Q: What
is the effect of marijuana on pregnancy?
A:
Marijuana Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues including
medical advice or opinions. MA does not know what effect
marijuana may have on pregnancy. Some members may have more
experience in that area than others, but no more so than the
general population. That is a medical question best answered
by medical professionals.
Q: What
physical side effects does the use of marijuana cause?
A: The
pamphlet "Detoxing from Marijuana" that is on this web page
does not contain medically based knowledge, but empirical
knowledge based on the experiences of many MA members who took
the time to fill out extensive questionnaires regarding their
own early days of abstinence from their drug of choice. This
pamphlet should answer most of your questions on common
physical side effects.
Q: Why
do I need MA to quit using marijuana?
A: Maybe
you don't. "Marijuana Anonymous is a fellowship of men and
women who share our experience, strength, and hope with each
other that we may solve our common problem and help others to
recover from marijuana addiction." If you haven't crossed over
the line from using to abusing to addiction, you can probably
quit using it any time you'd like. Marijuana Anonymous is for
those of us who crossed over that line into addiction and for
whom "just saying no" is no longer an option. We need more
than just will power to refrain from using. We need the help
of other addicts who understand our problem. If you are an
addict we are here to help you.
Q: How
can there be marijuana addicts if marijuana is not addicting?
A: "We who
are marijuana addicts know the answer to this question.
Marijuana controls our lives! We lose interest in all else;
our dreams go up in smoke. Ours is a progressive illness often
leading us to addictions to other drugs, including alcohol.
Our lives, our thinking, and our desires center around
marijuana---scoring it, dealing it, and finding ways to stay
high" (Life With Hope, p. xi).
Based on
our own experiences, we who seek recovery in MA generally
consider ourselves to be marijuana addicts. Whether or not our
addiction is psychological, physical, or both, matters little.
When it comes to the use of marijuana, we have lost the power
of choice. It is strictly up to the individual to decide
whether he or she feels addicted to marijuana. MA has no
opinion about marijuana itself one way or another. Marijuana
Anonymous exists solely to provide a means of recovery to the
suffering addict who seeks help.
Q: What
is MA's opinion on the legalization of marijuana?
A: The
Tenth Tradition of Marijuana Anonymous states:
This
tradition protects the integrity of the organization.
"Anything that can disrupt our unity, and interfere with our
primary purpose of carrying the message to the marijuana
addict who still suffers, should be avoided" (Life With
Hope, p. 93). Therefore, MA has no opinion about the
legalization of marijuana.
Q: Can
you provide any information that will help me convince my
child (spouse, friend, parent, etc.) to quit using marijuana?
A: You
will find most of our literature posted on the web site. It
explains who we are and how our program works. However, it is
unlikely that literature alone will convince someone to quit
using. A person cannot be forced or nagged or prodded into
recovery; they must come to the realization on their own that
they are an addict and powerless over marijuana. No chart,
graph, or stack of pamphlets and books can convince someone
that they have a problem if they themselves are unwilling to
admit it. Willingness, open-mindedness, and honesty are vital
components of a successful recovery program. These essential
traits are not something a person can be "convinced" to
possess; they can only come from within. (see
"For the Loved Ones of Marijuana Addicts")
Conference Approved Literature
©1997 Marijuana Anonymous
All Rights Reserved
M-14
6/97
