March
1, 2005: Reefer Madness Not So Mad
By Ahchie
There
is a new study out that indicates that the 1938 classic
movie "Reefer Madness" may have come closer to hitting it right
on the donut than anyone ever thought possible when it used the tagline, “Drug
Crazed Abandon!” The movie has been ridiculed and criticized over the
years for being way over the top in its efforts to scare people away from
Mary Jane. The chief criticism of the movie has been that the effects of marijuana
smoking are not accurate as depicted. Those who want to legalize the drug
use the movie as one example of how marijuana has been misunderstood and misrepresented.
They argue that if we really knew the true effects of marijuana smoking that
we would realize that there is no danger of going insane from smoking pot.
In
"Reefer Madness", marijuana smokers are seen laughing uncontrollably
almost immediately after the first hit. Addiction, loose morals, hallucinations,
blackouts, random acts of violence, commitments to mental institutions, and
death soon follow. Obviously the effects of smoking marijuana, including the
eventual psychosis, are not as immediately apparent nor as immediately drastic
as seen in the movie. The effects are blown way out of proportion and no one
today would seriously argue that smoking marijuana creates the extreme amount
of havoc in such a short amount of time as seen in the movie. But it is far
more entertaining to see a frenzied and wild-eyed piano player laughing uncontrollably
because he was addicted to weed than it is to watch a stoner get the munchies
while psychosis slowly invades his decaying brain.
While the depiction of marijuana’s effects is obviously exaggerated, the bottom line is that the movie cites madness as the end result of smoking marijuana. And the bottom line of the new study is that daily pot smokers are almost twice as likely to become psychotic.
This would seem to be a blow to the arguments made by people wanting to legalize marijuana. Despite the study that confirms what Reefer Madness told us so long ago, and despite the fact that Cesar Chavez parades will always out-draw marijuana supporters, rest assured that the highly entertaining Mary Jane rallies will continue. This is the type of study that will be either ignored or sidestepped by marijuana proponents, as they will continue to hear what they want to hear. They will continue to make their absurd claims. They will continue to make rope and clothing out of hemp in attempts to show that they should be able to grow marijuana for its many versatile uses. And they will continue to roll out patients in wheel chairs who they claim can get no relief from their pains by any means other than their beloved marijuana.
Daily cannabis use linked to psychosis
The New Zealand Herald, Rebecca Walsh, March 1, 2005
People who use cannabis every day are nearly twice as likely to suffer psychotic symptoms than non-users, a Canterbury University study has found.
The research, by Professor David Fergusson and colleagues at the Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, is part of a longitudinal study which has followed 1000 people for 25 years.
People were asked at ages 18, 21 and 25 whether they used cannabis. In a typical year about 4 to 5 per cent said they used cannabis every day and 50 to 60 per cent said they never used it.
Professor Fergusson said daily users suffered a clear increase in psychotic symptoms. They were between 1.6 and 1.8 times more likely to experience symptoms such as hearing voices others couldn't hear, to suffer paranoid thoughts and feel isolated from others. There were no differences between males and females.
Professor Fergusson said about six major longitudinal studies had reported a link between cannabis and psychotic symptoms but there had been doubts about whether it could be due to other factors, such as use of other drugs. Questions were also raised about whether people with psychotic symptoms were more likely to use cannabis to start with.
The new study, to be published in the international journal Addiction, had controlled for such factors and still found a clear association.
"These are not huge increases in risk and nor should they be because cannabis is by no means the only thing that will determine if you suffer these symptoms," he said.
Occasional cannabis smoking would not have any impact.
Professor Fergusson said debate around cannabis use had been polarised into two camps - those who believed it caused terrible harm and those who believed it was not harmful and should be legalised. "I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle."
Ross Bell, executive director of the New Zealand Drug Foundation, said the study reinforced the fact the issue was not black and white.
"This kind of research sends out a warning we need to take into account the harm of cannabis."
Cannabis use and its impact on mental health had been widely discussed as part of a health select committee inquiry in 2003.
United Future's support agreement with the Government rules out any changes to the legal status of cannabis.