Mary Jane: A lady of questionable virtue

Health notes, by Israel Nelson

There is a persistent myth, especially in Alaska, that marijuana is harmless. Marijuana is one of the names by which Cannabis sativa is known. Other names include Mary Jane, weed and dope. Ingesting the drug increases heart rate and causes fluctuations of blood pressure and temperature. Prolonged and heavy use of the drug causes insomnia and restlessness. Memory is impaired with regular use, an impairment that resembles Korsakoff's psychosis, which is seen in late stage alcoholism. Damage to the limbic system of the brain can create disorientation to time. The lack of concentration that occurs with marijuana use makes complex tasks, like driving a car, hard to do. Smoking marijuana causes lung damage and results in increased levels of carbon monoxide in the blood. Indeed, the marijuana smoker absorbs five times as much carbon monoxide per joint as a cigarette smoker absorbs from a single regular cigarette. Marijuana smoke contains five to 15 times the amount of the known carcinogen, benzpyrene, as does tobacco smoke. Prolonged use of marijuana may result in physical changes in the brain similar to those associated with aging.

In the United States, marijuana use has been illegal since 1937 when Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act. A myth persists that marijuana is a legal substance when obtained for personal use. The reality is that it is an illegal substance. Enforcement of law banning marijuana has not always been enthusiastic, which has led to the belief that small quantities are legal. Because Federal law always supercedes any state law, the reality is that any use of marijuana is illegal by Federal standards regardless of what state statutes may allow.

Marinol, a medicinal form of marijuana, has been prescribed to some people who have appetite difficulties. The people who most commonly suffer with appetite problems are people with late stage cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy. So, when a physician legitimately prescribes Marinol, it is to patients who are extremely ill. In a future column I will explore appropriate medicinal uses of Marinol.

Perhaps the most common behavioral effect of long-term marijuana use is amotivational syndrome. The symptoms of this syndrome include apathy, loss of effectiveness, diminished capacity or willingness to carry out complex, long-term plans. The person with amotivational syndrome is unable to endure frustration or to concentrate for long periods. They have difficulty following routines or successfully mastering new information. Their ability to speak and write is often impaired. Such individuals exhibit greater introversion, may become totally involved with the present at the expense of future goals, and demonstrate a strong tendency toward regressive, childlike, magical thinking. This syndrome especially is noted among the younger users of marijuana who may then have chronic problems in school. Only when marijuana use is stopped can amotivational syndrome be reversed.

Is it any wonder that chronic marijuana users are rarely successful at academic pursuits? Is it any wonder that chronic marijuana users have difficulty keeping jobs? Mary Jane is a lady of questionable virtue, and flirting with her can be dangerous and disastrous.

Licensed Master Social Worker Israel Nelson is a chemical dependency clinical supervisor, and a national certified counselor, working at Mat-Su Recovery Center.