by ExAddict
Arguably, anyone who smokes tobacco has inevitably cursed themselves on occasion after taking a puff break and falling prey to the Surgeon General’s warning that graces all packs of cigarettes. For those who use tobacco – a sacred weed if there ever was one – most are willing to accept the health risks in order to indulge in their everyday habit.
Whether the warnings come in the form of stark labels like “Smoking Kills” in bold black and white print or the picture-based warnings that many Western countries have adopted, generally smokers understand that the medical community wants you to quit. Of course, the huddle of nurses outside any hospital catching a drag plays loose with the consistency of the anti-smoking message but that’s a story for another day.
Today’s dope lesson is in the form of a simple question. Should marijuana growers and seed-sellers do the responsible thing and provide a medical warning on their products? Before you jump down my throat and spit out your bong water all over the screen, please, keep an open mind about something, hmmmkay?
Pot, in its many forms, can be destructive and destroy lives. Amid the hype and hyperbole about cannabis being a miracle worker and wonder-drug, one fact that gets lost on pot-heads is clear; Heavy marijuana use (and the term heavy leaves room to maneuver) has been linked to psychosis and schizophrenia.
Blame Canada for the evidence. Not only is the Great White North home to some of the most potent and notable strains of marijuana, but an increased tolerance of the drug by courts and legislators has provided ample statistical data to government and healthcare authorities. A May 2011 broadcast entitled The Downside Of High aired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation noted one particularly troubling statistic: that “for all young adults, smoking marijuana nearly doubles the risk of developing recurring psychosis, paranoia and hallucinations – the hallmarks of schizophrenia.”
There’s more. A report released in early November and publicized worldwide (including in the American Journal of Psychiatry) by researchers with the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health in Toronto found that “an increased risk of schizophrenia in methamphetamine users was similar to that of heavy users of marijuana.”
There’s that term again: Heavy usage. It’s probably a loaded term for chronic users leaving many to decide for themselves what exactly makes up heavy pot use. However, given the real evidence that weed can be harmful, are casual users even aware of the risks associated with dope smoking?
Here’s where a label might help. Ultimately, the time is now to strike while the iron is hot. The evidence is clear, there is a correlation between mental illness and cannabis use, but at the same time, the drug is seemingly on the verge of worldwide acceptance for medicinal uses. Users therefore need to know all the facts before using. It’s the responsible thing to do.
This isn’t the first time a warning label has been advocated. Earlier this year, lawmakers in Montana rejected a proposed label for medical marijuana that read: “Warning: In some instances, marijuana may trigger acute psychosis or symptoms of schizophrenia and other mental illnesses.” Apparently, conservatives felt that providing such a label would be akin to offering a rubber stamp on what is still viewed by governments and the justice system as an illegal substance.
So with the legality of marijuana still up in the air in many jurisdictions, maybe it should be left to growers and sellers, rather than government officials, to provide a valid warning label. Would this not be a proactive step to at least counter the type of class-action lawsuits that occurred within the tobacco industry? Without a label, are so-called legitimate dealers and growers not leaving open the possibility of legal and financial responsibility somewhere down the road?
And there’s something else to consider. Many people who have had experiences of psychosis or schizophrenia might have been introduced to smoking bud through the widespread promotion and misinformation about marijuana on the Internet. Nowhere on any cannabis-related websites do readers ever encounter an age or health warning. Even Hanoi Jane Fonda used to advise a doctor’s consultation before beginning any program of exercise during those 20-Minute Workout programs so popular in the 80s’. It was a legal buffer that served notice that users should accept responsibility and talk to a doctor before beginning any form of exercise.
Pot is not unlike a form of mental exercise. It’s like training your brain to go on a mental hike-in-the-woods. So why not a warning label to make everyone feel a little bit safer and protect against legal action in the future?
Alcohol and tobacco producers offer similar – but legally required – warnings. What is stopping dope growers and sellers from getting on board before the government forces their hand? Doesn’t a warning label fit inside the tidy concept of harm reduction? Harm reduction also meaning giving addicts the help they need to quit. And don’t fool yourself, everybody knows somebody who is addicted and smokes too much herb. Chronics need this.
Unfortunately for some the marijuana economy is about little more than cold hard cash. Perhaps because of this, and the struggle by advocates to gain legal standing for the bud, many are afraid of uttering the words schizophrenia or psychosis for fear that to do so might make a dent in their considerable profits and/or be counter productive when furthering the political cause.
But think about it next time you smoke up; A warning label could save your life – or that of a loved one.
