Many programs that attempt to educate children about the risks of underage cannabis use are full of propaganda and inaccuracies, but a Canadian cop is turning heads for inventing his own bizarre marijuana myth.
Earlier this month, the York Catholic school board gathered students from the Toronto suburbs to discuss the country's impending legal cannabis industry. A representative of the Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health was on hand to answer students' questions, along with a public health nurse and two officers from the York Regional Police (YRP).
According to York Region, Nigel Cole, drug recognition officer with the YRP, told students that "there are studies that marijuana lowers your testosterone; we call it 'doobies make boobies.' We're finding 60 percent of 14-year-olds are developing 'boobies.'" Cole also stated that "studies have shown half a joint is equivalent to seven alcoholic beverages," and explained that a pot smoker facing a sobriety test would be unable to walk a straight line or even touch their nose with their finger. Cole followed up by repeating several myths about the "addictive qualities" of cannabis.
A few days after Cole's wild claims were covered by local press, the YRP tweeted: "We're no health experts, but we're pretty sure getting high does not cause enhanced mammary growth in men. We are aware of the misinformation about cannabis that was unfortunately provided to the community by our officers. We're working to address it."
Dr. John Harrison, chief scientific officer with Toronto-based TeamMD, confirmed that there was no scientific basis to Cole's claims. "Millions of men smoke marijuana and you don't see millions of men walking around with pronounced breast tissue," Harrison told the Toronto Star. "The comment defies common sense."
Fortunately for the students, some of the other speakers at the panel had more accurate information to present. "In my experience as a police officer, the worst I've come across with people who are high on marijuana is they want to hug you," YRP school resource officer Doug Macrae said at the panel. Macrae also explained that legalization "will get a lot of the crap off the street and put a dent in the wallet of criminals."
Elena Hasheminejad, York region public health nurse, told students that "for many years we could not talk about [cannabis], about the harms or medicinal benefits. Now we have an opportunity to educate and regulate and do the research that has been lacking." Hopefully by this point of the information session, Nigel Cole was sitting down and taking notes.