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process involving scientific, medical, and government hearings, it was in fact victim of
a “smear campaign”. Many people now look back at things like "Reefer Madness" and laugh
"How silly where people about pot back then" we say. In truth we have no right to laugh,
marijuana, a very safe, completely non-toxic plant remains illegal, any many myths and lies
still exist surrounding marijuana. Most of these "Marijuana Myths" are products of over-
zealous politicians, wielding poorly executed and outdated research, still other are propagated
by modern media and smokers themselves, whoever the spreader of misinformation, I intend
to debunk a few of the more popular myths.
Myth #1 Marijuana Cause brain damage
This myth,which has been around a long time, is usually sited as all marijuana
opponents crowning argument, as it is widely accepted as true, accepted even by a large
percentage of educated public. I start with this one because its prevalence in modern media,
the most well know marijuana myth,we can all recall commercials of a frying egg and being
told "This is your brain on drugs." You may even recall your health teacher, or parents telling
you how many brain cells a puff of ganja smoke killed,some even site research, purported to
show how monkeys, who where force to inhale marijuana, suffered from some form of brain
damage. Most politicians , health teachers, and concerned parents must have been speaking
of a study by Dr. Robert Heath, who did a study in the late 1970's that appeared to show that
rhesus monkeys who inhaled enormous amounts of marijuana had subsequent brain
damage. Numerous issues have been raised by Dr. Heaths scientific methods, and
conclusions, including a very small sample size (4 monkeys), no experimental controls, bias
( he was a biological psychiatrist, and it was in his interest to come to the findings he did ),
and poor administering of the "drug", including extremely heavy doses. In his test the
monkeys were forced to inhale smoke that contained a very heavy dose of marijuana via a
gas mask like apparatus, possible causing oxygen deprivation, which of course could lead to
brain damage. Even after turning all the variables in his favor, high does of THC, low Oxygen,
carbon monoxide, and testing only 4 monkeys, he then misreported (accidentally I assume)
healthy brain Rhesus monkey brain structures as damaged.
The Truth
In 1977, around the same time, two studies published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association (JAMA) showed no evidence of brain damage (in either the structure or
chemicals) in heavy users of marijuana. These studies, accepted by the scientific community,
were discarded by anti-marijuana crusaders. That same year, the American Medical
Association (AMA) officially came out in favor of decriminalizing marijuana. Extensive studies
in populations of human marijuana user shows no correlation to brain damage, and no major
studies have come close to replicating Dr. Heath's conclusions.
The Truth
Clinical depression shares basically the same set of symptoms (fatigue, poor concentration,
apathy). There are a sub-set of pot smokers who are self-medicating their depression. This
group is far from the majority of users though. To prove cannabis as a cause of such a
syndrome takes the same criteria used in the Gateway Theory Myth(Association, Temporal
Antecedence and Isolation). Marijuana use must precede and correlate with amotivation to
cause it. The symptoms must not have any other causes such as depression or personality.
There have been several studies that try to show these criteria but they all failed.
Laboratory studies of humans and primates offer very little support for amotivational
syndrome. School performance does not vary with pot consumption in college students.
Employment data show no links between marijuana use and lower wages, poor work
performance or job turnover. No studies show the pervasive lethargy, dysphoria, and apathy
that the myth claims should appear in all heavy users. Some studies actually show that
marijuana users are more likely to go on to earn a graduate degree.
Marijuana does not cause serious health problems like those caused by tobacco or
alcohol (e.g., strong addiction, cancer, heart problems, birth defects, emphysema, liver
damage, etc.). Death from a marijuana overdose is impossible. In all of world history,
there has never been a single human death attributed to a health problem caused by
marijuana . No one has every died from an overdose or marijuana, ever, coffee and
water cant say that. Marijuana doesn't lower testosterone, it wont lead you to using
harder drugs, or cause brain damage. Marijuana doesn't make you stupid, or lazy, and
you cant get addicted.Legalize marijuana and life would be better for most people.