POTENTIAL HARMS ASSOCIATED WITH CANNABIS USE

The Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs notes that the knowledge base in around drugs, including cannabis, is often ‘limited and clouded by myth’ (Senate of Canada 2002:10). Their goal in conducting a study around cannabis use⁷ was to examine the myths and disparities surrounding cannabis use, thereby determining a reasonable approach in Canada as it relates to our criminal law. Their contention is ‘only offenses involving significant direct danger to others should be matters of criminal law’ (Senate of Canada 2002:12).

The findings from the Senate study conclude that current levels of THC in an average cannabis cigarette range from 6 to 31%, bringing about feelings of euphoria, relaxation and sociability. These sensations are usually accompanied by short-term memory impairment, loss of the ability to concentrate and some loss of psychomotor skills. The pharmacological effects of cannabis reach a peak in approximately 9 minutes and effects fall to 5% within an hour. There is no evidence of cannabis leading to violent/aggressive behavior. In fact, most report that the drug has a calming effect that reduces, rather than enhances, violent tendencies.

According to the Senate report, cannabis use is quite prevalent in Canada. Enforcement agencies estimate that 800 tons of cannabis circulate in Canada each year. According to the best available data, 30% of the population has tried cannabis at least once in their lives, 2 million people have used cannabis in the past year, 600,000 in the past month and approximately 100,000 Canadians use it on a daily basis (Senate of Canada 2002). The study also suggests most experimenters stop using cannabis, while long-term users implement cannabis use in their family, social and occupational activities. Long held opinions that cannabis use leads to hard drug use, the so-called “gateway effect,” were rejected as unsubstantiated in the Senate study. Moreover, the study suggests that cannabis is not a cause of delinquency and not a cause of crime or violence.

There are risks associated with the trade and distribution of cannabis inside of institutions as well as the community, through the exposure to systemic violence (Goldstein 1985). Drug trade inside the institution may lead to threats or acts of violence and extortion by rival dealers, or as a result of running up drug debts. “Because these criminal entrepreneurs operate outside the law in their drug transactions, they are not bound by business etiquette in their competition with each other, in their collection of debts, or in their non-drug investments. Terror, violence, extortion, bribery, or any other expedient strategy is relied upon by these criminals” (Goldstein 1985). It is important to note that it is not the drug itself that causes this violence; it is rather the creation of a black market economy where there exists no ruling bodies to guarantee fair and equitable trade.

The Senate report does acknowledge there are health risks associated with cannabis use. Heavy use of cannabis may lead to respiratory system difficulties, which can ultimately lead to chronic bronchitis and cancer of the upper respiratory tract (Senate of Canada 2002). Psychological consequences may include impaired concentration and, in cases where users are predisposed, psychotic and schizophrenic episodes. In addition, “heavy use of cannabis can result in dependence requiring treatment. However, dependence caused by cannabis is less severe and less frequent than dependence on other psychotropic substances, including alcohol and tobacco” (Senate of Canada 2002). Except for the heavy user and those pre-disposed to psychotic episodes, the use of THC is generally considered less harmful than alcohol.

In assessing the potential harms associated with cannabis use, Judge Francis Young of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) states:

Drugs used in medicine are routinely given what is called an LD-50. The LD-50 rating indicates at what dosage 50% of test animals receiving a drug will die as a result of drug induced toxicity. At present it is estimated that marijuana’s LD-50 is around 1:20,000 or 1:40,000. In layman’s terms this means that in order to induce death, a smoker would have to consume 20,000 to 40,000 times as much marijuana as is contained in one marijuana cigarette. NIDA supplied marijuana cigarettes weigh approximately 0.9 grams. A smoker would have to consume nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana within about 15 minutes to induce a lethal response. In practical terms, marijuana cannot induce a lethal response as a result of drug related toxicity (A-Mark Foundation 2002).

⁷ The information presented here on the health and social effects of cannabis has largely been gathered from the work of the Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs in Canada.