Anyone who's studied the neurological effects of marijuana, including the long-term and sometimes irreversible effects, knows that it's not a harmless high. In some ways, I think it's the most dangerous recreational drug in our society, just because it seems so benign. You know that an overdose of heroin or cocaine can kill you instantly, you see hardcore alcoholics stumbling around on the street trying to bum enough money for another bottle of whatever. But you often can't tell a daily pot smoker from someone who's never touched a joint in his or her life.
Unless the individual has been a daily user for a number of years, and you've just given him or her a short-term memory test. Or it's someone who just happened to have some innate paranoid or sociopathic tendencies that got magnified many times by the cannabinol collecting in the cerebral cortex. Or a long-term user who's hard to motivate to do much of anything. Or someone who's high at the moment and carrying on what he or she thinks is a profound conversation, that runs something like "I'm just like, wow, you know, 'cause it's like, there for me, and, you gotta be there to understand..."
"Pot is no worse than alcohol." I've heard that hundreds of times. So I answer "Do you think if we legalize marihuana people will quit drinking?" and the pot-proponent looks at me dumbfounded. Or I've been informed that the only problem with marijuana is that it's illegal, and "prohibition doesn't work; we already proved that." My answer to that is "Didn't you tell me that alcohol causes a lot more trouble that marijuana?" (Yes) "Alcohol is legal and marijuana isn't. Maybe that proves that prohibition does work. Alcohol causes more problems because it is legal." This is followed by more dumfounded looks.
[Please note that the remainder of this paragraph is based on my own observations; my wife informs me that her experiences have been somewhat the opposite, and she's actually smarter than I am, amazing as that may seem.] For people who like to smoke marijuana, it's more than a drug. It's almost a religion. Most people who order a beer won't get bent out of shape if you order a soft drink instead. Some, perhaps, but not most. But in my experience, the typical marijuana user gets as dogmatic as a television evangelist if you refuse to light up with the crowd. You just have to, they claim, because you don't know what you're missing. As a psychologist, I suspect that deep down inside they know they have a problem, and they're really trying to convince themselves, not you. As someone who's just not interested, you're a threat to them.
Let me get slightly technical for just a moment. Unlike marijuana, alcohol is a water soluble substance. Used in moderation, it's gone from your system completely within a few hours at most. I'll admit that I like to get slightly blitzed; not falling-down drunk, just intoxicated enough that dumb jokes sound funny and I feel certain that I'm really handsome and can sing superbly. After reaching that state, I stop, typically go to bed sober, and don't feel bad the next morning. Because I am not a biological alcoholic, there is no test that would find any difference in my psychological or neurological functioning, nor in a chemical analysis of my blood or a microscopic examination of tissue samples from my body, from what would be observed if I had drunk only ginger ale. The active ingredient in marijuana is tetrahydracannabinol, an oily substance, and it accumulates in the fatty tissues of the brain. After even one high, it can be detected days or weeks later, and for a heavy user, it can take up to six months for the oily residue to be eliminated. In some users, notably the frequent long-term smoker, the functioning of the brain tissues is permanently altered, especially in the frontal lobes and the limbic system, affecting impulse control, concentration, and memory.
Bad stuff. Yet I say legalize it. Why? Because we have no control over the strength of marijuana that's sold illegally. Today's sin-semilla pot is many times stronger than what was passed around in the days of the hippies, therefore, more harmful and habit-forming. Because we have no control over whom it's sold to; dealers don't ask for proof of age. Because we should be able to tax its sale, as we do alcohol and tobacco. Because marijuana is the main money-maker for cut-throat street gangs. Because the same dealers who push marijuana also push much more lethal drugs. Because keeping people in prison for possession or sale of marijuana costs us billion of dollars per year.
Had enough? I don't call it giving up. I call it facing reality. Control it, and tax it, for anyone age 18 or older.
And while we're trying to do something sensible about intoxicants, let's lower that stupid 21-year-old drinking age! I'll tell you more about that soon.
I'm eager to know your opinions on the subject. Please hit the COMMENT button.