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Marijuana Myths
From the California Chapter of NORML
Myth: Marijuana is a Dangerous Drug
Any discussion of marijuana should begin
with the fact that there have been numerous official reports and
studies, every one of which has concluded that marijuana poses no
great risk to society and should not be criminalized. These
include: the National Academy of Sciences' "Analysis of
Marijuana Policy"(1982); the National Commission on Marihuana
and Drug Abuse (the Shafer Report) (1973); the Canadian
Government's Commission of Inquiry (Le Dain Report) (1970); the
British Advisory Committee on Drug Dependency (Wooton Report)
(1968); the La Guardia Report (1944); the Panama Canal Zone
Military Investigations (1916-29); and Britain's monumental Indian
Hemp Drugs Commission (1893-4).
It is sometimes claimed that there is
"new evidence" showing marijuana is more harmful than
was thought in the sixties. In fact, the most recent studies have
tended to confirm marijuana's safety, refuting claims that it
causes birth defects, brain damage, reduced testosterone, or
increased drug abuse problems.
The current consensus is well stated in the
20th annual report of the California Research Advisory Panel
(1990), which recommended that personal use and cultivation of
marijuana be legalized: "An objective consideration of
marijuana shows that it is responsible for less damage to society
and the individual than are alcohol and cigarettes."
References: For an excellent summary of the
true health facts about marijuana, see Lynn Zimmer and Dr. John
Morgan, Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts: A Review of the
Scientific Evidence (Lindesmith Center, NY, 1997). The
National Academy of Sciences report, Marijuana and Health
(National Academy Press, 1982) remains a good overview, its major
conclusions remaining largely unaffected by two decades of
research. Lovinger and Jones, The Marihuana Question
(Dodd, Mead & Co., NY 1985) is the most exhaustive and
fair-handed summary of the evidence against marijuana. Good,
positive perspectives may be found in Lester Grinspoon's Marihuana,
the Forbidden Medicine (Yale Press, 1993) and Marihuana
Reconsidered (Harvard U. Press 1971), which debunks many of
the older anti-pot myths.
Myth: Marijuana is Harmless
Just as most experts agree that occasional
or moderate use of marijuana is innocuous, they also agree that
excessive use can be harmful. Research shows that the two major
risks of excessive marijuana use are: (1) respiratory disease due
to smoking and (2) accidental injuries due to impairment. In
addition, marijuana speeds the heartbeat, which can be dangerous
for patients with serious heart disease.
Recent studies have also shown that
marijuana can aggravate symptoms of mental illness in persons with
schizophrenic tendencies. At least four studies - in Australia,
Sweden, New Zealand and the Netherlands - have found that early,
repeated use of cannabis is associated with exacerbation of
schizophrenia in young patients so inclined (Source: British
Medical Journal "Cannabis and Mental Health." 23 Nov
2002). Marijuana is therefore generally disrecommended for
schizophrenics, though it may also occasionally be medically
useful for treatment of certain schizophrenic symptoms.
Marijuana and Smoking:
A survey by the Kaiser Permanente Center
found that daily marijuana-only smokers have a 19% higher rate of
respiratory complaints than non-smokers[01]
These findings were not unexpected, since it has long been known
that, aside from its psychoactive ingredients, marijuana smoke
contains virtually the same toxic gases and carcinogenic tars as
tobacco. Human studies have found that pot smokers suffer similar
kinds of respiratory damage as tobacco smokers, putting them at
greater risk of bronchitis, sore throat, respiratory inflammation
and infections[02]
Although there has not been enough
epidemiological work to settle the matter definitively, it is
widely suspected that marijuana smoking causes cancer. Studies
have found apparently pre-cancerous cell changes in pot smokers[03]
Some cancer specialists have reported a higher-than-expected
incidence of throat, neck and tongue cancer in younger,
marijuana-only smokers[04] A couple of cases
have been fatal. While it has not been conclusively proven that
marijuana smoking causes lung cancer, the evidence is highly
suggestive. According to Dr. Donald Tashkin of UCLA, the leading
expert on marijuana smoking[05]
"Although more information is certainly
needed, sufficient data have already been accumulated concerning
the health effects of marijuana to warrant counseling by
physicians against the smoking of marijuana as an important hazard
to health."
Fortunately, the hazards of marijuana
smoking can be reduced by various strategies: (1) use of
higher-potency cannabis, which can be smoked in smaller
quantities, (2) use of vaporizers and other smoke reduction
technologies[06] and (3) ingesting pot orally
instead of smoking it.
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