It seems as though Gov. John Hickenlooper is the only one in Colorado who has reservations about the state’s recent legalization of the use of recreational marijuana. The governor says, “I hate this experiment,” but it really is not an experiment in the scientific sense with control groups and statistical measurement requirements.
Now that the law passed, it’s simply a matter of waiting to experience the consequences. So far, the only consequences seems to be there have been no riots in dispensaries, and while its use is still illegal nationally, the conflict is not going to cause problems. But future consequences could be another matter.
The widespread effort to make marijuana appear benign by those who will profit financially from the law or from current users who want to be liberated is not supported by scientific evidence – National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Drug Abuse) DrugFacts: Marijuana, December 2012. It is hard to make a case that using marijuana is any riskier than using tobacco or alcohol – but that is certainly no reason for complacency.
It is ironic after half a century and trillions of dollars the country has spent in trying to control or eliminate those two substances because of their risks to health and safety, Colorado voters have said they are willing to allow another substance access to the open market the NIH claims is just as risky.
Comparing the effects on health or behavior between marijuana and tobacco or alcohol is difficult today because pot has been restricted by its illegality in both the number who use it and the frequency with which it is used. But, as we have already begun to experience with the new law, market forces will increase both users and usage. In fact, making it legal was sold to voters on the bases it would stimulate the economy and create jobs. As Mark Kleiman, who conducted a study for the Seattle City Council pointed out, “The only way to sell a lot of pot is to create a lot of potheads.”
As with alcohol and even tobacco, many people are able to tolerate the use of marijuana and avoid its detrimental effects. But also like alcohol and tobacco, many others are not so able. And when usage increases, the number of those not so able also increases, and that is when society experiences the impact.
Even if large numbers take up the habit, it is unlikely usage would equal early tobacco behavior, so alcohol use would be a better model for comparison. Various studies have estimated most pot users today smoke two to three joints a month – but expect that number to increase to one or two a day, comparable to that considered moderate alcohol consumption. Given that projection, what are some of the findings from the December 2012 NIH report on Marijuana challenging Coloradan’s complacency?
The report says “Contrary to common belief, marijuana is addictive.” Not necessarily when used by older adults at two or three joints a month, but when use becomes one or two joints a day, studies show a 25 to 50 percent addiction rate – and much higher for teenagers. That rate is considerably greater than the 10 to 15 percent for alcohol consumers who become alcoholics.
Marijuana seriously impairs judgment and motor coordination lasting an hour or more after smoking a joint. Studies have found marijuana use more than doubles a driver’s risk of being in an accident. Of even greater concern is when marijuana and alcohol are used together, it is worse than either substance alone.
The NIH doubts the uses of marijuana as a medicine to treat pain outweigh its risks. For a substance to be medically beneficial and properly evaluated for effectiveness, it must have well-defined and measureable ingredients consistent from one unit to the next, like a pill or an injection. Smoking or eating marijuana plants does not allow for that type of consistency. The high marijuana produces along with a placebo effect could well be responsible for the anecdotal reports of pain control. Large clinical trials with proper control groups will be necessary to verify its medical worth.
Marijuana smoke contains all of the tars and irritants found in tobacco smoke – so frequent, marijuana smokers can experience the same health problems as has been found in tobacco smokers. There are other means of ingesting the drug, but smoke gets the mind-altering chemical THC into the brain quicker than eating it in a brownie or drinking it in tea, so smoking will most likely remain the preferred mode of use.
The dangers to society from marijuana, given today’s usage, do not seem as threatening as for tobacco or alcohol. But now that it is legal to use and highly profitable to produce and sell, “lots of potheads” will be created and usage will begin to rival the two other troublesome substances. That’s when Colorado citizens will begin to appreciate the governor’s concern.
Garth Buchanan holds a doctorate in applied science and has 35 years of experience in operations research. Reach him at gbuch@frontier.net.
