27 Don't users of marijuana withdraw from society?
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This article is from the Hemp / Cannabis / Marijuana FAQ, by Brian S. Julin verdant@twain.ucs.umass.edu with numerous contributions by others.
27 Don't users of marijuana withdraw from society?
To some extent, yes. That's probably just because they
are afraid of being arrested, though. The same situation
exists with socially maladjusted persons as does with the
mentally ill. Emotionally troubled individuals find
marijuana to be soothing, and so they tend to use it more
than your average person. Treatment specialists see this,
and assume that the marijuana is causing the problem. This
is a mistake which hurts the patient, because their doctors
will pay less attention to their actual needs, and
concentrate on ending their drug habit. Sometimes the
cannabis is even helping them to recover. Cannabis can be
abused, and it can make these situations worse, but
psychologists should approach marijuana use with an open
mind or they risk hurting their patient.
Marijuana itself does not make normal people anti-social.
In fact, a large psychological study of teenagers found that
casual marijuana users are more well adjusted than `drug
free' people. This would be very amusing, but it is a
serious problem. There are children who have emotional
problems which keep them from participating in healthy,
explorative behavior. They need psychological help but
instead they are skipped over. Marijuana users who do not
need help are having treatment forced on them, and in the
mean-time marijuana takes the blame for the personality
characteristics and problems of the people who like to use
it improperly.
``Adolescent Drug Use and Psychological Health'' by Jonathan Shedler,
Jack Block in ``American Psychologist'' Vol. 45 Iss. 5 pp. 612-630.
``Substance Use and Abuse Among Teenagers'' by Michael D. Newcomb,
Peter M. Bentler in ``American Psychologist'' Vol. 44 Iss. 2 pp.
242-248. 1989.
``Cognitive Motivations for Drug Use Among Adolescents Longitudinal
Tests of Gender Differences and Predictors of Change in Drug Use '' by
Michael D. Newcomb, Chih Ping Chou, P. M. Bentler, G. J. Huba in
``Journal of Counseling Psychology'' Vol. 35 Iss. 4 pp. 426-438. pub.
American Psychological Association Washington,DC, 1988.
``Personality Characteristics of Adolescent Marijuana Users'' by John
E. Mayer, Jeffrey D. Ligman in ``Adolescence'' Vol. 24 Iss. 96 pp.
965-976. 1989.
``Cannabis Use and Sensation Seeking Orientation'' by K. Paul
Satinder, Alexander Black in ``The Journal of Psychology'' Vol. 166
pp. 101-105. pub. Journal Press Provincetown, MA, 1984.
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