>>> TO USE OR NOT TO USE?
WITH RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA USE BECOMING LEGAL IN MASSACHUSETTS
NEXT MONTH, THAT'S AMONG QUESTIONS SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE
USED POT IN THE PAST ARE WONDERING ABOUT.
NEW ENGLAND PUBLIC RADIO REPORTER KAREN BROWN RECENTLY
CAUGHT UP WITH PEOPLE CONSIDERING GIVING POT ANOTHER
LOOK.
AND IN HER REPORTING, SHE DIVULGED HER OWN PAST WITH POT.
WE BEGAN OUR DISCUSSION THERE.
>> WELL, MY ASSIGNMENT WAS LET'S DO A STORY ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE
GOING TO START SMOKING POT WHO DIDN'T SMOKE BEFORE.
AND THE IDEA -- >> WITH THE IDEA OF RECREATIONAL
MARIJUANA COMING TOWARD US JULY 1, RIGHT?
>> RIGHT.
SO IT'S BROADER COVERAGE ABOUT WHAT DOES LEGALIZATION MEAN.
SINCE I'M A HEALTH REPORTER, MY BOSS SAID LET'S LOOK AT THE
HEALTH ISSUES.
AND I THOUGHT CAN WE MAKE THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE FUN?
AND ALSO I WANTED TO, I DO A LOT OF REPORTING WHERE YOU GO ON THE
STREET AND STOP PEOPLE AND ASK THEM ABOUT SOME CURRENT EVENT
AND I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE I COULD DO THAT WITH MARIJUANA, I FELT
THAT WAS A BIT TOO SENSITIVE.
SO I WENT AROUND ASKING MY FRIENDS AND MY FRIENDS' FRIENDS,
WHO HAS THOUGHT ABOUT SMOKING POT, MAYBE YOU HAVEN'T FOR A
LONG TIME, MAYBE YOU'RE GOING TO GET BACK INTO IT.
AND I SORT OF JUST WENT OFF FROM THOSE STORIES THAT PEOPLE
STARTED TO TELL ME AND DECIDED TO EVEN INJECT A BIT OF MY OWN
HISTORY.
>> YES, YOU DEFINITELY DID.
YOU MENTIONED THAT IN ALSO ONCE SMOKED MARIJUANA, AND DID YOU
HAVE TO GO TO YOUR BOSS AND SAY HEADS UP, I'M GOING TO TALK
ABOUT WHAT IS NOW IT EXPLEL WILL SOON BE LEGAL, SOME OF WHAT I
DID IN THE PAST, DID YOU HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH THEM ABOUT THAT
AT ALL?
>> YES, A LITTLE BIT.
HE ACTUALLY SAID, WELL, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SMOKE POT WHILE
YOU'RE ON THE STORY, I WAS LIKE NO, I DON'T TAKE SUBSTANCES WHEN
I'M AT WORK.
AND IN FACT, I HAVEN'T SMOKED POT FOR YEARS AND YEARS.
>> BUT PEOPLE IN THE STORY TALKED WITH YOU, WE'RE JOKING
ABOUT IT A LITTLE, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK EMPLOYERS
AND EMPLOYEES WILL HAVE TO CONSIDER.
I LIVED IN COLORADO FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AND IT WAS SOMETHING
THAT THERE NEEDED TO BE A NEW PAGE IN OUR EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK
THAT SAID, MUCH LIKE ALCOHOL, YOU CAN'T COME TO WORK IF YOU
INTEND TO SMOKE THIS NOW LEGAL SUBSTANCE, YOU CAN'T COME TO
WORK HIGH.
>> WELL, KIND OF LIKE ALCOHOL, IT'S THE SAME IDEA.
>> YOU TOUCHED ON MEDICAL AS WELL, YOU'RE A HEALTH REPORTER.
AND YOU SPOKE WITH AN EPIDEMIOLOGIST WHO TALKED ABOUT
SOME OF THE IMPACTS THAT HE'S FOUND OR A RECENT STUDY THAT HE
DID.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE FININGS IN THAT STUDY THAT YOU EXPLORED?
>> I SHOULD PREFACE THAT WITH THE RESEARCHERS DON'T FIND IT
THAT EASY TO STUDY MARIJUANA, BECAUSE IT'S STILL CLASSIFIED AS
AN ILLEGAL DRUG BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
SO IT'S JUST NOT EASY TO GET THE SUBSTANCE TO DO STUDIES.
>> A LOT -- U. MASS SAYING THE F.D.A.
NEEDS TO OPEN IT UP AND MAKE IT MORE
READILY AVAILABLE FOR STUDY.
BUT THEY WERE ABLE TO STUDY IT?
>> YES.
GIVEN THAT, THEY WERE STILL ABLE TO FIND ABOUT 100 STUDIES AND DO
A META STUDY AND THEY FOUND THAT IT'S REALLY NOT VERY HARMFUL,
THAT WAS SORT OF THEIR CONCLUSION, COMPARED TO ALCOHOL
SPECIFICALLY.
FOR INSTANCE, YOU CAN DRINK YOURSELF TO DEATH IN ONE GO, IF
YOU HAVE TOO MUCH.
BUT IT'S VERY HARD TO DO THAT WITH MARIJUANA.
IT DOESN'T CAUSE LUNG CANCER OR CARDIAC PROBLEMS.
>> I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT
BE CONSIDERING, OKAY, DO I WANT TO TRY THIS, WHEN IT BECOMES
LEGAL, IF I SMOKE, AM I AT RISK FOR LUNG CANCER, AS I AM WITH
TOBACCO.
THE STUDY LOOKED AT THAT, RIGHT?
>> YES, AND IT CERTAINLY SEEMS TOBACCO IS A LOT MORE DANGEROUS
IN THAT REGARD.
TOBACCO IS NOT MIND ALTERING IN THE SAME WAY, SO IT COULD BE
DANGEROUS TO DRIVE WHILE YOU'RE SMOKING POT.
AND THERE ARE OTHER, IT CAN ALSO, THEY FOUND THAT THERE ARE
CERTAIN MENTAL ILLNESS SYMPTOMS LIKE WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER THAT
CAN BE WORSENED, AND I BELIEVE MAYBE ALSO DEPRESSION.
YOU KNOW, THE SYMPTOMS CAN BE WORSENED IF YOU HAVE A MAJOR
DEPRESSIVE DISORDER.
>> THERE'S STILL A BIG QUESTION AROUND EDIBLE MARIJUANA, RIGHT?
BECAUSE ALL EDIBLES ARE NOT EQUAL, THERE'S A QUESTION ABOUT
POTENCY.
ARE THEY ABLE TO EVEN UNDERSTAND THAT AT THIS POINT?
>> I MEAN, THE RESEARCHER DID TELL ME THAT POT IS A LOT MORE
STRONG, A LOT STRONGER NOW THAN IT WAS MANY YEARS AGO.
>> SO THE WEED OF TODAY IS NOT THE SAME, WHICH IS SOMETHING
THAT PEOPLE NEED TO BE AWARE OF.
ESPECIALLY THE FOLKS IN YOUR STORY, YOU LOOKED AT TWO PEOPLE
IN PARTICULAR, A GENTLEMAN NAMED TOM AND A WOMAN NAMED ROBIN, AND
TOM TOLD YOU THAT HE HAD SMOKED YEARS AGO, HE NOW HAS CHILDREN,
IS HE TALKING WITH HIS KIDS ABOUT THIS?
DID YOU GET INTO THAT AT ALL?
>> WELL, THEY'RE PROBABLY GOING TO RECOGNIZE HIS VOICE ON THE
RADIO.
I DIDN'T USE HIS LAST NAME, SO HE'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO TALK TO
THEM NOW.
>> CAN'T SAY YOU DIDN'T DO THIS, DAD, YOU TOLD KAREN BROWN YOU
DID.
>> EXACTLY.
THERE'S STILL A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOW HEALTHY IT IS FOR
ADOLESCENTS AND FOR KIDS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S EVIDENCE THAT IT'S
NOT VERY GOOD.
>> IT REALLY IMPACTS THE BRAIN.
>> YES, AND IT'S VERY DIFFERENT FOR ADULTS.
MY IMPRESSION THAT HE IS GOING TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AND
THAT'S PROBABLY WHY HE'S GOING TO WAIT UNTIL HIS KIDS ARE OLDER
BECAUSE HE DOESN'T WANT TO MODEL BEHAVIOR THAT HE DOESN'T WANT
THEM TO DO, EVEN IF HE FEELS FINE ABOUT IT FOR HIMSELF.
>> IS THERE STILL A STIGMA ATTACHED TO THIS FOR PEOPLE?
EVEN THOUGH RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA WILL BE LEGAL.
IS THERE A STIGMA, THERE WAS A WHOLE CAMPAIGN, REEFER MADNESS,
THERE WAS A CAMPAIGN TO KEEP PEOPLE AWAY FROM THIS SUBSTANCE.
IS THERE STILL A CONCERN?
>> I THINK PEOPLE DON'T KNOW YET.
YOU'VE GOT PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS, IF YOU'RE A
LAWYER, ARE PEOPLE GOING TO THINK, WELL, I WOULD LIKE MY
LAWYER TO BE VERY UPSTANDING.
AND JUST BECAUSE YOU MIGHT SMOKE POT OR TAKE EDIBLES DOESN'T MEAN
YOU'RE DOING IT ON THE JOB.
BUT I THINK PEOPLE DON'T YET KNOW WHAT THAT'S GOING TO LOOK
LIKE, ESPECIALLY IN PROFESSIONAL CIRCLES.
>> YOU MENTIONED IN THE STORY, I HAVEN'T SEEN THIS MUCH, IN THE
STORY YOU WENT TO A GRATEFUL DEAD CONCERT.
>> AND THE RULES ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT IN A GRATEFUL DEAD
SHOW THAN A LAWYER'S OFFICE.
>> AND THERE'S THE STEREOTYPE OF WHAT SOMEONE WHO USES MARIJUANA
LOOKS LIKE, HOW THEY BEHAVE.
>> RIGHT, AND THAT STEREOTYPE IS ALL EVIDENTI Z --
ALL AT A DEAD SHOW.
MY GUESS IS THAT AS POT BECOMES MORE PREVALENT AND IT BECOMES
LEGAL, IT'S JUST GOING TO BE MORE OF LIKE AN AFTER DINNER
DRINK.
WHICH IS WHAT MY SUBJECT AND FRIEND ROBIN WAS LOOKING AT IT
AS.
>> AND CERTAINLY IN STATES WHERE THIS HAS BEEN LEGAL FOR A WHILE,
LIKE I SAID, IN COLORADO THERE ARE NOW PLACES WHERE YOU CAN,
LIKE YOGA STUDIOS AND OTHER STUDIOS LIKE THAT THAT ARE
ENCOURAGING OR NOT ENCOURAGING, BUT JUST INFUSING THIS INTO THAT
CULTURE.
HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS WE KNOW THAT THE CANNABIS COMMISSION
ISN'T MAKING THAT READILY AVAILABLE YET, THEY'RE JUST
GOING TO OPEN UP RECREATIONAL SHOPS AND THEN THEY'LL TAKE ON
THE ISSUE OF WHETHER OR NOT THERE WILL BE SOME SORT OF
PUBLIC CON SOME ACTIVE ENVIRONMENT LIKE A BAR FOR
DRINKING.
>> LIKE IN AMSTERDAM.
>> EXACTLY.
WE KNOW AS REPORTERS THERE ARE THINGS THAT END UP ON THE
CUTTING ROOM FLOOR THAT DON'T MAKE IT INTO STORIES.
WERE THERE ELEMENTS OF THAT IN THIS PIECE FOR YOU, SOMETHING
THAT DIDN'T MAKE IT INTO THE STORY THAT MAYBE YOU WISH HAD?
>> I DID TALK TO A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN SMOKING POT
ALL ALONG, THEY JUST DIDN'T REALLY CARE THAT IT WASN'T
LEGAL, AND IT'S NOT ONE OF THE --
THEIR SENSE OF IT BEING A RISKY THING WAS NOT VERY HIGH.
SO FOR THEM IT'S NOT LIKE THEY'RE DECIDING WHETHER TO
CONSUME POT OR NOT.
BUT IT'S MORE THEY'RE RELIEVED THAT IT'S GOING TO BE ABOVE
BOARD, IT WILL BE EASIER AND SAFER TO GET, THEY FEEL.
THEY LIKE THE IDEA THAT IT WILL BE REGULATED AND THAT THEY'LL
HAVE A LITTLE BIT BETTER OF A SENSE OF WHAT THEY'RE GETTING.
SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE LEGALIZATION DIDN'T MAKE A
HUGE DIFFERENCE FOR THEM IN TERMS OF USE, IT WILL MAKE A
DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF COMFORT LEVEL AND JUST CONVENIENCE.
>> KAREN BROWN, THE HEADLINE ON THE STORY IS TO LIGHT UP OR NOT,
GEFXERS RECONSIDER POT AFTER LEGALIZATION, AND YOU CAN LISTEN
TO IT ON NPR.NET.
THANKS FOR COMING IN.