Pubdate: Tue, 15 Mar 2011
Source: Union, The (Grass Valley, CA)
Copyright: 2011 The Union
Contact: http://apps.theunion.com/utils/forms/lettertoeditor/
Website: http://www.theunion.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/957
Author: Patricia A. Smith
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n152/a04.html
Note: Patricia A. Smith lives in Grass Valley. She writes a medical 
marijuana and a Cooking with Cannabis column for the Desert Valley 
Star, and teaches the pros and cons of medical marijuana treatment in 
her seminar series, "Is Medical Marijuana Right For You."

RE- 'DON'T LET STATE GO UP IN SMOKE'

I am rarely moved to the point where I actually sit down and respond 
to something I've read, but I can't let stand the misrepresentations 
spewed by David Briceno in the "Other Voices" column on Saturday, 
March 5. Someone once said, "Everybody's entitled to their own 
opinions, but not their own facts."

Let me state for the record that I am firmly against the recreational 
legalization of marijuana. As a medicine, marijuana should stay 
within the confines of medical marijuana dispensaries. However, I do 
believe that it is a legitimate medical use to light up a joint to 
de-stress after a hard day's work with a doctor's recommendation.

Most police organizations recognize that legalizing marijuana would 
definitely eliminate the criminal cartel presence in the marketplace. 
How many bootleggers survived the end of prohibition? Answer, none.

Cartels are in it for the money. Legalization would cut the price of 
pot to the point that they would find more lucrative methods of making money.

Almost anything can be hazardous to one's health if overdone. Last 
year 7,600 people died from aspirin. How many died from a marijuana 
overdose? Again, none.

It is virtually impossible to overdose on marijuana as one would have 
to consume 15 pounds in 15 minutes time.

There are no known cases of marijuana causing cancer by itself. Can 
it damage the lungs? Yes, however that risk is eliminated by using a 
vaporizer instead of a pipe or rolling papers. It is the act of 
combustion that causes the carcinogenic gases in marijuana smoke. And 
yes, marijuana does contain tars that can cause a persistent cough in 
some smokers.

Again, the harm is less than that caused by tobacco simply by the 
fact that most people smoke way less marijuana than they do tobacco. 
It is absolute bunk to say that five joints a week causes more harm 
than a pack-a-day cigarette habit. A simple look at the statistics of 
tobacco-versus-marijuana induced lung cancer will support my claim.

In fact, marijuana and tobacco work in exactly opposite ways inside 
the body. Tobacco is a broncho-restrictor, while marijuana is a 
broncho-dilator. Surprisingly, smoking marijuana has been known to 
relief the spasms caused from a asthma attack in less than one 
minute, because it opens the airways.

The claim of marijuana being psychologically addicting is equally 
absurd. Addiction is defined by causing a severe physical dependency 
witnessed by horrific withdrawal symptoms. You could say I'm addicted 
to Diet Peach Snapple as I get very grouchy when it is unavailable 
and I get a crashing headache for three days when I eliminate 
caffeine from my diet. Marijuana does none of these things. Many 
people use it every day simply because they enjoy the benefits it 
brings to their life.

A 1992 study done by the National Highway and Transportation Safety 
Administration found that out of 1,882 fatal driving accidents, 51.5 
percent had alcohol in their systems versus 6.7 percent for marijuana 
- - and two-thirds of the marijuana users also had alcohol in their 
systems. This led the NHTSA to concede that "there was no indication 
that marijuana by itself was a cause of fatal accidents.

To say that marijuana robs a person of their drive and motivation is 
also dubious. Many highly achieving individuals use pot regularly. It 
might be more correct to say that some people with undiagnosed 
emotional problems turn to pot as a form of self-medication.

As far as the theory that marijuana is a gateway drug, let me point 
out the falsehoods of this position. In the 1960s and '70s, marijuana 
use was increasing exponentially, while heroin use declined. It is 
estimated that there is less than one hard-drug addict for every 100 
pot smokers, so if marijuana is a "gateway," it is a very poor one.

We have been fighting the War on Drugs for decades at a staggering 
cost to this nation in wasted tax dollars, broken families and 
unjustly incarcerated citizens. Like it or not, drugs have always 
been readily available to teens, usually in their own homes in the 
form of prescription drugs - the first drugs of choice for most 
youth. "Just Say No" hasn't worked.

By making marijuana illegal, we increase its appeal to young people. 
Sadly, when they learn that they have been lied to about the dangers 
of marijuana, they can come away with the mistaken belief that all 
drugs are OK.

I am amazed at the dangers we all seem to accept without hesitation 
from products we use every day. The list of possible side effects 
that accompany every prescription drug commercial is mind blowing, 
yet they are perfectly legal and are used daily by millions of 
people. Marijuana by contrast has almost no harmful side effects and 
a has great many beneficial ones. It is inevitable that marijuana 
legalization will pass in California sooner or later.

I think it would benefit us all to tax and regulate this product to 
keep it off the streets and in the dispensaries, where it belongs.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom