Hallucinogenic Effects of Marijuana as Currently Used
MARTIN H. KEELER M.D.1,
JOHN A. EWING M.D.2, , and
BEATRICE A. ROUSE M.ED.3
1 Professor of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, 80 Barre St., Charleston, S.C. 29401
2 Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, N.C.
3 Research Associate, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, N.C.
A questionnaire study of 42 randomly selected young men who used marijuana revealed that about 90 percent had experienced minor changes in perception (seeing colors or objects as more intense); about half had experienced major perceptual changes (hallucinating colors or designs); and about 40 percent had experienced hallucinogenic ideation. The authors conclude that marijuana, as used by the population studied, is a hallucinogen. They caution, however, that this is not evidence that the drug is either harmful or harmless.
