Marijuana - What's a Parent to Believe? (The Informed Parent) (Paperback)

~ MD Timmen L. Cermak (Author) "People have different experiences with alcohol and other drugs..." (more)
Key Phrases: endocannabinoid receptors, cannabinoid activity, endocannabinoid system, United States, Alcoholics Anonymous, Richard Nixon (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Dr. Cermak covers a broad scope of issues related to marijuana use and adolescents, using the most recent scientific research on marijuana and the brain as a foundation. The issues include a discussion of the developmental phases faced by teens and how drug use interferes with developmental tasks. He delves into the disease concept of addiction as well as the social and political factors that complicate perspectives. The scientific foundation allows Cermak to include a rational discussion of medical marijuana and include scientific and clinical perspectives on social policies as suggestions to replace the failed "War on Drugs."

Cermak's objective is to reorient the reader's perspective from marijuana itself to the brain, by weaving the latest research into a story about how the mind relies on a healthy, chemically balanced brain. In the process, readers will understand both the basic theory of addiction as a disease and the undeniable proof of marijuana's addictive nature. They will also learn the difference between use, abuse and addiction, and that only a minority of teens will become addicted. Cremak speaks to parents who smoke, used to smoke, and those who have never smoked pot; his objective approach entices skeptics--those who do not see any harm in past use--to read on.

Best-known for his work with ACOA and codependents, Dr. Cermak has earned a reputation as a leader in the field of marijuana research because of his work on the California task force for medical marijuana.

About the Author

Timmen L. Cermak is a psychiatrist and neurologist specializing in addiction psychiatry. He is the author of A Time to Heal and A Primer on Adult Children of Alcoholics and is president and a founding member of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics. Dr. Cermak heads the California Society of Addiction Medicine Task Force on Medical Marijuana and runs a psychotherapy center in San Francisco and in Mill Valley, California.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Hazelden; illustrated edition edition (July 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592850391
• ISBN-13: 978-1592850396
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #192,930 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, February 16, 2006

By	Bob Porter "Child & Family Therapist" (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a very honest, objective, and balanced book for parents of teens, or anyone who wants useful information on marijuana use in our society.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent- great analysis, March 19, 2006

By	Josephine Gerrard (Albany, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was recommended by my counselor. My son grabbed it and read the medical detail and we now really actually know what is going on. Its worth every penny. Its not for those who aren't interested in scientific studies because its very well
supported. I now know quite a lot and would never suggest that Marijuana is
an appropriate drug for anyone who needs to study or learn.

0 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars my view, March 26, 2009

By	J. murphy "jaydawg" (paradise,USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

i know alot about marijuana and i mean alot!marijuana is a fantastic plant with many excellent benefits such as happiness,relaxation,a expanded state of mind,and a better appetite to!theres nothing wrong with it at all,people have been smoking it,vaporizing it,and eating it for along time now.anyway the point of me writing this is to tell everyone out there -DONT JUDGE IT INTILL YOU YOURSELF HAVE BEEN STONED-,because if you do your just another ignorant,nieve fool out there keeping this world wide treasure hidden away(kept illegal).PLEASE LEGALIZE IT.happy smoking.