balance and Coordination. d. Difficulty with Problem Solving. e. Poor Concentration. d. Slowed Reaction Times.

Effects of Marijuana on Driving1.Studies conducted in Maryland took blood samples from 1,023 drivers in fatal crashes.2. They found that 55% of drivers had alcohol in their blood as their sole chemical.3. They also found that 33% of drivers had marijuana in their blood as their sole chemical.4. Meaning 33% of all traffic fatalities (13,870 per year) are due to marijuana use!

Effects of Marijuana on Flying1.In the 1970’s, the U.S. Air Force had pilots

take off and land C-130 planes.2.They measured the distance of the front

wheel from the 8” runway lines—The average distance was 14 inches.

3.Then they got the pilots stoned—The average distance grew to 16 feet!

4.It took five weeks to return to 14 inches.

The Effects of Marijuana on Work

Smoking marijuana on or off the job causes:

1.Increased absences and tardiness.

2.Higher job turnover.

3.More workmen’s compensation claims.

4.Negative effects on workplace productivity, including:

Effects of Marijuana on Work (cont.)a. Leaving work early.

b. Leaving without permission.

c. Working slowly.

d. Shirking tasks.

e. Increasing on-the-job injuries by eight times that of non-users—workers have lost fingers, hands, and scalps from mari-juana use.

Effects of Marijuana on Work (cont.)5. Users have lost jobs and insurance after testing positive for THC following on-the-job injuries.

6. Lost production from marijuana-related work injuries costs an estimated $88 billion per year.

7. Healthcare costs for treating marijuana-related household accidents, car wrecks, and diseases costs an additional $44 billion per year.

8. Total social costs of marijuana use=$132 billion per year!

Effects of Marijuana on Learning1. THC effects the brain cells that allow people to

focus, conceptualize, concentrate, create, and learn at an advanced level.

2. Because these cells are still growing during the teens and early twenties when most marijuana use occurs, regular use of marijuana decreases the growth of these cells by up to 10%.

3. This causes marijuana users to:

a. Develop less intellectual skills than non users.

Effects on Learning (cont.)b. Develop fewer work skills than non- users.c. Develop fewer social skills than non-users.d. Score significantly lower in math and verbal skills on standardized tests than non-users.e. Have far lower graduate rates from high school and college than non-users.f. Earn significantly lower incomes over their lifespans than non-users.

Effects of Marijuana on Perception

Chronic marijuana use results in:

1.Severe psychological impairment.

2.Reduced self-awareness.

3.Strong denial systems.

4. Center for Pyschosocial Research Study

Effects on Perception (cont.)

5. Early reports by the government claimed that smoking marijuana would drive users insane. This was not true, BUT…

6. …recent studies at King’s College, London show that regular marijuana use prior to age 15 increases the risk of developing Shizophreniform Disorder, a permanent and disabling psychiatric condition, by four times that of non-users!

Effects of Marijuana on Crime1. Marijuana use results in impaired reasoning, poor judgment, impaired thinking, and poor problem-solving.

2. 9.6% of adults use marijuana—40% of adult males and 28% of adult females arrested for criminal activity tested positive for marijuana.

3. Approximately 17% of youth use marijuana— 55 % of adolescent males and 41% of adolescent females arrested for criminal activity tested pos- itive for marijuana.

Reality: Marijuana v. Cigarettes 1. Marijuana and tobacco contain the same tars, BUT…marijuana contains four times the tar of tobacco (pot smokers call the tar “resin”).

2. Marijuana and tobacco contain the same toxic hydrocarbons, BUT…marijuana contains much higher levels of an enzyme that convert the hydrocarbons into their carcinogenic form.

3. Marijuana is smoked without a filter, inhaled deeper, and held in the lungs longer.

3. Smoking 5 joints equals the lung damage of smoking 112 cigarettes.

Marijuana vs. Cigarettes (cont.) 4. Smoking marijuana triples the risk of mouth, lung, and throat, cancer sover cigarette smokers, who already have an eight times higher risk than non- smokers.

5. Marijuana smoke decreases white blood cell count by 39%, resulting in much higher rates of Asthma, Bronchitis, Emphysema, and COPD than non-smokers (studies by Columbia University).

6. 90% of teenage tobacco users become addicted to tobacco; 10% of teenage marijuana smokers become addicted to marijuana.

Reality: Effects of Marijuana on Cellular Functioning

1.Cells have of a membrane 7/8ths of a millimeter thick consisting of two layers of protein surrounding two layers of fat.

2.The outside layer has finger-like villi to catch nutrients floating in the blood and pull them into the cell to nourish the nucleoli, which contains our DNA.

Effects on Cells (cont.)3. Nutrients are vital to the growth, develop- ment, and division of cells.4. THC clogs the fat, preventing the cell from absorbing needed nutrients.5. This results in weakening of the cell, allow- ing THC to be absorbed into the cell.6. When this happens, THC alters normal cell division affecting the genetic make-up of new cells!

Effects on Cells (cont.)7. THC is concentrated in the parts of our bodies with the highest number of fat cells.

8. The highest concentration of fat cells are in our brains and reproductive organs—the testicles and ovaries.

9. Which means that THC alters sperm and egg cells!

What to sperm cells and egg cells do?

Effects of Marijuana on Children1. According to studies at La Sapienza University in

Rome, fetal marijuana children have higher rates of…

a. Attention Deficit Disorders

b. Learning Disabilities

c. Anxiety Disorders

d. Conduct Disorders

e. Genital Abnormalities

…than children of parents who don’t smoke pot.

Effects on Children (cont.)2. Fetal marijuana children perform poorly on tests of visual perception, language comp- rehension, memory, and attention.

3. They struggle with decision-making.

4. They have more behavioral problems.

5. They require medication, specialized edu- cation, and often end up on disability and welfare or in prisons.

Effects on Children (cont.)6. Genital Abnormalities include:a. Micro-penis (most common).b. Hermaphroditism.c. Mixture of male/female genitalia.d. No external genitalia.7. 7800 babies are born every year where they can not tell the gender at birth!8. Birth story.

Reality: “Medical” Marijuana1. Medical marijuana advocates want marijuana

prescribed to Cancer patients who are under-going chemotherapy to reduce nausea (CBC).

2. Advocates also want marijuana prescribed to AIDS patients to eliminate Chronic Wasting Disease (the munchies).

3. HOWEVER, since smoking marijuana creates a three-times greater risk for mouth, throat, and lung cancers, isn’t using it to treat nausea in cancer patients counter-productive at best?

“Medical” Marijuana (cont.)4. And, since AIDS involves a seriously com- promised immune system, and smoking marijuana lowers white blood cell count (immune system) by 39%, shouldn’t treat- ing AIDS with marijuana be considered malpractice?

5. If marijuana is a legitimate medicine, why is it not prescribed by legitimate doctors and distributed in legitimate pharmacies?

“Medical” Marijuana (cont.)6. The reason is that any medical doctor can already prescribe marijuana in pill form.a. Marinol has been available for 50 years.b. Dronabinol was approved in 1999 by the

FDA for AIDS and chemotherapy patientsc. Sativex, a 50% CBC/CBD sublingual prep-

aration is available in Canada.d. The UK has an oral spray that eliminates

the all the toxins and carcinogens.

“Medical” Marijuana (cont.)7. Studies in California show no appreciable increase in therapeutic benefits between low-grade (3% THC) and high-grade (7% THC) marijuana.

8. There is NO therapeutic value in marijuana with a THC content higher than 10%.

9. Most marijuana sold at dispensaries has a THC content between 15 and 40%!

“Medical” Marijuana (cont.)10. In Michigan, a person can get a medical marijuana card if they have AIDS, Cancer, or Glaucoma.

11. They can also get one for Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, Insomnia, Anxiety, and Migraines.

12. And for Transient Pain, Skinned Knees, Scrapes, Cuts, Stubbed Toes, and Hangnails.

13. After paying $150 for a “medical” marijuana card at a “Wellness Center.”

Questions states need to answer prior to approving “medical” marijuana include:

1. For which medical conditions will it be allowed, and which will be excluded?

2. Who will be allowed to diagnose medical conditions?

3. In what form will it be available—Smoked, Eaten, Pills, Nasal Spray, Sublingually?

4. Who will produce it—Government, Individ- ual Licensed growers, Private agribusiness?

5. How will it be distributed—Retail, Whole- sale, Private Stores, Government Shops, Mail Order, Prescription Only?

6. How will it be purchased—Cash, Credit, Debit, Insurance?

7. Will insurance companies be forced to pay for “medical” marijuana?

8. Will consumers who have an adverse reac- tion have legal recourse?

9. Who will be held liable for adverse reacti- ons—growers, sellers, prescribers?

10. Will a person who tests positive for THC at work lose their job if they have a “medical” marijuana card?

11. If so, would the company be in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act?

12. Will there be age restrictions on medical marijuana?

13. Could pregnant women use medical mari- juana?

14. Will there be restrictions on where it can be used?

15. Will there be restrictions on how much a person can use in a specific time frame?

16. Will there be restrictions on how much an individual can possess?

17. Will there be penalties for violating con- sumer restrictions?

18. Will they be more or less severe than cur- rent restrictions?

19. Will there be penalties for driving under the influence of medical marijuana?

20. How will we measure impairment?

21. Will we require medical marijuana users to submit to blood tests?

22. What will happen when a “medical” marijuana user causes a fatal wreck?

23. Will “medical” marijuana be taxed?

24. How will the taxes be collected, and how will the tax revenue be used?

25. How many agencies and individuals will be required to monitor all these issues?

26. How much will this all cost, and who will pay for it?