Posted on 05/09/2008 1:54:37 AM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
Depression, teens and marijuana are a dangerous mix that can lead to dependency, mental illness or suicidal thoughts, according to a White House report being released Friday.
A teen who has been depressed at some point in the past year is more than twice as likely to have used marijuana as teens who have not reported being depressed — 25 percent compared with 12 percent, said the report by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
"Marijuana is a more consequential substance of abuse than our culture has treated it in the last 20 years," said John Walters, director of the office. "This is not just youthful experimentation that they'll get over as we used to think in the past."
Smoking marijuana can lead to more serious problems, Walters said in an interview.
For example, using marijuana increases the risk of developing mental disorders by 40 percent, the report said. And teens who smoke pot at least once a month over a yearlong period are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than nonusers, it said.
The report also cited research that showed that teens who smoke marijuana when feeling depressed were more than twice as likely as their peers to abuse or become addicted to pot — 8 percent compared with 3 percent.
Experts who have worked with children say there's nothing harmless about marijuana.
"I've seen many, many kids' lives negatively impacted and taken off track because of marijuana," said Elizabeth Stanley-Salazar, director of adolescent services for Phoenix House treatment centers in California. "It's somewhat Russian roulette. There are so many factors, emotional, psychological, biological. You can't predict the experimentation and how it will impact a kid."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Feds: Teen use of pot can lead to dependency, mental illness
and a Social Security Disability check every month. Poison for the mind and soul.
It can also lead to burns on the fingers and lips.
Smoking marijuana can lead to more serious problems, Walters said in an interview.
For example, using marijuana increases the risk of developing mental disorders by 40 percent, the report said. And teens who smoke pot at least once a month over a yearlong period are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than nonusers, it said.
And this is concrete proof of causality?
How about this... A depressed teen is more likely to be self medicating with drugs or alcohol than one who's NOT depressed.
But then, it's important to keep people off of the "free" drugs when they're self medicating, and instead make sure they're on the latest and greatest psychotropic drugs: Ones that ensure you need to go to licensed physicians and pharmacists in order to purchase them. Gotta make sure that the government gets it's cut. It's hard to collect taxes on a weed that grows in a ditch. And any criminal organization hates competition, or just losing money.
Mark
maybe it’s mental illness that leads to pot usage. they mention depression and pot use, I thought depression WAS a mental illness. so having a mental illness AND pot use can lead to mental illness... who’d a thunk?
>>How about this... A depressed teen is more likely to be self medicating with drugs or alcohol than one who’s NOT depressed.
Or, teens hooked on marijuana get depressed that they keep running out of it.
...only the black JAZZ musicians!
Reefer Madness(from wiki...)
Reefer Madness (aka Tell Your Children) is a 1936 exploitation film revolving around the tragic events that follow when high school students are lured by pushers to try “marihuana”: a hit and run accident, manslaughter, suicide, rape, and descent into madness all ensue. The film was directed by Louis Gasnier and starred a cast composed of mostly unknown bit actors. The actor who played Bill Harper never worked in another film. [1] It was originally financed by a church group and made under the title Tell Your Children.[1][2]
The film was intended to be shown to parents as a morality tale attempting to teach them about the dangers of cannabis use.[1] However, soon after the film was shot, it was purchased by producer Dwain Esper, who re-cut the film for distribution on the exploitation film circuit.[1] The film never gained an audience until it was rediscovered in the 1970s and gained new life as a piece of unintentional comedy among cannabis smokers.[1][3] Today, it is in the public domain in the United States and is considered a cult film.[3] It inspired a musical satire, which premiered off-Broadway in 2001, and a Showtime film, Reefer Madness, based on the musical.
Is this theory going to hold more water than the previous Fed scare tactics concerning marijuana?
I swear, the stuff that comes out of the Fed regarding pot is the largest pile of nonsense and does nothing to help the country. Nothing. It’s just a boondoggle for law enforcement.
I am a retired policeman, I have been preaching this since the 60’s and must say, on deaf ears, those 18 year old experts know it all don’t they?
“I have been preaching this since the 60’s”
I never gave pot much thought. I had seen a Hawaiian in my platoon in the Army in 1966 drink his first beer. He turned into an instant alcoholic - he would drink every night until he got sick and then fall in a ditch. Many nights you could smell the vomit in coming from his bunk in the morning. We were told then (in Nam) that pot was less harmful and not addictive.
In the mid 1970’s a good friend with 2 small kids became a heavy pot user and eventually lost in this order; house, car, wife and kids. This guy never took any other drug except pot and didn’t start until he was 27-28. He has spent most of his life on the street.
My point is some drugs have dramatic effects on some people while others can testify that wine for instance makes them mello or pot makes them feel good. I wouldn’t want a teenager to decide if they like pot or wine/beer they just can’t handle it.
Freedom means beaing able to make bad decisions for yourself. This is the way it should be as long as individuals take responsibility for themselves.
Welfare is even more debilitating, but opposing it doesn’t advance the cause of the police state. Gots to go after the Demon Weed!
Reality check - Hawaiian is in public housing and social security - pot-head friend is on welfare. Our tax dollars are preventing the “taking of individual responsibility”.
But a reality check is to try to give your individual responsibility theory to a teenager who is messed up on pot it doesn't work there either.
For examples of drug-induced brain damage, just look at politicians.
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