Does Cannabis Harm?

This morning like any other day began with NPR and a strong cup of coffee. I knew I had to share the piece on marijuana they aired earlier. 

Since Washington state this summer is to become the second state to legalize recreational use, (Colorado was the first, in case you haven't heard), we need to look at it more closely.

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These are some of the interesting facts I gathered. I am sharing them here because it is something many of my clients struggle with. And it pertains not just to cannabis but to drugs and alcohol in general.

• A typical pot smoker uses it moderately: 16 million Americans smoke a joint once a week.
  
• The risk of pot smoking, according to researchers, is "getting hooked," or become dependent on it. The risk you take by smoking pot is that you might learn that you want to smoke it every day.

• One in 9 is a habitual (daily) user of cannabis (2 million Americans):

"About 11 percent of marijuana users fits the definition of dependence – that is, their habit interferes with their life and they've been unable to cut back. That's lower than dependence number for heroin and other opioids (23 percent), cocaine (17 percent), cigarettes or alcohol (15 percent) or nicotine (32 percent)."

More research needs to be done to answer the following questions:

Once you get hooked, how do you get off it? How do we help the dependent user free themselves from the habit?

What are the long term effects on the lungs? Tobacco and cannabis share some of the toxic properties. Is pot hazardous as tobacco to pulmonary health?

What is the link between cannabis and schizophrenia? Those who have had a schizophrenic episode or come from a family with a history of schizophrenia are cautioned from use. Use alone is not going to cause schizophrenia, but it can be a trigger for people with genetic vulnerability. 

BTW, I have worked with cases in which just a single use of marijuana brought on a frightening and mysterious psychotic episode. In one particular case, thereafter, the user was afflicted with debilitating anxiety which seemed to have come from nowhere. 

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I want to part with these ideas:

• Substance use alone isn't the problem. 

• The issue is that we have no way of knowing how it's going to affect us. 

• If you choose to use, become an educated user.

• Know the risks. 

• Develop self-awareness to recognize when it becomes a problem.