Marijuana
Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in Amer ica. Some 40% of the adult population has tried mari juana at least once. It is the third largest agricultural commodity in the nation and a $10 billion industry. In many areas of the country, marij
- PDF / 18,865,425 Bytes
- 259 Pages / 439.37 x 666.142 pts Page_size
- 57 Downloads / 222 Views
DRUGS OF ABUSE
A Comprehensive Series for Oinicians
Volume 1 MARIJUANA Mark S. Gold. M.D.
Marijuana Mark S. Gold, M.D. Fair Oaks Hospital Summit, New Jersey
Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Gold, Mark S. Marijuana. (Drugs of abuse; v. 1) Includes bibliographies and index. 1. Marijuana. I. Title. II. Series. [DNLM: 1. Cannabis. 2. Cannabis Abuse. 3. Can· nabinoids-pharmacology. WM 276 G618m] RCS68.C2G64 1989 616.86'3 88-32427 ISBN 978-1-4899-3495-6 DOI 10.1007/978-1-4899-3493-2
ISBN 978-1-4899-3493-2 (eBook)
© Springer Science+Business Media New York 1989 Originally published by Plenum Publishing Corporation in 1989 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1989 All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical. photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
Preface
Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in America. Some 40% of the adult population has tried marijuana at least once. It is the third largest agricultural commodity in the nation and a $10 billion industry. In many areas of the country, marijuana production or sale is the largest moneymaker by far. In Florida, for example, it ranks ahead of every business except tourism. It is also a widely misunderstood substance. An entire generation of Americans grew up believing that marijuana was virtually risk-free. This belief persists, despite growing evidence of physical, psychological, and social harm that is caused by the drug. The worst victims of this misinformation are young people. They, of all groups, are the least equipped to uncover and objectively evaluate the evidence regarding marijuana. At the same time, they are the most at risk for long-term problems resulting from marijuana use. v
vi
PREFACE
As physicians we must make every effort to guide young people away from this drug. There are very significant dangers in young people experimenting with marijuana. The drug detoxification center at our hospital-and centers throughout the country-are packed with middle-class young people who started out smoking pot. None of them intended to become addicted, but the fact is that young people are more vulnerable to the influence of the drugs and become dependent easily. They may escalate usage, and progress to use of other drugs. Teenagers need to understand that addiction and dependence are not matters of willpower, but are, rather, functions of body chemistry and psychological needs that are beyond individual will. Addiction occurs to people in all walks of life, including highly accomplished businesspersons, physicians, and even religious leaders. Many of them started out taking drugs to deal with painful medical conditions or to cope with stresses of professional life. A young person who has not yet developed a strong personality and character can be extremely susceptible. Studies also indicate that a large percentage
Data Loading...
