Scare Tactics Revisited

CNN.com posted an interesting article yesterday. Frankly, I find it baffling.

The article, written by Jeanne Meserve and Mike M. Ahlers, reports that "[t]he average potency of marijuana, which has risen steadily for three decades, has exceeded 10 percent for the first time."

Sounds scary. But what exactly does that mean? Meserve and Ahlers quote "officials" as telling them that "[t]he stronger marijuana is of particular concern because high concentrations of THC have the opposite effect of low concentrations."

These "officials" tell Meserve and Ahlers that "[i]ncreasing potency is leading to higher admissions to emergency rooms and drug treatment programs." To bolster the fear factor, words like "risk" are tossed around, almost casually. But risk of what?

The dots aren't connected for the reader, but a paragraph implies that the "opposite effect" means that users may suffer from "dysphoria, paranoia, irritability and other negative effects."

Let's examine these, one at a time, shall we?

• "Dysphoria" — Raise your hand if you were familiar with this term before. I wasn't. I had to look it up.
  
  I gather that it is supposed to sound sinister, a condition that no one wants because it will make you do all sorts of antisocial things.
  
  But my dictionary — the Random House Dictionary — defines dysphoria as "a state of dissatisfaction, anxiety, restlessness, or fidgeting." Basically, it is the opposite of euphoria, which is the state of mind that is said to be appealing to marijuana users.
  
  Hmmm. It seems to me that, based on that definition, smoking cessation can cause dysphoria. So can giving up coffee. I have friends who have done both, and they were cranky, fidgety, irritable, restless. They didn't feel satisfied. They certainly weren't euphoric. That didn't mean they were going to commit horrific crimes. And it didn't mean they were schizophrenic.
  
  As for anxiety, well, people are anxious for a lot of reasons. People are anxious before surgery. Speaking of which, I have a close friend who lives about 600 miles away from me. He will have triple bypass surgery on Monday. I expect to be anxious until I hear from someone that everything went well. That's the only thing that will relieve my anxiety on that day.
  
  Dysphoria also has been linked with hypoglycemia, which occurs when a person's blood sugar level is below where it should be. Do you suppose that's why someone who smokes pot gets the "munchies" and may be prone to eat cookies and cupcakes? Is it a subconscious attempt to get his/her blood sugar level back in balance?
  
  Is that similar to the "Twinkie defense" that was used to persuade a jury to convict former San Francisco Supervisor Dan White of manslaughter instead of murder for killing George Moscone and Harvey Milk? I don't recall White's lawyer claiming his client had been smoking pot prior to killing those two men, prompting him to consume sugary junk food — but that was in San Francisco, after all.
• "Paranoia" — the Random House Dictionary defines paranoia as
  1. Psychiatry. a mental disorder characterized by systematized delusions and the projection of personal conflicts, which are ascribed to the supposed hostility of others, sometimes progressing to disturbances of consciousness and aggressive acts believed to be performed in self–defense or as a mission.
  2. baseless or excessive suspicion of the motives of others.
  In other words, "madness." Ooooh, another scary term. Sort of reminds you of "Reefer Madness," the campy 1936 film that presented a fictional tale about high school students who tried marijuana and immediately went on to commit murder, rape, suicide, etc. I guess "Reefer Paranoia" wasn't a marketable name. I went to high school in the 1970s, when marijuana use was commonplace. It was understood that paranoia was, at times, a side effect of marijuana use, but not in all instances. And marijuana certainly isn't the only cause of paranoia. In the 1970s, President Richard Nixon was often described as paranoid, even by some of his supporters and staffers. No one ever suggested that he'd been smoking dope. As far as I could tell, he was paranoid on his own.
• "Irritability" certainly isn't pleasant — but neither is it a life–threatening condition or necessarily the cause of criminal behavior.
  
  People can be irritable when they are tired. They can be irritable when they are hungry or constipated. They can be irritable when they are under stress — and, these days, that means that millions of unemployed people are at risk for irritability. I've known women who became irritable when they were having their monthly periods.
  
  People can be irritable for all sorts of reasons. I've known people who were irritable when they wore clothes made from certain fibers. I've known people who became irritable because of atmospheric conditions or because they ate foods that didn't agree with them.
  
  And, yes, substances can cause irritability — especially when one is going through the withdrawal associated with the cessation of substance intake. People who are giving up smoking can be irritable. So can alcoholics who are trying to go on the wagon.
  
  Irritability is not the exclusive domain of marijuana.

But it seems to me that, if the "officials" are really concerned about the potency of marijuana, they should legalize it and regulate it, labeling the potency for consumers. That's what they did with alcohol when they ended Prohibition. When organized crime was the source for alcohol, consumers didn't know what the potency level was. After Prohibition was repealed, alcohol potency was clearly labeled. Of course, once alcohol was legalized, crusaders needed something else — not unlike the right–wingers who needed someone to fear when the Soviet Union collapsed. As if on cue, along came "Reefer Madness," and the anti–marijuana hysteria began. Now, studies are showing that marijuana can be beneficial for people suffering from cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, all sorts of conditions. And I've written about a study that shows that marijuana can kill cancer cells. Combine that with polls showing that more Americans support legalization, and the zealots apparently feel the need for new ammunition in their war on drugs. The egg–in–the–frying–pan "this is your brain on drugs" tactic doesn't cut it anymore. The Reality–Based Community reports "the drug war is over." One can only hope.