As noted correctly in the Nov. 15 editorial, ‘Pending legalization stokes irrational fears,’ marijuana has been around for decades. And that’s about all there is to agree with. The opinion(s) expressed are inexcusably naïve, bordering on unforgivable, given how much credible research exists and what is at stake. Just a cursory review of articles describing what is happening in the U.S. states that have legalized cannabis pretty much debunks the entire editorial content.
How’s this for “irrational”? A 2017 study of over 30,000 American adults demonstrated that marijuana users were more than twice as likely to move on to abuse prescription opioids – even when controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, other substance use disorders, any mood or anxiety disorder, prior non-medical opioid use, and family history of drug use disorder, alcohol use disorder, depression, and antisocial personality disorder. Similarly, the CDC also says that marijuana users are three times more likely to become addicted to heroin. And according to the seminal 2017 National Academy of Sciences report, “There is moderate evidence of a statistical association between cannabis use and the development of substance dependence and/or a substance abuse disorder for substances including alcohol, tobacco, and other illicit drugs.”
Or this … Molecular studies indicate that the multiple medical effects of marijuana may be accounted for by an interaction of the drug with basic regulatory signaling mechanisms of the lipid bilayer and integral receptors of the cell membrane. The unique deregulation of cell membrane signaling by THC impairs the function of the brain synapses, gametes, and cells of the immune system.
As noted by Child & Adolescent Neuro-Psychiatrist Dr. Robert Gilkeson: Chemically, marijuana is a far more dangerous drug than most of the scientifically ignorant media and North American consumer have been duped into believing.
Ken Lane
Saanich