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Posted on 06/10/2005 2:29:28 PM PDT by Nachum
It is this reporter's opinion that each generation in turn takes a new look at the marijuana question. Now it's this generation's turn. In a 6-to-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal anti-marijuana statutes overrule the laws in ten states that allow the use of marijuana plants to ease pain or nausea.
Fifty years ago, as a much younger television reporter, I did a series of interviews with Dr. Hardin B. Jones, Professor of Medical Physics and Physiology at the University of California Berkeley. Dr. Jones, in his thorough study, raised disturbing questions about marijuana's effects on the vital systems of the body, on the brain and mind, on immunity and resistance, and on sex reproduction.
Dr. Jones addressed such problems of society as the hazards to non-smokers, crime, the law, and the effect of widespread smoking among the military – including atomic weapons personnel. And he didn't stop there. The good doctor included telling comments from interviews conducted with scores of marijuana users and ex-users.
I concluded, after this exhaustive study, that the very idea of legalizing marijuana is to follow a senseless, immoral, perilous path – a slippery slope, that the use of marijuana is dangerous on many fronts, that it impairs memory, alters time perception, reduces coordination, damages the immune system, is psychologically habit-forming and creates a wide range of effects on moods and behavior.
Dr. Jones offered an open letter to parents. Following are the main points discussed in his letter:
Marijuana is not a benign drug. Use of this drug impairs learning and judgment and may lead to the development of mental health problems.
Smoking marijuana can injure or destroy lung tissue.
Teens who are high on marijuana are less able to make safe, smart decisions about sex, including knowing when to say "no."
Marijuana can impair perception and reaction time, putting young drivers and others in danger.
Marijuana use may trigger panic attacks, paranoia, and even psychoses.
Marijuana can impair concentration and the ability to retain information during a teen's peak learning years.
Recent research indicates a correlation between frequent marijuana use and aggressive or violent behavior.
Dr. Jones concludes: MARIJUANA IS ADDICTIVE, and says that more teens are in treatment with a primary diagnosis of marijuana dependence than for all other illicit drugs combined.
Personally, I recall one visitation to a rehabilitation center where we interviewed recovering heroin addicts. We had to interview 25 hard-core drug users before we found a single one who had not started with marijuana!
As for those who say they must rely on marijuana to treat their pain, Dr. Jones cited a Washington University School of Medicine study on the subject: the experiment on twenty young men who were experienced marijuana smokers. Before and after they smoked reefers, electric impulses of different strengths were applied to their fingers and pain thresholds recorded. It was a method that earlier had verified the pain-killing effects of morphine, aspirin and codeine. MARIJUANA NOT ONLY FAILED TO LESSEN PAIN, IT ACTUALLY INCREASED IT! That finding casts doubt on the usefulness of marijuana as an analgesic.
The same facts and conclusions are repeated generation after generation with the same conclusion: DON'T EVER LEGALIZE POT!
This was a horrible decision.
While I may not support such a law in my state, this had nothing to do with inter-state commerce and was completely outside the realm of control for the federal government.
so now anecdotes trump data!
But in terms of making pot legal?....With the well-documented obesity problem in this nation, do we really want a large swath of the population wandering around with the munchies all the time?
I don't get it ... Oxycontin is a prescription drug yet cannabis is too dangerous to make it a controlled substance also? When you consider how cannabis was first outlawed (the chemical industry wanted to limit competition for their new artificial fibers), it is weird to now see the subpreme court canceling states' rights to regulate!
I'll tell you what, why don't you visit a cancer support group of people on chemo and ask them.
Better to give expensive meds than smoke a cheap joint I think/sarcasm intented 100%
Marijuana is not a benign drug. Use of this drug impairs learning and judgment and may lead to the development of mental health problems
etc. etc.
Just about the same arguments can be made for alcohol.
As for the medical marijuana debate, every rational person can see the difference between street use of opiates and use under doctor's supervision, whether it is codeine, morphine or the many synthetics. One of my old coworkers had nasal surgery and was given cocaine as one of the drugs before/during surgery. What is it about the "demon weed" which incites so much fear and hatred that it might have a medical use?
Just because you legalize marijuana, it doesn't mean that everyone will do it. Have stiff penalties for people getting into car accidents while under the influence but do not punish others who use it recreationally.
God bless the person you spoke to who has cancer.
My husband has cancer. A new drug called Zofran (which is very expensive) controls nausea very well. Other new drugs are out there.
Turn pot over to the drug companies, and if it is useful then reguilate it like any other medicine. And lower the prices -- that's another crime.
So are you saying all drugs should be state regulated, or only this one?
While I certainly support giving patients whatever is necessary to make them as comfortable as possible, I believe the recent decision was correct.
State laws cannot trump Federal law in these cases.
We need to fix the law at the Federal level and we need to do it legislatively, not using the Judiciary like the leftists do.
I agree with the author. 10 years after this study was done, another UC Berkeley health official wrote about the effects of marijuana he had observed in his students and they confirm this report. I have noticed the same thing over the years with pot users.
One of the most disturbing effects is the inability to judge themselves. Invariably they think they are smarter and sharper than everyone around them, when it is fairly obvious to the "cleans" that they are prone to mistakes, terrible moods, etc. Use of this drug sems to obliviate honest judgement and turn on a switch of denial. Perhaps that is why they like it so much.
Also make note that the number of people in rehab for marijuana were given the option of jail or rehab and they chose rehab. This is not a fair way to evaluate the dangers of marijuana. Well...it's 4:20 got to go...lol
I didn't see that he addressed the nausea issue. Even at that, the other risks are real and should matter. Plus, you can't make a conclusion based on how these people feel about it. The drug alters their state of mind, and it may be that that they like, rather than real relief from nausea.
She (my friend) said that she specifically tried two drugs for nausea and they did not work for her. I believe she said "Zofran" was one of them. The reason why the marijuana was effective for her was that it was inhaled as opposed to swallowed, and it gave her her appetite back.
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