Dr. Geoffrey Kane, Medical Director of Adult Chemical Dependency Services at Charter-Brookside Hospital in Nashua and graduate of Yale Medical School, alerted students last night to the adverse effects of marijuana -- a drug often said to be harmless.
A group of about 60 students heard the speech, titled "Bong hits, blunts and brownies: What do you really know about marijuana?" in 105 Dartmouth Hall, during which they peppered him with questions.
Kane began by saying "marijuana is a hot topic" and then took off his jacket to reveal his need to cool off and lighten the mood.
Kane said it is important to discuss the ramifications of using the common drug because people should not be "blindsided with consequences."
Many people are still attracted to the image of marijuana from the 1960s, when there was "little evidence that marijuana was dangerous," he said.
In the 1990s, marijuana's adverse effects on memory, learning, sexuality, health and other factors are apparent, he said.
Marijuana comes from the hemp plant and is "called 'weed' because, as some of you may know, it is easy to grow," he said.
The drug's active ingredient, called tetrahydrocannabinol, attaches to receptors in the brain, impairing their function, and generally "slows things down," he said.
Kane explained immediate effects of the drug -- which include
altering the user's perceptions of time and place and impairing their ability to drive or complete other complex tasks.
Kane said even casual marijuana use can hinder memory and learning functions -- even days after ingesting the drug
"School work is likely to be impaired," as well, he said.
He then showed a slide labeled "Marijuana and Sex" and joked, "For guys, I could put marijuana or sex." since chances for impotency are doubled in heavy users, Kane said.
Kane said it is also dangerous to mix marijuana with other drugs.
If used with alcohol, for example, he said marijuana can heighten the chances of death since it inhibits vomiting, which might normally protect the body from absorbing high levels of alcohol.
Despite its reputation, Kane said marijuana can be addictive.
"A lot of people consider marijuana not to be addictive," he explained, but claimed that recent studies show evidence of behavioral addiction.
Kane said symptoms of withdrawal can include chills, restlessness, insomnia or weight loss.
The audience reacted passionately to much of what Kane said and engaged the doctor in an hour-long debate following his speech.
Audience members cited a "conflict of interest," saying that since Kane dealt with addiction as a doctor, he was biased against the drug. One audience member claimed that much of what Kane said was comprised of "sweeping generalizations."
Kane responded that the evidence was "not airtight."
The comments from audience members were met with applause from the crowd.
A sophomore in the audience, who asked to remain anonymous, said after the discussion that the title of the talk led people to be highly critical because it encouraged students who smoke marijuana to listen to a speech made by someone who did not support its use.
"Casual use in a responsible fashion does not have any serious reproductions ... [Kane's] arguments, which people took away, were very inconclusive," the sophomore said.
"If you smoke a joint you will not die tomorrow," Kane conceded.
Following the speech Kane said, "I enjoyed a very energetic interaction with this group of students, some of whom were quite willing to make their strong views on the subject known."
"They seemed to want a simplistic answer -- a red light or a green light on use," Kane said. "And many of them seemed disappointed that I could not provide that."
Director of Health Resources Gabrielle Lucke, who introduced Kane, cited the necessity for people to be "informed consumers" and the importance of knowing "[their] drug of choice."
Lucke noted that Dartmouth is the first school in the state to have an open discussion like last night's, which was sponsored by Health Resources and the Coed Fraternity Sorority system.
After the speech, Lucke said she felt it was "a dynamic experience" and that the speech's "aim was to catch people's attention."
