Is the legalization of marijuana valid

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Is the legalization of marijuana valid? The debate over the legalization of Cannabis sativa, more commonly known as marijuana, has been one of the most controversial issues ever to occur in the United States. Its use as a medicine has existed for thousands of years in many countries worldwide and is documented as far back as 2700 BC in ancient Chinese writings. Marijuana should be legalized for several reasons. First, the government could earn money from taxes on its sale. Its value to the medical world outweighs its potential abuse, and because of its importance to the paper and clothing industries. Legalization should be considered despite efforts made by groups, which say marijuana is a harmful drug that will increase crime rates and lead users to other more dangerous substances.

Government could impose heavy taxation on it. The Marijuana Tax Act, which passed in 1937, coincidentally occurred just as the decoricator machine was invented. With this invention, hemp would have been able to take over competing industries almost instantaneously. William Hearst owned enormous acres of forest so his interest in preventing the growth of hemp can be easily explained. Competition from hemp would have easily driven the Hearst paper-manufacturing company out of business and significantly lowered the value of his land. DuPont's involvement in the anti-hemp campaign can also be explained with great ease. At this time, DuPont was patenting a new sulfuric acid process for producing wood-pulp paper. According to the company's own records, wood-pulp products ultimately accounted for more than 80% of all DuPont's railroad car loadings for the 50 years the Marijuana Tax Act was passed. Two years before the prohibitive hemp tax in 1937, DuPont developed nylon which was a substitute for hemp rope. The year after the tax was passed DuPont came out with rayon, which would have been unable to compete with the strength of hemp fiber. DuPont's point man was Harry Anslinger, who was appointed to the FBN by Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon, who was also chairman of the Mellon Bank. Anslinger's relationship to Mellon wasn't just political, he was also married to Mellon's niece. The reasoning behind DuPont, Anslinger, and Hearst was not for any moral or health related issues. They fought to prevent the growth of this new industry so they wouldn't lose money. As we start the new century, people should be concentrating on the serious drugs like heroin and


amphetamines. In the UK in 1991, 42,209 people were convicted of marijuana charges, clogging courts and overcrowding prisons, and almost 90 percent of drug offenses involve cannabis. The British government spends 500 million pounds a year on "overall responses to drugs" but receives no taxes from the estimated 1.8 billion pound illegal drug market. Figures like this can be seen in the United States as well. The United States spends billions of dollars annually on the war on drugs. If the government were to legalize marijuana, it could reasonably place high taxes on it because people are used to buying marijuana at high prices created by the risks of selling marijuana illegally. It could be sold at a convenient store just like a pack of cigarettes for less than someone would pay now, but still yield a high profit because of easy growing requirements. An entire industry could be created out of hemp based products. The oils extracted from the seeds could be used for fuels and the hemp fiber, a fiber valued for its strength that it is used to judge the quality of other fibers, could be manufactured into ropes, clothing, or paper. Most importantly, the money the government would make from taxes could be used for more important things, such as serious drugs or the national debt. The recreational use of marijuana would not stimulate crime like some would argue. The crime rate in Amsterdam, where marijuana is legal, is lower than many major US cities. Full Marijuana Tax Act Medical Benefits. The American Medical Association tried to argue for the medical benefits of hemp. Marijuana is actually less dangerous than alcohol, cigarettes, and even most over-the-counter medicines or prescriptions. Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within a supervised routine of medical care. For marijuana to be illegal in the United States when alcohol poisoning is a major cause of death in this country and approximately 400,000 premature deaths are attributed to cigarettes annually. A Person that drinks an extreme amount of alcohol will experience and inability to stand or walk without help and may result in unconsciousness or death. Even though these effects occur only under an extreme amount of alcohol consumption, the fact is smoking extreme amounts of marijuana will do nothing more than put someone to sleep, while drinking excessive amounts of alcohol will kill someone. The most profound activist for marijuana's use as a medicine is Dr. Lester Grinspoon, author of Marijuana: The Forbidden Medicine. According to Grinspoon, "The only well confirmed negative effect of marijuana is caused by the smoke, which contains three times more tars and five times more carbon monoxide than tobacco. But even the heaviest marijuana smokers rarely use as much as an average tobacco smoker." Marijuana also relieves nausea suffered by cancer patients undergoing powerful chemotherapy. It is also used by patients who have multiple sclerosis and AIDS. Marijuana also proved to be effective in the treatment of glaucoma because its use lowers pressure on the eye. Information site An other information site And in conclusion. Marijuana supports can expect strong opposition from companies like DuPont and paper manufacturers but the selfishness of these corporations should not prevent its use in society like it did in the 1930's. Regardless of what these organizations will say about marijuana, the fact is it has the potential to become one of the most useful substances in the entire world. If people took action and the government legalized it today, we will immediately see benefits from this decision. People suffering from illnesses ranging from manic depression to Multiple Sclerosis would be able to experience relief. The government could make billions of dollars off of the


taxes it could impose on its sale, and its implementation into the industrial world would create thousands of new jobs for the economy. Also, because of its role in paper making, the rain forests of South America can be saved from their current fate of extinction. No recorded deaths have ever occurred as a result of marijuana use, it is not physically addictive like alcohol or tobacco, and most doctors will agree it is safer to use than those substances . Marijuana being illegal has no validity at all. Due to all the positive aspects of marijuana it should be legalized in the United States.

The debate over the legalization of Cannabis Sativa, more commonly known as marijuana, has been one of the most heated controversies ever to occur in the Inited States. Its use as a medicine has existed for thousands of years in many countries world wide and "can be documented as far back as 2700 BC in ancient Chinese writings." When someone says bhanga, ganja, kinnub, cannabis, bung, chu ts-ao, asa, dope, grass, rasta, or weed, they are talking about the same subject: marijuana. Marijuana should be legalized because the government could earn money from taxes on its sale, its value to the medical world outweighs its abuse potential, and because of its importance to the paper and clothing industries. This action should be taken despite efforts made by groups which say marijuana is a harmful drug which will increase crime rates and lead users to other more dangerous substances. The actual story behind the legislature passed against marijuana is quite surprising. According to Jack Herer, author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes and an expert on the "hemp conspiracy," the acts bringing about the demise of hemp were part of a large conspiracy involving DuPont, Harry J. Anslinger, commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, and many other influential industrial leaders such as William Randolph Hearst and Andrew Mellon. Herer notes that the Marijuana Tax Act, which passed in 1937, coincidentally occurred just as the decoricator machine was invented. With this invention, hemp would have been able to take over competing industries almost instantaneously. According to Popular Mechanics, "10,000 acres devoted to hemp will produce as much paper as 40,000 acres of average [forest] pulp land." William Hearst owned enormous timber acreage, land best suited for conventional pulp, so his interest in preventing the growth of hemp can be easily explained. Competition from hemp would have easily driven the Hearst paper-manufacturing company out of business and significantly lowered the value of his land. Herer even suggests popularizing the term "marijuana" was a strategy Hearst used in order to create fear in the American public. "The first step in creating hysteria was to introduce the element of fear of the unknown by using a word that no one had ever heard of before... 'marijuana'" (ibid). DuPont's involvment in the anti-hemp campaign can also be explained with great ease. At this time, DuPont was patenting a new sulfuric acid process for producing wood-pulp paper. "According to the company's own records, wood-pulp products ultimately accounted for more than 80% of all DuPont's railroad car loadings for the next 50 years" (ibid). Indeed it should be noted that "two years before the prohibitive hemp tax in 1937, DuPont developed a new synthetic fiber, nylon, which was an ideal substitute for hemp rope" (Hartsell). The year


after the tax was passed DuPont came out with rayon, which would have been unable to compete with the strength of hemp fiber or its economical process of manufacturing. "DuPont's point man was none other than Harry Anslinger...who was appointed to the FBN by Treasury Secretary Andrew MEllon, who was also chairman of the Mellon Bank, DuPont's chief financial backer. Anslinger's relationship to Mellon wasn't just political, he was also married to Mellon's niece" (Hartsell). It doesn't take much to draw a connection between DuPont, Anslinger, and Mellon, and it's obvious that all of these groups, including Hearst, had strong motivation to prevent the growth of the hemp industry. The reasoning behind DuPont, Anslinger, and Hearst was not for any moral or health related issues. They fought to prevent the growth of this new industry so they wouldn't go bankrupt. In fact, the American Medical Association tried to argue for the medical benefits of hemp. Marijuana is actually less dangerous than alcohol, cigarettes, and even most over-thecounter medicines or prescriptions. According to Francis J. Young, the DEA's administrative judge, "nearly all medicines have toxicm, potentially letal affects, but marijuana is not such a substance...Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within a supervised routine of medical care" (DEA Docket No. 86-22, 57). It is illogical then, for marijuana to be illegal in the United States when "alcohol poisoning is a significant cause of death in this country" and "approximately 400,000 premature deaths are attributed to cigarettes annually." Dr. Roger Pertwee, SEcretary of the International Cannabis Research Society states that as a recreational drug, "Marijuana compares favourably to nicotine, alcohol, and even caffeine." Under extreme amounts of alcohol a person will experience an "inability to stand or walk without help, stupor and near unconsciousness, lack of comprehension of what is seen or heard, shock, and breathing and heartbeat may stop." Even though these effects occur only under insane amounts of alcohol consumption, (.2-.5 BAL) the fact is smoking extreme amounts of marijuana will do nothing more than put you to sleep, whereas drinking excessive amounts of alcohol will kill you. The most profound activist for marijuana's use as a medicine is Dr. Lester Grinspoon, author of Marihuana: The Forbidden Medicine. According to Grinspoon, "The only well-confirmed negative effect of marijuana is caused by the smoke, which contains three times more tars and five times more carbon monoxide than tobacco. But even the heaviest marijuana smokers rarely use as much as an average tobacco smoker. And, of course, many prefer to eat it." His book includes personal accounts of how prescribed marijuana alleviated epilepsy, weight loss of aids, nausea of chemotherapy, menstrual pains, and the severe effects of multiple sclerosis. The illness with the most documentation and harmony among doctors which marijuana has successfully treated is MS. Grinspoon believes for MS sufferers, "Cannabis is the drug of necessity." One patient of his, 51 year old Elizabeth MacRory, says "It has completely changed my life...It has helped with muscle spasms, allowed me to sleep properly, and helped control my bladder." Marijuana also proved to be effective in the treatment of glaucoma because its use lwoers pressure on the eye. "In a recent survey at a leading teaching hospital, 'over 60 per cent of medical students were found to be marijuana users.' In the same survey, only 30 per cent admitted to smoking cigarettes" (Guardian). Brian Hilliard, editor of Police Review, says "Legalizing cannabis


wouldn't do any harm to anybody. We should be concentrating on the serious business of heroin and amphetamines." "In the UK in 1991, 42,209 people were convicted of marijuana charges, clogging courts and overcrowding prisons...and almost 90 per cent of drug offences invlove cannabis...The British government spends 500 million pounds a year on "overall responses to drugs" but receives no tax revenue from the estimated 1.8 billion pound illicit drug market" (Guardian). Figures like this can be seen in the United States as well. The U.S. spends billions of dollars annually in its "war on drugs." If the government were to legalize marijuana, it could reasonably place high taxes on it because people are used to buying marijuana at inflated prices created by risks of selling illegally. It could be sold at a convenient store just like a pack of cigarettes for less than someone would pay now, but still yield a high profit because of easy growing requirements. An entire industry could be created out of hemp based products. The oils extracted from seeds could be used for fuels and the hemp fiber, a fiber so valued for its strength that it is used to judge the quality of other fibers, could be manufactured into ropes, clothing, or paper. Most importantly, the money the government would make from taxes and the money which would be saved by not trying to prevent its use could be used for more important things, such as serious drugs or the national debt. The recreational use of marijuana would not stimulate crime like some would argue. The crime rate in Amsterdam is lower than many major U.S. cities. Mario Lap, a key drug policy advisor in the Netherlands national government says "We've had a realistic drug policy for 30 years in the Netherlands, and we know what works. We distinguish between soft and hard drugs, between traffickers and users. We try not to make people into criminals" (Houston Chronicle). In 1989 the LAncet report states "The Dutch have shown that there is nothing inevitable about the drugs ladder in which soft drugs lead to heard drugs. The ladder does not exist in Holland because the dealers have been separated." We can expect strong opposition from companies like DuPont and paper manufacturerss but the selfishness of these corporations should not prevent its use in our society like it did in the 1930's. Regardless of what these organizations will say about marijuana, the fact is it has the potential to become one of the most useful substances in the entire world. If we took action and our government legalized it today, we would immediately see benefits from this decision. People suffering from illnesses ranging from manic depression to multiple sclerosis would be able to experience relief, the government could make a fortune off of the taxes it could impose on its sale, and its implementation into the industrial world would create thousands of new jobs for the economy. Also, because of its role in paper making, the rain forests of South America could be saved from their current fate. No recorded deaths have ever occurred as a result of marijuana use, it is not physically addictive like alcohol or tobacco, and most doctors will agree it is safer to use.


14 Legal Medical Marijuana States and DC Laws, Fees, and Possession Limits

I. Fourteen states and DC have enacted laws that legalize medical marijuana: State

Year How Passed Passed (Yes Vote)

ID Card Fee

Possession Limit

Accepts other states' registry ID cards?

1 oz usable; 6 plants (3 mature, 3 immature)

Unknown *

Alaska

1998

Ballot Measure 8 (58%)

$25/$20

2.

California

1996

Proposition 215 (56%)

$66/$33 8 oz usable; 18 plants (6 mature, 12 immature)**

3.

Colorado

2000

Ballot Amendment 20 (54%)

DC

2010

1.

4.

Amendment Act B18-622 (13-0 vote)

$90

***

2 oz usable; 6 plants (3 mature, 3 immature) 2 oz dried; limits on other forms to be determined

No

No

Unknown

5. Hawaii

2000

Senate Bill 862 (32-18 House; 1312 Senate)

$25

3 oz usable; 7 plants (3 mature, 4 immature)

No

Maine

1999

Ballot Question 2 (61%)

****

2.5 oz usable; 6 plants

Yes

7.

Michigan

2008

Proposal 1 (63%)

$100/$25

2.5 oz usable; 12 plants

Yes

8.

Montana

2004

Initiative 148 (62%)

$25/$10

1 oz usable; 6 plants

Yes

9.

Nevada

2000

Ballot Question 9 (65%)

$150 +

1 oz usable; 7 plants (3 mature, 4 immature)

No

2010

Senate Bill 119 (48-14 House; 2513 Senate)

*****

2 oz usable

Unknown

2007

Senate Bill 523

$0

6 oz usable; 16 plants (4 mature, 12

No

6.

10. New

Jersey 11.

New


(36-31 House; 323 Senate)

Mexico Oregon

1998

Ballot Measure 67 (55%)

$100/$20

24 oz usable; 24 plants (6 mature, 18 immature)

Yes

Rhode Island

2006

Senate Bill 0710 (52-10 House; 331 Senate)

$75/$10

2.5 oz usable; 12 plants

Yes

Vermont

2004

Senate Bill 76 (227) HB 645 (82-59)

$50

2 oz usable; 9 plants (2 mature, 7 immature)

No

1998

Initiative 692 (59%)

******

24 oz usable; 15 plants

No

12.

13.

14.

immature)

15.

Washington

[Editor's note: 13 states require proof of residency to be considered a qualifying patient for medical marijuana use. Only Oregon has announced that its 1998 law legalizing medical marijuana is not limited to state residents. Karen O'Keefe, JD, Director of State Policies for Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), told ProCon.org in a July 27, 2010 email that "Patients and their caregivers can cultivate in 13 of the 14 states. Home cultivation is not allowed in New Jersey or the District of Columbia and a special license is required in New Mexico."]

II. Two states have passed laws that, although favorable towards medical marijuana, do not legalize its use: State

Year Passed

Provision

Arizona

1996

Allows physicians to prescribe marijuana (federal law prohibits physicians from prescribing Schedule I drugs)

Maryland

2003

Allows medical use defense in court

1.

2.

I. Fourteen states and DC have enacted laws that legalize medical marijuana: State 1.

Alaska

Program Details

Contact and Other Info

Ballot Measure 8 -- Approved Nov. 3, 1998 by 58% of voters Effective: Mar. 4, 1999

Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics Marijuana Registry P.O. Box 110699 Juneau, AK 99811-0699 Phone: 907-465-5423

Removed state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess written BVSSpecialServices@health.state.ak.us


documentation from their physician advising that they "might benefit from the medical use of marijuana." Approved Conditions: Cachexia, cancer, chronic pain, epilepsy and other disorders characterized by seizures, glaucoma, HIV or AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other disorders characterized by muscle spasticity, and nausea. Other conditions are subject to approval by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. Possession/Cultivation: Patients (or their primary caregivers) may legally possess no more than one ounce of usable marijuana, and may cultivate no more than six marijuana plants, of which no more than three may be mature. The law establishes a confidential state-run patient registry that issues identification cards to qualifying patients. Amended: Senate Effective: June 2, 1999

Bill

AK Marijuana Registry Online Information provided by the state on sources for medical marijuana: None found Fee: $25 new application/$20 renewal Accepts other states' registry ID cards? Unknown *[Editor's Note: Four phone calls made Jan. 5-8, 2010 and an email sent on Jan. 6, 2010 by ProCon.org to the Alaska Marijuana Registry have not yet been returned and the information is not available on the state's website (as of Jan. 11, 2010).] Registration: Mandatory

94

Mandates all patients seeking legal protection under this act to enroll in the state patient registry and possess a valid identification card. Patients not enrolled in the registry will no longer be able to argue the "affirmative defense of medical necessity" if they are arrested on marijuana charges. Update: Alaska Statute Title 17 Chapter 37 (36 KB)

Creates a confidential statewide registry of medical marijuana patients and caregivers and establishes identification card. 2.

California Ballot Proposition 215 -- Approved Nov. 5, 1996 by 56% of voters Effective: Nov. 6, 1996 Removes state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess a

California Department of Public Health Office of County Health Services Attention: Medical Marijuana Program Unit MS 5203


"written or oral recommendation" from their physician that he or she "would benefit from medical marijuana." Patients diagnosed with any debilitating illness where the medical use of marijuana has been "deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician" are afforded legal protection under this act.

P.O. Box 997377 Sacramento, CA 95899-7377 Phone: 916-552-8600 Fax: 916-440-5591 mmpinfo@dhs.ca.gov CA Medical Marijuana Program

Approved Conditions: AIDS, anorexia, Guidelines for the Security and Nonarthritis, cachexia, cancer, chronic pain, diversion of Marijuana Grown for Medical glaucoma, migraine, persistent muscle Use (55 KB) spasms, including spasms associated with multiple sclerosis, seizures, including Information provided by the state on seizures associated with epilepsy, severe sources for medical marijuana: nausea; Other chronic or persistent medical "Dispensaries, growing collectives, etc., symptoms. are licensed through local city or county business ordinances and the regulatory Amended: Senate Bill 420 (70 KB) authority lies with the State Attorney Effective: Jan. 1, 2004 General's Office. Their number is 1-800952-5225." (accessed Jan. 11, 2010) Imposes statewide guidelines outlining how much medicinal marijuana patients may Fee: grow and possess. $66 non Medi-Cal / $33 Medi-Cal, plus additional county fees (varies by Possession/Cultivation: Qualified patients location) and their primary caregivers may possess no more than eight ounces of dried marijuana Accepts other states' registry ID cards? and/or six mature (or 12 immature) No marijuana plants. However, S.B. 420 allows Registration: patients to possess larger amounts of Voluntary marijuana when recommended by a physician. The legislation also allows counties and municipalities to approve and/or maintain local ordinances permitting patients to possess larger quantities of medicinal pot than allowed under the new state guidelines. S.B. 420 also grants implied legal protection to the state's medicinal marijuana dispensaries, stating, "Qualified patients, persons with valid identification cards, and the designated primary caregivers of qualified patients ... who associate within the state of California in order collectively or cooperatively to cultivate marijuana for medical purposes, shall not solely on the basis of that fact be subject to state criminal


sanctions." **[Editor's Note: On Jan. 21, 2010, the California Supreme Court affirmed the May 22, 2008 Second District Court of Appeals ruling that the possession limits set by SB 420 violate the California constitution because the voter-approved Prop. 215 can only be amended by the voters. As of Dec. 22, 2009, the California Medical Marijuana Program was still operating under the guidelines in SB 420 because it had not received instruction otherwise, according to program representative Paula SahleenBuckingham in a phone interview with ProCon.org. We have not yet confirmed how the Jan. 21, 2010 ruling will affect the implementation of the medical marijuana program in California.] Attorney General's Guidelines: On Aug. 25, 2008, California Attorney General Jerry Brown issued guidelines for law enforcement and medical marijuana patients to clarify the state's laws. Read more about the guidelines here.

Eight States with Pending Legislation or Ballot Measures to Legalize Medical Marijuana (as of July 28, 2010) 1.

Arizona

5. North

Carolina

2. Illinois 6.

3.

Ohio

Massachusetts 7.

Pennsylvania

4. New 8.

York

South Dakota

Top 10 Pros and Cons Should marijuana be a medical option? The PRO and CON statements below give a five minute introduction to the debate on medical marijuana. (Read more information about our one star

to five star

1. Physician Perspectives on Marijuana's Medical Use 2. Medical Organizations' Opinions

Theoretical Expertise System.)

6. Marijuana use for the Terminally Ill 7. Marijuana vs. Marinol 8. Addictiveness of Marijuana


3. US Government Officials' Views 4. Health Risks of Smoked

9. "Gateway" Effect 10. Medical Marijuana Debate and Its

Marijuana 5. Treating AIDS with Marijuana

PRO Medical Marijuana

Effect on Youth Drug Use

CON Medical Marijuana

1. Physician Perspectives on Marijuana's Medical Use "The evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS -- or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them. And it can do so with remarkable safety. Indeed, marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every day." -- Joycelyn Elders, MD Former US Surgeon General Editorial, Providence Journal Mar. 26, 2004

"Although I understand many believe marijuana is the most effective drug in combating their medical ailments, I would caution against this assumption due to the lack of consistent, repeatable scientific data available to prove marijuana's medical benefits. Based on current evidence, I believe that marijuana is a dangerous drug and that there are less dangerous medicines offering the same relief from pain and other medical symptoms." -- Bill Frist, MD Former US Senator (R-TN) Correspondence to ProCon.org Oct. 20, 2003

2. Medical Organizations' Opinions "ACP urges review of marijuana's status as a schedule I controlled substance and its reclassification into a more appropriate schedule, given the scientific evidence regarding marijuana's safety and efficacy in some clinical conditions... ACP strongly supports exemption from federal criminal prosecution; civil liability; or professional sanctioning, such as loss of licensure or credentialing, for physicians who prescribe or dispense medical marijuana in accordance with state law. Similarly, ACP strongly urges protection from criminal or civil penalties for patients who use medical marijuana as permitted under state laws."

"In an effort to determine whether marijuana, or drugs derived from marijuana, might be effective as a glaucoma treatment, the National Eye Institute (NEI) supported research studies beginning in 1978... However, none of these studies demonstrated that marijuana -- or any of its components -- could lower IOP [intraocular pressure] as effectively as drugs already on the market. In addition, some potentially serious side effects were noted, including an increased heart rate and a decrease in blood pressure in studies using smoked marijuana.

The identification of side effects from smoked marijuana, coupled with the emergence of highly effective FDA-approved medications for glaucoma -- American College of Physicians "Supporting Research into the Therapeutic Role of treatment, may have led to diminished interest in Marijuana," acponline.org this research area." Feb. 15, 2008 -- National Eye Institute "Glaucoma and Marijuana Use," nei.nih.gov Mar. 17, 2009


3. US Government Officials' Views "The evidence in this record [9-6-88 ruling] clearly shows that marijuana has been accepted as capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very ill people, and doing so with safety under medical supervision. It would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance in light of the evidence in this record."

"Smoked marijuana damages the brain, heart, lungs, and immune system. It impairs learning and interferes with memory, perception, and judgment. Smoked marijuana contains cancer-causing compounds and has been implicated in a high percentage of automobile crashes and workplace accidents." -- John Walters Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy Syndicated editorial Mar. 2002

-- Judge Francis L. Young DEA Administrative Law Judge Administrative ruling on Petition to Reschedule Marijuana Sep. 1988 4. Health Risks of Smoked Marijuana "[T]here is very little evidence that smoking marijuana as a means of taking it represents a significant health risk. Although cannabis has been smoked widely in Western countries for more than four decades, there have been no reported cases of lung cancer or emphysema attributed to marijuana. I suspect that a day's breathing in any city with poor air quality poses more of a threat than inhaling a day's dose -- which for many ailments is just a portion of a joint -- of marijuana." -- Lester Grinspoon, MD Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry Harvard Medical School "Puffing Is the Best Medicine," Los Angeles Times May 5, 2006

"3-4 Cannabis cigarettes a day are associated with the same evidence of acute and chronic bronchitis and the same degree of damage to the bronchial mucosa as 20 or more tobacco cigarettes a day. Cannabis smoking is likely to weaken the immune system. Infections of the lung are due to a combination of smoking-related damage to the cells lining the bronchial passage and impairment of the principal immune cells in the small air sacs caused by cannabis." -- British Lung Foundation "Smoking Gun: The Impact of Cannabis Smoking on Respiratory Health," a publicly disseminated report Nov. 2002

5. Treating AIDS with Marijuana "Patients receiving cannabinoids [smoked marijuana and marijuana pills] had improved immune function compared with those receiving placebo. They also gained about 4 pounds more on average than those patients receiving placebo."

"The most compelling concerns regarding marijuana smoking in HIV/AIDS patients are the possible effects of marijuana on immunity.

Reports of opportunistic fungal and bacterial pneumonia in AIDS patients who used marijuana suggest that marijuana smoking either suppresses -- Donald Abrams, MD, et al. "Short-Term Effects of Cannabinoids in Patients the immune system or exposes patients to an with HIV-1 Infection," added burden of pathogens. Annals of Internal Medicine


Aug. 19, 2003 In summary, patients with preexisting immune deficits due to AIDS should be expected to be vulnerable to serious harm caused by smoking marijuana." -- Institute of Medicine Report Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base Mar. 1999 6. Marijuana For the Terminally Ill "Consumer Reports believes that, for patients with advanced AIDS and terminal cancer, the apparent benefits some derive from smoking marijuana outweigh any substantiated or even suspected risks. In the same spirit the FDA uses to hasten the approval of cancer drugs, federal laws should be relaxed in favor of states' rights to allow physicians to administer marijuana to their patients on a caring and compassionate basis." -- Consumer Reports Editorial May 1997

"[T]he use of marijuana [for the terminally ill] can no longer be considered a therapeutic intervention but one of several procedures used to ease the ebbing of life of the terminally ill. But for this purpose doctors should prescribe antiemetic and analgesic therapies of proven efficacy, rather than marijuana smoking. This therapeutic course is not based on bureaucratic absolutism, political correctness, or reflexive ideology - but on scientific knowledge and the humane practice of medicine." -- Gabriel Nahas, MD, PhD Editorial, Wall Street Journal Mar. 1997

7. Marijuana vs. Marinol "There are really no other medications that have the same mechanisms of action as marijuana. Dronabinol (Marinol) is available by prescription in capsules, but has the distinct disadvantage of containing only synthetic delta-9tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which is only one of many therapeutically beneficial cannabinoids in the natural plant." -- Gregory T. Carter, MD Co-director, MDA/ALS Center, University of Washington Medical Center Muscular Dystrophy Association website article Oct. 2003

"Marinol differs from the crude plant marijuana because it consists of one pure, well-studied, FDAapproved pharmaceutical in stable known dosages. Marijuana is an unstable mixture of over 400 chemicals including many toxic psychoactive chemicals which are largely unstudied and appear in uncontrolled strengths." -- California Narcotics Officers Association Official policy statement "The Use of Marijuana as a Medicine" Oct. 31, 2005

8. Addictiveness of Marijuana "For some users, perhaps as many as 10 per cent, cannabis leads to psychological dependence, but there is scant evidence that it carries a risk of true

"This study validated several specific effects of marijuana abstinence in heavy marijuana users, and showed they were reliable and clinically


addiction. Unlike cigarette smokers, most users do not take the drug on a daily basis, and usually abandon it in their twenties or thirties. Unlike for nicotine, alcohol and hard drugs, there is no clearly defined withdrawal syndrome, the hallmark of true addiction, when use is stopped."

significant. These withdrawal effects appear similar in type and magnitude to those observed in studies of nicotine withdrawal [...] Craving for marijuana, decreased appetite, sleep difficulty, and weight loss reliably changed across the smoking and abstinence phases. Aggression, anger, irritability, restlessness, and strange dreams increased significantly during one abstinence -- Colin Blakemore, PhD Chair, Dept. of Physiology, University of Oxford phase, but not the other." (U.K.), and Leslie Iversen, PhD Professor of Pharmacology, Oxford University Editorial, The Times (U.K.) Aug. 6, 2001

--Alan J. Budney, PhD et al. Professor, University of Arkansas Center for Addiction Research "Marijuana Abstinence Effects in Marijuana Smokers Maintained in Their Home Environment" Archives of General Psychiatry Oct. 2001

9. "Gateway" Effect "We've shown that the marijuana gateway effect is not the best explanation for the link between marijuana use and the use of harder drugs. An alternative, simpler and more compelling explanation accounts for the pattern of drug use you see in this country, without resort to any gateway effects. While the gateway theory has enjoyed popular acceptance, scientists have always had their doubts. Our study shows that these doubts are justified.[...]

"A new federal report released today concludes the younger children are when they first use marijuana, the more likely they are to use cocaine and heroin and become dependent on drugs as adults.[...] Increases in the likelihood of cocaine and heroin use and drug dependence are also apparent for those who initiate use of marijuana at any later age"

The people who are predisposed to use drugs and have the opportunity to use drugs are more likely than others to use both marijuana and harder drugs. Marijuana typically comes first because it is more available."

Administration (SAMHSA) SAMHSA press release on their report; "Initiation of Marijuana Use: Trends, Patterns and Implications" Aug. 28, 2002

--US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

-- Andrew Morral, PhD Researcher, Rand Corporation Press release discussing his study published in the U.K. journal Addiction Dec. 2, 2002 10. Medical Marijuana Debate and Its Affect on Youth Drug Use "While it is not possible with existing data to determine conclusively that state medical marijuana laws caused the documented declines in adolescent marijuana use, the overwhelming downward trend strongly suggests that the effect of

"By characterizing the use of illegal drugs as quasilegal, state-sanctioned, Saturday afternoon fun, legalizers destabilize the societal norm that drug use is dangerous. They undercut the goals of stopping the initiation of drug use to prevent


state medical marijuana laws on teen marijuana use has been either neutral or positive, discouraging youthful experimentation with the drug." -- Mitch Earleywine, PhD Associate Professor of Psychology, State University of New York at Albany Karen O’Keefe, Esq. Attorney & Legislative Analyst, Marijuana Policy Project Report, "Marijuana Use by Young People: The Impact of State Medical Marijuana Laws" Sep. 2005

PRO Medical Marijuana

addiction.... Children entering drug abuse treatment routinely report that they heard that 'pot is medicine' and, therefore, believed it to be good for them." -- Andrea Barthwell, MD Former Deputy Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Chicago Tribune editorial Feb. 17, 2004

CON Medical Marijuana


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