July 27, 2002

By Darlene Hanke  

Fond du Lac Reporter

The Reporter published a three-part series about marijuana. Alarming were the pro-marijuana front-page articles which led readers to believe it is not harmful for them to smoke marijuana (pot).

This attitude that pot is not a “big deal” reflects on what experts say is the root of a resurgence of pot use among teens. The Reporter added to the complacent attitude of teens who think pot is endorsed by a majority of adults.

The following will attempt to heal some of the damage The Reporter has done by providing more information and addressing statements users made.

• Marijuana is a harmful drug. It contains more than 400 harmful chemicals and, when smoked, produces 2,000 even more harmful chemicals. A marijuana smoker is exposed to six times as many carcinogens as a tobacco smoker. The amount of tar in marijuana is 10 to 20 times the amount found in a cigarette. Users can observe the extreme amount of tar when they look at the black tar residue that drips off of the joint.

• A politician stated that the war on drugs cannot be won and that pot should be legal for adults to use in their homes. Can he guarantee if it is legal that adults will be only using when they are at home and that they will not expose their children to it?

• One person interviewed stated that marijuana is not a gateway drug but then admitted he has tried cocaine. A study by the Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse found 43 percent of teens who use pot by age 18 move on to cocaine.

• A psychologist stated that amotivational syndrome is a “bunch of crap.” She may not have found it to cause her to be lazy, but pot does make the greater majority of users lazy. The real danger is when adolescents use. They not only endanger their health but also postpone opportunities for emotional and social growth that may never recur. If they start using in middle school, by high school, they become bored with school, have trouble learning, isolate themselves from their parents and are mainly interested in when they can become high. Their brain becomes so saturated with THC that they need more and more of the drug to become high.

• Interviewed was a recovering alcoholic who was not addicted to pot and a young woman who only uses pot occasionally. It would have been more appropriate for a Reporter staff member to attend a NA meeting and interview marijuana addicts. These addicts would have been able to discuss the harmful physical and psychological effects of marijuana and how the drug has damaged their lives.

• Interviewed was a gentleman who does not like the DARE program, has been using for almost 30 years and does not think of it as a problem. He doesn’t think that kids should be told things that cannot be proven, such as it is a gateway drug and it causes brain damage. These have been proven to be fact.

• An instructor stated studies have shown nicotine and alcohol to be bigger killers than all kinds of illegal drugs combined. This may be true, due to more adults using these drugs and admitting to using them, because they are legal. If pot becomes legal, more will suffer from its negative health effects. Each year, 100,000 people (10 to 14 percent of users in the United States) are treated for marijuana dependency.

• A writer stated that pot does not harm the immune system; this is outdated information. Current studies have found pot to impair the ability of T-cells in the lungs’ immune system to fight off infections.

By shedding a positive light on marijuana, The Reporter shares in the responsibility of prompting young and impressionable minds to use marijuana.

Darlene Hanke is a Fond du Lac County public health nurse.