The Role of the Psychoanalyst in the Marijuana Problem

The rapid rise in the incidence of narcotic drug abuse now occurring has been causing increasing concern to the community, to legislators, to parents and to all physicians and mental health professionals coming into contact with it. The use of marijuana and related drugs (hashish, THC, etc)—estimated to be increasing at a rate of 20% to 30% per year¹—is a significant part of this problem. This is so because of several factors unique to the latter drugs: their easy availability, the claimed innocuousness, the absence of addictive potentials, the ease of ingestion. Some authors have claimed that these drugs are no more harmful than tobacco or alcohol—a dubious asset at best.² However, some of the latest clinical-experimental reports give evidence that they are not the harmless substances often thought to be.^{3 4 5 6} When taken in sufficient quantity and frequency over long periods of time, by psychologically predisposed individuals, they can produce serious psychopathological effects. This remains a controversial issue, since the definition of what constitutes an “adverse reaction” can be ambiguous, biased and judgemental.⁷

Nevertheless, the clinical psychiatrist must perforce concern himself with treatment aspects of this condition: the “bad trips,” the acute drug reactions and detoxification syndromes. The social psychiatrist too, has an obvious concern with the preventive aspects and socio-cultural factors contributing to its use, as well as the social consequences of its abuse. But alongside these pertinent research and clinical-therapeutic aspects, one might ask of what concern this could be to the psychoanalyst. This paper will attempt to assess his role, if any, in this issue.

There are many reasons why the psychoanalyst should be interested in this problem. Unfortunately, until now not enough have been. Most consider it a rather esoteric subject, somewhat peripheral to their more “practical” concerns.

Modern psychoanalytic practice is changing in a direction which