F. JEANETTE MC DOUGAL
Drug Watch International

1. NATURE OF MARIJUANA: Marijuana (derived from the Cannabis sativa plant) is not a pure, single-chemical substance. Marijuana is a complex, unstable mixture of over four hundred chemicals that, when smoked, produce over two thousand chemicals. Among those two thousand chemicals are many pollutants and cancer-causing substances. (Marijuana has 70% more cancer causing tars than tobacco.) Over 60 of the chemicals in marijuana are “cannabinoids,” found only in marijuana. Some cannabinoids are psychoactive, all are bioactive, and all may remain in the body’s fatty tissues for long periods of times with unknown consequences.
ONE of those 60+ cannabinoids is THC, (delta-9 tetra-hydro-cannabinol) the substance responsible for most of the characteristic psychoactive effects of marijuana. Most of the scientific studies commonly referred to as “marijuana studies” are in fact “THC studies,” because they have been done on synthetic THC pills (1 chemical) and falsely reported as a study on vegetative marijuana (483 chemicals). A synthetic “THC” pill is already FDA approved, legal, and available.

2. PROCESS FOR APPROVING MEDICINES: In order to gain approval as a medicine in the US, a substance must be capable of precise chemical quantification of the presence of all ingredients. Inter-chemical reactions must be known and reproducible. These inter-chemical reactions are mainly unstudied with regard to crude, vegetative marijuana, and new toxic constituents are still being discovered. In the United States, the THC content of marijuana covers a broad range of 0.5%-6% and higher. Very high THC concentrations (30% and higher) have been confiscated in British Columbia sensimilla marijuana destined for export to the United States. This wide range of concentration of the main active ingredient in marijuana and unknown concentrations of other ingredients makes it impossible to create a medically precise and uniform dosage range and therefore marijuana cigarettes, marijuana brownies and other concoctions are (and must remain) ineligible to be classified as a medicine.

3. IMMUNE SYSTEM: Marijuana smoke has a deleterious effect on the human immune system, particularly the immune defenses in the lungs. Â The National Institutes of Health (NIH)states: Â Both animal and human studies have shown that marijuana impairs the ability of T-cells in the lungs immune defense system to fight off some infections. Â People with HIV and others with impaired immune systems should avoid marijuana use. Â (NIH 95-4036, p.17.)

4. CANCER: Marijuana smoke contains carcinogenic (cancer-causing) substances such as benzo(a)pyrene, benz(a)anthracene, and benzene in higher concentrations than are present in tobacco smoke. (Marijuana has 70% more cancer-causing tars than tobacco.) Marijuana smoke produces four times the amount of insoluble particulates (tar). The mechanism by which benzo(a)pyrene causes cancer in smokers has now been demonstrated scientifically. (Denissenko MF et al. Science 274:430-432,1996.)
The Journal of Immunology recently reported that THC, the major psychoactive component of marijuana, can promote tumor growth by impairing the body’s anti-tumor immunity system. (Zhu, LX et al. J of Immunology, 165:373-380, 2000.) Babies born to mothers who use marijuana during pregnancy have an eleven-fold increase in non-lymphoblastic leukemia. (Robison LL et al. Cancer 63:1904-1910,1989.)

5. HORMONES and SEXUUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES: Marijuana decreases testosterone production and sperm counts in males. (Gold MJ, Marijuana, NY: Plenum Med Book Co., p103, 1989.)

6. SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES: Marijuana use is a major risk factor for the development of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, in adolescents. (Shafer MA et al. J Pediatr 119:826-833,1991.)

7. MENTAL EFFECTS: The American Psychiatric Association lists harmful mental effects caused by marijuana, including psychotic disorder (insanity), hallucinations, anxiety disorder (panic attacks), impaired judgement, sensation of slowed time, social withdrawal, perceptual disturbances, impaired motor coordination, delirium, memory deficit, depersonalization, delusions, especially delusions of persecution (paranoia), disorientation, and others. (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) IV, American Psychiatric Association, Washington DC,1994.) The above psychiatric symptoms may result in admissions to hospital emergency rooms. Marijuana now accounts for 18% of those being admitted to hospital emergency rooms for adverse drug reactions. This is the same as for cocaine and heroin. (DAWN, 2000)

8. ACCIDENTS AND INJURY: Since marijuana impairs coordination, perception, and judgment, it is the cause of many accidents. A study of 1023 hospitalized trauma victims revealed that marijuana had been used by 34.7% of them, alcohol had been used by 33.5%. Â (Soderstrom CA et al. Archiv Surg 123:733-737, 1988.) A study of 182 fatal truck crashes revealed that 12.8% of the drivers had used marijuana, 12.5% alcohol, 8.5% cocaine, 7.9% stimulants. (National Transportation Safety Board Report, Washington, DC, Dept. of Transportation, Feb. 1990.) A roadside study of reckless drivers not believed to be impaired by alcohol found that 45% tested positive for marijuana. (Brookoff D et al. New Eng J Med 331:518-522,1994.) The effects of marijuana, which is fat soluble, persist much longer than the effects of alcohol, which is water- soluble. An experiment on pilots, using a computerized flight simulator, showed that their ability to land a plane was still impaired 24 hours after smoking a single marijuana cigarette. (Leirer VO et al. Aviat Space Envir Med 62:221-7,1991.)

There are many other sources of information about the toxicity of marijuana.

F. JEANETTE MC DOUGAL