Posted on 05/03/2005 2:39:48 PM PDT by MisterRepublican
WASHINGTON — Youngsters who use marijuana are more likely to develop serious mental health problems, the government said Tuesday. A private group said law enforcement increasingly is targeting people who smoke and deal the drug.
Past medical studies have linked marijuana with a greater incidence of mental disorders such as depression or schizophrenia. But questions remain about whether people who smoke marijuana at a young age are already predisposed to mental disorders, or whether the drug caused those disorders.
Government officials say recent research makes a stronger case that smoking marijuana is itself a causal agent in psychiatric symptoms, particularly schizophrenia.
"A growing body of evidence now demonstrates that smoking marijuana can increase the risk of serious mental health problems," said John P. Walters, director of the White House Office of Drug Control Policy.
Administration officials pointed to a handful of studies to make their case. One, from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, found adult marijuana smokers who first began using the drug before age 12 were twice as likely to have suffered a serious mental illness in the past year as those who began smoking after 18.
The ratio was 21 percent to 10.5 percent. Those who first started as teens also were at significantly higher risk.
Also Tuesday, The Sentencing Project released a report that found the government's "war on drugs" has become the "war on drug" as police agencies increasingly target marijuana.
Begun in the 1980s, the war on drugs was aimed at stopping large-scale narcotics traffickers, particularly those selling cocaine. But since 1990 more of the focus has been on catching users and low-level dealers. And more often than ever, the drug targeted is marijuana, according to the group, a national nonprofit organization that works on judicial reform and favors alternatives to jail.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
John Walter's job is to convince the public to support the drug war, not give them all the facts and wait to see what they decide.
Scientific surveys prove you wrong.
You really don't need a survey to prove my point.
Habitual smokers are EASY to point out. They're sluggish, not very sharp. WHY do you think that companies won't hire users? It's because they are a liability. That's why I make a blanket statement like that.
Smoking it as few times won't do it. It's prolonged use that screws you up. It doesn't matter if you have the best parents in the world. It's the drug that affects your brain! Ideally parents should discourage it but many are still users themselves and others haven't got a clue as to what their kids are doing. They're too busy making money and easily fooled.
Yes... I know several people that have used dope to medicate themselves. If they don't use it, they loose reality.. All have serious bi-polar disorder and can at least function when they smoke dope.
Did you read my post?
I smoked like a fiend for almost 8 years, non-stop full on bongin' down. Stoned every day. Ripped out of my noggin stoned on big fat, furry, sticky bud. Got high literally every day for almost a decade, and during my formative years no less.
I and those like me, and there are many, disprove your "scientific surveys." We are the fly in your ointment.
Like I said before, I am not proud of this past, but alas, it is mine. I do not recommend it, and I am very involved in my kids' life to ensure that they do not go down the road that I did. But, the effects of pot on the psyche are overblown. However, I believe that the physical effects are dramatic and debilitating for long-term (20+ years) users.
As an old friend of mine used to say "You may lead an equine quadruped to a body of the known specific gravity, but you may not forcefully induce him to partake thereof."
Your unwillingness to discuss this matter in a civil and non-insulting manner is disappointing and less than what I expect on this board. I will in the future endeavor to not respond to anything you post, as it is obvious that we disagree and that you are incapable of disagreeing in an agreeable manner. Good day.
Of course not ... the government's not after the truth.
"Of course not ... the government's not after the truth."
Usually in these situations, the government is half right. It is conceivable that when you become a pothead at age 13, it would alter your brain development. I do know many people who are depressed, who smoke pot, and they didn't start until adulthood. The things is...I do not feel feel threatened by potheads, that they'll kill me for my wallet for their next fix. And potheads can generally hold down a regular job, minus a few more brain cells every Monday. The war should be on meth and heroin, not marijuana. In fact, I'd like to see this paranoid government do more research on the medicinal qualities of marijuana. The war on drugs prevents them from funding such research.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.