Question: Is there any actual evidence that smoking pot makes people lazy. I am a daily smoker making tons of cash in the business world and a daily joint is a great way to decompress from the log hours I WORK! I resent it when media portrays people who use marijuana as lazy slackers and I would like to know if there is anything beyond LAZY journalistic stereotyping behind this.

Lita Perna Says...:

You say you smoke a daily joint. This is not heavy use.

On the other hand, heavy marijuana use can include apathy, lethargy, reduced concentration, lowered intelligence and a lack of desire to partake in meaningful activities of upwards mobility. It is called amotivational syndrome. But 'amotivational syndrome' has never been clinically proven as factual or real.

There are however certain statistics that do show the correlation between marijuana use and lowered academic and professional success and accomplishments. Marijuana users are less likely to finish high school and they get lower grades in high school and in college than do non smokers. They perform lower on tests of intellectual capacity and report a decreased ability to excel professionally. Heavy marijuana users also report that their marijuana use decreases their ability to perform complex work tasks well, and to learn new tasks professionally.

I googled for studies that would indicate that pot smoking makes people lazy but was not successful. Perhaps there's a study tucked away somewhere. Maybe lazy people who smoke pot would be just as lazy if they spent the whole day eating chicken instead. Maybe lazy people like pot and were lazy people before smoking.

Most probably it's the amount one smokes that makes the difference. From what you say, it doesn't make YOU lazy.

Question: I am a 19 year old college student with ADD. I have tried several ADD/ADHD medications over the years but I have never found the benefits to be worth the side effects which I do not like and the health risks I believe are minimized by doctors. I am not a big drinker or drug user but I was introduced to marijuana this summer. To my surprise, I found that small doses of marijuana like just a few tokes really helped me focus a lot more and didn't seem to have any negative side effects other than making me feel a little more tired than usual a few hours later.  I am not someone who likes to party or get high very much but I am interested in doing well at school and my ADD makes it more difficult. I am considering trying marijuana as a daily before class medication to improve my concentration, but I am worried that its effects on memory may negate its beneficial effects on concentration. At very low doses, do I need to be worried about memory side effects from daily marijuana use? Do you know if marijuana has ever been used as a learning aid medication before?

Lita Perna Says...:

This is an excellent and thoughtful question.

Because I am licensed, I cannot ethically or legally condone illegal drug use.

But I can direct you to resources.

Please Google: ADHD and Marijuana, On Marijuana and ADHD and ADHD and Medicinal Marijuana...for starters.

There is a lot of material.

Read the debates. Consider the words of experts. Consult with physicians. 

This is a partial quote from the article, ADHD and Medical Marijuana: 

"The preponderance of studies show marijuana use is overwhelmingly prevalent with ADHD sufferers, either as a self-medicament or for recreation. While some apply preconceptions that marijuana exacerbates ADHD almost all California cannabinologists believe camnabis and cannabinoids have substantially improved the lives of ADHD sufferers, and with less negative side effects than common stimulant drug ADHD treatments."

You will read other views that strongly disagree with this one.

You are obviously thoughtful and intelligent. You need to weigh the benefits vs the risks, but first you need to know them.

Aside from all this, you risk being arrested, maybe suspended or expelled from school.

That's a whole different set of problems.

Do you really think any cop or any judge will believe you when you tell them you use weed to help you study?

Question: My husband's son is a chronic alcoholic and the entire family feels he is also bipolar or something similar.. He is spending at least 9 1/2 months in prison now. Following at least 2 other stints in jail and at least 2 stints in rehab facilities and halfway houses. He denies he has a mood/mental disorder, and won't listen to his father (who is 17-years sober and also medicated for bipolar), and sister (who is a DR). This recent jail sentence is from his 5th DUI - fortunately no injury accidents... how to convince him that his way is not working?

Lita Perna Says...:

You can't.

Question: I saw my son's scout leader at a local bar and he was obviously doing cocaine in the bathroom. He has always been a tremendous giver of his time to the kids in the community through the scouts but now I really do not know what to think. Should I be worried? He takes the kids on overnight camping trips and sometimes he is the only adult present. He also drives kids around. I do not know a lot about cocaine other than to know how addictive it is. Should I tell the other parents? Should I report him to the scouting organization? Am I overreacting?

Lita Perna Says...:

How do you know your son’s scout leader was doing cocaine in the bathroom?

Are you sure? Why?

If it is true that he was doing cocaine in the bathroom then yes, you should be worried.

At the very least, the scout leader is a hypocrite.

I don’t think you’re over reacting. You’ve learned about a whole different side of this guy that you never expected. You’re probably disappointed and disillusioned. Jeez — if you can’t trust a scout leader, who can you trust?

Now you might be wondering what else you don’t you know about this guy.

Jerry Sandusky was also a ‘tremendous giver of his time’ and though I am not equating child sexual abuse with using cocaine, it’s something to think about. Neither man has the type of character that kids should be around.

Doing drugs and being a scout leader doesn’t fit in the same world. You don’t ‘earn’ the right to do cocaine, but you do earn the right to be a leader of kids.

Where do you see your responsibility? What are the possible consequences of your actions if you decide to act? What could be the consequences if you don’t? Should you go to the scout leader first and tell him what you suspect? Should you report him to the scouting organization?

Only you can make that call.

The universe has put the responsibility in your hands.

If your son had found out instead of you, what would you want him to do?

Would you want him to be quiet or would you want him to tell?

Just remember Jerry Sandusky. If someone had spoken up sooner, fewer kids would have suffered and been harmed.

And if anything happens to any of these kis while in this guy's care, how will you feel if you said nothing?

Question: I just learned that one of my salesmen is an ex cocaine addict who is getting ongoing cocaine addiction treatment so he doesn’t use. I know how often these guys relapse and in my opinion, once you are the kind of person who will break the law to buy drugs you are probably the kind of person who will break the law in other ways, such as by stealing to pay for drugs. What drives me crazy is that I can’t even fire this guy because if I did I would be discriminating against him as he is protected by the Americans with disabilities act. I am a regular family guy who has worked too hard to get where I am today. What can I do to protect my business from drug addicts when the DC government seems to want us to coddle those people in life who make bad choices and then I have to clean up their messes.

Lita Perna Says...:

I don’t know how you learned that one of your salesmen is in recovery.

Doesn't it make you wonder how many of your other sales people are in recovery that you don’t know about?

Have you ever considered that any one of your sales people could be a binge drinker, hidden alcoholic or secret prescription, or other drug user?

They’re everywhere.

You may be ‘safer’ with the guy in recovery.

You say you ‘know how often these guys relapse.’ I’ve been working in the field since 1986 and even I don’t know. It depends on the person.

Treatment works. Many people get well.

There isn’t a ‘kind’ of person who gets addicted.

I’ve worked with old ladies who are addicted to opiate pain medicine. I’ve worked with ‘regular family guys,’ psychologists, nurses, a nuclear power plant worker, a dentist and responsible PTA parents who are in recovery. You’d never be able to identify any one of them as a person who once used drugs excessively or illegally.

Did some of them make ‘bad choices’? Yes. Does that make them lifetime criminals? No.

For all you know, one of your children’s teachers is in recovery from addiction.

Have you ever had an irresponsible employee without a history of addiction?

How does this guy in recovery measure up?

Is your salesman a good employee? Is he making sales? Are you coddling him? Have you had to clean up any of his messes? Is he stealing?

I do understand your fear, and believe you worked hard to get where you are today, but you didn’t get where you are without someone giving you a chance.

It’s payback time.

Being bigger than your fear is what got you where you are today.

Not everyone gets the chance to be a hero.

Make your kids proud of you.

Stick your neck out.

Be a hero.

Give the guy a chance.

Question: If my son has no insurance and i am a single mom of three kids and have no way of getting him help... he has threatened to kill himself over and over, has rages, does drugs... he was taken to a hospital this past week, placed into an outpatient rehab center in which they are dismissing him soon... what options do i have?

Lita Perna Says...:

• Take his threatening suicide seriously.
• Call the cops immediately when he makes threats and get him back to the ER.
• Take his rages seriously, call the cops immediately and get him back to the ER.

He is out of control. He needs psychiatric help. He needs help to stop the drugs.

• Ask the professionals at the hospital for referrals before he is released.
• Be sure to tell any and all professionals that you "FEAR HE IS A DANGER TO HIMSELF AND OTHERS!" Tell them this over and over and over again.
• Get copies of his medical records.
• Continue to get him to the emergency room.
• Document his behavior with time and date. Put it in a safe place.
• Apply for Disability for him. When/if you are turned down, apply again. There are pro bono lawyers who will help you with this.

You do not say his age or what state you are in.

There is help. There are agencies in most states for families in trouble.

Keep on keeping on and you will find him the help he needs.

Question: My brother is addicted to heroin and crack. Sometimes he goes on methadone almost just for a break from needing to take heroin but he never stops taking crack. I think the whole system stinks. How is it helping him to give him methadone if he is just going to be a crack addict still? It seems to me like it is just cheap and easy for the government to shelve these people on methadone so they won’t be such a problem in society. Helping them costs too much. I think it is terrible. Why is it legal to get these people addicted to methadone but it is not legal to let them get addicted to heroin. What is the difference really?

Lita Perna Says...:

You bring up some excellent points. Your anger and frustration is justified.

You’re right, someone on methadone is less of a problem to society…they’re often also less of a problem to themselves.

I don’t know what you mean when you say helping ‘these people’ costs too much. What kind of help are you talking about?

For some people, methadone and counseling IS help. For some, it stops the ripping and running lifestyle and reduces the risk of overdose and disease.

As you know, methadone stops opiate withdrawal symptoms.  It can normalize lives. Some people gradually reduce their doses and stop completely. I’ve worked with professionals who were hooked on heroin, went on methadone were able to gradually taper off and resume their careers. For them, methadone was a blessing.

Methadone can also help those accidently and inadvertently addicted to pain meds. I’ve seen blue-haired old ladies standing in methadone lines waiting for their dose.

It’s not the same with crack. Crack is a whole different ball game.

There is currently no therapy drug available to use as a safe "substitute" to treat crack addiction. An equivalent like methadone for heroin addiction does not exist for crack addicts.

I don’t know why heroin is illegal (once upon a time it was legal) and methadone is not.  Maybe because unlike heroin, which you need to snort, smoke or shoot, methadone is ingested orally and blocks withdrawal longer. Prescribed and controlled doses of methadone area also safer. You know what you're getting.

The system sucks. Addiction sucks. Treatments that fail, suck. Having an addicted bother sucks.

Now I have a question for you: Who are you madder at, the system or your brother?

Question: Hello. I have been with my boyfriend for over 10 years and we have kids together. I am unemployed and had some depression issues especially when I failed a drug test. I don't do any drugs. So I have been questioning God and my own life. Then, one day I came across a plate with a dollar bill on it with powder substances on it. So I confronted my boyfriend and he admitted it and stated he does not do it often. I am trying to figure out how it got into my system. Now, I know how it got into my system, because he is smoking it in my house. I am confuse and I don't know what to do. I thinking should I just kick him out or try to help. Then I don't even know how to help. We don't really have good communication with each other. My feelings right now: I am a bit on the angry side. It was 2 jobs that was in my hands, but because of him I am still unemployed.

Lita Perna Says...:

You did not say what drug you tested positive for. I am also unclear if you failed the test for two different jobs.

I will assume you tested positive for Benzoylecgonine, the metabolite (what’s left behind) that a body creates when cocaine has been consumed. It is proof that you have knowingly or unknowingly ingested cocaine in some form.

To the best of my knowledge you cannot fail a drug test if your boyfriend is smoking cocaine when you aren’t even around when he is doing it.

Because you are unemployed I suggest you:

1. Apply for the LINK Card for food.
2. Apply for the Medicaid Card for medical care for you and the kids.
3. Get a check up to determine why you failed a drug test.
4. Make an appointment at a community mental health center to deal with the depression and get some ideas about how to help yourself and your kids.
5. You and your kids need help first.
6. You need someone to help you feel less confused and help you make some plans and set some goals.