Pubdate: Wed, 29 Aug 2012
Source: Gonzaga Bulletin, The (US WA EDU)
Copyright: 2012 The Gonzaga Bulletin
Contact:  http://www.gonzagabulletin.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3963
Author: Lindsay Fague

THOUGHTS ON MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION: IS RESTRICTION A NECESSARY PUBLIC 
PROTECTIVE MEASURE?

This summer, the city of Chicago voted to decriminalize possession of 
marijuana under 15 grams, meaning that those caught with less than 
this amount of the substance will only have to pay a fine of $250 to 
$500. The possession will no longer appear on their criminal record, 
and offenders will no longer be punishable by arrest. It was the 
latest in a string of states or major municipalities that have 
decided to decriminalize the substance in amounts ranging from a few 
grams up to a few ounces. Thirteen states so far have enacted laws to 
this effect, and many others might soon follow suit. New York's 
governor, for example, has recently asked his state's Legislature to 
look at the issue.

This movement reflects a particular uncertainty about the inherent 
dangers of the substance. Currently marijuana is classified as a 
Schedule I drug by the Drug Enforcement Agency -- putting it in the 
same category as heroin and cocaine. This is somewhat startling, as 
some evidence has suggested that marijuana is not only less addictive 
than legal substances such as alcohol and tobacco, but poses fewer 
health risks to both user and the public, as John Culver has pointed out.

The Drug Enforcement Agency has five levels of drug classification, 
with five being the least dangerous and least restricted, and one 
being considered the most dangerous and, thus, most restricted. 
Marijuana's classification as a Schedule I drug puts it in the same 
category as heroin and cocaine. It means, according to the Federal 
Drug Classification Schedule, that it has "a high potential for 
abuse," that there is "no currently accepted medical treatment in the 
United States," and that "there is a lack of accepted use for the 
drug" even under the supervision of medical professionals.

The trouble with this classification is that it makes studies on 
marijuana extremely difficult, if not impossible, to carry out by 
medical professionals in order to see if it could have any medical 
use. Which means that any conclusive evidence on its effects is 
difficult, if not impossible, to produce. So there could very well be 
a case made for marijuana being moved to a less restrictive class of 
drug, to Schedule II, perhaps, where a limited medical use might be 
made of it with direct prescription of a doctor, and any other use of 
the drug would still be subject to penalties.

At the very least, this would enable the drug to undergo clinical 
trials to more fully ascertain its effects, whether beneficial or 
adverse. This is, in fact, the stance the American Medical 
Association has taken as recently as 2009.

That being said, the negative effects of marijuana upon the brain and 
lungs cannot be denied. What limited studies on marijuana that have 
been done have linked it to loss of internal control, slower reaction 
time, distorted thinking and impairment of attention and memory. 
Marijuana also has been linked to various long-term respiratory ills 
including injury to and inflammation of airways, chronic coughing 
that dislodges thick pulmonary liquid and damage to respiratory cells.

While the personal health risks of marijuana are, perhaps, not a 
cause for national alarm, the fact that marijuana users could inflict 
collateral damage to others in their impaired state is a serious 
issue that deserves continued legislative action. Legalizing 
marijuana for recreational use could very well put the American 
public at an even higher risk of tragic accidents, at work or on the 
road. It is a tragedy that can and should be avoided.

The drug classification system is not perfect. But legalizing 
marijuana, even decriminalizing it to the extent that some states 
have, poses a health risk that we cannot take until we know more 
about the drug. Currently 17 states have laws allowing possession of 
marijuana for medical purposes -- with a doctor's prescription -- for 
amounts ranging from one to 24 ounces. Let's start with that instead 
of jumping to allow more widespread use. Let's move marijuana to a 
Schedule II drug and do the studies that might more fully tell us how 
it can safely and beneficially be used, if indeed it can be. Until 
then, let's not risk jeopardizing public safety by allowing 
recreational access to another mind-altering drug.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom