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Pot ‘Not a Harmless Drug’
7/17/08|The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register| by Shelly Hanson

Compared to other illegal drugs, some may believe marijuana to be a harmless plant. But that couldn't be further from truth, according to the National Drug Control Policy Office and a local doctor.

Analysis conducted on marijuana seized in drug arrests across the United States has revealed THC levels in the plant are at their highest concentrations ever, according to information released by the policy office. The experiments were conducted at the University of Mississippi's Marijuana Potency Monitoring Project.

THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the intoxicating ingredient in marijuana. The highest THC concentration found in samples was 37.2 percent. The average amount found was 9.6 percent.

''Marijuana is actually psychologically addictive. ... It's a stimulant. People who are used to having it have psychological withdrawals. They have a lot of mental agitation. If it's more potent, getting off of it will be more tough,'' said Dr. Angelo Georges, Wheeling Hospital chief medical officer.

In his private practice, Georges also has witnessed the physical effects of the drug. Patients who were cigarette smokers and also smoked marijuana habitually developed aggressive cancer, he noted.

''It's not a harmless drug,'' he said.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana smoke can be more harmful than tobacco smoke. It contains 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogens than smoke from tobacco. Smoking marijuana also increases a user's risk of heart attack, increases frequency of respiratory illnesses, impairs memory and impairs learning skills.

''Baby boomer parents who still think marijuana is a harmless substance need to look at the facts. Marijuana potency has grown steeply over the past decade, with serious implications in particular for young people, who may be not only at increased risk for various psychological conditions, cognitive deficits and respiratory problems, but are also at significantly higher risk for developing dependency on other drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, than are non-smokers,'' said John Walters, director of National Drug Control Policy and President Bush's drug czar, in a news release.

According to the policy office, the University of Mississippi analyzed 62,797 cannabis samples, 1,302 hashish samples and 468 hash oil samples, all seized since 1975. The NIDA also notes early use of marijuana, before age 17, increases a person's risk of having drug addiction problems later in life.

[News Admin note : This is a fine example of selective research and misinformation. There's a comment section if you follow the link, tear em up people ]