Allison Fouche has seen first-hand the effects marijuana canhave on young people. Lack of responsibility and maturity,inability to obtain or keep a job and even imprisonment are just afew of the things she said result from use of what some people seeas a "recreational drug."
Fouche is the public education coordinator for Yo! Memphis, anon-profit organization that counsels at-risk 14- to 21-year-olds.Marijuana use is one of the most prevalent obstacles standing inthe way of these young adults becoming productive members ofsociety, she said.
"We really have a problem with placing kids with jobs (becausethey smoke marijuana)," Fouche said. "Even though they say they'renot addicted, they just can't stop smoking."
Different drug counseling professionals say different thingsabout the possibility of marijuana addiction. Some say it's onlymentally addictive, while others say it's also physicallyaddictive, and some say it's not addictive at all. But most seem toagree that, whether addictive or not, marijuana can cause negativeeffects in a user's life.
"Marijuana definitely has consequences," said Ed Smith, directorof expansion for Narconon of Southern California. "Once a personstarts smoking, it can have effects through irresponsibility, notgetting to work on time or being unproductive at work and beinglazy at home. People can even lose their jobs."
Smith said his branch of Narconon doesn't see many people whoseek treatment for marijuana use alone -- only three or four casesa year -- but most group members who use other drugs also usemarijuana. Still, Smith said he would hesitate to call marijuana a"gateway drug," meaning use of it leads to other drug use.
However, Cynthia Glass, executive director of the MemphisAlcohol and Drug Council, has a different view.
"Most people have been led to believe that it's non-addictive,but it is," said Glass, who is a recovering alcoholic andaddict.
Mera Kachgal, a psychology intern at The University of MemphisCenter for Student Development's Psychological Counseling Unit,agreed that most people don't appreciate the dangers ofmarijuana.
"It really is under-estimated," Kachgal said, adding thatmarijuana exacerbates other problems.
However, Fouche said that in her experiences, she has not seenmarijuana act as a jumping off point for heavier drug use. But, sheadded, "the repercussions of marijuana alone is enough to keep youin bondage."
The marijuana users Fouche works with perpetuate a condition ofpoverty by continuing to use the drug, she said.
"Users are unable to obtain jobs that require drug tests, sothey are unable to move on to the next level in their lives," shesaid. "Instead of giving up the drug, they continue on withoutemployment, which leads to more crime and contributes to the cycleof poverty."
However, one self-proclaimed marijuana smoker, Paul, whograduated from The University of Memphis in 2002, said the drughasn't kept him from doing anything, including working.
"(Smoking marijuana) never kept me from doing the things I hadto because I was so busy thinking about pot, so in that sense, Iwas never addicted," said Paul, who began smoking marijuana at age15. "Smoking the night before may have affected my job performancethe same way a hangover would have, but not to a detrimentalpoint."
However, Paul said smoking marijuana affected other areas of hislife, specifically in relationships.
"I've been in relationships where the girl had a problem withit," he said. "She felt like that's all I cared about."
And although Paul said he has quit smoking for up to eightmonths at a time, he always comes back to the drug.
"I never quit smoking totally, because I always end up comingback," he said. "But I see it just as just recreational, likepeople who smoke cigarettes only when they're in a bardrinking."
Smith said the attitude that "recreational" marijuana use is notharmful is prevalent but not very accurate.
"You might be able to smoke once a month or even every weekend,and maybe it won't have an effect on you," he said. "But at somepoint, you get careless and suddenly the things that need to betaken care of aren't."
