DM) Do you agree with the legalization of drugs?
WW) I see the drug issue from three different perspectives:
as a former federal grand juror, as a medical scientist, and
finally as a parent. Each of these gives me a different perspective
on drug legalization.
A couple of years ago I served on the US grand jury for my district
in North Carolina. I was struck by how much of our criminal justice
system is occupied by the drug issue. The vast majority of the
federal indictments that we issued were for drug trafficking.
In that one year, in this one third of one state, I saw the lives
of hundreds to thousands of people completely destroyed. But,
frankly, I never had the feeling that the legal system was even
making a dent in the supply of drugs.
As a medical scientist, I understand that the word "drug"
is not useful as a generic, "one-size-fits-all" term.
The brain is a very complex place, and the range of effects of
chemicals we call recreational drugs is so wide as to make this
an enormously difficult issue. Marijuana has little overdose
risk but may impair the development of the nervous system in
adolescents. Ecstasy really does kill brain cells and leaves
people depressed. Repeated cocaine usage has long-lasting effects
on the brain's reward system. A legal drug, alcohol is highly
toxic in many ways.
Finally, as a parent, I favor education over incarceration. No
amount of law enforcement will stop the flow of drugs, so the
only defense is education of the children so that they will make
healthy decisions.
I would recommend decriminalizing marijuana and strongly reducing
the criminal penalties for other drugs. The money saved on incarceration
could then be diverted to education and drug treatment.
DM) But by decreasing penalties doesn't that send a message
of acceptance of drugs?
WW) Not at all. There are many behaviors that segments of
society abhor but do not criminally penalize. Two of these are
tobacco smoking and overeating. In many circles these are totally
unacceptable behaviors but no one is going to prison for them.
Another example is drunk driving. It's become completely unacceptable,
but the penalties are much less than those for cocaine possession.
With each of these three issues, education is working without
serious incarceration. We can do the same for drugs.
DM) But there has been education in the anti-smoking campaign
for decades and it is that's not stopped yet. Is it a realistic
goal to eliminate drug usage?
WW) Nothing is going to completely eliminate drug usage, because
drugs get to heart of the motivational system of the human brain,
the reward system. But, I think we can do much better. We have
not really tried a comprehensive educational approach for kindergarten
through high school students. It is critical to reach the kids
because most addiction occurs during adolescence.
DM) Do you think America will ever "win" the war
on drugs?
WW) I really don't like the term "war on drugs,"
because it is meaningless. If we really are having a war on drugs,
then it is a war on ourselves, because almost all of us use one
drug or another--alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, valium, etc. No,
it we must recognize that there will never be a time in which
recreational drugs are not available to whomever wants them.
Our only hope is to educate people to have a sense of respect
for their brains, like they do for their hearts. Then, maybe
with that respect in place, they will choose not to intoxicate
their brains in dangerous ways.
DM) Do you see that awareness as happening in the near future?
WW) I'm hopeful. Everybody agrees we have to take different approaches
to the drug problem, and the beauty of a "how to respect
and maximally use your brain" approach is that it is much
broader than just drugs, and thus much easier to incorporate
into conventional educational systems. Probably no school system
will allow a drug "harm reduction" course in high school,
but I'll bet you that almost every one will want to teach their
kids how their brains work, how learning occurs, and how alcohol
and other drugs alter brain functions.
DM) What kind of questions have you heard since the book came
out?
WW) What's amazed me is how many people are interested in
how drugs actually affect the brain, and how little of the basic
science people actually know. I've given talks to drug educators,
counselors, teachers, and health professionals. Uniformly their
reaction has been amazement at what they did not know and their
recognition of how helpful a little knowledge would be in drug
education and treatment.
DM) If you found one of your children smoking pot, what would
you tell her?
WW) Well, that's how Buzzed was born. My daughters asked me
about drugs, and I told them the truth, as I knew it as a medical
scientist. I told them that pot impaired the ability of the brain
to acquire new information, that it stayed around a long time,
and that even weekly use of it could be problematic. Also, I
told them that, like it or not, it is currently illegal, and
that becoming involved with it put them at risk of being involved
with the legal system. I explained that right now the criminal
justice system is going through a rough period, because some
elements of this society are hell-bent on harsh punishment. So,
you never know when what seems like a minor infraction will mean
a major jail sentence....you just never know. My advice was and
is to stay away from anything that can cause an interaction with
the legal system.
DM) What is the most physically addictive street drug?
WW) If by physically addictive, you mean what drug produces
the most withdrawal effects, that would probably be alcohol and
heroin. If you mean true addiction, which is craving and compulsive
use, then it would be a tie between crack, heroin, and methamphetamine.
