Medical Marijuana. Two small words, one big problem. The debate about medical marijuana (or medical cannabis) has been going on for decades and is still being contested today. Medical marijuana is currently a federally controlled substance, but 14 states have Compassionate Use Laws that approve and regulate it for medical use. The laws in each of these states are convoluted, and the discrepancy between federal and state laws inherently causes problems. The clinics, or dispensaries, are often breeding grounds for crime and violence, and allow common criminals to use state laws to their advantage in the establishment of more serious criminal activities, most obviously drug trafficking. The federal government needs to assume a more active role in the handling of illegal substances. Simply saying it is illegal and then standing back to let these issues take root is unacceptable.
Also, simply making medical marijuana legal is not the correct option. Marijuana is classified as a “Schedule 1” substance, defined as having a high potential for abuse and no medicinal value. There has been no concrete evidence offered to reschedule the substance to a lower level. Research has shown that marijuana smoke can contain as much as five times more carbon monoxide than cigarettes.
The British Lung Foundation found in a 2002 report that the effects of smoking three to four marijuana cigarettes can have the same physiological effect as smoking 20 tobacco cigarettes, an entire pack. Marijuana also can have a serious effect on the brain, especially since oftentimes THC can be stored in fat cells, so the brain will experience prolonged exposure to the harmful effects of marijuana.
There is also the issue of adolescent use of marijuana. By making it legal, it would be even easier for teenagers to gain access to this very dangerous substance. While it is rare, there have been documented cases of adolescents developing psychotic issues in later life, including schizophrenia and paranoia.
If we allow marijuana use to become rampant by, in a sense, making it socially acceptable, we could see a sharp rise in these cases. There is also the commonly known side effects of laziness, loss of memory, and general delinquency in teenage and even adult smokers. Making marijuana legal for medical purposes will only mean more teens will have chances to get their hands on the dangerous substance.
We put our youth in danger if we make marijuana acceptable. Teens already show a proficiency at obtaining other illegal items such as cigarettes and alcohol, so it is no stretch to imagine that they would find it easy to get their hands on legalized marijuana, thereby exposing them to the harmful medical effects of this risky substance.
Then, you have to consider the issue of marijuana as a “gateway drug.” There has been solid research showing that marijuana use increases the likelihood for experimentation with, and dependence on, more serious drugs. If we legalize medical marijuana, then we open up our entire society to this serious risk. Extended use of marijuana gradually reduces the effect it appears to have in terms of the “high,” and so users are more likely to switch to something stronger.
Finally, the federal government needs to be wary. Although “slippery slope” is a very cliche phrase, that is because it is so often applicable to these types of situations. Rescheduling marijuana to a lower level and opening it up to federal regulation only leads to more debates on why more serious drugs are not allowed to be opened up to the public.
If we say medical marijuana is acceptable to use because of a potential benefit, then how long will it be before energy drink companies say that cocaine, should be legalized as it is an effective stimulant? We endanger the future by allowing our standards to gradually decay. We could end up in a scenario where we might consider something akin to the dangerous “Needle Park” in Zurich, where it was legal to purchase and inject heroin, free from police harassment.
The legality of heroin was short-lived, naturally, as it became a breeding ground for other illicit activities. Saying, “Well, maybe pot is okay,” today may eventually lead us to say, “Well, truckers do need the energy in amphetamines to make those cross-country trips.”
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http://tinyurl.com/SOS-Gossip"Cannabis is one of the least toxic substances
in the whole pharmacopoeia"
~ Professor Lester Grinspoon,
Harvard Medical School