Roy Matthew, Director of the Duke Alcoholism and Addictions Program, affiliated with Duke University in Durham, NC, reports that steady users of marijuana (ten joints a week for three years) show a dramatically lower (and permanent) baseline level of cerebral blood flow than non-users. Cerebral blood flow is a measure of brain activity. Those who smoke once or twice during a three year period show no measurable drop in baseline cerebral flow over time. However, the same non-users and infrequent users show an immediate measurable drop in cerebral blood flow right after smoking one joint. Continued, steady use of marijuana results in what Matthew calls the "amotivational syndrome" -- lethargic, self-defeating behavior, resulting in loss of interest in work or school, abandonment of long-term plans and loss of pleasure in normal activity.*