America’s Love-Hate Relationship with Drugs

~ Jason Schwartz

I’m truly sympathetic to arguments against the war on drugs, but is it really possible that the author this naive?

In 2004 Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams announced that he had found marijuana to be ‘ten times more helpful than Paxil’ for his anxiety and depression. What made Williams’s declaration difficult to ignore was that he had been a celebrity spokesman for GlaxoSmithKline, manufacturer of Paxil.

Neuroscientist Pankaj Sah notes, ‘It’s worth considering that people who constantly use cannabis may be doing it for other reasons than just to ‘get high’ — perhaps they are experiencing some emotional problems which taking cannabis alleviates. Much the same way as some people drink alcohol to relieve anxiety.’

[via dailydose.net]

Published by Jason Schwartz

I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I no longer work at Dawn Farm and am now the Director of Behavioral Medicine at a community hospital, and a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Views expressed here are my own. Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.