Pubdate: Wed, 09 Jan 2013
Source: Press-Republican (NY)
Copyright: 2013 David Evans
Contact:  http://www.pressrepublican.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/639
Author: David Evans

MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION

In the next legislative session, there will be a bill to approve crude
smoked or eaten marijuana as a "medicine."

There are misperceptions regarding this controversial initiative. It's
important to set the record straight. Marijuana-legalization advocates
would have you believe that smoking marijuana is the only alternative
for cancer sufferers who have pain or the nausea associated with
chemotherapy. However, numerous safe and effective medications and
treatments are available to ease their suffering.

The anecdotal reports regarding "medical" marijuana are not reliable
scientific evidence because the claimed benefits were not
independently verified and do not reflect double-blind controls. The
anecdotal reports may also be inaccurate due to the emotional
expectancy of the person using marijuana and the placebo effect. In
some cases, there may be deliberate exaggeration for ideological reasons.

There are no established doses for smoked marijuana. It's unclear how
it interacts with other drugs or medical conditions. There is much
evidence that smoking marijuana harms sick people.

Citizens in medical-marijuana states have grown tired of the crime,
noise and abuse that "medical" marijuana dispensaries bring to their
neighborhoods. "Medical" marijuana is often sold in packages that look
like candy.

The initiative ignores the Food and Drug Administration medicine
approval process that has protected us for 100 years. It is dangerous
to approve anything as medicine without going through the FDA process
of scientific inquiry and study.

We strive to be a compassionate society, but there must be a balance
between alleviating or managing illness and creating a system that
does more harm than good. The road that the "medical" marijuana
legislation is traveling is laden with potholes.

David Evans

Lyon Mountain
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