Marijuana: CNS Depressant or Excitant?
SHIRLEY Y. HILL PH.D.1,
DONALD W. GOODWIN M.D.2,
ROBERT SCHWIN M.D.3, , and
BARBARA POWELL PH.D.4
1 Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 4940 Audubon Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 63110
2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 4940 Audubon Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 63110
3 Instructor in Psychiatry, Malcolm Bliss Mental Health Center, St. Louis, Mo.
4 Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Psychological Services, Malcolm Bliss Mental Health Center, St. Louis, Mo.
This paper describes the effects of marijuana smoking on sensitivity to pain, touch, and visual stimuli in regular users of the drug. Using accepted measures of these sensory processes, the authors found an absence of analgesia and an increased sensitivity to the stimuli they employed. This suggests that marijuana may have stimulant effects on the central nervous system.
