Pubdate: Tue, 22 Aug 2017
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2017 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Marc Greidanus
Page: A10

PROTECTING POT USERS

The article on the health effects of marijuana is interesting and
necessary but completely misses the point. The medical marijuana
industry is going way beyond current scientific evidence. Marijuana
does not make you healthy. It makes you high. Smoking marijuana can
cause both lung damage and anxiety attacks, completely aside from
pesticide contamination.

Legalization is a reasonable public health measure, and closer
attention to product safety is a reasonable goal. However, marijuana
is not a health product. It should never be sold in pharmacies and it
should come with a warning label similar to tobacco. The Cochrane
organization's review of the published scientific data shows that
aside from helping with symptoms of nausea, there is no good evidence
to recommend marijuana for any health condition. A more recent review
in the Annals of Internal Medicine confirms this.

A well-designed legal framework will help with quality control, but it
won't make marijuana good for you.

Marc Greidanus, emergency physician, Chilliwack, B.C.
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MAP posted-by: Matt