Effects of Marijuana Sales in Colorado Serious Cause for Concern

(CNN) -- This week, Washington state opened recreational marijuana stores for the first time. And these stores don't just carry your father's kind of weed. In addition to highly potent cigarettes -- which are much stronger than those some people might remember from Woodstock -- stores will also soon sell super-strength, pot-infused cookies, candies, sodas, vapor and wax concentrates.

Time will tell what the effects will be, but the state is not the first place to implement such a policy. Colorado started to sell marijuana six months ago. When President Barack Obama stopped by a Denver bar on Tuesday night, it comes as no surprise that someone offered him weed.

Colorado's experience with pot legalization can hardly be called a success. In fact, it should be considered a warning for the residents of Washington.

Special-interest "Big Tobacco"-like groups and businesses have ensured that marijuana is widely promoted, advertised and commercialized in Colorado. As a result, calls to poison centers have skyrocketed, incidents involving kids going to school with marijuana candy and vaporizers seem more common, and explosions involving butane hash oil extraction have risen. Employers are reporting more workplace incidents involving marijuana use, and deaths have been attributed to ingesting marijuana cookies and food items.

So much for the old notion that "pot doesn't kill."

Marijuana companies, like their predecessors in the tobacco industry, are determined to keep lining their pockets.

Indeed, legalization has come down to one thing: money. And it's not money for the government -- Colorado has only raised a third of the amount of tax revenue they have projected -- it's money for this new industry and its shareholders.

Open Colorado newspapers and magazines on any given day and you will find pages of marijuana advertisements, coupons and cartoons promoting greater and greater highs. The marijuana industry is making attractive a wide selection of marijuana-related products such as candies, sodas, ice cream and cartoon-themed paraphernalia and vaporizers, which are undoubtedly appealing to children and teens.

As Al Bronstein, medical director of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center recently said, "We're seeing hallucinations, they become sick to their stomachs, they throw up, they become dizzy and very anxious." Bronstein reported that in 2013, there were 126 calls concerning adverse reactions to marijuana. From January to April this year, the center receive 65 calls.

And, since Colorado expanded marijuana stores for medical users, peer-reviewed research has found a major upsurge in stoned driving-related deaths (that is not surprising since marijuana intoxication doubles the risk of a car crash).

It is little wonder that every major public health association, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Society of Addiction Medicine oppose the legalization of marijuana.

The scientific verdict is that marijuana can be addictive and dangerous.

Like a deli that stinks

Despite denials by special interest groups and marijuana businesses, the drug's addictiveness is not debatable: 1 in 6 kids who ever try marijuana will become addicted to the drug, according to the National Institutes of Health. Many baby boomers have a hard time understanding this simply because today's marijuana can be so much stronger than the marijuana of the past.

In fact, more than 450,000 incidents of emergency room admissions related to marijuana occur every year, and heavy marijuana use in adolescence is connected to an 8-point reduction of IQ later in life, irrespective of alcohol use.

As if our national mental illness crisis needed more fuel, marijuana users also have a six times higher risk of schizophrenia and are significantly more likely to development other psychotic illnesses. It is no wonder that health groups such as the National Alliance of Mental Illness are increasingly concerned about marijuana use and legalization.

That does not mean we need to arrest our way out of a marijuana problem.

We should reform criminal justice practices and emphasize prevention, early intervention and treatment when necessary. But we do not need to legalize -- and thus commercialize and advertise -- marijuana to implement these reforms.

The only people better off under legalization are the big companies that stand to profit from sales of marijuana. And we can be sure they will get even richer while public health and safety suffers.

The New York Times
Law enforcement officers in Colorado and neighboring states, emergency room doctors and legalization opponents increasingly are highlighting a series of recent problems as cautionary lessons for other states flirting with loosening marijuana laws.

There is the Denver man who, hours after buying a package of marijuana-infused Karma Kandy from one of Colorado’s new recreational marijuana shops, began raving about the end of the world and then pulled a handgun from the family safe and killed his wife, the authorities say. Some hospital officials say they are treating growing numbers of children and adults sickened by potent doses of edible marijuana. Sheriffs in neighboring states complain about stoned drivers streaming out of Colorado and through their towns.


“I think, by any measure, the experience of Colorado has not been a good one unless you’re in the marijuana business,” said Kevin A. Sabet, executive director of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, which opposes legalization. “We’ve seen lives damaged. We’ve seen deaths directly attributed to marijuana legalization. We’ve seen marijuana slipping through Colorado’s borders. We’ve seen marijuana getting into the hands of kids.”

Harvard Scientists Studied the Brains of Pot Smokers, and the Results Don't Look Good

Every day, the push toward national legalization of marijuana seems more and more inevitable.

As more and more politicians and noted individuals come out in favor of legalizing or at least decriminalizing different amounts of pot, the mainstream acceptance of the recreational use of the drug seems like a bygone conclusion. 

But before we can talk about legalization, have we fully understood the health effects of marijuana?

According to a new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers from Harvard and Northwestern studied the brains of 18- to 25-year-olds, half of whom smoked pot recreationally and half of whom didn't. What they found was rather shocking: Even those who only smoked few times a week had significant brain abnormalities in the areas that control emotion and motivation.

"There is this general perspective out there that using marijuana recreationally is not a problem — that it is a safe drug," said Anne Blood, a co-author of the study. "We are seeing that this is not the case."

The science: Similar studies have found a correlation between heavy pot use and brain abnormalities, but this is the first study that has found the same link with recreational users. The 20 people in the "marijuana group" of the study smoked four times a week on average; seven only smoked once a week. Those in the control group did not smoke at all.

"We looked specifically at people who have no adverse impacts from marijuana — no problems with work, school, the law, relationships, no addiction issues," said Hans Breiter, another co-author of the study.

Using three different neuroimaging techniques, researchers then looked at the nucleus accumbens and the amygdala of the participants. These areas are responsible for gauging the benefit or loss of doing certain things, and providing feelings of reward for pleasurable activities such as food, sex and social interactions.

"This is a part of the brain that you absolutely never ever want to touch," said Breiter. "I don't want to say that these are magical parts of the brain — they are all important. But these are fundamental in terms of what people find pleasurable in the world and assessing that against the bad things."

Shockingly, every single person in the marijuana group, including those who only smoked once a week, had noticeable abnormalities, with the nucleus accumbens and the amygdala showing changes in density, volume and shape. Those who smoked more had more significant variations.

What will happen next? The study's co-authors admit that their sample size was small. Their plan now is to conduct a bigger study that not only looks at the brain abnormalities, but also relates them to functional outcomes. That would be a major and important step in this science because, as of now, the research indicates that marijuana use may cause alterations to the brain, but it's unclear what that might actually mean for users and their brains. 

"People think a little marijuana shouldn't cause a problem if someone is doing OK with work or school," said Breiter. "Our data directly says this is not so."

I'm looking forward to the next study to see what the consequences of these aberrations in the brain actually mean. Aside from the significant increase in the likelihood of developing permanant schizophrenia, I expect that they will find that people stop maturing. Their tastes in music, clothing, hair styles, expression, etc., remain the same as when they started regular use of pot. It is normal for people to become more conservative as they age, but this, I think, doesn't happen with pot smokers.

Pot Smoking Teens Suffer Brain Damage Well Into Adulthood

Teenagers who regularly smoke cannabis suffer long lasting brain damage and are in much greater danger of developing schizophrenia. 

American researchers say the drug is particularly dangerous for a group of people who have a genetic susceptibility to the mental health disorder - and it could be the trigger for it. 

Asaf Keller, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said the results highlight the dangers of teenagers smoking cannabis during their formative years. 

The study, published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, exposed young mice to the active ingredient in marijuana for 20 days.

It found that their brain activity was impaired, with the damage continuing into adulthood.



The past 20 years has seen major controversy about the long-term effects of marijuana, with experts divided over its long-term effects on teenagers.

• Mental health toll of skunk cannabis: Number of users admitted to hospital after smoking drug soars 50% in three years

Previous research has shown that children who started using marijuana before the age of 16 are at greater risk of permanent brain damage, and have a significantly higher incidence of psychiatric disorders.

‘Adolescence is the critical period during which marijuana use can be damaging,’ said the study's lead author, Sylvina Mullins Raver, a PhD candidate at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

‘We wanted to identify the biological underpinnings and determine whether there is a real, permanent health risk to marijuana use.’

The scientists began by examining cortical oscillations in mice. Cortical oscillations are patterns of the activity of neurons in the brain and are believed to underlie the brain's various functions. 

These oscillations are very abnormal in schizophrenia and in other psychiatric disorders. 

The scientists exposed young mice to very low doses of the active ingredient in marijuana for 20 days, and then allowed them to return to their siblings and develop normally.

‘In the adult mice exposed to marijuana ingredients in adolescence, we found that cortical oscillations were grossly altered, and they exhibited impaired cognitive abilities,’ said Raver.

‘We also found impaired cognitive behavioural performance in those mice. The striking finding is that, even though the mice were exposed to very low drug doses, and only for a brief period during adolescence, their brain abnormalities persisted into adulthood.’


The scientists repeated the experiment, this time giving marijuana to adult mice that had never been exposed to the drug before.

Their cortical oscillations and ability to perform cognitive tasks remained normal, indicating that it was only drug exposure during the critical teenage years that impaired brain activity. This does not mean that cannabis use is not damaging to adult brains - see CANNABIS DESTROYS YOUR GET-UP-AND-GO just below. I also believe that my observation of cessation of maturity growth in adults is still valid.

‘We found that the frontal cortex is much more affected by the drugs during adolescence,’ said Keller. ‘This is the area of the brain controls executive functions such as planning and impulse control. It is also the area most affected in schizophrenia.’

Keller now wants to know whether the effects can be reversed. ‘We are hoping we will learn more about schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders, which are complicated conditions,’ he said.

‘These cognitive symptoms are not affected by medication, but they might be affected by controlling these cortical oscillations.’

CANNABIS DESTROYS YOUR GET-UP-AND-GO
 A separate study by Imperial College London last month revealed that long-term use of cannabis destroys dopamine, the feel-good chemical in the brain that inspires a spirit of get-up-and-go.

Previous research has suggested taking marijuana can lead to individuals becoming withdrawn, lethargic and apathetic.

The cannabis users in the study published in Biological Psychiatry had all experienced psychotic-like symptoms while smoking the drug such as strange sensations or having feelings of paranoia.

The researchers expected their dopamine production might be higher since this has been linked with psychosis - but instead found the opposite.

The cannabis users had their first experience with the drug between the ages of 12 and 18 and the researchers believe the drug could be the cause of the difference in dopamine levels.

'Cannabis is an illegal drug and there is mounting evidence the idea of it being a harmless herb is not true,’ said Dr Michael Bloomfield, of Imperial College London.

'When people stop taking cannabis it seems the brain can slowly go back to producing pretty normal levels of dopamine.

'Cannabis has effects on the brain and it’s important people can make an informed decision.'

As governments race to reduce or eliminate laws against smoking pot, thereby legitimizing it as harmless, evidence mounts of the incredible danger of marijuana to teens. Please make your adolescent children and grandchildren aware that pot can literally destroy their lives. I know, I've seen it, it's horrible!

Pot, Schizophrenia, and The Truth

Since posting 'Does Pot Make You Crazy?" last month, I have had some interesting comments about it. The post lists a number of Psychiatric doctors, leaders in their respective countries, who claim that high potency pot has contributed to a dramatic increase in the incidence of schizophrenia, especially, but not exclusively, among young teens. 

Many readers reject the opinions of these learned and experienced scientists in favour of their own opinion, which they deem to be much superior, regardless of their education or lack of it. I have come to the opinion that these people are users and no amount of 'proof' would convince them that there is any problem with their habit.

There was an old Christian teacher, one time, who declared, "morality dictates theology". In other words, we construct our image of God and His requirements according to what will allow us to continue with the habits that we enjoy. This is certainly true for some but others diligently seek the truth and eventually find it, even though it comes at some cost.

Pot smokers have a similar standing. They construct the truth to meet their own desires disregarding scientific fact or reality. Paul Simon wrote in his wonderful song, 'The Boxer', "Still a man he hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest". This selective hearing has nothing to do with the truth and everything to do with the 'will'. 

Our will overpowers our common sense, our ability to hear the truth, and rejects anything that comes with a cost. I'm not talking money here, I'm talking having to give up something - sacrifice. You can only really know the truth when you are willing to sacrifice whatever it is that gets in the way of it. You don't actually have to sacrifice it to know the truth, but you have to be willing to sacrifice it.

Once you know the truth, it is up to you whether you want to continue with your habit. You can play Russian Roulette with your sanity if you so choose, but don't pretend that there is no risk involved - that gun has a bullet in it!

11 Students Suspended for a Semester after Smoking Pot on School Trip

The Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada school district says it's planning a policy review after 11 students who admitted to smoking marijuana on a school trip were suspended for the semester.

On Monday morning, 12 students from Sardis Secondary were called to the principal's office to discuss the allegations of drug use, which apparently took place last month during an overnight soccer trip to Surrey.

Eleven of those students admitted to smoking pot, as well as breaking curfew, and were consequently kicked out of school for the entire semester.

The parent of one of the suspended students, however, felt the punishment went too far.

Derek Middleton met with school officials and eventually had his son's suspension overturned, though the teen must now complete community service and participate in a course that explore the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

"To me, with today's system — even in the justice system — restorative justice is a better system. I think that plan can also be in the school in a situation like this," Middleton said.

Evelyn Novak, superintendent of the Chilliwack school district, said a review is necessary following harsh criticisms from parents who felt the punishment was too extreme.  But she said a policy change is not necessarily assured. No wonder their kids were smoking pot.

"When we talk review, we're not necessarily going to change our regulation or policy. But we are trying to look at making sure we do reflect our community and that we do listen to parents," she said.

British Columbia's lower Fraser Valley

The 10 students removed from Sardis Secondary will finish out the semester at another school in the Chilliwack district.

The review is planned for early next year.

The punishment seemed, at first, to be severe until you read that the students can finish the semester at another school. So the only real punishment is having to go to a different school. If they all go to the same school, they are not even separated from their friends. It appears the new school is the one who is being punished more than the miscreants.

But, more importantly, the effect of marijuana on young teens is just starting to come to light. High potency pot is believed by many experts in psychiatry to be responsible for irreversible insanity in one out of six kids under 16. The number decreases with age but even adult users are vulnerable to schizophrenia, paranoia, hallucinations, and the inability to discern reality from fantasy. See the science behind this.

Does Pot make you Crazy?

At a time when there is considerable lobbying to legalize possession of pot, (indeed, it has already happened in Washington state and Uruguay is voting on it next week), significant amounts of research show a strong link between cannabis use and psychosis, ie schizophrenia, paranoia, hallucinations, etc.

From Australia
A new report from John McGrath, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Queensland, Australia, suggests young adults more vulnerable to psychosis start smoking marijuana at a younger age, an event that could trigger a non-affective psychotic disorder, such as schizophrenia. - See more at:
http://www.livescience.com/6135-marijuana-linked-psychosis.html#sthash.2gXQBZVP.dpuf

 The Downside of High (CBC Nature of Things documentary with Dr David Suzuki)

Teenagers who start smoking marijuana before the age of sixteen are four times more likely to become schizophrenic.

For all young adults, smoking marijuana nearly doubles the risk of developing recurring psychosis, paranoia and hallucinations - the hallmarks of schizophrenia.


Today's super-potent pot may be a big part of the problem. Modern growing techniques have dramatically increased the amount of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana - ramping up the threat to the developing teenage brain.

Marijuana and mental illness 30 sec trailer
http://www.cbc.ca/player/Nature+of+Things+Promos/ID/1385846605/

But there's an intriguing twist to the story: in the process of cultivating more potent strains of pot, growers have also been breeding out a little-known ingredient called cannabidiol that seems to buffer the effects of THC. So today's high-octane pot actually contains a double-whammy - more psychosis-producing THC, and less of the protective CBD or cannabidiol. See the full documentary:
http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/natureofthings/2010/downsideofhigh/


Research from the UK (reported in the Telegraph)

The number of cannabis users suffering serious mental or behaviour disorders has increased by half in just four years.
In 2008, leading psychiatrists warned people who smoked super strength were 18 times more likely to suffer a psychotic episode.
“Skunk (super strength pot), which accounts for about 80 per cent of the UK market has an average THC (a psychoactive ingredient) content of 16.2 per cent and ranges up to 46 per cent.
“Old fashioned 60 to 70s cannabis had around 1-2 per cent THC. “
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/10116830/Mental-health-issues-linked-to-cannabis-increase-by-half-in-four-years.html


Research from the UK (reported in the Daily Mail)

Cannabis is a threat to mental health.
Cannabis use is now the biggest single cause of serious mental disorders in the UK, a leading expert warned yesterday.

Up to 80 per cent of new patients at many units have a history of smoking the drug, said consultant psychiatrist Professor Robin Murray.

The stark message comes just three weeks before the Government officially downgrades cannabis to Class C, putting it on the same level as growth hormones and prescription painkillers.

Doctors fear the change will wrongly lead young people to believe the drug is harmless and that more people will try it as they are unlikely to be prosecuted.

Professor Murray, head of psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, said the vast majority of psychotic patients - those who lose contact with reality and are unable to function in their daily lives - have used cannabis.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-205447/Cannabis-causes-mental-illness.html#ixzz2ZBTIWEs7

He added: "Since then, there have been at least four studies that show the use of cannabis, particularly in young people, can significantly increase the likelihood of the onset of psychosis."

Professor Murray himself led a study last year which showed that cannabis users are seven times more at risk of developing mental illness than the population in general.

Experts believe the figures reflect the fact that cannabis typically contains ten times as much tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the crucial ingredient which induces the feeling of being "high" - today as it did in the 1960s and 1970s.

Pot and Cancer
Cannabis also causes cancer and lung disease and doctors say it could be responsible for 30,000 deaths a year in the UK.


The Netherlands (reported by BBC)
The famous cannabis-selling coffee shops of the Netherlands are facing new tighter restrictions.
The Dutch government is reclassifying high-strength cannabis to put it in the same category as hard drugs.

It says the amount of the main active chemical in the drug, THC, has gone up, making it far more potent than a generation ago.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15225270


Livescience.com

Marijuana users sometimes report that pot enhances their desire for sex. But a new review of research on marijuana and sexual health suggests that male smokers could be courting sexual dysfunction. Rany Shamloul, a physician with appointments at the University of Ottawa and Queen's University in Canada as well as the University of Cairo, said "It's a strong message to our younger generations and younger men.”
See more at: http://www.livescience.com/12825-marijuana-men-sexual-function.html#sthash.caagytyZ.dpuf


From Brown University
A variety of physical risk factors can contribute to erectile dysfunction. Factors that may be present for younger men include:
Substance abuse - Chronic use of alcohol, marijuana or other drugs can cause erectile dysfunction and decreased sexual drive.
http://brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/mens_health/erectile_dysfunction.php


Northwoods Ministries 

Aside from erectile dysfunction, male marijuana users have a decreased capacity to father children.

Many of the statistics quoted above are likely to increase, perhaps dramatically, as super strength pot was becoming more and more popular while some of these studies were in progress.

My personal observations of people who smoke pot regularly is that they simply stop maturing. If they started smoking pot at 15 years of age and continued for 25 years, at 40 they would still act, talk and even dress like they did when they were 15. Even their taste in music would not change. And those observations were mostly made before super strength pot became popular.

This may not be true of everyone, but I have seen it frequently enough to know that it is often the case. Look at the people you know who smoke pot. Do you know anyone like that? Do you know any young people who have suddenly become psychotic? I'll bet you do.