I began working in September of last year as a substance abuse counsellor in the schools of Anguilla. Part of my role is working one to one with students who have either been found to be using or are suspected of using marijuana. So far I have been impressed with the students I have been working with. They show an interest in the subject at hand and have challenged what I’ve said on numerous occasions about some of the effects of marijuana. This keeps me on my toes and also forces me to reassess the research and evidence out there regarding the short and long term effects of marijuana use, especially the impact marijuana can have on young people, whose brains and bodies are still developing. The main aim of this article is to explore some of the myths that I’ve heard over the past few months.

Some of the students I’ve seen have held the view that as marijuana is a plant it is in some way ‘organic’ and therefore not very harmful. Unfortunately, this is not true. Marijuana is a psychotropic drug, in other words it affects the mind, emotions and behaviour; it is also a stimulant which means that it increases the heart rate which can have a negative impact on blood pressure. Early use of marijuana can cause physical, mental and emotional problems for young people.

Some of the students I’ve seen have stressed the benefits they feel from smoking marijuana; they state that it relaxes them. Without doubt some people feel relaxed or ‘high’; if the use of a drug did not make the person feel ‘good’ then there would be no habitual users. However one thing that we can be certain about is that by using marijuana, especially on a daily basis, the risk of harm to that person is increased.

For instance, as I’ve already mentioned, when marijuana enters the body some people can perceive a relaxed state. However it is also known that over time the use of marijuana can induce feelings of anxiety and paranoia and hence the user may get into a vicious cycle where their actual use promotes the feelings of anxiety and paranoia that they are trying to alleviate in the first place.

Other students I’ve seen perceive that its use helps them to focus and that it is an aid to concentration and learning. Unfortunately, these claims are not consistent with what is actually happening to the brain when marijuana is used. The main mind-altering chemical in marijuana is known as THC (Tetrahydrocannabinoil). It is this THC which disrupts the nerve cells in the part of the brain where memories are formed. This makes it hard for the marijuana user to recall recent events (such as what happened a few moments ago), which in turn can make it difficult to learn owing to the impairment of short-term memory, concentration levels and judgement – all facets which are imperative in processing, learning and recalling information which is learnt in school or elsewhere.

A couple of the students I’ve seen have challenged the fact that smoking Marijuana is in anyway ‘bad’ for you. They point to the medicinal qualities of smoking marijuana. This prompted me to look at the research with regard to these claims. According to the United States’ FDA (Food and Drug Administration) website;

‘A past evaluation by several Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA), concluded that no sound scientific studies supported medical use of marijuana for treatment in the United States, and no animal or human data supported the safety or efficacy of marijuana for general medical use.’ (2006)

So to reiterate ‘no sound scientific studies supported medical use of marijuana for treatment …’ So from this we can see that the evidence does not support the use of marijuana as a medication. The FDA continues to point out that ‘There are alternative FDA-approved medications in existence for treatment of many of the proposed uses of smoked marijuana.’

Smoking, in itself, is a poor way to deliver any form of medicine. Not only would it be difficult to administer the correct dosages in a safe manner but the by-products of smoking, such as harmful chemicals and carcinogens, create new health problems. Smoking marijuana has been linked to increasing the risk of developing certain types of cancers such as larynx, oesophagus and lung. As I’ve been informing students in ‘Marijuana Information’ sessions, a ‘joint’ of marijuana contains four times the amount of tar than in a normal tobacco cigarette.

If you have any queries or concerns about anything relating to the subject please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’m based at the Teachers Resource Centre in the library and can be contacted at iain.bibby@gov.aior 497 5403/5704.

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