by Dr. Pinchas /Paul Herman
I have been reading posts and comments on COLlive lately, specifically relating to marijuana use. It was only a matter of time until it showed up in our circles. After all, marijuana is prevalent, and it has been part of American culture for decades. It also gets a lot of press due to medical marijuana dynamics, talk of legalization, and a lot of confusing messages as to whether it’s safe or dangerous, beneficial or detrimental, does lead to other drug use or does not – you get the idea.
We have been told that we are in the midst of a national opioid epidemic. Compared to that reality, marijuana use can sound like a relief … something like, “whew, at least it’s only weed.” What, in fact, is the big deal?
According to government data collection sources that keep track of this sort of thing, alcohol is the most widely used drug in the United States. We all know people who use alcohol, and we don’t necessarily see them abusing it. In fact, most people who do drink do not have an alcohol abuse problem. Some do, of course; however, they are the minority, though often a visible minority. So maybe the thinking is that marijuana is similar – that people can use it, not abuse it, and it falls into the “it’s not so bad” category.
Substances that get people “high” – including alcohol, are known as mood-and mind-altering. They are also addictive. Different drug classifications have differing rates of addictive potential. Drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine, crack cocaine – high, very high. What this means is that these substances cannot be used without severe risk of developing an addictive relationship with them. Alcohol? Much, much lower. Again, most people can use alcohol and not develop a problem. Marijuana is a bit trickier.
Proponents of smoking weed or of eating marijuana-infused foods ignore the fact that present-day marijuana is remarkably more powerful than that of a generation ago. Growers have developed ways to increase the potency to provide a more intense high. For example, in the 1970’s, the level of THC – the chemical compound that results in feeling “high” – was typically between 0.5% – 2%, in generally available marijuana. Today, the same generally available marijuana has THC rates of 15 – 20% or more. In some alternate forms, it’s at 70%+ THC potency. What this means is that the user takes in much more of the drug, which also increases the addictive potential.
Now, what about the people who insist that marijuana is not addictive? They’re right … sort of. There are two components to addiction, physical dependence and psychological dependence. All addictive disorders include psychological dependence – that’s why people go to rehab. Typically, the drugs that also involve physical dependence – and may include admission to a detox unit – include alcohol, heroin and narcotic pain killers, and anti-anxiety medications such as Xanax and Valium. Other drug families, including marijuana, generally do not. People who like to downplay the detriments of marijuana use like to disregard these distinctions. The fact that you don’t need to go into the hospital to “come off” of marijuana does not mean that it is not addictive – just not physically addictive.
Marijuana use, especially chronic or early-onset marijuana use, causes what is known as “amotivational syndrome,” which simply put means that it is quietly slipping the smoker into neutral. The more the person uses, the more they risk developing this syndrome.
Another point to consider when looking at marijuana use is that it is one of the classic “gateway drugs,” those that pave the way for other substance abuse. This does not mean that anyone who smokes marijuana will go on to use other, stronger drugs. However, the overwhelming majority of people in treatment for addiction to heroin and cocaine began with using gateway drugs.
What does all of this mean to us? That no one is immune – not immune from the flu, or from heart disease, or from addiction. We’re also not immune from buying into a convenient theory. Our kids, the next generation of society, are being given the message that marijuana is natural and therefore safe to use. They’re also exposed to the confusion that accompanies medical marijuana, and the reality that legislators are making health-related decisions, instead of the FDA or the American Medical Association setting standards.
Finally, marijuana proponents want us to think that using weed is no different than having a beer or making a l’chaim, and that it’s harmless. Even if that were true 30 years ago, today’s marijuana is just not the same. The marijuana is different, the effects are different, and the risks are different.
Thought you should know.
Pinchas/Paul Herman, PhD, is a Psychotherapist in Pittsburgh. He is board certified in treating addictive disorders and in dual-diagnosis. He also holds board certification in substance abuse intervention. He is available for questions or consultation at 412-620-8060 or at [email protected].
I have seen to may l chaims where one drink is never enough, and the same with Kiddush, and Brochos a lot of Yidden don’t know when they had enough and especially on Succos and Simchas Torah
B”H Here’s the information I give when the subject of marijuana comes up: Included in the wondrous bio-chemistry that HaShem created in our brains are a set of chemicals called “endogenous cannabinoids” that help control and regulate, among other things, the sense of pleasure and feeling good and at ease. Marijuana’s THC molecular form is similar to the above and thus the reason it is able to UNNATURALLY produce a similar effect. Smoking or eating marijuana, however, overstimulates and disrupts our bio-chemistry’s NATURAL balance causing INTOXICATION and overtime makes it harder for that balance to spring back, creating dependency as… Read more »
First, it’s more potent because it’s illegal. Just like when alcohol was illegal, people didn’t risk breaking the law to have a coors light. Legalize it and regulate it. Regulate the potency. Second, Marijuna is not the gateway, alcohol is, people who smoke weed and abuse cocaine etc started with alcohol, why ignore that? Thirdly and MOST important. All arguments aside. This is a MEDICAL issue. If your child used marijuana. Would you like the kind NYPD officers arresting him and put him in jail with violent offenders? Or would you like to get him help with medical professionals? I’m… Read more »
As someone who no longer lives in Crown Heights but born and raised there, I am appalled. To all those drug abusers who commented here and try to justify themselves by trying to discredit Doctor Herman SHAME ON YOU. Admit YOU have a problem, and get help! Don’t drag others into the mud with you. After reading the comments of this article I’m no longer confident about sending my children to Crown Heights for school. Seems like there are too many vultures waiting to pounce upon new meat SHAME ON YOU! At least in our community the drug users and… Read more »
A Yid customarily uses schnapps to make a l’chaim & to give a Brocha; not necessarily to get shicker.
In contrast, one smokes pot only for the purpose of getting high. Let’s face the facts.
Ignore well written articles, just because you don’t agree with them. Keep smoking marijuana and any other substance you wish to indulge in. Destroy your brain, keep smoking and the rest of us who keep our brains clear of this garbage will outpace you and be more successful in every arena of our lives. So, don’t listen, keep smoking, shrink your brain, and give yourself emotional problems. Its good for the competition, because it makes the rest of us who dont indulge have the opportunities that you are frittering away. L’chaim ulivracha. PS There is a reason that dope is… Read more »
I’m sorry but all these articles and especially all the comments going up on COLlive about weed and drugs are just going to make a teenager (or anyone) curious about the drugs, and may want to try it just once! Just curious about the feeling it would give them!
I’m sorry, but the focus should be on alcohol and drugs that are actually killing people in our community– both youth and adults alike.
I agree that weed isn’t great either, but the justified alcohol and hard drug abuse in this community is out of hand. Open your eyes.
No one died from smoking too much weed, but drug/alcohol withdrawal and overdose, liver disease, and and DUI’s have killed many.
I have unfortunately seen the “negative” effects of marijuana. It “does” effect people more in their younger developmental stage of life. As we all know there are many medications to treat the same illness and some that can’t be given to children, why is that so? Drugs react differently to different people and at different stages of life.At times medication no longer have the same effect or you can be or become allergic to it requiring you to switch. So too with marijuana, it effects people differently. Also with it being more potent and unregulated you have know idea what… Read more »
not sure why there are lubavitchers who want to make the case for marijuana…then again the Rebbe also made the l’chaim takana and not everyone paid attention to that, either.
We should all agree that adolescents should avoid cannabis and alcohol, and run higher risks with both. The idea of “Your father’s pot” is a silly cliché , Yes, on average cannabis had a lower THC percentage in the 60s and 70s then now (although there was some strong stuff around back then too) that just means that less needs to be consumed now for the desired affect, which is a good thing if it’s being smoked. No one wants to get too high or too drunk, and most people learn from their mistakes to moderate their consumption. In general… Read more »
1. aspirin can be a gate way drug
2. highlighted in Torah & used >>..Knei Bosem ….
3. may have negative affects . like a ‘freak out ‘ or psychosis agree… but in general , not so
4. am in mid 60’s been using since 20 ??! all is good ..
Weed good or bad, why do we let our kids drink unlimited alcohol in Yeshiva? Why is it alright to get drunk every shabbos? Alcohol makes you do stupid things, from hitting, cheating etc. Alcohol makes you a bad person. Alcohol gets in the way of everything. Weed does not do any of this to you. Moshiach Now!
This is brilliant. Thank you for speaking about this topic which is so so important in our communities. Thank you Doctor Herman.
I am not American
But even I know that you are diametrically wrong; precedent
Supreme Court decisions are stare decisis
The constitution bestows on each American and there are those who argue any individual within the boundaries of USA
the benefit of the constitution
Unless it is proven that something is dangerous and then Torah law is supreme no discussion
Too intricate to go into here but just look into the famous discussion of
Rav Moshe versus Reb Yoelish, Satmar
Daven
Ruchnius
Unity
Geulah
Shabbos
Dude, nice of you to reinforce Dr. Herman’s points. Real eloquent, too!
#43 ..That post mentions the attitude/motivational/emotional effects so precisely, so clearly…But, where did he find that material? I want to explore it/quote it myself..in a letter to a family member who was harmed by ALL of those side effects mentioned in #43’s post. Hope to gosh this post is anonymous.
Torah law is sacrosanct. Even the liberals who put secular law above everything else in claiming that weed should be legalized in every state, do not believe in due process when it goes against their political agenda. For example, every single story with comments underneath the story, that is about someone being accused of ‘abusing animals’ has comments demanding that the accused be ‘beaten to death in the street, without a trial, and anyone who responds to such comments saying “what about due process’ or “innocent till proven guilty” is viciously attacked and labeled as “someone who supports abuse of… Read more »
R. Moshe Feiglen is a tzadik who has devoted his life to saving our children. His opinion is based on observing & interacting with actual “kids.” I understand that studies and books and degrees can be of real value, but nothing beats reality-based “on the ground” caring information & advice.
No question the strangest of these comments were written very, very high
The States have top biochemist advising them
Those who have legalized know what they are doing
As long as it was illegal the advice here before given applies
States overule that
Law is sacrosanct
As an aside. Young persons have constitutional rights and protections. Due Process etc. etc.
Scalia in discussing “persons” clearly excluded a fetus and included all persons small or large in the definition “persons”
i live in Canada, and there is another issue that has been brought to light. The weed can be laced with cocaine, to make them addicted to the “weed”. You dont always know what your are getting. Parents talk to your kids about substance abuse. DO NOT wait for the schools or yeishovs to deal with it. Make sure your children can say “NO”. I have seen pushers approaching elementary school age children. Talk to your kids! It can be life saving.
“…hideous psychic fallout they’d all endured both in active marijuana-dependency and then in marijuana-detox: the social isolation, anxious lassitude, and the hyperself-consciousness that then reinforced the withdrawal and anxiety – the increasing emotional abstraction, poverty of affect, and then total emotional catalepsy – the obsessive analyzing, finally the paralytic stasis that results from obsessive analysis of all possible implications of both getting up from the couch and not getting up from the couch…”
You say in one paragraph:
“Of all the people who smoke pot, in other words, about 9 percent will become dependent. But of all the people who drink, about 16 percent will become alcoholics. ”
So what?
It is a a logical fallacy to say or to imply that weed, is good or even OK, automatically, just because it’s not “as bad” as alcohol.
By such ‘logic’ you should be promoting more drinking of alcohol, because it’s not “as bad” as committing suicide.
First of all, how do you possibly know that? Yes, people that are active in “weed culture” (whatever the heck that is) probably use marijuana, but the users that aren’t part of any culture you don’t even know they’re smokers!
Second of all, if a weed culture exists it is because of the widespread stigma against using it. During prohibition I’m sure there was an alcohol culture, once use is legal and destigmatized that culture will be irrelevant.
Thank you for taking the time to write and clear up some things. I am still curious though about what studies have actually said about the long term use of marijuana. Can you speak to that? Also, there are countries (Holland and soon Canada) that legalize marijuana. Would you know if that means those governments have oversight on the levels of THC in the legalized product? Thanks again.
BH Weed won’t kill you, but it can ruin your life I’ve been working with young people for many years and have seen the devastation from weed. I understand that weed has many potential benefits including health benefits, but the side effects are enormous. I have never had a teenager tell me that he didn’t suffer substantial side effects from weed regardless of how much he enjoys it and benefits from it. I know a young man who was a normal teenager and went to regular local yeshivas. He started smoking weed at 14. Once he started weed his mind… Read more »
For frum Jews, another issue with marijuana is the culture that comes along with it. Weed has an entire culture that overtime has evolved with its own language, humor, etiquette, art, literature, music, movies, etc. Entire movements whose lifestyle runs counter to frumkeit, especially chassidishkeit, have revolved around marijuana usage: the beatniks, hipsters (the originals in the 1940s), and hippies. Many who smoke up regularly or even occasionally, become involved to some extent with cannabis culture. Hence, one sees in a comment above (as well as in comments in previous similar articles) mention of one’s friends being “different” after using.… Read more »
Let’s all relax about sugar….yes it’s addictive and unhealthy but let’s not blow it out of proportion
There are lots of facts being quoted without references. Please start adding them to the articles as that adds legitimacy…
teach kids sport.not drugs.https://www.facebook.com/selfdefensestudioch/?ref=bookmarks
I am pro marijuana for people who use it responsibly.
This guy wrote a solid article, we need more Lubavitchers with a PHD. Or atleast authors writing should have some factual knowledge not just emotion and old school thinking.
Thanks for bringing some insight.
https://www.drugpolicy.org/how-strong-todays-marijuana
There is no clear evidence that marijuana use causes “amotivational syndrome”. About 5% of people have low motivation, but they’re not significantly likelier to use marijuana than the other 95%. Meanwhile many famous highly-motivated scientists, artists, business people, are potheads.
You do not need to attack the writer to discredit him. People do not always have to be mavens in one field in order to understand simple studies and statistics. He was not referencing complex medical works on the physiological and long-term effects of marijuana. You have a problem with what he says? That is ok too. but don’t attack the good man publicly. he is only trying to help many vulnerable youth who are completely uninformed and get their info off of teens on the street. Yes there are people who smoke and function. there are also people who… Read more »
“Of all the people who smoke pot, in other words, about 9 percent will become dependent.”
Even that figure is exaggerated. One measure of dependence is that a person spends a lot of time trying to get it. Of course the fact that it’s illegal makes it more difficult to get and that’s why for some people it takes longer. Make it available everywhere cigarettes are sold and that 9% figure will drop.
lol at the sugar comment. Sugar is very harmful for us truthfully, and most people are ‘addicted’!!! But marijuana is brain-altering, that is why ppl use it! and all the ppl i know who started using it ‘a little’ ended up using it quite a lot. several are potheads. and their lives are diminished. they don’t hold regular jobs, they get to the point that they don’t grow up and they are like permanent (dumb) adolescents. it dumbed them down. and also it may not lead many to harder drugs, but all hard drug users started with weed. Are you… Read more »
The “gateway drug” argument is dishonest, and marks the rest of the article as equally dishonest. The overwhelming majority of people in treatment for addiction to heroin and cocaine began with using cigarettes. And 100% of those people began with using milk and orange juice. Shall we call those “gateway drugs” too?
Know it all.
I agree articles like this should not be published without references. Although a PhD in Psychology includes basic neuroscience and statistical reasoning, as well as copious years of research and education, we still need to see where this data was pulled from.
Extrememly well written piece on a very important topic. My sister used to smoke weed and became dependent on it to “cope” with life. After a while (with help from ppl close to her) she realized that using marijuana as a crutch to help her “deal” with life wasn’t solving or doing anything in her life. It was hard, but with support from family and ppl around her, she stopped cold turkey. She went to therapy to help her learn how to emotionally deal with life in a healthy way with a healthy mindset. Bh now a few years later,… Read more »
Thanks for such an informative post…….
Let’s hope that those who should read it will.
Thanks for clarifying.
I know it is a dangerous drug, but now i can explain it
very clear and to the point… and i’m sure ppl will still try to argue… but anybody being honest will get it.
Thank you for your educated, clear and responsible message.
Kol hamekayim nefesh achas…
much appreciated
We need to teach the young how to use it everything is ok if it’s done DEREH HAMITSUA
Thank you for taking the time to write this. I think the fundamental issue with this article is the word ‘weed’ could be replaced with ‘sugar’, and virtually every word would still stand. Yes, persistent marijuana consumption, much like persistent sugar consumption, is worse for you than an occasional l’chaim. Additionally, your half-hearted comparison to alcohol is disingenuous. A) Why not include some statistics backing up your theory that weed has a higher abuse rate than alcohol? You even acknowledge that alcohol is both physically and psychologically addictive, while weed is only psychologically addictive. Also, why not include the fact… Read more »
Very clear and very informative. Thank you
Thanks for this clear understanding.
Thank you for the article. I want to say that of my many peers who use marijuana, I don’t think any of them are the same as they were before they started using, unfortunately for the worse. They are less focused, less sharp, and in a worse environment than they were before they started. So to the many lubavitchers who use it, you can use all the arguments on the world, it changes you. And usually for the worse. Also as a lubavitcher, we have the Lubavitcher Rebbe, from whom we derive a path of life. The Rebbe wasn’t pro*,… Read more »
Here’s what we do know: According to many studies, the lifetime risk of dependence—defined as a desire to use increasing amounts of a substance and suffering withdrawal symptoms if you don’t—is lower for marijuana than it is for most other drugs, including alcohol. Of all the people who smoke pot, in other words, about 9 percent will become dependent. But of all the people who drink, about 16 percent will become alcoholics. So to say alcohol use is less of a problem then using pot is a specious argument. It is also clear that while marijuana impairs individuals, it does… Read more »
Unfortunately Doctor Herman does not have the requisite schooling to assert his opinion here. As has been the case in previous articles, there are no citations given. Additionally it seems the doctor has a tenuous grasp of statistical analysis and quantitative reasoning in general. To make these claims, it would be wise to have some background in bio-chem, neuroscience, and pharmacology – more than just an undergraduate background. Can doctor Rosen, a qualified MEDICAL professional give some advice.
Thank you for posting this.
I can say this is quite true. I am in my late 20s, so I can’t speak to the increase in strength, although that is something I had read before as well. However, this idea that weed is not addictive is just silly. People develop a “comfortable place” that weed takes them to. It seems very nice at first, but one day you realize that you’re not even enjoying it that much anymore, being high has just become your natural state, your comfortable place where you don’t have to think too much or confront things. Eventually people smoke even when… Read more »
Very well written. I hope this will make a positive impact and help our kids stay clean
Pittsburghers are very sound people.
Thank you for taking the time to explain
and saying something that is not as bad as something else, makes it good, is a phony claim and a logical fallacy.
This is something we all need to hear
Thank you for a clear, articulate and helpful article. I hope people of all ages will read it and take it to heart.
high five for the California legalization
Thank you for your excellent, informative article. This should be the topic at the next farbreingen – it is NOT chassidish to drink or do drugs. It should also be required reading in the girls’ schools.
may we all come to our senses imm geula
very well written, and very clearly explained.
thank you for taking the time to clarify this topic , and making it easy to understand.
I will steer clear from marijuana.
I Want one bourbon, one scotch, one beer.