Can Drugs Ruin My Health?

This is another area of concern. Most youths realize that the so-called hard drugs can kill you. But what about so-called soft drugs, such as marijuana? Are all the warnings you hear about them mere scare tactics? In answer, let us focus on the drug marijuana.

Marijuana (also known as pot, reefer, grass, ganja, or weed) has been the focus of much controversy among experts. And admittedly, much is unknown regarding this popular drug. For one thing, marijuana is extremely complex; a marijuana cigarette contains over 400 chemical compounds in its smoke. It took doctors over 60 years to realize cigarette smoke causes cancer. It may likewise take decades before anyone knows for sure just what marijuana’s 400 compounds do to the human body.

Nevertheless, after studying thousands of research papers, a panel of experts of the prestigious U.S. Institute of Medicine concluded: “The scientific evidence published to date indicates that marijuana has a broad range of psychological and biological effects, some of which, at least under certain conditions, are harmful to human health.” What are some of these harmful effects?

Marijuana​—What It Does to Your Body

Consider, for example, the lungs. Even marijuana’s staunchest supporters admit that inhaling smoke cannot possibly be good for you. Marijuana smoke, like the smoke from tobacco, consists of a number of toxic substances, such as tars.

Dr. Forest S. Tennant, Jr., surveyed 492 U.S. Army soldiers who had used marijuana. Nearly 25 percent of them “suffered sore throats from smoking cannabis, and some 6 percent reported that they had suffered from bronchitis.” In another study, 24 out of 30 marijuana users were found to have bronchial “lesions characteristic of the early stages of cancer.”

True, no one can guarantee that such ones will actually develop cancer later on. But would you want to run that risk? Besides, the Bible says that God “gives to all persons life and breath.” (Acts 17:25) Would you be showing respect for the Giver of life if you deliberately inhaled something that damages the lungs and the throat?

At Ecclesiastes 12:6 the human brain is poetically called “the golden bowl.” Barely larger than your fist and weighing a scant three pounds, [1.4 kg] the brain is not only the precious receptacle of your memories but also the command center for your entire nervous system. With that in mind, note the warning of the Institute of Medicine: “We can say with confidence that marijuana produces acute effects on the brain, including chemical and electrophysiological changes.” At present, there is no conclusive proof that marijuana permanently damages the brain. Nevertheless, the possibility that marijuana might in any way do harm to “the golden bowl” should not be dismissed lightly.

And what about the prospect of your one day getting married and having children? The Institute of Medicine reported that marijuana is known “to cause birth defects when administered in large doses to experimental animals.” Whether it has the same effects on humans is thus far unproved. Remember, though, that birth defects (such as the one caused by the hormone DES) often take years to manifest themselves. So, what the future holds for the children​—and grandchildren—​of marijuana smokers remains to be seen. Dr. Gabriel Nahas says that smoking marijuana may be “genetic roulette.” Could anyone who views children as “an inheritance from Jehovah” take such risks?​—Psalm 127:3.

Drugs​—The Bible’s View

Of course, marijuana is just one of many popular drugs. But it well illustrates that there is ample reason to avoid taking any mind-altering substances for pleasure. Says the Bible: “The beauty of young men is their power.” (Proverbs 20:29) As a young person, you no doubt enjoy good health. Why even risk throwing it away?

More important, though, we have the Bible’s view on this matter. It tells us to “safeguard . . . thinking ability,” not to ruin it through chemical abuse. (Proverbs 3:21) It further exhorts: “Let us cleanse ourselves of every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in God’s fear.” Really, it is only to those who have ‘cleansed themselves of defilement,’ avoiding practices like drug abuse, that God promises: “‘I will take you in.’ ‘And I shall be a father to you.’”​—2 Corinthians 6:17–7:1.

[Box on page 278]

Marijuana​—A New Wonder Drug?

There has been much ado over claims that marijuana may have therapeutic value in treating glaucoma and asthma and in easing the nausea that cancer patients experience during chemotherapy. A U.S. Institute of Medicine report acknowledges that there is some truth to these claims. But does this mean that in the near future doctors will be prescribing marijuana cigarettes?

Not likely, for while some of marijuana’s over 400 chemical compounds may prove useful, smoking marijuana would hardly be the logical way to take such medicines. “Using marijuana,” says noted authority Dr. Carlton Turner, “would be like giving people molded bread to eat to get penicillin.” So if any marijuana compounds ever become bona fide medicines, it will be marijuana “derivatives or analogues,” chemical compounds similar to them, that doctors will prescribe. No wonder, then, that the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services wrote: “It should be emphasized that possible therapeutic benefits in no way modify the significance of the negative health effects of marijuana.”