cannabisnews.com: Drug-Addiction Research Warns Against Marijuana










  Drug-Addiction Research Warns Against Marijuana

Posted by CN Staff on December 07, 2004 at 16:12:32 PT
By Steve Mertl, Canadian Press  
Source: Canadian Press  

Vancouver -- A top American clinical researcher in the field of drug addiction warned Tuesday that decriminalizing marijuana could lead to increased abuse of the drug. Studies show wider availability of a drug coupled with a relaxed attitude towards it help predict the level of use and addiction, said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Volkow said surveys indicate that if a drug is considered safe and benign, its use spirals. Drug addiction rates can range from 20 to 30 per cent of users.
"The notion of legalizing and making drugs accessible, what it will do is ultimately increase the number of people that get exposed to the drug," Volkow said in an interview. "Some of those people will become addicted that may have not become addicted had it not been so easily accessible." The best examples, she said, are alcohol and tobacco, both widely available and relatively acceptable socially and with the most widespread addiction rates. The federal Liberal government is mulling the decriminalization of possession of small amounts of pot. The Canadian proposal is drawing frowns within the U.S. government - notably drug-policy czar John Walters - accompanied by warnings about implications at the border. Volkow, here to speak to people working in the drug-addiction field, said many scientists used to believe marijuana was not addictive. But she said the pot consumed by the Baby Boom generation had much less of the active ingredient THC - which interacts with receptor proteins in the brain that translate pleasure responses - than the types now available. "It is this chemical that can lead to the addiction," she said. "When people were taking marijuana in the past, they were consuming a very weak drug. "The experiences that people may have had - that are now in their 40s and 50s - who say 'I never became addicted to that drug,' that does not necessarily pertain to the type of compound we're seeing today." Research since then has also revealed a lot more about the effects of marijuana on those brain receptors and how they help regulate things such as memory and learning, she said. Volkow was appointed in 2003 to head the institute, an arm of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. With a budget of more than $900 million US, it is the world's largest supporter of clinical research on addiction and funds about 85 per cent of studies worldwide. A research psychiatrist, Volkow, 48, has published more than 200 papers and specializes in the study of brain imaging to investigate what role dopamine, the brain chemical that triggers sensations of pleasure and motivation, plays in addiction. Volkow's skepticism about marijuana is based partly on her experience. She made her reputation in the 1980s with a ground-breaking study that discovered regular cocaine use caused tiny strokes. Coke was the drug of choice in the go-go '80s, popularly thought to be safe for recreational use. "I had serious trouble getting that study published," she said. "Nobody wanted to believe it." The organization Volkow now heads even rejected her grant application. It took the cocaine deaths of two prominent sports stars to alert people that maybe cocaine wasn't so safe, she said. Those kinds of causal links don't yet exist with pot, she said. But some studies have tied its use to a rise in psychotic episodes and schizophrenia. The institute is funding research to look at the effects of marijuana in the developing brain. Volkow told the meeting research indicates adolescent brains are at higher risk of drug addiction because areas of the frontal cortex that affect reasoning and judgment, as well as a deeper region that involves pleasure responses, are not yet fully developed. Environment also plays a role, she said, because studies show a connection between stress levels and addiction. Poverty itself is not the cause, said Volkow, but the stress of dealing with poverty is. Despite her concerns about decriminalization, Volkow said drug addiction has to be treated as a disease, not a moral weakness to be stigmatized. "It doesn't help anyone and it certainly doesn't help the addicted person," she said. With a lot of criminal activity linked to drug addiction, Volkow said the institute favours treatment intervention in prisons. A Delaware study found a sharp drop in drug use and arrests among people who went through the correctional system's program and received followup care. Such programs could be pivotal because in the United States, only about 15 per cent of addicts get any kind of treatment, she said. Volkow, who had a history of alcohol abuse in her family, was interested in addiction from an early age but never went further than experimenting with cigarettes. "My French teacher was a smoker and she was very glamourous and I wanted to be like her," she said. "I tried it and I hated it." Volkow is the great-granddaughter of Leon Trotsky. She was born in the Mexico City house where the legendary Bolshevik leader, forced into exile by Stalin, was murdered with an ice axe by a Russian agent in 1940. Complete Title: Top U.S. Drug-Addiction Research Warns Against Decriminalizing MarijuanaSource: Canadian PressAuthor: Steve Mertl, Canadian Press Published: Tuesday, December 07, 2004Copyright: 2004 The Canadian PressRelated Articles & Web Sites:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmAs Pot Gets Stronger, US Officials Change Policyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19203.shtmlLifetime of Study Into the Mysteries of Addictionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17095.shtmlCannabisNews -- Canada Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/Canada.shtml 

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Comment #22 posted by FoM on December 08, 2004 at 10:36:00 PT
Sam
I agree with kaptinemo! That was just too funny! 
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Comment #21 posted by kaptinemo on December 08, 2004 at 10:29:48 PT:
(LOL Spluttering into drink) Sam!
Don't DO that when I'm trying to eat lunch! Hehehehehhehee!On a less happier note: so now they want to put women in the same risk category for stroke and heart disease as males who take that stuff? Read those bottles, ladies, read 'em good...
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Comment #20 posted by Sam Adams on December 08, 2004 at 09:44:17 PT
female Viagra?
Finally, a Big Pharm offering that makes sense! Forget the patch, I say just pipe it into municipal water supplies! I need all the help I can get...
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Comment #19 posted by afterburner on December 08, 2004 at 04:14:13 PT
Three from the Great White North -- Toronto Star
True or false? Women need a form of Viagra
Dec. 8, 2004. 06:16 AM
http://tinyurl.com/4e26k"Male impotence drug Viagra is a home run in the drug world. In 2002, it racked up $1.7 billion in sales. Now pharmaceutical companies are targeting 'female sexual dysfunction' and critics fear millions of healthy women will soon be targeted for drug therapy. Rita Daly and Karen Palmer continue their series, A Drugged Nation."  [Full Story] http://tinyurl.com/4e26k--------------------------------------------------------------------------------GTA pollution up a lot since '95
Dec. 8, 2004. 06:42 AM
http://tinyurl.com/6vvfr"The Toronto area is far more polluted than it was a decade ago, says a report being released today. Governments and industries are doing little, despite clear evidence of health damage from the millions of kilograms of chemicals poured into the air and water each year, the report's authors say. Peter Gorrie reports."  [Full Story] http://tinyurl.com/6vvfr--------------------------------------------------------------------------------A glowing farewell, courtesy of Elsa
Dec. 8, 2004. 06:17 AM
http://tinyurl.com/6btgg"Many of his fans and readers, as well as astonished bystanders, have wondered about the secret of Pierre Berton's success. In truth, Berton had many secrets, not just one. But without question, one of his secrets was simply this: Leave the details to Elsa. Martin Knelman reports."  [Full Story] http://tinyurl.com/6btgg
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Comment #18 posted by kaptinemo on December 08, 2004 at 03:39:41 PT:
Fanatics can believe some strange things
Hitler was a "Hollow Earth" adherent, who sent expeditions as far South as Antarctica to look for a way into the Earth's crust in order to seek "Hidden Masters" who were (according to some very strange beliefs of the day) the real rulers of the planet.Prohibitionists somehow believe there's something magical about making a law demonstrably ineffective against human nature (like alcohol Prohibition was proven be) and voila! the desired effect is attained. They'll even delude themselves, as did the racists before them who believed Japanese would make poor pilots because the way their mothers carried them on their backs affected their sense of balance. (I'm not making this up.) Self-delusion in children is cute (Little girl covers her eyes and says "You can't see me!"). Self-delusion in adults in positions of power is horrifically dangerous. "Dr." Volkow is engaging in just such a dangerous delusion, and its' effects resonate far beyond the confines of academia; it is being taken as Gospel by equally ignorant or delusional government functionaries as being sound advice and acted upon as such. Truly, the willfully blind are leading the ignorant and/or opportunistic on this one.
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Comment #17 posted by dr slider on December 07, 2004 at 21:54:24 PT:
infopropatainmentalism
They've even got a name for this pseodo-reality we're to accept, the "The Post-911 World". Now every time they mention our new reality it evokes the pain/ire of that event. Clever huh?
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on December 07, 2004 at 21:11:57 PT
News Article from Canada Newswire
First-Ever Safety Study of Medical Cannabis use in Canada Launched http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/December2004/07/c2691.html
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on December 07, 2004 at 20:54:22 PT
This Article Made Me Remember a Song
It made me think of a song from a long time ago. LOL!PS: Don't mind me I have the flu.http://www.geocities.com/adventures_in_straightjackets/lyrics.html
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Comment #14 posted by dr slider on December 07, 2004 at 20:40:36 PT:
baffle 'em with wasit?
So, we can't stop throwing people in jail for their drug choice (for whatever buls**t reasons), but "... drug addiction has to be treated as a disease, not a moral weakness to be stigmatized."How exactly do you have it both ways?
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Comment #13 posted by Hope on December 07, 2004 at 20:07:55 PT
Lysenkoism
Sort of serendipitous name, eh, Kap?Lies n' coyism
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Comment #12 posted by kaptinemo on December 07, 2004 at 18:46:59 PT:
Ms. Volkow, meet Trofim Lysenko
Short Introduction to Lysenkoism (Lysenkoism as a techocult)
by Nikolai Bezroukov
http://www.softpanorama.org/Skeptics/lysenkoism.shtmlFrom the article:*The term "Lysenkoism" denote a very dangerous phenomenon: an effort to suppress and/or outlaw a field of research or opinions when they conflict with a dominant political agenda. the main emphasis in Lysenkoism is devoted on the total control of scientific press and media in general and ruthless elimination of even slightest dissent in press.  It was named after Academician Lysenkoism who pioneered the use a totalitarian state to suppress all research in genetics for almost three decades(1935-1965). This can be considered an incredible achievement in the age of mass newspapers and radio. while Lysenkoism relied on the oppressive power of totalitarian state, it had also shown that the real mechanisms of suppression of research can be more subtle and totalitarian power of state while very convenient and efficient for the achievement of particular goals is not really necessary. With the level of influence of the press on society achieved in early XX century, a mere control of the press channel can produce the effect almost as powerful on "taboo" areas and ideas.*For someone who was a relative of Trotsky, and who should be only too aware of the dangers of limiting scientific research to coddle ideology, Ms. Volkow seems dangerously oblivious to the process as it is being played out in the US.What's next? Flat Earthers running NASA? 
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Comment #11 posted by Hope on December 07, 2004 at 18:31:21 PT
Afterburner!
"...regular cocaine use caused tiny strokes." What's happening to all the children the pharmas and the "system" are feeding Ritalin, and Adderall...and the other "kiddie cocaines"?God help us!
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on December 07, 2004 at 18:26:21 PT
Marc
One thing that slows them down now in getting their lies about marijuana believed is that so many millions of people, millions...now know better.
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Comment #9 posted by afterburner on December 07, 2004 at 18:26:12 PT
No Double-Blind Studies Have Been Done
{"Those kinds of causal links don't yet exist with pot, she said. But some studies have [*tried* to tie] its use to a rise in psychotic episodes and schizophrenia."}{"The notion of legalizing and making drugs accessible, what it will do is ultimately increase the number of people that get exposed to the drug," Volkow said in an interview.} 
[You mean like Vioxx and other FDA-approved pharmaceutical drugs that are used by 44% of the US public? http://usmjparty.blogspot.com/2004/12/44-of-americans-medicated-wpharma.html Side effects. Addiction. Financial expense.]{She made her reputation in the 1980s with a ground-breaking study that discovered regular cocaine use caused tiny strokes. Coke was the drug of choice in the go-go '80s, popularly thought to be safe for recreational use. {"I had serious trouble getting that study published," she said. "Nobody wanted to believe it."} 
[No, NIDA and the DEA were too busy funding studies to prove that cannabis is dangerous. Funny (as in sick humor), the same thing often happens today as federal resources are wasted *lying* about cannabis while the "ice" (methamphetamine) epidemic increases.]{But she said the pot consumed by the Baby Boom generation had much less of the active ingredient THC - which interacts with receptor proteins in the brain that translate pleasure responses - than the types now available. {"It is this chemical that can lead to the addiction," she said. "When people were taking marijuana in the past, they were consuming a very weak drug. {"The experiences that people may have had - that are now in their 40s and 50s - who say 'I never became addicted to that drug,' that does not necessarily pertain to the type of compound we're seeing today."} 
[This super-pot argument that posits that the increase in THC levels in today's cannabis makes it more "addictive" is an unproven *theory*. Medical patients have to consume less cannabis to get the desirable pain amelioration or nausea inhibition. Anecdotal experience of social tokers or vaporizees indicates that once the mellow mood (mistakenly called stoned or high, which makes other people think these devotees are impaired like alcohol drinkers) is achieved, no more cannabis is necessary. A one-puff super-joint reduces any possible exposure to tars and other combustion by-products.][*comments added]Medical Freedom Amendment for 2004, if we ever needed it before, we surely need it now.
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Comment #8 posted by Hope on December 07, 2004 at 18:17:03 PT
Deboche
One of the "natural" laws should have already kicked in before their lies were published.That law? Don't lie.
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on December 07, 2004 at 18:13:14 PT

Hi Marc
I always like to say hi when you drop in at CNews. There sure is a lot happening up in the Great White North and not much down here in I don't know what to call it because I'd have to delete my own comment! LOL!
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Comment #6 posted by Marc Paquette on December 07, 2004 at 18:00:43 PT:

Pharmaceuticals see their profits down the drain?
The Netherlands is the greatest example in government tolerance for marijuana and there are much less users than in Canada, US and the rest of the world!And if ever marijuana is much stronger as it used to be, there is less consumed to reach maximum efficiency. All these lies as it could be dangerous, as we all know that this miraculous medicinal plant is absolutely non-toxic and it NEVER killed anyone.Can we say this about ALL pharmaceuticals?They will surely use medias and disinformation to lie about marijuana..because they see some of their profits go down the drain...something that's not acceptable within their multi-trillion dollar worldwide "poisonous" industry!I rest my case Peace,Marc

http://www.medpot.net/forums
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Comment #5 posted by Deboche on December 07, 2004 at 17:52:10 PT

Laws
Would laws keeping the Drug-adddiction researchers from publishing lies or data they didn't actually research be considered censorship?
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Comment #4 posted by Dankhank on December 07, 2004 at 17:36:40 PT

Movement in NY
stuff happening ...http://nytimes.com/2004/12/07/nyregion/07cnd-drug.html?hp&ex=1102482000&en=c295dfb82d35fe3f&ei=5094&partner=homepageor http://tinyurl.com/5tfef
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Comment #3 posted by cloud7 on December 07, 2004 at 16:55:49 PT

...
"Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse"This is right about where the article lost credibility and I quit reading.
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Comment #2 posted by Sam Adams on December 07, 2004 at 16:34:46 PT

Education
Think about this: the same federal government that pays professional liars like Volkow, Barthwell, the entire NIH, etc, has now begun gradually taking over local education. "No Child Left Behind"...what will that mean 20 years from now? Which facts will the feds change for 6th graders? What will schools have to do to keep funding from being shut off? Who will be writing the national standardized test that all kids will have to take in 10 years?We need a revolution in education, we need a whole new set of different methodologies to educate kids. People need to realize that "one size fits all" is one step from totalitarian society. And we're at least halfway there! Most young people don't even any the ability for critical thinking left by the time they hit college.
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Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on December 07, 2004 at 16:29:25 PT

200 papers? 
You'd need a wheelbarrow to handle that much bullsh**!"Our biggest concern is getting the message out to parents that today's alcohol is far stronger than the alcohol of the 60's!"How would that message fare?Is anyone still thinking out there? How could this woman not look like a complete idiot to anyone with half a brain?

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