Feds: Teen use of pot can lead to dependency, mental illness

[flashl]

WASHINGTON - 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."

...

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.

Yahoo

Wonder when the Feds are going to study the impact on teens from the public policy that requires mandatory usage of ADD/ADHD drugs (Kiddie Cocaine)?

[ingac70]

1. What ridiculous lies...

Why hasn't the Government figured out that publishing obviously outlandish lies about drugs only encourages the use?

[boobooday]

2. Reefer Madness!

Er . . . would you believe . . . a little depression?

[bullimiami]

3. its our society that has the mental illness.

the problem is trying to cope with the insanity.

a little pot isnt going to hurt anyone.

[DeSwiss]

4. If you substitute....

...the word "alcohol" for Mary Jane, then they would have been closer to being right.

- What a bunch of asshats....

[madrchsod]

5. so that`s what happened to me. if.....

i would have known that over 45 years ago...i would`t be in the sad shape i`m in.

[notadmblnd]

6. NEWSFLASH! Living life can lead to mental illness and sucidal thoughts

That article is just pathetic.

[Ganja Ninja]

7. Unnecessarily persecuting and harassing people of any age ...

can lead to depression.

[chknltl]

8. Cannabis is less dangerous than caffeine!

How many road rage incidents do you suppose can be attributed to too much pot?

[nebenaube]

25. actually caffiene is now implicated as a auditory hallucinogen!

So much for the schizophrenia alarmists!

[rfranklin]

9. Studies show mother's milk leads to death!

Every breastfeed child ends up dead.

[notesdev]

12. Thank you John Maynard Keynes

The long run is comforting ain't it?

[Ian David]

10. But the commercial on TV says it keeps them at home, on the couch, with "nothing happening." n/t

[notesdev]

11. Oddly enough

so can being employed by a totally useless federal agency, like the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

[Warren Stupidity]

13. A better question about depression and marijuana use:.

are the risks of self medicating with marijuana more or less severe than the risks associated with Big Pharma official anti-depression medications?

But nobody is doing that research. They can't in this country because the feds have banned all official marijuana related medical research. Which is also why these DEA sponsored reports are all anecdotal rather than actual scientific studies.

And, as a final note on this idiocy, the comparative risks of marijuana, alcohol, tobacco, and caffine use are the other facts never mentioned. Were they mentioned our drug prohibition policy would be exposed for the sick corrupt joke that it is.

[killbotfactory]

14. The Bush administration leads to depression and mental illness

We should try jailing them for a change.

[Asgaya Dihi]

15. Believe it or not they seem to be improving

They still spout garbage but they've started to shift from "addictive" to "dependency" which would be more accurate where it applies. Addiction is a clinical term that heroin, tobacco, and others of the sort fit into without a problem but pot never has. It can be habituating, but not clinically addictive. Some years ago they claimed brain damage and newly grown breasts in males :eyes:

The so called link between pot and mental illness is pretty much garbage as well, we've got two angles playing into that. First is the problem of too many paid treatment and drug testing facilities who set the standards for themselves. To them and many other drug warriors anyone who smokes has a "problem" same as all those who drank back in the day were seen as problem drinkers. The other side of it is self treatment. If smoking a joint makes you feel better of course someone who could use the bump is more likely to do it. Doesn't mean the pot caused the problem though, it's just a indicator of another underlying one which was already there.

I really doubt their suicide stats and such, if there is any connection it's more likely reaction to being thrown out of school or other legal penalties than anything related to "pot". Let them live normal lives and offer treatment instead of penalties to those rare few who do have a problem and they just might surprise us by living normal lives to a large extent, just like the casual beer drinker can.

[nebenaube]

26. that's funny...

When it is all said and done, my money rides on the fact that the Bush Administration and it's policies have caused more suicides than anything else in American History...

[Asgaya Dihi]

27. Did you read the thread you responded to?

The article in the OP tried to link marijuana to teen suicides, not Bush administration policies to them. I doubted that claim, that marijuana was a big link. I'm not getting what your response has to do with either of them. Was there a point you meant to argue?

[nebenaube]

28. UMMM Lets see if I can connect the dots for you...

I think the assertion in the OP is laughable. I'm asserting that the Bush Administration's policies were responsible for the recent increase of teenage depression and suicide and that as usual, pot is being scapegoated as the cause; not unlike the recent British propaganda trying to link pot use with schizophrenia. In both cases, it would be more probable that the association is a matter of self-medication rather than a primary causative factor.

[don democrat]

16. kick n/t

[midnight]

17. Interesting, I heard that about some pharmacuticals being

used to treat various illnesses. Maybe they have it confused.

[droidamus2]

18. Logic?

Teen T does substance P (pot)
Teen T has mental problem D (depression)
Therefore P caused D?

It has been a long time since I took a class in logic but just because the first two statements
may be true does not mean the third is true. I forget what it is called but is a definite logic error.

No where in this 'so called' study do they attempt to determine if the teens were depressed and then turned to pot as a medication or were using pot and then got depressed. Even if the second scenario was true that still does not validate the conclusion the pot and only pot is the cause of the depression.
Example, back to Teen T, T has a real bad home life, T smokes pot, teen T is also having trouble in school and T is also showing signs of depression. Are they trying to tell us that the depression is caused by the fact they smoke pot and not from the bad home and school life or even some medical condition? You know what pisses me off more than anything when it comes to the DEA/government is they treat the American people like they are a bunch of idiots and will buy whatever bull they are selling.

[flashl]

19. I no longer believe that they believe the BS they put forth to the public

Its merely a formality which supports current policies, affirms or introduces new policies or enforcement just over the horizon, and/or generate fuzzy logic offset the medical community's growing acceptance of MJ.

[Karl_Bonner_1982]

20. I don't trust the numbers they are using

Do I believe marijuana has the potential to be abused? Definitely. Is alcohol abuse worse than marijuana abuse? Absolutely.

The problem with this issue is that we have one group who thinks pot is a devil's weed, and the other group thinks it is completely benign. The truth is somewhere in between: Excessive use can cause plenty of problems, and some people can get hooked on it (I got hooked on both pot AND alcohol!). But you're not going to die of THC poisoning and you're probably not going to act belligerent on weed like many people do on booze. For "normal" use (the marijuana equivalent of having 2 or 3 beers on a Friday evening) it makes people mellow, a little bit absent-minded, and generally pretty friendly.

If people are having a problem with marijuana, we need to help them overcome that problem. But we shouldn't punish decent folks who are taking the occasional toke without mishaps.

[wildbilln864]

21. But Feds are liars!

:eyes:

[rcrush]

22. Fuck yo shit!

Fuck that bullshit hardcore. When I was a teen I had problems. Parents put me on paxil and I think I'm still feeling the side effects of that shit. Didnt help me at all. About 16 I started smoking weed regularly and things started to become easier to handle. Sometimes I hate to think where I'd be right now if I kept taking that prescription trash and never found weed.

[droidamus2]

23. Yeah right!

Okay this is the same crap they roll out every 6 months or so. How exactly do they determine the cause and effect in this situation. Do these teens use marijuana as a self medication because they are depressed or are they depressed because of the effects of marijuana or is there no damn cause and effect here at all? Actually this one sounds like the kind of made up right wing statistics that the Bushistas have become famous for. 40% more than what, 3 times more than what. 40% more than 1 in 100000 having a problem? Even if you accept their stats, which I don't, they still don't give you enough information to determine how bad it is. If this was such a big problem don't you think there would be some anecdotal evidence in the pot smoking community a la the idea of 'bad trips' on acid. This is why ending the war on drugs will be so difficult those that support it are willing to lie and make things up to convince people that their way is the only way.

[RedCappedBandit]

24. I really hate drug policy in this country

When the fuck are people going to realize DEPRESSION and ANXIETY are the problems, not the damn drugs. Sigh..

[anneboleyn]

34. Yes, amen, exactly. Excellently put. But we continue to focus on the "BAAAAAAAAAAAD" drugs.

[daggahead]

29. It is a shame that somebody is paid to write this kind of BS. n/t

[Mike K]

44. And paid very well.

There are major corporate entities which stand to lose substantial profits if marijuana and hemp are set free.

[JonLP24]

30. They may be right but so does alcohol

Doesn't mean it should be illegal.

[montanto]

31. fallacy of false cause or reverse causality.

Mental problems can lead to self medication because doctors won't/can't help (my Dr. hasn't found the right drugs yet, and won't prescribe the ones that I know do work). People who are depressed can already be suicidal and may take to drugs to alleviate symptoms (when I smoke pot I can't focus on things that usually cause me pain). People with chronic (no pun)symptoms may become "dependent" because their mental problems are real and don't go away (why I smoke every evening to ease my mind). Once again the study finds out what it set out to find.

[anneboleyn]

35. very good point. Well stated, spot on, etc.

[Horus45]

32. The thought that never occurs to them

The thought that never occurs to them is that the reason they use MJ is because they were self medicating for their mental problems and the mental problems were not a RESULT of smoking weed.

Kind of like the old saying "Which came first? the Chicken or the Egg?".

[Dante99]

33. alright...

This article has bullsh!t written all over it.

It's just another propaganda filled "report"

Why don't they start looking at drugs the come from our own pharmicies. Meds such as painkillers and anti-depressants are the ones that have the dependencies.

And the suicidal thoughts? Dumb f-cking retard bullsh!t. Not true.


They should make their "reports" believeable next time....

[NikRik]

36. Give me a break !

Those who spread this kind of B/S are the ones who need to be checked for metal illness ! These brainwashed (it takes a small brain when it comes to washing it)idiots do not know the first thing about pot , yet they are all to happy to spread rumors about the possible repurcusions of its use. Dont forget also that those who smoke pot are more likeley to breath,reproduce and eat! These idiots need to get a life and use their energies towards the truely dangerous drug in our society starting with liquor,which causes more death and social problems then all other drugs combined !
Take Care NikRik

[ellisonz]

37. Incredibly poor science.

[wroberts189]

38. Why does it not ever occur to them that the usage came after the problem?

They are smoking to alleviate their already existing depression.

People who smoke cigarettes and drink will also show these problems... that's why they smoke and drink!

What a bogus study.

[rd_kent]

39. Absolute outright LIES!

Lies lies lies!!!

[piratefish08]

40. Is Bush still in office?? when will the lies and bullshit finally STOP?

[libguy9560]

41. More propaganda bullshit

But what can we expect from such people...

[centristgrandpa]

42. Fed up...

malarkey to the studies conducted by them feds...the question of conspiracy is an understatement.

[Mike K]

43. Dr. Lester Grinspoon, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatric -

-Medicine, Harvard Medical School and author of the informative book, Marijuana, disagrees with this politically motivated "report." So do many millions of Americans who enjoy and have in the past enjoyed the benefits of marijuana with absolutely no negative effects.

The authors of this kind of Reefer Madness propaganda should focus their attention on such truly pathogenic recreational substances as alcohol, tobacco and excessive calories.

[bamacrat]

45. Yes, just like ti will make you want to kill your parents and your friends.

SCARE SCARE SCARE. Its all they have. The truth works against what they want people to believe.