The National Institute on Drug Abuse suggests that 30 percent of those who use marijuana may have some degree of “marijuana use disorder.” Marijuana use disorders are often associated with dependence — in which a person feels withdrawal symptoms when not taking the drug. Frequent users report irritability, mood and sleep difficulties, decreased appetite, cravings, restlessness and physical discomfort that peak within the first week after quitting and last up to two weeks. Marijuana dependence occurs when the brain adapts to large amounts of the drug, requiring more and more to create the desired euphoric effect.
Proponents of legailizing marijuana suggest that it is similar to alcohol and that we should just tax it. However, only about 6 percent of alcohol users in the US have an alcohol use disorder. Between 8 and 12 percent of people using an opioids for chronic pain develop an opioid use disorder. Compare that to the 30 percent of those who use marijuana have some degree of marijuana use disorder. Marijuana use disorders are way more likely than alcohol or even opioids. Marijuana use increases the risk of developing psychiatric disorders. Researchers at Harvard and Northwestern found that recreational marijuana smokers showed abnormalities in the shape, volume, and density of certain areas of the brain. A British Journal of Psychiatry study stated, “There is good evidence that taking cannabis leads to acute adverse mental effects in a high proportion of regular users.” A survey published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence journal reported that 22% of marijuana users experienced “acute anxiety or panic attacks following cannabis use,” and 15% had psychotic symptoms following use.
Proponents like to say that marijuana use has no long term effects. However, a more accurate statement would be that there's limited reasearch showing that marijuana has lasting long term effects. This is because of a lack of research, not because of the lack of lasting long term effects. Further, there is research that indicates that there are long term effects, but it's not clear if they are lasting or if they fade when use is discontinued for an extended period of time. Proponents think that once the high is gone the marijuana has no other effects, but that isn't true. While it's unknown if the effects last forever, it is known that sleep difficulties might only start clearing after two weeks on not using marijuana.
Legalizing marijuana use is similar to bringing back opium dens. Marijuana sellers and growers are pushing their product to everyone to make a quick buck. They have no regard for the detrimental health effects they're causing to individuals or their family and friends. There is no tracking of who might be abusing marijuana, unlike opiods which there are at least restrictions on distribution and perscriptions.
If you've lost the ability to interact with a loved one because of their marijuana use, please contact your state congress people and ask them to repeal any state laws legalizing marijuana. Also, contact your federal representatives and senators and ask them to fund enforcement of federal laws.
While propositions to legalize marijuana were supposed to reduce illegal activity, seven years after Oregon voters legalized the recreational use of marijuana with regulated cultivation and sale, the state is grappling with an explosion of illegal farms.
Note that we believe that medical marijuana maybe should be legal, but not the way most state laws have legalized it, but rather under much tighter control with specific ailments identified as valid uses, and with regular psychiatric evaluation of patients being prescribed its use. Further, doctors who prescribe marijuana excessively should loose their medical licenses.
Chronic Pot Use May Have Serious Effects, Brain Experts Say
Marijuana Legalization Has Led To More Use And Addiction While Illegal Market Continues To Thrive
Why the Cleveland Clinic Will Not Recommend Medical Marijuana
Mayo Clinic (the world's #1 hospital) 'If used frequently, marijuana might increase the risk of depression or worsen depression symptoms.'
Cleveland Clinic (the world's #2 hospital) 'Like other drugs, marijuana can cause addiction, which is formally called “cannabis use disorder.” When a person becomes addicted, they might withdraw from family and friends.'
Mass General (the world's #3 hospital) 'Marijuana use may result in rapid onset of cannabis use disorder'
A cannabis historian, Adam Rathge, said something is missing from pop-culture histories of weed. Long before anyone in the U.S. linked Mexican immigrants with the word marijuana, doctors and lawmakers in America were raising concerns about consuming cannabis. “If you read 19th century medical journals or if you go look at laws that are passed in the 19th century, at the state level, there’s immediate concern by American physicians about the potential negative effects of cannabis,” Rathge said. That has been forgotten or just ignored (since the top ranked hospitals in the world still express concerns due to the negative effects). In its place, by the 1980s, the cannabis legalization movement instead preferred a made-up narrative, based largely on an influential book written by a pot legalization activist named Jack Herer, who claimed racist attitudes triggered marijuana illegalization. This just isn't true. It was illegalized due to it's negative effects.
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