Hello, my name is Mark and I have a confession to make: I have a drug addiction. When I go a day without my fix, I develop withdrawal headaches and find myself wholly unable to function. There are times when I have become so dependent on it that I have gone on binges, after which I end up feeling ill and strung out.
I am not alone in this; my drug of choice is the most frequently used and abused psychoactive substance in the world. According to Canadian dietician George Malkmus, 80 percent of North Americans consume it on a daily basis. I am not talking about cocaine, adderall or methamphetamines. The drug I am addicted to is caffeine.
Let us briefly consider the chemical reaction of caffeine in the brain.
Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant. It is structurally similar to adenosine, the chemical that is responsible for making you tired and regulating your sleep cycle. When caffeine is released into the central nervous system, it binds to the adenosine receptors and acts as an inhibitor.
By blocking the receptors, it counteracts the natural effects of the adenosine. In other words, the substance does not actually make users more energetic; it tricks their bodies into forgetting that they are tired.
Moderate amounts of caffeine are able to increase someone’s mental and physical stamina and make him more productive. However, a tolerance is able to develop extremely quickly. In order to compensate for the adenosine receptors inhibited by the caffeine, your brain will create more receptors.
As a result of the increased adenosine picked up by your brain, you will begin to feel more fatigued than you would have had you never consumed any caffeine in the first place. Consequently, the amount of caffeine that would have once made you feel energetic is now necessary in order for your brain to function normally.
Caffeine withdrawal is characterized by headaches, fatigue, nausea and even depression in some cases.
Aside from dependence, it is also possible to overdose on caffeine. In high enough doses, caffeine causes irritability, muscle spasms, insomnia and loss of inhibitions. In some extreme cases, caffeine overdose can even lead to death. (This is almost impossible with the amount of caffeine contained in coffee, but caffeine pills have had deaths associated with them.) From this, my point is clear that caffeine is a fairly dangerous and addictive drug.
Contrast caffeine with marijuana. The primary psychoactive substance in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannibinol, otherwise known as THC.
Throughout the brain there are cannabinoid receptors and neurotransmitters. What this suggests is that THC actually affects the brain in the same way a naturally occurring chemical does, so it does not physically alter one’s brain chemistry as most psychoactive drugs do.
The binding of THC to the CB1 receptors within the brain is what causes the psychological effects of marijuana, while the binding of THC to the CB2 receptors causes the majority of the physical effects. These effects can include muscle relaxation, euphoria, increased sensuality, paranoia, an increase in episodic memory and decreased short-term memory.
Unlike caffeine, most evidence suggests that marijuana is not physically addictive. Physical addiction to a drug is caused by the drug physically altering one’s brain chemistry in a way that nurtures dependence. For example, the brain is not accustomed to caffeine. The dependence one develops comes from his brain attempting to compensate for the unnatural chemical reaction.
Since the human brain is already attuned to receive cannabinoids, it does not alter a user’s brain chemistry in any significant way. The binding of cannabinoids to the CB1 and CB2 receptors is an entirely natural chemical reaction. Dr. Jack Henningfield from the National
Institute of Drug Abuse made a chart rating the addictiveness of various substances. On it, he rated marijuana as less addictive than caffeine.
Moreover, marijuana is a relatively nontoxic substance compared to most other drugs (legal or illegal). There has never been a single documented case of death from marijuana overdose in history. In 1988, the U.S. Department of Justice conceded that marijuana is incapable of inducing a “lethal response.”
A 2006 government report in the U.K. concluded that marijuana is less harmful than tobacco, alcohol and many prescription drugs. Furthermore, while it is true that there are many carcinogens in marijuana smoke, a 2006 UCLA study concluded that heavy marijuana smokers do not seem to be at an increased risk of lung cancer compared to non-smokers.
Vaporizing it or cooking it in food can mitigate the majority of the health risks concerned with smoking marijuana.
The reason I introduced this comparison is to make you question where our priorities lie. Caffeine, an addictive and potentially harmful drug, can be purchased and consumed almost anywhere. Even young children have access to caffeine in caffeinated soda and coffee.
On the other hand, billions of government dollars are spent each year to keep marijuana, a drug that is less addictive and toxic than caffeine, illegal.
During the next couple of months when you are filing your tax returns, remember this: A portion of your hard-earned money is going toward financing an operation to keep a substance less dangerous than your morning coffee off of the streets. Isn’t the system great?