University of Virginia Library

DR. HIP-Pocrates

Cannabis Myth Is Hogwash

Recently a marijuana study
published in the British
medical journal Lancet
reported cerebral atrophy in
ten habitual grass users. These
patients had all used other
drugs but the report implied
that marijuana was the cause.

What do you know about
this study? Particularly, does
the brain damage get worse
with continued use or does it
stay at the same level after the
shrinkage has occurred? If so, I
will stop worrying.

I am a housewife, mother of
four, foster mother and
student and seem able to
function perfectly well with
whatever brain damage may
already have occurred. -D. C.

Answer: Over the past few
years much hogwash has been
published about cannabis
ranging from protestations that
it is not a drug but a flower to
wild tales of birth defects and
impotence. The December 4,
1971 Lancet study was based
not on examinations of brain
tissue but specialized x-ray
studies of spaces within the
brain.

Morever, the ten patients
were not typical marijuana
users. They had sought medical
attention because of multiple
drug problems. Psychiatrists
are not equally wise. Many fail
to recognize that their
drug-related cases are not
representative of the vast
majority of drug users. A letter
to Lancet published December
25, 1971 from a London
radiologist began:

"The argument presented
by Dr. Campbell and others
that consistent cannabis
smoking leads to cerebral
atrophy in young adults would,
I think, fail to convince
neuro-radiologists unless
supported by morbid
anatomical evidence."

The same issue of Lancet
containing the cerebral atrophy
study also featured an editorial
by the journal's editors casting
doubt on the validity of the
research. But it's also true that
any drug improperly used can
cause harm - and this includes
marijuana.

Readers often ask where
they can find a book with
useful information about
drugs. An excellent way to
start is by reading Dr. Joel
Fort's The Pleasure
Seekers, a Black Cat (Grove
Press) paperback, $.95.
Individuals in the drug
education field usually have
definite viewpoints and Joel's
book certainly conveys his
strong feelings about the "drug
problem."

Better Homes and
Gardens said of The
Pleasure Seekers, "Dr.
Fort, who is among the
nation's most prominent
authorities not only on drugs
but on the entire youth
subculture, is one of the very
few "experts" kids listen to.

Dr. Fort's book, probably
the best currently available on
the subject, is an enlightening
and provocative introduction
to the drug scene for adults
who really want to understand
it."

Humm. Wonder what kind
of gardens now interest that
magazine?

(Dr. Schoenfeld welcomes
your questions. However, due
to the volume of his mail he
must restrict replies to his
column. Write to him in care of
this newspaper.)