🚀 go-pugleaf

There's no shortage of misinformation and unsubstantiated claims involving
the medical uses of marijuana.  So, it's important to focus our attention on
the most reliable sources - medical professionals.  Let's consider five of
the most frequent pro-marijuana claims and the response from the medical
community:

Claim I: Smoking marijuana is the only way to relieve symptoms for some
patients.

Some medical patients do experience relief of symptoms from the active
ingredient in marijuana - tetrahydrocannabinol - commonly referred to as
THC. The symptoms often relieved include nausea, vomiting and loss of
appetite.1  However, patients can receive a synthetically created version of
THC through prescription drugs such as Marinol, available since 1985.2 After
extensive testing, Marinol was approved by the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) and must be distributed in a pure form.  By contrast, marijuana varies
wildly in THC content, making it impossible to prescribe dosage and potency.
Smoking marijuana also creates a distinct spike of THC in blood levels.
Marinol, however, is a pill, which time-releases THC - a more effective and
medically accepted procedure.

Claim II: The medical benefits of marijuana outweigh any side effects.

If this were true, the FDA would most likely have approved marijuana for
medical purposes.  Instead, the FDA has repeatedly refused to do so.  In
fact, no FDA-approved drug is smoked, and in the case of marijuana, smoking
it increases chances of lung cancer, as does smoking tobacco.  In fact,
according to one study, smoking marijuana burdens the respiratory system
four times more than an equivalent amount of tobacco smoking.3

Claim III: Marijuana is not a "gateway" drug, leading to the use of harder
drugs, like cocaine and heroine.

A study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) found
that children who use marijuana are 85 times more likely to use cocaine than
are children who do not use marijuana.4 Based on these findings, it seems
likely that the increased availability and use of marijuana nationwide (even
for medical purposes) will cause a corresponding increase in hard drug use.
General Barry R. McCaffrey, director of the Office of National Drug Control
Policy, believes marijuana's influence as a "gateway" drug will only
increase, as young people perceive marijuana to be a safe substance.
According to McCaffrey, "Referenda that tell our children that marijuana is
a 'medicine' send them the wrong signal about the dangers of illegal drugs -
increasing the likelihood that more children will turn to drugs."5

Claim IV: Legalization will only give patients with a demonstrated need
access to marijuana.

Perhaps the most troubling loophole in medical-marijuana proposals, such as
California's Proposition 215 in 1996, is the fact that a patient can use
marijuana with merely an oral recommendation by a doctor.6
Similarly, an ordinance passed in 1998 by the Oakland City Council allows
those with only a doctor's oral recommendation to possess 1.5 pounds of
marijuana and to grow 144 plants at a time.7

Claim V: The legalization of "medicinal" marijuana is not a first step
toward legalizing marijuana for recreational drug use.

An examination of state ballot initiatives proposed after voters approved
marijuana for medical purposes challenges this claim.  After legalizing
medical marijuana in Alaska, Arizona, Oregon and Washington state, marijuana
advocates openly moved toward their other goals for the November 2000
election.  In Arizona and Washington, signatures were gathered to
decriminalize marijuana for the general public.  In Oregon, the goal was to
regulate the sale of marijuana to adults through liquor stores.  In Alaska,
the "2000 Hemp Initiative" asks voters to approve complete legalization of
marijuana for those 18 years of age or older.  Only Alaska's proponents
successfully placed their initiative on the November 2000 ballot.  The other
three efforts failed to qualify for the ballot.

Legalizing marijuana for medical purposes is unnecessary, poses an
additional physical threat to patients, may lead to increased illegal drug
use and is a move toward legalization for use by all adults.  Marijuana is
bad medicine.