Question: I object when people compare smoking marijuana to drinking alcohol. People can have one drink without getting drunk. … I don’t think it’s possible to smoke marijuana recreationally without getting high. Is it?
Answer: Amy C. Brown, an associate professor in the Department of Complementary and Integrative Medicine at the University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine, provides a detailed response that answers your question without glossing over the risks of either substance:
“Drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana are apples and oranges. You’re asking if there’s such a thing as social smoking, without an effect? The answer is no, unless you’ve built up a tolerance. The purpose of smoking marijuana is to feel the psychoactive effects or get a buzz, but many (users) get sleepy, and depending on potency, some pass out.”
As for alcohol, “people drink to feel more relaxed, less inhibited, get a buzz, feel good, forget, and/or drink to the point of unconsciousness. Each year, over 2,000 Americans die from fatal alcohol poisoning (too much, too soon). One drink or more of alcohol will affect you, which is why many people consume alcohol.”
“The big-picture concern is that both carry an addiction risk, along with all of their related health and social problems. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol is the fourth-leading preventable cause of death in the United States. An estimated 88,000 people die annually from alcohol-related causes, and about 10,000 of these are related to driving (one-third of all driving fatalities).
“There were no reported national overdose deaths due to cannabis. However, there are potential health problems related to the heart (rapid heart beat and possible heart attack, especially if combined with erectile dysfunction drugs because cannabis is a vasodilator), lungs (nagging cough due to cannabis-related chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or lung cancer), cataracts earlier in life, falls due to drowsiness and dizziness, DUI convictions, psychosis, increased risk of schizophrenia cases, possible mood changes in people with bipolar disorder, hallucinations, anxiety, depression, amotivational syndrome (unmotivated to do anything with your life to the point of being carried by society), memory deficiencies, decreased school attendance and performance, and potential damage to developing brains (if taken before 21 to 25 years of age).
“The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends against cannabis use during pregnancy and lactation.”
That’s it for the marijuana questions in Kokua Line for now. We received many and sought answers for those with a broad reach.
Q: What’s the place that handles SNAP?
A: The state Department of Human Services. The phone number for its public assistance information line is 855-643-1643. SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Mahalo
A big mahalo to the kind gentleman who helped my father at the airport on a return flight from Las Vegas on Hawaiian Airlines on Feb. 26. My parents love Las Vegas and they are senior citizens, so I worry when they travel alone, especially since my father uses a cane and walks very slowly. Going into the Wiki Wiki Shuttle from the arrival gate, a very patient gentleman assisted my father with climbing up the bus steps, and at baggage claim the same kind stranger helped my father off the bus. The flight landed in Honolulu at 10:30 p.m., and no doubt passengers wanted to hurry to baggage claim and get on their way home, yet one man was patient enough to take time to ensure my father got on and off the bus safely. May you be blessed for your caring deed. — A reader
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
