What's a Drug Counselor To Do?
As I have said before, I am a drug and alcohol counselor. If you know anything about drug users, especially those who use marijuana, you know that one of the things they are good at doing is finding all the good reasons to use. After all, we are all used to thinking of drugs as having positive effects on us. Just watch the commercials on the evening news and you will see what I mean.

Well, in the midst of all the discussion and argument about "medical marijuana" many of the people I talk to are quick to point out these "medicinal" uses. Well, imagine my reaction last week when I saw this reported in The Scientist last Friday:

Cannabinoids boost neurogenesis?
New study suggests the chemicals may also act as anxiolytics and antidepressants.
By Graciela Flores

Cannabinoids promote neurogenesis in embryonic and adult rats, and produce anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects, according to a new report in the current issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation. The effects appear to contradict those seen from other studied drugs of abuse, the authors note.

"Most drugs of abuse such as nicotine, heroine, and cocaine suppress neurogenesis in these cells, but the effects of cannabinoids weren't clear. We show that cannabinoids, in fact, promote neurogenesis," study author Xia Zhang of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, told The Scientist.

See, I can hear them saying, it does do something good. It is different. It does help you.

Actually this information doesn't come as a big surprise to me. Many young people I have know who have used marijuana significantly, have also reported that they had been depressed before using pot. When they used, they said, their depression was better or even went away. It wasn't just the effect of the marijuana "high." It went beyond that. Something was clearly going on. This news would seem to indicate that there was really something going on.

But as in all the other "uses" of "medical marijuana" there are other drugs that do the same thing more efficiently and with a great deal less stress on the human body and brain.

Smoking marijuana is as dangerous as cigarettes.
There are better and more effective and safer drugs for depression that don't at the same time supress the immune system.
There are better and more effective and safer drugs for nausea that don't at the same time cause the brain to be clumped with THC, slowing thinking and reactions and the ability to remember.
There are better and more effective and safer drugs for glaucoma that don't at the same time cause potential damage to sperm and eggs.

In short, those who want to use marijuana have one tiny study to boost their case while ignoring all the many, many other studies that point out all the problems.

Of course, that is human nature. We do tend to make our minds up. So don't confuse us with the facts.