“Dr Nahas has come to the conclusion, which I share, that the innocuousness of cannabis is being overstated, and its dangers underestimated.”
—William Patton, as quoted in the British Medical Journal
Gabriel Georges Nahas, distinguished physician and researcher, received many awards including the French Legion of Honor (for his service in the French Resistance), the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Order of the British Empire. Above all, he should be honored and remembered for his long battle against the legalization of marijuana. Raised in the Middle East, he saw hashish users “everywhere, sleeping in the most unlikely places, begging for alms, or simply shuffling along the streets in a semistupified way.” The sight horrified him.
Today, federal law still prohibits the use and sale of marijuana; but as of June 2023, 47 states allow some form of marijuana use.
In the current period of contradictory opinions regarding marijuana, the following points may be made:
• Marijuana is not approved for any medical indication. Marijuana proponents, however, point out that federal funding has mostly gone to define adverse health effects, not benefits.
• Legalization was promoted as a means of decreasing crime and lowering law-enforcement costs. Whether legalization has achieved these goals is difficult to prove.
• The profits involved in marijuana are enormous.
• An almost evangelistic fervor pervades much of marijuana advocacy.
• The mental-health effects of marijuana are undeniably concerning, as typified in the following anecdote.
A young man was admitted to an addiction treatment center. He began using marijuana at age 12. As an adolescent growing up in a chaotic family, he was vulnerable to developing addiction.
Over years of use, as addiction took hold, he turned to ever-more-potent cannabis products. What began as an experience of “bliss” became living hell. He described his mind as being in a constant “brain fog.” (A 2012 study found an average eight-point IQ reduction among adolescents who used marijuana regularly.) The potent marijuana products also led to hallucinations and severe paranoia, which led him to “go-off” on his beloved grandfather. The subsequent remorse and sorrow broke through the lies and insanity of his addiction. He sobbed desperately, pleading to know God better.
The recent increase in marijuana use has been accompanied by a parallel increase in marijuana use disorders. Adolescents and young adults have seen the most dramatic increase in marijuana use.
What will this mean in the future for America as mental health costs rise? What will this mean as more people become addicted, neglect responsibilities and relationships, become unable to complete tasks at work, and use marijuana in risky situations?
The long-term price to be paid for the profits accompanying marijuana legalization has yet to be calculated.