paths, the
Willamette River, Saturday Market, outdoor activities galore and Bijou movies. Eugene also
has the dubious honor of being perceived as a pot-friendly town. According to the 1998 UO
CORE survey, students on campus have the misperception that approximately 94% of students
smoke marijuana once a month, when in fact less than 30% of students smoke pot monthly.
Although far fewer students smoke than most of us imagine, 30% of the student body smoking
pot is a situation that poses many questions.
How many students get caught smoking pot and what happens when they do?
I spoke with Chris Loschiavo, Director of Student Judicial
Affairs; he's the chap in Oregon Hall who deals with the students who are caught smoking
pot. In the 1998/1999 school year, there were 210 reports to his office of non-alcohol
drug offenses; the lion's share involving marijuana use in the resident halls. At the
mid-point of the 1999/2000 school year, that number was already 219 cases. As in the
previous year, most of these cases are pot related and involve smoking in or around the
dorms. For those readers who need a prompt with the math, that's potentially a doubling of
the number students being reported on campus for smoking weed. Several possible
explanations, much like a multiple choice test, spring to mind: a) more students are
smoking, b) they're smoking more boldly out of doors, c) others in the dorm are fed up and
are reporting more, d) all of the above, e) other. The answer is not readily available,
but allow me to provide some answers to questions that are often pondered by students who
are confronted with pot smoke. Table
1: Comparison of just a few of the toxic gases in marijuana and tobacco smoke
Gas
Phase Analysis Carbon monoxide (mg) |
| Marijuana 3.99 |
4.58
Tobacco |
| Ammonia (ug) |
| Marijuana 228 |
178
Tobacco |
Acetone (ug) |
| Marijuana 443 |
578
Tobacco |
Benzene (ug) |
| Marijuana 76 |
67
Tobacco |
Toluene (ug) |
| Marijuana 112 |
108
Tobacco |
What are the
health risks of smoking pot?
First, some background on the immediate effects. THC, the
active ingredient in marijuana, is absorbed rapidly (6-8 minutes) and completely when
smoked. It is metabolized slowly, with a half-life of 30 hours-4 days. Since THC and its
metabolites are fat soluble, it can be found in minute quantities in the body and urine
for weeks after a person has smoked. It passes across the blood brain barrier and has
numerous pharmacological effects. Nearly every region of the brain has receptors for
"cannabinoid" and thus many aspects of the central nervous system are affected.
Researchers' short list of effects includes general psychoactive effects such as altered
perception of time, relaxation, mild euphoria, and disassociation of ideas. Other
immediate effects include increased heart rate and blood pressure, increased appetite, and
dizziness. At higher doses of THC, the user can experience intensification of emotional
response, depressive or panic reaction. In addition, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms,
such as irritability, insomnia, nausea, craving, also develop, illustrating the addictive
aspects of marijuana use.
Over time, pot smokers tend to experience a suppressed
immune system, which renders them susceptible to numerous infections and diseases. Their
lungs also take a beating. Compare the toxins found in marijuana to that found in tobacco
(Table 1). Many pot smokers argue that there's no conclusive evidence that shows pot
smoking causes lung cancer. Consider that the tobacco industry has been trying to make
that same argument for years and yet the number of cigarette smokers who die annually is
400,000 in the US alone. The concept is pretty simple: when we breathe toxic air, our
lungs suffer. What about second hand effects on those around the pot smoker? Some pot
smokers also say that smoking doesn't adversely others in the same negative way that
excessive alcohol use can. "Weed makes for easy and laid back fun," is the
common argument. Unfortunately, this isn't always so. Second hand smoke issues aside,
there are several studies which link trauma injuries (largely motor vehicle accidents) to
marijuana use. One such study reveals that 35% of those injured were smoking pot, 33%
drinking alcohol and 16% a combination of the two. For a local and anecdotal point of
view, Loschiavo shared that it's common knowledge that the one wing in the resident hall
that has the most marijuana incidents is also the wing that has the most problems with
adversarial and anti-community energy. The CORE survey revealed that 67% of students said
they would prefer not to have marijuana and other drugs at the parties that they attend.
Not only can short-term experimentation lead to longer-term health problems, not everyone
sees the effects as "easy, laid back fun."
How can one compare the drug equivalent of apples and oranges to make the
conclusion that getting drunk is worse than getting stoned or that smoking cigarettes is
worse than a joint?
I wonder how a student can answer this strange question.
My hunch is the pot smokers will find a way to justify pot, the cigarette smokers will
justify tobacco and the drinker will justify alcohol. But do we learn anything when we
just keep sucking down our drug of choice, fortified with sketchy excuses for why this
drug is better than that drug?
How about taking a real risk? How about getting together
with your friends and as an experiment come up with a list of activities that you could
try that provide "mild euphoria, relaxation, and altered perception of time"
that don't involve any of the above discussed drugs. And then go out and try one of them
this weekend. I'll give you a bit of list for starters: rock climbing, white water
kayaking, cross country skiing, long runs, meditation, reading poetry, falling in love.
Come to the Peer Health Education office to check out the
book A Primer of Drug Action (1998) by Robert Julien to read about the studies
cited in this article. Or talk with one of the Peer Health Educators to brainstorm more
ideas on how to get a drug-free high in Eugene. |
