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Sir, I was reading in a magazine and they called marijuana a gateway drug. Does that mean it leads to other drugs being used? And if so, what other drugs?      --Francis

There’s a lot of discussion on this topic right now, Francis. Some argue persuasively that marijuana use creates a desire for “stronger” drugs, for instance cocaine or meth. Within the last ten years at least one authoritative study (WHO: March 1998) concludes that marijuana use does not influence the use of other drugs. So who do we believe?

Here is our take on it: In recent years we have learned a great deal about how THC (the main active agent in marijuana smoke) acts in the brain. When someone smokes marijuana, THC passes rapidly from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to organs throughout the body, including the brain.

In the brain, THC connects to specific receptors on nerve cells and influences the activity of those cells. Many of those receptors are found in the parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated body movement.

Even the short-term effects of marijuana can include problems with
            ▫memory and learning

            ▫distorted perception of time and space 

            ▫difficulty in thinking and problem solving

            ▫loss of coordination, and

            ▫increased heart rate.

Research findings for long-term marijuana abuse indicate some changes in the brain similar to those seen after long-term abuse of other major drugs.

Our conclusion is that marijuana use is itself damaging enough to those key areas of human performance that whether or not it leads to other drugs is irrelevant. Our position on marijuana, as with all destructive drugs, is consistent: Never. 

Francis, here's a post script that may be helpful. New research suggests that children and adolescents who smoke, abuse alcohol or are sexually active are at a higher risk for methamphetamine use, Science Daily reported Oct. 29. What that suggests is that those who participate in some kinds of high-risk behavior are more likely to be susceptible to other kinds. That insight may help answer your question.

 

Q: What are churches doing to help our children stay off of drugs? I don’t hear much about it at my church.   – Erline

A: We wondered about that, too, Erline, so we did some research and here is what we learned. Most churches/denominations don’t have a specific drug education program. In fact, we had trouble finding any at all. We came to the conclusion that their sense is that the Christian faith itself provides an effective drug deterrent. That is, being a believer will give you all the help you need. We agree that faith-based resources are the most effective in pointing our kids to make right choices, but that would be true about any destructive behavior. However, that’s a little bit like a physician saying to a patient, “I want you to be healthy.” That’s good counsel, but it is more apt to be helpful if it includes some information about good nutrition, rest, exercise, etc. The life-changing help is in the specifics. That’s why we design programs for churches, youth pastors, synagogues, etc.

Q. Question for you, sir. What is being done, or what should be done to help with the problem of our children and grandchildren taking prescription medicines from their bathroom medicine chests?   --Arthur

A. Boy, Arthur, you've raised a major issue. Who would have guessed that using their parents' pain pills or other powerful medications from their own homes could become such a significant health issue in our country? It seems that many parents and grandparents were blindsided to learn that their teens had found this easily accessible cache of drugs.

To answer your question specifically, there are a lot of people working on it. You may have seen some dynamite ads on TV during the Super Bowl last winter, or on TV and the web since that time. The National Association of School Nurses has developed an educational plan called "Smart Moves, Smart Choices," designed specifically to help middle and high school students nationwide realize how dangerous it is to use someone else's meds. Those are some things being done nationally. Closer home, all of us need to be sensitized to our responsibility to keep any dangerous substance where it isn't available to those who shouldn't have it.

You can get more info at websites like: StopMedicineAbuse.org.  


TLG, You talk a lot about parents helping their kids with drugs, but I have two boys and they get lots of help in their school. Do you think that is good enough?   – Earl

A. Thanks, Earl. Good question. The fact is that kids get more information about drugs at school than they get anywhere else. However, their decisions about drugs are shaped more by their home influence than by any other. Actually, the best help we can give is when the schools, the community, the churches/synagogues and the home work together to send a consistent message: No drugs!