Marijuana use detrimental

A recent research study found that marijua­na use by teenagers can cause a permanent loss of intelligence. Some people think that marijuana is harmless; “it is a plant, and it’s natural. Natural things are good for you.” Experts have known for years that marijuana use can be linked to mental illness and schizophrenia. Scientists continue to find more health prob­lems associated with mar­ijuana use. Sadly, some teens do not understand these risks until it’s too late. Often, a young patient is surprised to learn that smoking marijuana was responsible for their breathing difficulties or is linked to a mental health diagnosis. Most of­ten, marijuana is associ­ated with anxiety and panic attacks. More seri­ously it can cause para­noia. Tragically, but not uncommonly, when a pa­tient in their early 20s is diagnosed with schizo­phrenia, we find that mar­ijuana triggered or possi­bly even caused it.

Short-term detrimen­tal effects of marijuana include distorted percep­tions, memory impair­ment and difficulty think­ing and solving problems. These impairments can make driving dangerous. Marijuana is the most common illegal drug found in the bloodstream of those involved in fatal car accidents.

Marijuana has other harmful effects on the body and health. Marijua­na smokers miss more days of work than non­smokers; it appears this is due to more frequent res­piratory problems like colds, asthma and pneu­monia. Marijuana smoke irritates the lungs, often causing wheezing in peo­ple without asthma. Mari­juana use also affects the heart, causing an elevat­ed heart rate. For the first hour after each use of marijuana the user has a five-times increased risk of having a heart attack.

Recent headlines have claimed marijuana causes a decrease in in­telligence. In a study of the long-term effects of marijuana use, research­ers found that people who used the drug heavily be­fore age 18 permanently damaged their intelli­gence as measured with IQ tests. The deterio­ration was enough to cause a teenage boy of av­erage intelligence to de­velop into a man with be­low average intelligence.

The age at which heavy use began was found to play a large role in the loss of intelligence. If the heavy use began be­fore age 18, permanent IQ loss occurred; if the test subjects began heavy use after their teenage years there was no statistical loss of intelligence. Unfortunately, it’s of­ten during the high school years that teenagers try marijuana for the first time. About 35 percent of high school seniors have smoked marijuana in the past year. Parents should assume that their teens will have the opportunity to use marijuana. As a community, we should educate teens about the risks; too few understand the damage they may be causing to their minds, bodies and futures.

Walters is a local family physician.