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This section offers information on the latest studies and research on the impacts of marijuana use. Though many research projects are still being evaluated, we know a simple truth: marijuana has negative consequences. The brain scan on the left shows a normal healthy human brain. Scroll down to see a brain scan after 12 years of marijuana use. In assessing "Impacts" we give special importance to the consequences of use that affect youth. Though we often hear from people in support of legalization that "no one dies from using marijuana," we know that accidents, homicide, and suicide are the leading causes of death for young people, and in too many instances, these young people were under the influence of marijuana and other drugs. We know there is a correlation between highway crashes/fatalities and substance abuse. In 1997 there were 16,520 alcohol-related traffic fatalities. Though we know of only one place in the nation, Memphis, Tennessee (Shelby County) where ongoing roadside drug testing on reckless drivers has been documented since 1993, these important findings should make us aware of the significant contribution marijuana plays in highway fatalities. We also know that youth violence and crime are problems that need our immediate attention. Research tells us that young people that use drugs are more likely to engage in other high-risk behaviors. We know that marijuana is often seen in our society as a "soft" drug and that youth do not think of it as a drug that will lead them to use other drugs (gateway effect) or a drug that will lead to dependence. They are often not aware of how marijuana affects their behavior and motivation.
Sky rocketing increases in tobacco use by teens have all but closed down negotiations for a tobacco settlement, yet we hear little about health concerns over sky rocketing marijuana use. This, despite the fact that current research tells us: there is four times the amount of tar in a marijuana cigarette as a tobacco cigarette; a major cancer-causing chemical, Benzo(a)pyrene, is present in greater quantities in marijuana than in cigarettes; and we know that smoking is the number one cause of lung cancer. As we look to the future, we must recognize that it is estimated that more that 100,000 deaths a year occur due to alcohol and drugs and that each year businesses pay an estimated $100 billion due to untreated drug abuse. Given the current escalation of drug use by our young people, the drug-related deaths and the future impacts from drugs in the workplace could be even more staggering. Source Documentation: On July 19 and 20, 1995, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services held a National Conference on Marijuana Use: Prevention, Treatment, and Research in Arlington, Virginia. Click here to view the Conference Highlights. Individual presentations given at this conference have been used in this section. "A common cold medicine and marijuana abuse sent a Western Washington University student into a psychotic state that led to his death by strangulation when some well meaning friends tried to retrain him, authorities say." (Cold remedy, pot triggered fatal outburst, Seattle Post Intelligencer, October 12, 2001) "Three teenage boys were charged with first-degree murder yesterday, accused of shooting a 38-year-old Federal Way man as they ransacked his apartment for money and marijuana." (3 teen boys charged in slaying of man in home, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 20, 2001) "For 10 straight days, Devon Jackson, an ex-convict with a rap sheet seething with violence, booze and drugs, smoked a potent concoction of marijuana dipped in embalming fluid, police say. His drug binge wouldn't end until a murderous Monday night tragedy -- during a rampage inside a Rainier Beach triplex that left his 20-year-old friend and a toddler dead, and his 6-year-old niece critically wounded." (Drugs may have fed deadly rampage, Seattle Post Intelligencer, August 15, 2001)
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