NOT TRUE So Called "Medical Marijuana" is the gateway drug

"Dr. Lou Harris" wrote in message
...
As a Medical Doctor, I cannot stand by and let the falsehood of "Medical"
Marijuana continue.

I will not prescribe such an uncontrolled drug with so many harmful long
term side effects, known and unknown, when there are far better and safer
drugs available.

"Medical" Marijuana in fact does not offer any real benefits for Cancer,
AIDS/HIV, Multiple Sclerosis, or Alzheimer's Disease, and in fact causes a
great number of very serious complications in patients, some of which are
internal bleeding, cancer growth, and heart attack.

"Medical" Marijuana is a medical insurance nightmare, as when a patient
suffers complications, they can blame "medical" marijuana as a cause, and
he
and/or the insurance company will sue the Doctor for malpractice.

"Medical" Marijuana is not supported by the Medical Doctors I know.




"Dave Wagner" wrote in message
...
There is NO medical basis that proves Medical Cannabis as a gateway
drug...

But do tell me though, what is the health risks associated with Cancer,
AIDS/HIV, Multiple Sclerosis, or Alzheimers Disease? These are diseases
we are discussing when talking about Medical Marijuana.



Do you live with any of them? I hope you don't. Many do.
Can you be compassionate about someone who does live daily with one of
these diseases?
Do you think that, in our infinite human wisdom, we have found ALL of
the medications that will forever benefit mankind?
Are you open to exploring the possibility, that we as a people, may have
over-compensated legally in the past?

Murphy wrote:

Exposing the Myth of Medical Marijuana

Marijuana: The Facts

Q: Does marijuana pose health risks to users?

Marijuana is an addictive drug1 with significant health consequences to
its
users and others. Many harmful short-term and long-term problems have
been
documented with its use:

The short term effects of marijuana use include: memory loss, distorted
perception, trouble with thinking and problem solving, loss of motor
skills,
decrease in muscle strength, increased heart rate, and anxiety2.

In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of
emergency room mentions of marijuana use. From 1993-2000, the number of
emergency room marijuana mentions more than tripled.

There are also many long-term health consequences of marijuana use.
According to the National Institutes of Health, studies show that
someone
who smokes five joints per week may be taking in as many cancer-causing
chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes every day.

Marijuana contains more than 400 chemicals, including most of the
harmful
substances found in tobacco smoke. Smoking one marijuana cigarette
deposits
about four times more tar into the lungs than a filtered tobacco
cigarette.

Harvard University researchers report that the risk of a heart attack
is
five times higher than usual in the hour after smoking marijuana.3

Smoking marijuana also weakens the immune system4 and raises the risk
of
lung infections.5 A Columbia University study found that a control
group
smoking a single marijuana cigarette every other day for a year had a
white-blood-cell count that was 39 percent lower than normal, thus
damaging
the immune system and making the user far more susceptible to infection
and
sickness.6

Users can become dependent on marijuana to the point they must seek
treatment to stop abusing it. In 1999, more than 200,000 Americans
entered
substance abuse treatment primarily for marijuana abuse and dependence.

More teens are in treatment for marijuana use than for any other drug
or
for
alcohol. Adolescent admissions to substance abuse facilities for
marijuana
grew from 43 percent of all adolescent admissions in 1994 to 60 percent
in
1999.

Marijuana is much stronger now than it was decades ago. According to
data
from the Potency Monitoring Project at the University of Mississippi,
the
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of commercial-grade marijuana rose
from
an average of 3.71 percent in 1985 to an average of 5.57 percent in
1998.
The average THC content of U.S. produced sinsemilla increased from 3.2
percent in 1977 to 12.8 percent in 1997.7

Q. Does marijuana have any medical value?
Any determination of a drug's valid medical use must be based on the
best
available science undertaken by medical professionals. The Institute of
Medicine conducted a comprehensive study in 1999 to assess the
potential
health benefits of marijuana and its constituent cannabinoids. The
study
concluded that smoking marijuana is not recommended for the treatment
of
any
disease condition. In addition, there are more effective medications
currently available. For those reasons, the Institute of Medicine
concluded
that there is little future in smoked marijuana as a medically approved
medication.8

Advocates have promoted the use of marijuana to treat medical
conditions
such as glaucoma. However, this is a good example of more effective
medicines already available. According to the Institute of Medicine,
there
are six classes of drugs and multiple surgical techniques that are
available
to treat glaucoma that effectively slow the progression of this disease
by
reducing high intraocular pressure.

In other studies, smoked marijuana has been shown to cause a variety of
health problems, including cancer, respiratory problems, increased
heart
rate, loss of motor skills, and increased heart rate. Furthermore,
marijuana
can affect the immune system by impairing the ability of T-cells to
fight
off infections, demonstrating that marijuana can do more harm than good
in
people with already compromised immune systems.9

In addition, in a recent study by the Mayo Clinic, THC was shown to be
less
effective than standard treatments in helping cancer patients regain
lost
appetites.10

The American Medical Association recommends that marijuana remain a
Schedule
I controlled substance.

The DEA supports research into the safety and efficacy of THC (the
major
psychoactive component of marijuana), and such studies are ongoing,
supported by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

As a result of such research, a synthetic THC drug, Marinol, has been
available to the public since 1985. The Food and Drug Administration
has
determined that Marinol is safe, effective, and has therapeutic
benefits
for
use as a treatment for nausea and vomiting associated with cancer
chemotherapy, and as a treatment of weight loss in patients with AIDS.
However, it does not produce the harmful health effects associated with
smoking marijuana.

Furthermore, the DEA recently approved the University of California San
Diego to undertake rigorous scientific studies to assess the safety and
efficacy of cannabis compounds for treating certain debilitating
medical
conditions.

It's also important to realize that the campaign to allow marijuana to
be
used as medicine is a tactical maneuver in an overall strategy to
completely
legalize all drugs. Pro-legalization groups have transformed the debate
from
decriminalizing drug use to one of compassion and care for people with
serious diseases. The New York Times interviewed Ethan Nadelman,
Director
of
the Lindesmith Center, in January 2000. Responding to criticism from
former
Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey that the medical marijuana issue is a
stalking-horse for drug legalization, Mr. Nadelman did not contradict
General McCaffrey. "Will it help lead toward marijuana legaization?"
Mr.
Nadelman said: "I hope so."

Q. Does marijuana harm anyone besides the individual who smokes it?
Consider the public safety of others when confronted with intoxicated
drug
users:

Marijuana affects many skills required for safe driving: alertness, the
ability to concentrate, coordination, and reaction time. These effects
can
last up to 24 hours after smoking marijuana. Marijuana use can make it
difficult to judge distances and react to signals and signs on the
road.11

In a 1990 report, the National Transportation Safety Board studied 182
fatal
truck accidents. It found that just as many of the accidents were
caused
by
drivers using marijuana as were caused by alcohol -- 12.5 percent in
each
case.

Consider also that drug use, including marijuana, contributes to crime.
A
large percentage of those arrested for crimes test positive for
marijuana.
Nationwide, 40 percent of adult males tested positive for marijuana at
the
time of their arrest.

Q. Is marijuana a gateway drug?
Yes. Among marijuana's most harmful consequences is its role in leading
to
the use of other illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine. Long-term
studies
of
students who use drugs show that very few young people use other
illegal
drugs without first trying marijuana. While not all people who use
marijuana
go on to use other drugs, using marijuana sometimes lowers inhibitions
about
drug use and exposes users to a culture that encourages use of other
drugs.

The risk of using cocaine has been estimated to be more than 104 times
greater for those who have tried marijuana than for those who have
never
tried it.12

In Summary:
Marijuana is a dangerous, addictive drug that poses significant health
threats to users.

Marijuana has no medical value that can't be met more effectively by
legal
drugs.

Marijuana users are far more likely to use other drugs like cocaine and
heroin than non-marijuana users.

Drug legalizers use "medical marijuana" as red herring in effort to
advocate
broader legalization of drug use.

1Herbert Kleber, Mitchell Rosenthal, "Drug Myths from Abroad: Leniency
is
Dangerous, not Compassionate" Foreign Affairs Magazine,
September/October
1998. Drug Watch International "NIDA Director cites Studies that
Marijuana
is Addictive." "Research Finds Marijuana is Addictive," Washington
Times,
July 24, 1995.
2National Institue of Drug Abuse, Journal of the American Medical
Association, Journal of Clinical Phamacology, International Journal of
Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Pharmacology Review.
3"Marijuana and Heart Attacks" Washington Post, March 3, 2000
4I. B. Adams and BR Martin, "Cannabis: Pharmacology and Toxicology in
Animals and Humans" Addiction 91: 1585-1614. 1996.
5National Institute of Drug Abuse, "Smoking Any Substance Raises Risk
of
Lung Infections" NIDA Notes, Volume 12, Number 1, January/February
1997.
6Dr. James Dobson, "Marijuana Can Cause Great Harm" Washington Times,
February 23, 1999.
72000 National Drug Control Strategy Annual Report, page 13.
8"Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base," Institute of
Medicine, 1999.
9See footnotes in response to question 4 regarding marijuana's short
and
long term health effects.
10"Marijuana Appetite Boost Lacking in Cancer Study" The New York
Times,
May
13, 2001.
11Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know, National Institute on Drug
Abuse,
National Institutes of Health.
12Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know, National Institute on Drug
Abuse,
National Institutes of Health.

http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/ongoing/marijuanap.html