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A Growing Threat to Our Youth
There are several reasons that marijuana should no longer be called a soft drug, which is misleading. The cannabis of today is undeniably a hard drug.   Dr. Darryl Inaba, Director of an addictions recovery center in Medford, Oregon was recently interviewed on the science of marijuana addiction.  He said:

“As a clinician who has worked with those who experience medical, emotional and social problems from its use for the past 40 years, I am concerned about the life consequences that legalization will have on those who are vulnerable to developing problems from its use, especially youth users who are most at risk.

“Currently about 17% of those who are treated for substance-related and addictive disorders in the United States list marijuana as their primary and many list it as their secondary or tertiary drug of choice. It is, in fact, the substance most often listed by the 1.8 to 1.9 million treated for addiction each year in this country. 

“The majority of the clients I have treated for CUD during the past 40 years were self-referred, not criminally-referred into treatment.  They entered treatment because marijuana was causing severe dysfunction and disruption in their lives and they desperately wanted to stop despite the great ridicule they were getting from others calling them a ‘wussy’ who should go out and get a real addiction like heroin or meth before needing any help to stop.”

Those with Cannabis Abuse Disorder will not be able to stop without help.  Dr. Inaba goes on to explain the problem with stronger strains of marijuana today,  “dabs,” “spice” and edibles.

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People who regularly smoke large amounts of cannabis have reduced bone density and are more prone to fractures, research has found.

The study also found that heavy cannabis users have a lower body weight and a reduced body mass index (BMI), which could contribute to thinning of their bones.

“Our research has shown that heavy users of cannabis have quite a large reduction in bone density compared with non-users and there is a real concern that this may put them at increased risk of developing osteoporosis and fractures later in life.”
Professor Stuart Ralston

Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, University of Edinburgh

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The University of Maryland’s Center on Young Adult Health and Development released a paper from their ongoing College Life Study. This study followed 1,253 students for 10 years, beginning in their first year of college. Students were assessed annually on their marijuana use and 9 health outcomes including functional impairment due to injury and psychological distress, and physical health service utilization. The study found that students who did not use marijuana had better outcomes than students who did. Students that used marijuana for a limited time fared worse than students who did not use at all, but better than students who maintained or increased their use through time.

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Heavy marijuana use over a long period of time may severely damage the brain, according to a new review of previous research.

"When we looked at the brain, it had horrible degenerative changes," said Dr. Suzanne M. de la Monte, a professor of neurosurgery at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, who co-authored the review and examined the man's brain after his death.

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