Pubdate: Wed, 01 Jul 2015
Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM)
Copyright: 2015 Albuquerque Journal
Contact:  http://www.abqjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/10
Author: John R. Vigil
Note: Dr. John R. Vigil Medical Director, Rebound and Recovery 
Addiction/Substance Abuse Program
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v15/n338/a16.html

POT LEGALIZATION WOULD BRING ON COSTS, RISKS

Research shows making marijuana more available would lead to more 
use, and that would cost us dearly

As a board-certified addictionist, I must respond with concern to 
Rep. Bill McCamley's op-ed piece, "Legalizing pot sales makes economic sense."

McCamley asserts that "prohibition increases use." Not only did 
Prohibition decrease consumption of alcohol - a decrease that was 
sustained well after Prohibition was repealed - but it also 
significantly decreased deaths from cirrhosis of the liver and deaths 
due to alcohol-related accidents and violence.

There are numerous examples in history where "prohibition" decreased 
the consumption of other substances, such as opium in China in the 
early 20th century and amphetamines in Japan after World War II.

Conversely, studies have shown that the increased availability of any 
substance increases the consumption of those substances. One only 
needs to look at the recent opiate epidemic due to the increased 
availability of prescription opiates to see this.

He states that "as states tax and regulate, teen use is decreasing at 
a significant level." While I concede some preliminary studies have 
shown no significant increase in teen use in states where marijuana 
use has been legalized for medical use, anecdotal reports by my 
colleagues in those communities disagree.

Also, the data is early and does not include those states where 
marijuana has been legalized for recreational use, and regardless if 
the data suggesting no increased use stands, no study has shown a 
decrease in use in those areas.

Several surveys have reported that teens - even those who have never 
used - have self-reported that they would be more likely to use if it 
were legalized. The results of those surveys reinforce the 
"Monitoring the Future" survey, which surveys teens and which has 
shown that as the perception of decreased risk of marijuana 
increases, the use of marijuana has increased.

McCamley next claims that marijuana is essentially harmless. Alcohol 
is much more harmful in terms of acute and chronic toxicity causing 
death and disability, but that does not make marijuana a "safe" drug. 
Recent studies have shown that marijuana is harmful to the developing 
brains of adolescents. Marijuana has also been shown to increase 
rates of mental illnesses, such as anxiety, panic disorder, psychosis 
and memory and learning dysfunction.

Other studies have suggested that patients with bipolar disorder that 
smoke marijuana have worse outcomes. Teenagers who begin to smoke 
marijuana have a 16 percent chance of becoming addicted to it.

Next he asserts that marijuana is not significantly associated with 
violent behavior. I agree that alcohol is the drug most associated 
with violence; however, marijuana is no innocent player. Marijuana 
has been associated with not only violence related to gang activity, 
but has also been shown to be the most common drug after alcohol 
present in the bloodstream of those arrested for violent crimes.

McCamley states that marijuana does not lead to harder drugs. While 
the debate whether marijuana is a "gateway drug" is controversial, 
most addiction experts agree there is a chronological and tiered 
effect of drug use amongst individuals that begins with the use of 
alcohol, nicotine and cannabis. While relatively few people go on to 
use harder drugs, the majority of those that do started with and 
continue to use marijuana.

I conclude by saying I do not have the space to address the economic 
arguments that he presents, but I will state that while he touts the 
purported economic "benefits" of legalization, he omits the economic 
risks and costs of legalization, such as increased health care costs 
and other unanticipated costs.

Regardless what the proponents of legalization say to push their 
agenda, two things are certain and backed by the data: Increased 
availability of any substance increases consumption and the decreased 
perception of risk of a substance also increases the consumption and 
that increased consumption will cost us dearly; look at the history 
of tobacco, alcohol and prescription opiates and what those 
substances have cost us - not only economically, but in human suffering!
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom