California State Medical Marijuana Patient Identification

What a bummer, here I was thinking that New Mexico had it all figured regarding medical marijuana and the MMJ Distribution system to their state registered patients. Well as it turns out, it’s just not true. In Albuquerque N.M. Len Goodman can’t seem to keep up with the demand for his state registered medical marijuana. You see Len is only one of 11 state registered medical cannabis growers for well over 2,000 state registered medical marijuana patients in New Mexico.

It seems that New Mexico has been more than a concerned about turning into Colorado or California( to many MMJ collectives)…in fact they have been so cautious in licensing and regulating growers under its 3-year-old medical marijuana law that the small number of growers can't grow enough, thereby creating an artificial shortage that has forced some patients to the street to buy illegal drugs.

Would be medical marijuana producers are put through to a thorough screening procedure ahead of being granted a license to grow medical marijuana. Once that happens, they are limited to 95 plants and seedlings and an inventory “that reflects current qualified patient needs.” What load of crap!

Cannabis Sativa, the scientific name for Marijuana, this highly illegal drug goes by many names. Chronic, Hydro, Thai, Grass, Green. Its use is widespread. This has been a topic of political controversy worldwide for decades. In 1995, here in the US, more than one-half million people were arrested for marijuana related offenses. A whopping 86% of them were for possession. Today tens of thousands of people are in prison for marijuana related offenses. That does not include the greater number of people who are fined, put on probation, and faced with civil sanctions such as having their property seized, driver's license suspended, or even termination of their employment.

The first known Cannabis Sativa plant was traced back 7.5 million years ago. This plant however, did not contain THC. It was not until 1 million years later that a THC bearing plant was noted. It's first medical usage was documented in a book called Pen Tao's, it was written by Chinese Emperor Shen-Nung who lived between 2637 and 2797 BC. In his writings, he referred to Cannabis as a “superior” herb, and he used it to treat many common ailments.

Now, we are faced with the controversy. If there have been thousands of years of documented medical usages for this plant, Why is it so terrible and illegal?

In the mid 1930's the government passed an act called The Uniform State Narcotic Act. This act regulated Cannabis as a drug by state law. During the 90's many places began to legalize it for the medical properties it possesses. This interfered with federal laws such as the 1970 Controlled Substances Act which classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug. Reefer Madness, a government propaganda film was released in the 70's, and gave us ideas and thoughts of the many bad things marijuana could do to us. This movie was actually a renamed government anti-marijuana propaganda video called Tell Your Children which was produced back in 1936. Back in the 30's the hemp pulp could make for more efficiency than tree pulp for paper making and would have put a rich man out. Here starts the conspiracy and corruption in government.

Today, the majority of current prescriptions are man-made and synthetic. A person can experience so many side effects from a medicine meant to help you feel better, that it almost crazy to even try. Add to that, the fact the FDA passes many medications without having any studies on what long term health effects may occur. Just sit down in front of your TV during the day and you are bound to see a commercial asking if you took this drug, do you have this problem then they tell you to call in regards to a lawsuit.

Ask yourself this question. Who do I trust more, mankind or God?

As of today, there are 14 states which have adopted medical marijuana policies. Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. In these states, you have the right to use marijuana for the treatment of Alzheimer's, Fibromyalgia, Dystonia, Hepatitis C, Diabetes, Pruritis, Osteoporosis, MRSA, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, Chronic Pain, Tourette's Syndrome, HIV, Hypertension, Sleep Apnea, GI Disorders, Incontinence, and Rheumatoid Arthritis. These are all conditions in which the use of marijuana has been documented and studied and is shown to have a positive effect on the ailment, at least to some extent. As a matter of fact there are more clinical investigations on the benefits of medical marijuana now, than at any other time in history. It has been discovered that human beings as well as many other organisms have an endocannaboid regulatory system. They are now recognizing it holds potential for modifying diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel syndrome; and have begun to study its anti-cancer activities. When compared to the other medically active substances, it is remarkably safe. The consumption of marijuana—regardless of potency or quantity—cannot cause a fatal overdose.

Over the years, the government has fed us many myths about the effects of using marijuana. This was all a big attempt to keep people from wanting to use it. Many clinical investigations that have been done over the years prove these myths to be exactly that. Myths such as:

Myth 1 Marijuana causes permanent mental illness in some people, especially in adolescents. When intoxicated by marijuana users become irrational and behave erratically. These are two statements which “Reefer Madness” tried to drive home to parents.

With many years of clinical study behind us, there is no convincing evidence which suggests any psychological damage or mental illness in teens or adults resulting from the use of marijuana. It has also been proven that it does not cause profound changes in behavior either.

Myth 2 Marijuana is highly addictive. Those who use long term experience physical dependence and withdrawal and often need professional treatment to quit.

The truth is that the majority of those who smoke only do so occasionally. A minority of less than 1% of Americans smoke on a daily basis, with the number of those who do become dependent being even far less. The few people, who do go to a drug treatment facility for marijuana addiction, usually do so at their own will. If there are any withdrawal symptoms at all related to the use of marijuana, they are remarkably mild.

Myth 3 Marijuana is more damaging to lungs than tobacco, putting users at a higher risk of developing lung cancer, bronchitis and emphysema.

While it does contain a number of irritants and carcinogens like tobacco, studies have shown moderate smoking appears to pose minimal danger for the lungs. Typically, marijuana users smoke much less than tobacco smokers, and over time inhale far less smoke. Therefore, the risk of serious lung damage from marijuana use should be lower than that of a tobacco user. To date, there have not been any reports of lung cancer related solely to its use.

Myth 4 It has been scientifically proven that marijuana use has harmful health effects.

On the contrary, in 1995, scientific researchers from Lancet, a British medical journal stated based on thirty years of clinical research “the smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health.”

Myth 5 Marijuana use kills brain cells. Over time use causes memory loss, personality deterioration, and reduced productivity.

None of the medical test in current usage to detect brain damage in humans has ever found harm from marijuana, even when looking at those who smoke high doses over long periods of time. That myth was actually based on a study which took place over a quarter of a century ago which had no scientific evidence to support its findings.

Now I will summarize the information I have provided.

Marijuana has been considered illegal since the 1930's, at which time it was made illegal so as not to jeopardize the timber industry. Most of the government's health effects and other reasons for marijuana being made illegal have been scientifically proven to be false or incorrect. The medications today which are passed by the FDA and regularly prescribed have very dangerous side effects and overall can pose long term health effects.

Marijuana is a natural plant which can be traced back for millions of years. There have been recorded documents dating back thousands of years showing the use of marijuana for treatment of all sorts of medical conditions and ailments. It has been scientifically proven that human beings as well as many other organisms have cannaboid receptors within our bodies and cells. Scientific studies have proven marijuana usage can help with many conditions yet pose far less risks and side effects than current treatment methods.

The uses of and potential uses for marijuana, seem far more promising and less harmful than the problems we are currently experiencing from using the current treatment methods. This is why medical marijuana should be legalized and further studied.

Sources:
“Recent Research on Medical Marijuana” - NORML http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7002
“Myths and Facts About Marijuana” http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_has_marijuana_been_around

Marijuana as medicine is nothing new, despite the current groundswell of laws making pot legal for medical uses. Here's a quick fact file on cannabis and its medical history.
1. “Marijuana” is a Mexican term that originally was applied to low-quality tobacco.
2. Cannabis was cultivated in China for therapy (and recreation) over 4,700 years ago.
3. More than 20 medicationscontaining marijuana were sold in U.S. pharmacies at the turn of the 20th century. Pot-based medications were commonly available until 1942, when cannabis was stricken from the U.S. Pharmacopeia, the official compendium of drugs considered effective. From 1937 to 1942 the federal government collected a tax of $1 per ounce for such drugs.
4. About 17,000 studies on marijuana and its components have been published, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, an advocacy group, but fewer than 20, all of them small, have included human subjects.
5. The federal government is in the pot-growing business. Under a federal contract, the University of Mississippi in Oxford cultivates marijuana for use by researchers, who have to be cleared by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
6. The plant has nearly 500 chemical compounds, called cannabinoids.
7. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. But patients in these states face federal prosecution for using it—or for growing or possessing pot for medical purposes.
8. Federal law prohibits physicians from prescribing or otherwise actively supplying patients with the drug. But in 2002 the U.S. Supreme Court backed an appellate court ruling that physicians who discuss it with patients, or provide oral or written recommendations, are protected.

In the United States, marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 substance, and is put in the same category as heroin, and LSD. Under the Controlled Substance Act (CSA), marijuana is illegal to possess, or distribute, and is considered to be unsafe for medicinal purposes. Yet many individuals, including Medical Doctors dispute this, and advocate for the use of medicinal marijuana. (Stern & DiFonzo. 2009). Because the government does not accept marijuana as an appropriate form of medical use, various States have enacted legislation that allows for the use of medical marijuana. Thus a conflict appears between Federal and State laws, which also cause concern for individuals who depend on medical marijuana.

The subject of legalizing marijuana has been extremely controversial. Critics often cite that marijuana is the 'gateway' drug to harder drugs, and if marijuana is legalized there will be an increase in crime, an increase in drug addicts, and an increasing demand for harder drugs, such as cocaine, or methamphetamines. Advocates claim there are a variety of reasons to legalize marijuana, and assert that marijuana is on the same level as alcohol. Some of the other reasons include the notion that keeping marijuana illegal is costly, prohibiting marijuana does not work, just as alcohol prohibition in the 1920s, and criminalized marijuana use increases 'criminal' activities. Advocates also state criminalized marijuana does not help individuals who need it for medical purposes, and also complicates matters to make marijuana legal only for medicinal uses, yet banning it for general use. Advocates also cite that other countries have legalized marijuana, and they have not had any negative consequences. For example, Readings in Deviant Behavior discuss the legalization of marijuana in the Netherlands, and while the increase in marijuana use was initially seen, users have tapered off, and its use is lower than the United States. “…the de facto legalization of cannabis in the Netherlands has not brought about a torrent of marijuana and hashish consumption…the experiences of the Netherlands and the United States suggest that decriminalization would not produce significantly higher levels of marijuana use.” (Thio, Calhoun & Conyers, pg. 345. 2010).

The stigma attached to marijuana use has decreased, and more individuals are in agreement with the use of marijuana for medical reasons. “Gallup poll results reflect that nationwide support for medical marijuana is increasing, from seventy-three percent in 1999 to seventy-eight percent in 2005.” (Stern & DiFonzo, pg. 16, 2009). In fact, in 2009 President Obama set forth a measure that would prevent Federal persecution of States that allow the use of medical marijuana; however this measure does not protect individuals who traffic marijuana. “'It will not be a priority to use federal resources to prosecute patients with serious illnesses or their caregivers who are complying with state laws on medical marijuana…but we will not tolerate drug traffickers who hide behind claims of compliance with state law to mask activities that are clearly illegal.''” (Stout & Moore, 2009).

Because of the increase in individuals showing support for medical marijuana use, I personally believe that the stigma associated with using marijuana will not exist as it has in previous years.

References

Stern, R., & DiFonzo, H. (2009). The End of the Red Queen's Race: Medical Marijuana in the New Century. 27 Quinnipiac L. Rev. 673.

Stout, D., & Moore, S. (2009, October 19). U.S. Won't Prosecute in States That Allow Medical Marijuana. The New York Times. Retrieved 8th March 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/us/20cannabis.html

Thio, A., Calhoun, T. C., & Conyers, A. (2010). Readings in Deviant Behavior Sixth Edition. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Can anyone else point out the biggest problem with the Nov. vote in California to legalize marijuana… That’s right, the Fed’s. How can CA. legalize marijuana, tax marijuana, and regulate marijuana at the state level when the federal Controlled Substances Act makes it a felony to grow or sell marijuana… period. California can abolish its own cannabis laws, leaving enforcement up to the feds, chances are that no one wants’ that. But Californian’s can't legalize a federal felony. As a result, any dispensary paying California taxes on cannabis sales or filing cannabis related California regulatory paperwork would be confessing, in writing, to multiple federal crimes. I’m not sure about you, but that hardly sounds like a good idea.

Marijuana Legalization is one of the most debated issues of the twenty first century. Use of the plant even dates back “further than 7,000 B.C. and was legal as recently as when Ronald Regan was a boy…” (Guither). The drug is the most commonly used illicit substance around the world and there are numerous slang terms for the plant such as cannabis, reefer, mary jane, weed, etc. Most Americans are familiar with the anti-marijuana commercials and the side effects of smoking pot as well as seeing athletes and celebrities reprimanded for the legal use and sale of cannabis. However, according to NORML (”The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws”) in 2008 “more than 80 million Americans admit that they have smoked in the past year.” This is a very large number considering how much money the United States government spends on advertising for the war against drugs. Many people agree that the drug is no more dangerous than the use of any other legal drugs such as the consumption of alcohol or cigarette smoking. For this reason, marijuana should be decriminalized and available to the public while regulated as cigarettes and alcohol.

The most obvious reason for a number of Americans to avoid marijuana is the belief that it is morally unethical. Jobs, that do drug testing, make it clear that it is not socially acceptable in the work place and that it will not be tolerated. Most Christians especially do not approve of smoking pot. Ironically, the Rastafarian religion has found numerous references to pot in the bible. For example, “…thou shalt eat the herb of the land (exodus 10:12)” (”BBC”).Though all religions vary in teachings, in general American parents are concerned that legalizing Marijuana sends the wrong message to children. Which is a good indication that most American parents of teenagers do not realize that “47% of high school students have tried marijuana” (Leachman 2). In 1936, “Reefer Madness”, a propaganda film framed as a documentary, warned parents and children of the dangers of the marijuana. The film was a far cry from reality and showed very unrealistic “scenes of high school kids smoking pot and quickly going insane, playing 'evil' jazz music, being committed, and going on a murder spree” (Murphy 1). “Reefer Madness” is now a musical and has been used for entertainment purposes because of its outdated and exaggerated views on marijuana.

For many people, marijuana is what is referred to as a gateway drug, or a seemingly harmless substance which may cause more serious addictions in the future. Joseph A. Califano says that “teens who drank, smoked cigarettes, and used marijuana at least once in the past month are more than 16 times as likely to use another drug like cocaine, heroin ,or LSD”(33) which are all very serious illicit drugs which can lead to severe health and legal consequences. For most of the American population it is considered to be common knowledge that marijuana is what gets people hooked on harder drugs. Despite this assumption, some believe that marijuana is not the cause at all and that most drug addicts begin substance abuse with legal drugs such as alcohol or cigarettes. According to the Institute of Medicine “ecause it is the most widely used illicit drug, marijuana is predictably the first illicit drug that most people encounter. Not surprisingly, most users do not begin with marijuana- they begin with alcohol and nicotine, usually when they are too young to do so legally”(36) It is understandable that”[people who enjoy the effects of marijuana are, logically, more likely to be willing to try other mood-altering drugs than are people who are not willing to try marijuana or who dislike its effects”(The Institute of Medicine 37).The Institute of Medicine also states that “illions of Americans have tried marijuana, but are not regular users. In 1996, 68.6 million people-32% of the U.S. population over 12 years old-had tried marijuana or hashish at least once in their life time, but only 5% were current users”(35). This does not mean that marijuana does not contribute to the amount of people who try hard drugs or become addicted to them. “Most people who smoke pot do not move on to other drugs, but then only 5% to 7% of cigarette smokers get lung cancer”, the lesson is that young people “who smoke pot are at vastly greater risk of moving on to harder drugs”(Califano 33). It would be easy to blame marijuana for drug dependency in America, but drugs that are legal in the U.S. are at fault as much or more because of their availability to the public.

For most educated Americans, it is known that marijuana has several harmful side effects. Health risks include memory loss, gum disease, lung and respiratory problems, and several mental health conditions that could become detrimental to a person's well-being. The most argued health issue is weather or not the drug is addictive. According to Tim Anderson “any people use marijuana compulsively even though it interferes with family, school, work and recreational activities” (226). Alcohol and nicotine are both legal drugs which are proven to be addictive and cause serious problems in the lives of people who become addictive. Why should the fact that marijuana is addictive keep it from being legalized when two other addictive substances are legally sold to the public? Alcohol can lead to the same poor choices as marijuana, such as unprotected sexual activity, neglect of responsibilities, or driving while impaired. Alcohol and nicotine are both proven to have as serious health consequences as marijuana. The Office of National Drug Control Policy states that “people who use marijuana on a regular basis often have the same breathing problems as tobacco users, such as chronic coughing and wheezing, more frequent acute chest illnesses, and a tendency toward obstructed airways”(228). More disconcerting than the physical health issues would be the mental health problems which may follow such as difficulty in “memory loss, distorted perception, trouble with thinking and problem solving, and anxiety” (Office of National Drug Control Policy 226).Regular marijuana users have also been shown to have double the chance of suffering from depression and anxiety, panic attacks, or thoughts of suicide later in life (ONDCP 226, “Drug Facts: Marijuana” 1). Alcohol is a depressant; these same effects hold true for alcoholics. “Is marijuana addictive? Yes, can be, in that some people use it to excess, in ways that are problematic for themselves and those around them, and find it hard to stop. But marijuana may very well be the least addictive and least damaging of all commonly used psychoactive drugs, including many that are now legal. Most people who smoke marijuana never become dependant. Withdrawal symptoms pale compared with those from other drugs. No one has ever died from a marijuana overdose, which cannot be said for most other drugs. Marijuana is not associated with violent behavior and only minimally with reckless sexual behavior, and even heavy marijuana smokers smoke only a fraction of what cigarette addicts smoke. Lung cancers involving marijuana are rare” (Nadelmann 215).

The point is any substance, weather its caffeine or prescription drugs, can be abused and become addictive and harmful to a person, this should not mean that marijuana in particular should be illegal. Instead, marijuana should be legalized and regulated in the same way as alcohol and nicotine.

The first and possibly most essential reason for marijuana decriminalization is the many medical uses for the drug. A number of people with terminating illnesses have found relief from the use of marijuana. AIDS patients have shown an increase in appetite, as well as “cancer patients often smoke marijuana to battle the nausea caused by chemotherapy” (Rich 1). According to Ted Gottfried “arijuana has been effective in treating Glaucoma, a condition resulting from a pressure in the eyes, which the drug eases” the patient's pain (20). Marijuana can be used for medicinal purposes and can be beneficial to society but it is illegal, alcohol and nicotine are not effective as medicine for any diseases however they are both legal to the public. To supporters of marijuana legalization it is obvious why it should be legalized if only for medical use. The main concern for most patients would be the adverse affects of smoking marijuana may be more detrimental than the symptoms that the drug is meant to relieve. Luckily, less invasive ways to use the drug for medicine have been developed: “Pharmaceutical products containing marijuana's central ingredient, THC, are legally sold in the U.S., and more are emerging. Some people find the pill form satisfactory, and others consume it in teas or baked products” (Nadelmann 215). Even if patients decide smoke instead of one of the newer techniques, the effects on the person's health are minimal compared to the disease which it is helping to treat, especially since most of the diseases are fatal and incurable at this point in time.

Unlike cigarettes, marijuana has absolutely no harmful chemicals added before it is sold and smoked. For this reason alone pot is less likely to lead to cancer or lung problems. Lung cancer from the smoking of marijuana is rare and the use of tobacco is much more likely to result in respiratory complications and gum disease. In general, heavy users of marijuana still do not smoke as much as people who smoke cigarettes. Marijuana's health risks are significantly mild compared to legal substances and hard drugs. Infact many of the health risks are exaggerated or not sufficiently supported by scientific evidence: “In 1972, after reviewing the scientific evidence, the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse concluded that while marijuana was not entirely safe, its dangers had been grossly overstated. Since then, researchers have conducted thousands of studies of humans, animals, and cell cultures. None reveal any findings dramatically different from those described by the National Commission in 1972. In 1995, based on thirty years of scientific research editors of the British medical journal Lancet concluded that “the smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health” (”Myths and Facts about Marijuana”1).

Some researchers will argue that the effects of marijuana are clearly visible regardless of scientific proof. The idea that marijuana leads to brain damage, has yet to be anything more than a theory. Scientists continue the study of the effects of marijuana on animals and humans:”None of the medical tests currently used to detect brain damage in humans have found harm from marijuana, even from long term high-dose use. An early study reported brain damage in rhesus monkeys after six months exposure to high concentrations of marijuana smoke. In a recent, more carefully conducted study, researchers found no evidence of brain abnormality in monkeys that were forced to inhale the equivalent of four to five marijuana cigarettes every day for a year. The claim that marijuana kills brain cells is based on a speculative report dating back a quarter of a century that has never been supported by any scientific study”(”Myths and Facts about Marijuana” 2).Though marijuana smoke is not necessarily a healthy habit, it is not any more harmful than the legal drugs that are being used everyday in the U.S.

Legalizing marijuana would not increase the number of people who abuse the drug; because it would be less taboo and not as thrilling if it is legal. When drugs are prohibited in America or in neighboring countries, use of the drug is actually increased. As determined by Dan Gardner, “he most frightening jumps in drug use the world has seen have happened after the introduction -or escalation- of drug prohibition” (132). He also believes that “tates with higher rates of drug incarceration experience higher rates of drug use” (133). If that is true, keeping marijuana illegal is counter productive to the fight against drug use in America. Legalization would cut down on the number of people in jail for marijuana related crimes. Instead of police chasing people, who may be illegally dealing drugs or in possession of marijuana, they can focus on catching criminals who are guilty of rape, burglary, or murder. Also if the number of people in jail were reduced tax payer's money would not be wasted and marijuana users could be productive members of society. According to District Attorney, Paul Gallegos, legalization of the drug “would probably reduce the value of marijuana pretty significantly, so we'd probably see a reduction if not a complete end to the ancillary crime associated with marijuana” (1). People who do not smoke pot now while it is illegal will most likely not start if it becomes legal due to religious beliefs or health concerns.

Economically, the legalization of marijuana could be beneficial to the U.S. because it could be taxed and regulated like tobacco. NORML states that currently “Californians consume $1-$2 billion worth of medical marijuana per year, enough to generate some $100 million in sales tax” (2) or approximately 1.3 billion dollars a year! The Economy in America is suffering and hemp could be a major export and beneficial cash crop. The use of hemp in clothing and other products has been around for thousands of years. Infact the first woven fabrics are believed to have been constructed from the plant's stalks (Guither 1). Of course, clothing is not the only industrial use of hemp; “over the centuries the plant was used for food, incense, cloth, rope, and much more” (Guither 1). According to Dan Stancliff California's sale of marijuana could lead the nation out of the recession if pot were legalized. The money would not only come from industrial use but also on “tourism picking up for the entire state, and especially for the Emerald Triangle, 'Green Tours' would have a new meaning, more importantly, legalizing marijuana would put an end to the Mexican cartels who infest our state and national forests with their huge destructive grows” (Stancliff 1). Presently, much of America's tax dollars are being spent on anti-drug programs and advertisements. Many supporters claim that “f drugs were decriminalized…much of the $50 billion spent annually by federal and state government agencies might be used in such critical areas as health care, education, low-cost housing, and programs to reduce dependency on drugs and alcohol”(Gottfried 68). The cost to enforce marijuana laws in the U.S. is an estimated $10-15 billion (Nadelmann 214). Most supporters of marijuana legalization agree with the opinion of Ethan A. Nadelmann:

“No drug is perfectly safe, and every psychoactive drug can be used in ways that are problematic, The federal government has spent billions of dollars on advertisements and anti-drug programs that preach the dangers of marijuana -that it's a gateway drug, and addictive in its own right, and dramatically more potent than it used to be, and responsible for all sorts of physical and social diseases as well as international terrorism. But the government has yet to repudiate the 1988 finding of the Drug Enforcement Administration's own administrative law judge, Frances Young. Who concluded after extensive testimony 'marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man',” (Nadelmann 214).

Instead of spending American tax dollars on advertisements which people will ignore, that money could go toward improving the lives of the citizens.

In the United States, the possession of marijuana lands more that 700,000 people in jail every year (Nadelmann 214), most of which have no other criminal records. That means that the number of people arrested for marijuana related crimes is “almost as the same number as are arrested each year for cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, and all other illicit drugs combined” (Nadelmann 214). Clearly the U.S. government has overreacted and over the years this view has grown without many of the view-holders fully aware of the facts. In the some countries the use and sale of marijuana is legal and regulated as tobacco. For example, Amsterdam allows people to buy marijuana at coffee shops and the country does not seem to have a problem with abuse of the drug.

“Young people who smoke marijuana are to do so in coffee shops that openly sell the drug. There are rules governing these coffee shops. They are not allowed to sell alcohol or hard drugs. They may dispense no more than five grams of marijuana or hashish in any single transaction. Drugs may not be advertised. The shops must not cause any nuisance to local neighborhoods” (Gottfried 92).

Not all Americans agree that the same success with pot would happen in the U.S. Amsterdam and the other European countries, which do not prohibit the sale of marijuana, rely more on public transportation than most citizens of the United States. If pot were legal to the American public for personal use, laws prohibiting driving under the influence of marijuana should be enforced much like the laws regarding drinking and driving.

For a number of United States citizens that idea of marijuana legalization is a subject in which lies a lot of gray area. There are people who are totally against the idea, others who think that legalization is an imperative part of improving the quality of life in America, and many who are undecided on the matter. However, a plethora of American people who believe that marijuana should be legalized are vocal enough to gain national attention. Nadelmann states that “Marijuana Prohibition is unique among American criminal laws. No other law is both enforced so widely and harshly and yet deemed so unnecessary by such a substantial portion of the populace” (213). Many people disagree with the use of marijuana because of moral views but the same groups also disagree with tobacco and alcohol, both of which are not prohibited by law. Marijuana is no more dangerous than cigarettes or alcohol and therefore, should be legally treated as equals.

Above the Influence. “Drug Facts: Marijuana.” http:// www.abovetheinluence.com/facts/drugs-marijuana.aspx#. (2009)

Anderson, Tim. “Marijuana should be Decriminalized.” http: //www.themountaineeronline.com. (18 Nov 2008).

BBC. “Worship.” http: //www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/rastafaria/customs/customs_1.shtml.(18 Mar 2009).

Califano Jr., Joseph A. “Marijuana is a gateway drug.” Espejo, Roman. Drug Abuse. San Diego: Green Haven, 2002.

Drug Policy. “Myths and Facts about Marijuana.” http:// www.drugpolicy.org /marijuana/factsmyths /#harms. (2009).

Gardner, Dan. “Legalizing Drugs would not cause an increase in Drug Use.” Espejo, Roman. Drug Abuse. Green Haven: San Diego, 2002.

Gottfried, Ted. Should Drugs be Legalized? Brookfield: Twenty First Century, 2000.

Guither, Pete. “A Brief History of the Criminalization of Cannabis.” http:// Marijuana.drugwarrant.com. (2009).

The Institute of Medicine. “Marijuana Use does not lead to Harder Drugs.” Espejo, Roman. Drug Abuse. San Diego: Green Haven, 2002.

Leachman, Dr.Mackenzie. “Welcome to High School: What to Expect of your teenager through High School.” http://www.pld.fcps.net/welcom/htm. (19 Mar 2009).

Murphy, Kevin and Dan Studney. “Reefer Madness History.” http: //web. archive.org/web/20060328163232/ www.reefer=madness-movie.com/index.html. (2005).

Nadelmann, Ethan A. “An End to Marijuana Prohibition”. Goldberg, Raymond. Taking Sides: Drugs and Society. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006.

NORML. “NORML Statement on the Cultivation of Industrial Hemp.”http://www.norml.com/index.cfm? group_ID=5447. (11 Dec 2006).

Office of National Drug Control Policy. “Marijuana and the Truth behind 10 Popular Misperceptions.” Goldberg, Raymond. Taking Sides: Drugs and Society. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006.

Rich, Alex K. “Legalization of Marijuana: an overview.” Points of View: Legalization of Marijuana. http: //search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=puh&AN=23554883&site=pov-live. (Feb 2007).

Stancliff, Dan. “California can lead the nation out of this depression by legalizing Marijuana.” http:// www.times-standard.com/ci_11865538?source=most=viewed. (08 Mar 2009)

Tam, Donna.” Marijuana Legalization Supporters say Bill could save Billions.” http: //www.times- standard.com/localnews/ci_11865543. (08 Mar 2009).

Medical Cannabis:AIDS Patients in a Controlled Study Had Significant Pain Relief… AIDS patients suffering from debilitating nerve pain got as much or more relief by somking cannabis as they would typically get from prescription drugs — and with fewer side effects — according to a study conducted under rigorously controlled conditions with government-grown pot.

In a five-day study performed in a specially ventilated hospital ward where marijuana patients smoked three marijuana cigarettes a day, more than half the participants tallied significant reductions in pain.

By contrast, less than one-quarter of those who smoked “placebo” medical marijuana, which had its primary psychoactive ingredients removed, reported benefits, as measured by subjective pain reports and standardized neurological tests.

After writing articles recently on Morphine and prescription drugs used and abused as pain killers, I believe Marijuana is a better alternative. I do not have any personal experience with marijuana used for pain relief, but I was friends with a man whose wife used it before she died of complications from kidney failure.

His young wife first developed diabetes, then a heart attack. The medicine given to her for the heart attack killed her kidneys. She then had to endure dialysis three times a day at home. At the end she was nearly blind, and most of her body had stopped working. She was not even 45. He told me how much marijuana had helped her cope with the nausea, pain, and symptoms of her declining health. They did not get it legally, but from a friend who grew it out in the Colorado mountains. If it helped her with the debilitating disease pain, and made life tolerable, why did she have to obtain Marijuana illegally?

Morphine, OxyCotin, and other more dangerous pain killers are given to patients everyday. I think marijuana is probably less toxic, cheaper and safer. You don't inject marijuana either which prevents aids transmission and blown veins. According to physicians, it is very effective in treating the pain and nausea of AIDS, cancer patients, and other diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

There are many doctors both in favor and against using marijuana as a pain killer. I read a lot of research on the problems, addictions, and black market use of Morphine, Heroin, and OxyContin which are all opium derived. The drugs listed above are prescribed by current doctors to treat pain. I believe Marijuana is a safer alternative pain treatment.

Among the pro comments I read during my research, here is one from Lester Grinspoon, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, who stated in his article “The Medical Marijuana Problem,” published in Cannabis Health in Mar./Apr. 2006:”There are many thousands of patients who currently use cannabis as a medicine…There is no question about its safety. It is one of humanity's oldest medicines, used for thousands of years by millions of people, with very little evidence of significant toxic effects. More is known about its adverse effects than about those of most prescription drugs.”

According to a number of research reports on the use of medical marijuana, it has the least withdrawal symptoms of currently used pain killing prescription drugs, even in higher dosages. There are less dependence issues according to the research, and it is more easily tolerated by most patients. I feel patients should use it with the supervision of a doctor who is monitoring their overall disease and its symptoms. I think it should be legalized and regulated, so patients get a pure product. I feel it is a much better alternative to morphine, heroin, and OxyCotin where the drug overdose death rate is sky rocketing.

Deaths from opioid drugs such as morphine, heroin and OxyCotin tripled from 4000 in 1999 to 13,000 in 2006. Forty per cent of all poisoning deaths in the US in 2006 were caused from the abuse of opioid painkillers. These figures do not take into account the problem in black market drug traffic, hepatitis and AIDs transmission from used syringes.

Marijuana is not injected which is an advantage in regards to AIDS transmission and there are few deaths caused by the use of Marijuana. This does not mean its usage does not come without side effects. Still in my opinion, Marijuana should be legalized for use in pain management in certain diseases and to relieve dying patients. Visit the website below for some very excellent pros and cons on this subject, then make up your own mind.

References:

Pro-con.org on marijuana use: http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/viewresource.asp?resourceID=000141

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxycodone

http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/viewresource.asp?resourceID=000141

WebMD Medical Reference: “Opioid Analgesics for Chronic Pain.”
Hall, A.J., Journal of the American Medical Association, Dec. 10, 2008; vol 300: pp 2613-2620.

O.K., so it seems our President has seen fit to put away his love for cannabis, as the 2011 funding “highlights” were published at the beginning of the year by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and guess what? The Obama administration is expanding the war on drugs marijuana included and focusing its resources toward law enforcement… over treatment. The budget puts U.S. drug war spending at $15.5 billion for fiscal year 2011, an increase of 3.5% over 2010 and an increase of 5.2 % for on the whole enforcement funding ($9.7 billion in Fiscal Year 2010 to $9.9 billion in Fiscal Year 2011). Addiction treatment and preventative measures are budgeted to increase from $5.2 billion to $5.6 billion.

Meanwhile, Marijuana has been around for more than 5000 years and is considered to have an excellent safety record. Between 1979 and 1998, there were 23 reported deaths due to marijuana and when you look at the 23 people, they were all suffering from life-threatening illnesses (cancer, diabetes, etc) and were using cannabis medicinally. It is likely that they did not die from cannabis but from their illnesses. (Even if they died from marijuana that is 23 deaths over 19 years, compared to more than 100,000 deaths per year from prescription medications!)

“Our national drug strategies are based on unsubstantiated and insufficient information,” charged Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) after reviewing a 1993 G.A.O. report. “It is impossible to determine [from these surveys] whether … high school student drug use has been decreasing, increasing, or remaining stable.”

As President Jimmy Carter acknowledged: “Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against the possession of marijuana in private for personal use.”

Who smokes marijuana?

Marijuana remains the third most popular recreational drug of choice in the United States (behind tobacco and alcohol) despite 60 years of criminal prohibition. According to government figures, nearly 70 million Americans have smoked marijuana at some time in their lives. Of these, 18 million have smoked marijuana within the last year, and ten million are regular marijuana smokers. The vast majority of these individuals are otherwise law-abiding citizens who work hard, raise families, and contribute to their communities. They are not part of the crime problem and should not be treated as criminals.  A recent national survey of voters conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) found that 34% - one third of the voting adults in the country - acknowledged having smoked marijuana at some point in their lives. Many successful business and professional leaders, including many state and federal elected officials from both political parties, admit they used marijuana.  Presumptive presidential potentate Obama Barack just recently had the courage and honesty to admit he used it in his youth.  These otherwise law-abiding citizens live in fear of arrest and imprisonment solely because they choose to smoke marijuana for relaxation instead of drinking alcohol. Marijuana prohibition undermines respect for the law in general (since it is so widely disregarded) and extends government interference into inappropriate areas of private life. Millions of Americans use marijuana; few abuse it.

Is smoking marijuana bad for your lungs?

Unlike tobacco smoke, cannabis smoke does not alter the small airways in any way. Small airway damage is where cigarette smoking causes its most long-term and permanent damage. In total, cigarettes are responsible for the deaths of 430,000 Americans each year. A 1976 report by Dr. Tashkin, M.D. of UCLA found that cannabis was more of an irritant than cigarette tobacco in just one of the twenty-nine areas of the human lung under study. In the large air passageway marijuana smoke is fifteen times more irritating than cigarette smoke. Often glossed over is the fact that tobacco causes only minimal disruption to this area; hence the improper statistic that one joint causes lung damage equivalent to several cigarettes. On a hugely ironic note, the US government followed up this finding by limiting cannabis pulmonary studies to only the large air passageway, the very next year. Water pipe technology, such as bongs or vaporizers, has been proven to remove many of the toxins that do occur in marijuana smoke.

A 1997 UCLA School of Medicine study (Volume 155 of the American Journal of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine) conducted on 243 marijuana smokers over an 8-year period reported the following: “Findings from the long-term study of heavy, habitual marijuana smokers argue against the concept that continuing heavy use of marijuana is a significant risk factor for the development of chronic lung disease.” “Neither the continuing nor the intermittent marijuana smokers exhibited any significantly different rates of decline in lung function as compared with those individuals who never smoked marijuana.” The study concluded: “No differences were noted between even quite heavy marijuana smoking and nonsmoking of marijuana.” 

Another popular myth often told by prohibitionists is that marijuana smoke causes cancer. There has yet to be a study that conclusively points to this.  A federal study left on the shelf for two-and-a-half years showed the main active ingredient in marijuana did not cause cancer when fed in huge doses to laboratory animals over long periods, and may even have protected against malignancies. The 126-page draft study, which undercuts federal officials' contention that marijuana is carcinogenic, has never been published, though a panel of expert reviewers found in June 1994 that its scientific methods and conclusions were sound.

Can smoking marijuana kill you?

Marijuana is far less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. It fails to inflict the types of serious health consequences these two legal drugs cause. Around 50,000 people die each year from alcohol poisoning. Similarly, more than 400,000 American deaths each year are attributed to tobacco smoking.  Even a ubiquitously prescribed drug such as Aspirin causes upwards of 500 deaths per year in the U.S. alone.  By comparison, marijuana is non-toxic and cannot cause death by overdose. Despite the fact that tens of millions of Americans smoke pot regularly, there was still not one death attributed to the drug as of 1997. According to the prestigious European medical journal, The Lancet, “The smoking of cannabis, even long-term, is not harmful to health. It would be reasonable to judge cannabis as less of a threat than alcohol or tobacco.”  In May of this year, research findings from a comprehensive, long term study performed by Kaiser Permanente concluded that no link existed between regular marijuana smoking and mortality and emphasized that marijuana prohibition posed the only significant health hazard to the user. The report advocated that “medical guidelines regarding prudent use be established, akin to the common-sense guidelines that apply to alcohol use.”

Is marijuana a “gateway” drug?

There is no conclusive evidence that the effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent use of other illicit drugs. Preliminary animal studies alleging that marijuana “primed” the brain for other drug-taking behavior have not been replicated, nor are they supported by epidemiological human data. Statistically, for every 104 Americans who have tried marijuana, there is only one regular user of cocaine, and less than one user of heroin. Marijuana is clearly an “endpoint” rather than a gateway for the overwhelming majority of marijuana smokers. For those minority of marijuana smokers who do graduate to harder substances, it is marijuana prohibition - which forces users to associate with the illicit drug black market - rather than the use of marijuana itself, that often serves as a doorway to the world of hard drugs. The more users become integrated into an environment where hard drugs can also be obtained, the greater the chances they will experiment with these vastly more dangerous drugs.  In Holland, where politicians decided over 25 years ago to separate marijuana from the illicit hard drug market by permitting coffee shops all over the country to sell small amounts of marijuana to adults, individuals use marijuana and other drugs at rates less than half of their American counterparts. 

Is marijuana addictive?

There are three physiological components to addiction: pleasure production, tolerance creation, and withdrawal symptoms.  While marijuana certainly provokes a pleasurable physical reaction, years of research, while not unanimous, generally has found that the reinforcing properties of marijuana in humans is low in comparison to other drugs of abuse, including alcohol and nicotine. According to the U.S. Institute of Medicine(IOM), fewer than one in 10 marijuana smokers become regular users of the drug, and most voluntarily cease their use after 34 years of age. By comparison, 15 percent of alcohol consumers and 32 percent of tobacco smokers exhibit symptoms of drug dependence.

According to the IOM, observable cannabis withdrawal symptoms are rare and have only been identified under unique patient settings. These remain limited to adolescents in treatment facilities for substance abuse problems, and in a research setting where subjects were given marijuana or THC daily.  Compared with the profound physical syndrome of alcohol or heroin withdrawal, marijuana-related withdrawal symptoms are mild and virtually innocuous, indistinguishable from any number of other common maladies. Symptoms may include restlessness, irritability, mild agitation and sleep disruption.

The architects of marijuana prohibition have long maintained that tolerance to cannabis meant the same thing as tolerance to addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin - that users need more and more to get high, driving them to crime and desperation. Now, the federal government's own research indicates that precisely the opposite is true. Science has finally confirmed what many of us already knew:  with marijuana tolerance, you have to smoke less to get high.  Jon Gettman in the July 1995 issue of High Times explains why the latest findings discredit the government's drug policy.  A breakthrough came in 1988 research leading to the discovery of THC-receptor sites in the brain, and the subsequent studies showing why marijuana is not addictive and is not a drug of abuse. The magazine's original table of contents says, “All of marijuana prohibition rests on the premise that marijuana is potentially addictive. But the 1988 discovery of receptors for THC in the human brain is forcing the scientific community to rethink its position and may ultimately lead to cannabis legalization.”  So far we have yet to reap any significant change in our government’s stance towards marijuana, despite the definite conclusions reached by medical science.

Does marijuana make you lazy and unproductive?

The popular conception of the unmotivated stoned slacker originates with the lazy Mexican “borracho” sterotype – many immigrants brought with them their habit of smoking cannabis, but predictably, when racial tensions flared over employment issues, media and politicians seized upon their innocent habit as a method to condemn the entire ethnic group. The prohibitionists claimed that marijuana made people worthless and sluggish.  While it is certainly true that smoking does mellow one out and induce a state of relative calm and tranquility, this attitude or personality affectation does not persist after the effects of the marijuana have worn off.  In studies, an effect known as the “amotivational symptom” has been observed in some rare instances, but only in early/mid teenage adolescent users – never in adults.  This is further proof of the need to properly regulate the marijuana commerce; not to prohibit it to the entire population, but to prevent it from falling into the hands of those too young and immature to safely use it.  

Frequently misunderstood is the fact that certain chemicals in marijuana stay in your fat cells for up to a month. The part of marijuana that gets one high is called `Delta-9-TetraHydroCannabinol.' The body will change Delta-9-THC into more inert molecules known as `metabolites,' which do not have the effect of causing a high. Unfortunately, these chemicals contain the much maligned THC word in them – so many people assume that the metabolites get people high. Anti-drug pamphlets say that THC gets stored in your fat cells and then leaks out later. They claim it can keep people high all day or even longer. This is completely untrue, marijuana is psycho-active for a few hours at maximum. A very short time after smoking marijuana, there is almost no Delta-9-THC left over, and scientific studies which measure the effects of marijuana agree with this fact.   In reality, marijuana is linked by many to enhanced creativity. Authors such as Lewis Carroll, and jazz greats like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington are all said to have used cannabis for creative stimulation.  In the most complete study of “reefer” consumption in its natural setting, Vera Rubin and Lambros Comita confirmed that, aside from marijuana busts, there is no real link between cannabis and crime. They also found that the heavy use of ganja is unlikely to curtail one's motivation to work.

In fact, workers who tested positive for marijuana: 1) cost less in health insurance benefits; 2) had a higher than average rate of promotion; 3) exhibited less absenteeism; and 4) were fired for cause less often than workers who did not test positive. Since marijuana is the most common illicit drug used by adults, and the one detected in up to 90 percent of all “positive” urine tests, this article still has profound implications for current public and employer policies.

Does marijuana kill brain cells?

Another popular falsehood is that marijuana causes permanent brain damage.  After multiple Freedom of Information Act lawsuits, mainly by cutting edge periodicals, the government was forced to release the methods it used in its brain damage studies. The main referenced study was poorly performed and a medical review board severely criticized it.  Dr. Heath of Tulane University forced a group of Rhesus monkeys to inhale the equivalent of thirty joints per day.  He concluded that the monkeys began to atrophy and die after ninety days. Heath then killed off the dying monkeys, then opened their brains counting the dead brain cells, to compare his findings with the control group. Any marijuana knows this borders on the laughable, as no sane human being could contemplate smoking thirty joints in one day. It's important to note Dr. Tashkin considers that smoking sixteen or more “large” blunts in a day could lead to hypoxia, or a condition where the lungs are over saturated with smoke, and become deprived of the oxygen necessary to remain healthy. Meanwhile, a 1981 UCLA study of the Coptic religion in Florida, whose worshipers are some of the heaviest pot smokers in the US, measured absolutely no brain differences between smokers and non-smokers.  A very recent study on Rhesus monkeys used technology so sensitive that scientists could actually see the effect of learning on brain cells.  No damage was found.  In fact, middle age, not marijuana, is more likely to be the cause of memory lapses, found the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, in their Aug. 8, 1994 issue. Alcohol, on the other hand, can easily cause brain damage.

It seems that some are very concerned that a vote that would legalize Cannabis in California might also upset supply and demand that Medical Cannabis values could plunge by as much as 90 % and perhaps challenge the tax bonus that marijuana supporters have used to sell the proposal, a study in print Wednesday found.

An intensive study by the independent RAND Drug Policy Research Center projects some attention-grabbing possibilities if Ca in Nov becomes the second state, after Alaska, to legalize cannabis for entertaining use by adults and the first to tax commercial marijuana sales sales. Do you think marijuana should remain medical

Rand Researchers are stating Cannabis prices may well plunge from $375 an oz., within the state's present medical marijuana regulation to less than $38 per oz. prior to taxes.

Something that seems to be getting more and more attention in today's society is the legalization of marijuana. In this article I will discuss the reasons that Marijuana should be legalized in not only the United States but everywhere else it is illegal too.

Often groups that campaign to keep marijuana illegal use the statement that marijuana is a gateway drug, otherwise meaning that it could lead to the use of other, more potent or dangerous drugs. Now take note that I said marijuana opponents use the statement that marijuana is a gateway drug. There is a large amount of conflicting information in this area; numerous studies have found that marijuana could be a gateway drug where others have found that marijuana is not a gateway drug. There may be a logical explanation for marijuana being a possible gateway drug when someone purchases marijuana there is the possibility that other harder and more dangerous drugs may be available and the buyer may be pressured into buying other substances. Along with other drugs possibly being available someone may be around other people that are using marijuana and be pushed into using other substances through peer pressure. If marijuana were to be legalized it would be available to purchase where other illegal substances are not available.

Another argument against the legalization of marijuana is that if marijuana were legal people will drive themselves into poverty because of the price of the substance. Now assuming that marijuana prices remained at what they are right now that would be very possible, however if marijuana were legal the price would almost be guaranteed to drop. One needs look no further than prohibition to see this principal at work, when the sale or transport of alcohol was made illegal prices skyrocketed. The price of beer during the prohibition era rose about 700% if this same factor were applied to marijuana today the price would drop substantially. According to one of my friends, in my area the price for an ounce of marijuana will run about $400-500, if the price dropped by 700% an ounce would cost about $65, and that would be enough to keep one person constantly stoned for quite a while. It is estimated that in 1990 US consumers spent $9 billion on marijuana, with inflation this could easily be over $12-15 billion now. That is $12-15 billion that is not being put back into our economy. Now with a 700% drop in price that is about $2 billion that could be put back into our economy instead of Mexico. Better yet, assuming that the government had a huge tax on it, all of that could be put into government programs or even used for tax cuts.

One common problem with anything illegal is that there is a black market for the items. Unlike the free market the black market cannot be regulated to control inflation and validity of transactions. The only way to control the black market is through violence, which is why drug related crime is common. There is no doubt about it that drug related crime is impossible to stop but it can be reduced. With the legalization of marijuana there is a good possibility that drug related crime could drop due to the ability to purchase it on the free market not having to deal with dealers that will take your cash and shoot you on site so that they can take their business elsewhere. Not to mention that bank robberies could possibly be reduced because of people robbing them to obtain drug money, with reduced prices there would be less of a need to do so.

One major argument for at the very least decriminalization of marijuana is medical purposes. Opponents to this argument say that marijuana has no medical use and that marijuana causes more damage than it helps. This is a half-truth, true marijuana can cause damage to brain cells but that is when it is used in extreme excess, however it can also be extremely useful to people on chemotherapy. It does this by calming nausea that is induced by chemotherapy. It can also be used as a mild painkiller, similar to the effect of aspirin or ibuprofen; it can also be used to stimulate appetite, treat glaucoma and has a relaxing or calming effect on the user.

Marijuana may also be one of the safest drugs around. Nicotine and Ethanol have absolutely no health benefit at all but they are legal, and widely abused drugs. The active ingredient in marijuana, THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is probably the safest of all three.

NOTE: LD50 level is the level at which a substance will kill 50% of the tested population.

The LD50 level of Nicotine, the active ingredient in tobacco, is 9.2 mg/kg in a dog.
The LD50 level of Grain Alcohol is 5500 mg/kg in a dog.
The LD50 level of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, is 525 mg/kg in a dog.

According to this a domestic dog would have to consume nearly 1/3lb of pure THC to kill it. And at a 15% THC level in marijuana that results to consuming about 2.2lbs of marijuana.

Not to mention that marijuana can be consumed in a safer manner than nicotine or alcohol. When one uses a tobacco product in any way you are exposing yourself to cancer-causing carcinogens. When drinking alcohol you are putting yourself at risk for alcohol poisoning and liver damage. Marijuana can be consumed in several ways where each has a different possible health effect. Smoking marijuana is basically the same as smoking a cigarette, using a bong or vaporizer reduces the carcinogens that your body s exposed to. However there is one way to use marijuana that exposes your body to as little danger as possible, baking the marijuana into a lipid (fat) releases the THC in a safe non carcinogenic way.

In order for marijuana to be legalized and still be controlled several restrictions would have to be placed on the sale and production of it.

1) You must be 20 or older to purchase marijuana.

2) The sale of marijuana would be restricted to government-approved businesses.

3) Marijuana may only be consumed in private due to the effects that the smoke may have on people that do not wish to be exposed to it.

4) Import or massive private production of marijuana would be illegal to prevent lower prices on the black market to allow better control over the substance. Breaking this restriction would have massive charges attached to it, similar to what is in effect today.

5) Small scale private production of marijuana would be legal but it must be strictly for private use and may not exceed 'x' size of plant/garden etc.

6) Driving stoned would carry a penalty similar to DUI, with a suspension of your license and possibly jail time for endangering the lives of other people.

7) Those in the medical business or any other business that people's lives depend on should be forbidden to use marijuana, we can't have people doing brain surgery high.

Following the above steps Marijuana could be legalized and be just as controlled as it is now only without the going to jail for having a plant part.

Long Beach Ca. city council voted last night to go after taxes on medical cannabis collectives, as part of what may become a wave of communities turning to such proceeds to plug budget deficits. The Medical Cannabis tax is modeled after one by the City of Oakland, which expects to collect $1 million a year in revenue from its four authorized medical cannabis clubs “We’re looking under every rock to find revenue sources and under one of those rocks could be a medical marijuana tax,” Long Beach council member Patrick O’Donnell said in an interview. His city faces an $18.5 million deficit for 2011, according to a letter to the council yesterday from Long Beach’s financial management department.

With legislation already passed, in both Colorado and California, legalizing some form of marijuana possession over the past few years, more advocates are wondering when this support will spread. With the State and Federal governments falling further into debt each passing day, the recession economy may the final push needed to legalize the drug.

Marijuana, fully outlawed in 1970 by the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, has been the largest producer of drug related crimes in the past 40 years. Recently, states such as California, Nevada, and Maryland have legalized medical marijuana if a patient can prevent substantial need. Otherwise those who possess it can be punished with crippling fines, and even jail time.

This medical legislation has caused an exponential increase in support for the advocacy of marijuana legalization. According to a recent poll, 40% of all Americans, more than for both the new stimulus package and GOP party leaders, support the legalization of marijuana possession and usage.

Surprisingly, at least one state government is starting to take notice of this growing marijuana movement.

Just a few weeks ago, California Assemblyman Tom Ammiano introduced a bill proposing legalization and tax of the substance for sale to citizens over 21 years of age. He cited the troubles in the US economy the main reason to legalize the drug, projecting as much as $1.3 billion in state revenue through taxed sale of the drug.

“With the state in the midst of an historic economic crisis, the move towards regulating and taxing marijuana is simply common sense. This legislation would generate much needed revenue for the state, restrict access to only those over 21, end the environmental damage to our public lands from illicit crops, and improve public safety by redirecting law enforcement efforts to more serious crimes,” said Ammiano. “California has the opportunity to be the first state in the nation to enact a smart, responsible public policy for the control and regulation of marijuana.”

Passing this unprecedented legislation would certainly have drastic consequences on the drug culture of America. Making the substance readily available at establishments would discourage buyers from dealing with criminals, as well as provide the product for a much lower price, as there is no longer a need to pay smugglers.

It appears that marijuana legalization is no longer a question of if, but when it will happen.

Sources: Ammiano Press Release 2/23/09, Matthew Yglesias, AFP News

Medical Marijuana:AIDS Patients in a Controlled Study Had Significant Pain Relief… AIDS patients suffering from debilitating nerve pain got as much or more relief by somking cannabis as they would typically get from prescription drugs — and with fewer side effects — according to a study conducted under rigorously controlled conditions with government-grown pot.

In a five-day study performed in a specially ventilated hospital ward where marijuana patients smoked three marijuana cigarettes a day, more than half the participants tallied significant reductions in pain.

By contrast, less than one-quarter of those who smoked “placebo” medical marijuana, which had its primary psychoactive ingredients removed, reported benefits, as measured by subjective pain reports and standardized neurological tests.

Marijuana Legalization is one of the most debated issues of the twenty first century. Use of the plant even dates back “further than 7,000 B.C. and was legal as recently as when Ronald Regan was a boy…” (Guither). The drug is the most commonly used illicit substance around the world and there are numerous slang terms for the plant such as cannabis, reefer, mary jane, weed, etc. Most Americans are familiar with the anti-marijuana commercials and the side effects of smoking pot as well as seeing athletes and celebrities reprimanded for the legal use and sale of cannabis. However, according to NORML (”The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws”) in 2008 “more than 80 million Americans admit that they have smoked in the past year.” This is a very large number considering how much money the United States government spends on advertising for the war against drugs. Many people agree that the drug is no more dangerous than the use of any other legal drugs such as the consumption of alcohol or cigarette smoking. For this reason, marijuana should be decriminalized and available to the public while regulated as cigarettes and alcohol.

The most obvious reason for a number of Americans to avoid marijuana is the belief that it is morally unethical. Jobs, that do drug testing, make it clear that it is not socially acceptable in the work place and that it will not be tolerated. Most Christians especially do not approve of smoking pot. Ironically, the Rastafarian religion has found numerous references to pot in the bible. For example, “…thou shalt eat the herb of the land (exodus 10:12)” (”BBC”).Though all religions vary in teachings, in general American parents are concerned that legalizing Marijuana sends the wrong message to children. Which is a good indication that most American parents of teenagers do not realize that “47% of high school students have tried marijuana” (Leachman 2). In 1936, “Reefer Madness”, a propaganda film framed as a documentary, warned parents and children of the dangers of the marijuana. The film was a far cry from reality and showed very unrealistic “scenes of high school kids smoking pot and quickly going insane, playing 'evil' jazz music, being committed, and going on a murder spree” (Murphy 1). “Reefer Madness” is now a musical and has been used for entertainment purposes because of its outdated and exaggerated views on marijuana.

For many people, marijuana is what is referred to as a gateway drug, or a seemingly harmless substance which may cause more serious addictions in the future. Joseph A. Califano says that “teens who drank, smoked cigarettes, and used marijuana at least once in the past month are more than 16 times as likely to use another drug like cocaine, heroin ,or LSD”(33) which are all very serious illicit drugs which can lead to severe health and legal consequences. For most of the American population it is considered to be common knowledge that marijuana is what gets people hooked on harder drugs. Despite this assumption, some believe that marijuana is not the cause at all and that most drug addicts begin substance abuse with legal drugs such as alcohol or cigarettes. According to the Institute of Medicine “ecause it is the most widely used illicit drug, marijuana is predictably the first illicit drug that most people encounter. Not surprisingly, most users do not begin with marijuana- they begin with alcohol and nicotine, usually when they are too young to do so legally”(36) It is understandable that”[people who enjoy the effects of marijuana are, logically, more likely to be willing to try other mood-altering drugs than are people who are not willing to try marijuana or who dislike its effects”(The Institute of Medicine 37).The Institute of Medicine also states that “illions of Americans have tried marijuana, but are not regular users. In 1996, 68.6 million people-32% of the U.S. population over 12 years old-had tried marijuana or hashish at least once in their life time, but only 5% were current users”(35). This does not mean that marijuana does not contribute to the amount of people who try hard drugs or become addicted to them. “Most people who smoke pot do not move on to other drugs, but then only 5% to 7% of cigarette smokers get lung cancer”, the lesson is that young people “who smoke pot are at vastly greater risk of moving on to harder drugs”(Califano 33). It would be easy to blame marijuana for drug dependency in America, but drugs that are legal in the U.S. are at fault as much or more because of their availability to the public.

For most educated Americans, it is known that marijuana has several harmful side effects. Health risks include memory loss, gum disease, lung and respiratory problems, and several mental health conditions that could become detrimental to a person's well-being. The most argued health issue is weather or not the drug is addictive. According to Tim Anderson “any people use marijuana compulsively even though it interferes with family, school, work and recreational activities” (226). Alcohol and nicotine are both legal drugs which are proven to be addictive and cause serious problems in the lives of people who become addictive. Why should the fact that marijuana is addictive keep it from being legalized when two other addictive substances are legally sold to the public? Alcohol can lead to the same poor choices as marijuana, such as unprotected sexual activity, neglect of responsibilities, or driving while impaired. Alcohol and nicotine are both proven to have as serious health consequences as marijuana. The Office of National Drug Control Policy states that “people who use marijuana on a regular basis often have the same breathing problems as tobacco users, such as chronic coughing and wheezing, more frequent acute chest illnesses, and a tendency toward obstructed airways”(228). More disconcerting than the physical health issues would be the mental health problems which may follow such as difficulty in “memory loss, distorted perception, trouble with thinking and problem solving, and anxiety” (Office of National Drug Control Policy 226).Regular marijuana users have also been shown to have double the chance of suffering from depression and anxiety, panic attacks, or thoughts of suicide later in life (ONDCP 226, “Drug Facts: Marijuana” 1). Alcohol is a depressant; these same effects hold true for alcoholics. “Is marijuana addictive? Yes, can be, in that some people use it to excess, in ways that are problematic for themselves and those around them, and find it hard to stop. But marijuana may very well be the least addictive and least damaging of all commonly used psychoactive drugs, including many that are now legal. Most people who smoke marijuana never become dependant. Withdrawal symptoms pale compared with those from other drugs. No one has ever died from a marijuana overdose, which cannot be said for most other drugs. Marijuana is not associated with violent behavior and only minimally with reckless sexual behavior, and even heavy marijuana smokers smoke only a fraction of what cigarette addicts smoke. Lung cancers involving marijuana are rare” (Nadelmann 215).

The point is any substance, weather its caffeine or prescription drugs, can be abused and become addictive and harmful to a person, this should not mean that marijuana in particular should be illegal. Instead, marijuana should be legalized and regulated in the same way as alcohol and nicotine.

The first and possibly most essential reason for marijuana decriminalization is the many medical uses for the drug. A number of people with terminating illnesses have found relief from the use of marijuana. AIDS patients have shown an increase in appetite, as well as “cancer patients often smoke marijuana to battle the nausea caused by chemotherapy” (Rich 1). According to Ted Gottfried “arijuana has been effective in treating Glaucoma, a condition resulting from a pressure in the eyes, which the drug eases” the patient's pain (20). Marijuana can be used for medicinal purposes and can be beneficial to society but it is illegal, alcohol and nicotine are not effective as medicine for any diseases however they are both legal to the public. To supporters of marijuana legalization it is obvious why it should be legalized if only for medical use. The main concern for most patients would be the adverse affects of smoking marijuana may be more detrimental than the symptoms that the drug is meant to relieve. Luckily, less invasive ways to use the drug for medicine have been developed: “Pharmaceutical products containing marijuana's central ingredient, THC, are legally sold in the U.S., and more are emerging. Some people find the pill form satisfactory, and others consume it in teas or baked products” (Nadelmann 215). Even if patients decide smoke instead of one of the newer techniques, the effects on the person's health are minimal compared to the disease which it is helping to treat, especially since most of the diseases are fatal and incurable at this point in time.

Unlike cigarettes, marijuana has absolutely no harmful chemicals added before it is sold and smoked. For this reason alone pot is less likely to lead to cancer or lung problems. Lung cancer from the smoking of marijuana is rare and the use of tobacco is much more likely to result in respiratory complications and gum disease. In general, heavy users of marijuana still do not smoke as much as people who smoke cigarettes. Marijuana's health risks are significantly mild compared to legal substances and hard drugs. Infact many of the health risks are exaggerated or not sufficiently supported by scientific evidence: “In 1972, after reviewing the scientific evidence, the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse concluded that while marijuana was not entirely safe, its dangers had been grossly overstated. Since then, researchers have conducted thousands of studies of humans, animals, and cell cultures. None reveal any findings dramatically different from those described by the National Commission in 1972. In 1995, based on thirty years of scientific research editors of the British medical journal Lancet concluded that “the smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health” (”Myths and Facts about Marijuana”1).

Some researchers will argue that the effects of marijuana are clearly visible regardless of scientific proof. The idea that marijuana leads to brain damage, has yet to be anything more than a theory. Scientists continue the study of the effects of marijuana on animals and humans:”None of the medical tests currently used to detect brain damage in humans have found harm from marijuana, even from long term high-dose use. An early study reported brain damage in rhesus monkeys after six months exposure to high concentrations of marijuana smoke. In a recent, more carefully conducted study, researchers found no evidence of brain abnormality in monkeys that were forced to inhale the equivalent of four to five marijuana cigarettes every day for a year. The claim that marijuana kills brain cells is based on a speculative report dating back a quarter of a century that has never been supported by any scientific study”(”Myths and Facts about Marijuana” 2).Though marijuana smoke is not necessarily a healthy habit, it is not any more harmful than the legal drugs that are being used everyday in the U.S.

Legalizing marijuana would not increase the number of people who abuse the drug; because it would be less taboo and not as thrilling if it is legal. When drugs are prohibited in America or in neighboring countries, use of the drug is actually increased. As determined by Dan Gardner, “he most frightening jumps in drug use the world has seen have happened after the introduction -or escalation- of drug prohibition” (132). He also believes that “tates with higher rates of drug incarceration experience higher rates of drug use” (133). If that is true, keeping marijuana illegal is counter productive to the fight against drug use in America. Legalization would cut down on the number of people in jail for marijuana related crimes. Instead of police chasing people, who may be illegally dealing drugs or in possession of marijuana, they can focus on catching criminals who are guilty of rape, burglary, or murder. Also if the number of people in jail were reduced tax payer's money would not be wasted and marijuana users could be productive members of society. According to District Attorney, Paul Gallegos, legalization of the drug “would probably reduce the value of marijuana pretty significantly, so we'd probably see a reduction if not a complete end to the ancillary crime associated with marijuana” (1). People who do not smoke pot now while it is illegal will most likely not start if it becomes legal due to religious beliefs or health concerns.

Economically, the legalization of marijuana could be beneficial to the U.S. because it could be taxed and regulated like tobacco. NORML states that currently “Californians consume $1-$2 billion worth of medical marijuana per year, enough to generate some $100 million in sales tax” (2) or approximately 1.3 billion dollars a year! The Economy in America is suffering and hemp could be a major export and beneficial cash crop. The use of hemp in clothing and other products has been around for thousands of years. Infact the first woven fabrics are believed to have been constructed from the plant's stalks (Guither 1). Of course, clothing is not the only industrial use of hemp; “over the centuries the plant was used for food, incense, cloth, rope, and much more” (Guither 1). According to Dan Stancliff California's sale of marijuana could lead the nation out of the recession if pot were legalized. The money would not only come from industrial use but also on “tourism picking up for the entire state, and especially for the Emerald Triangle, 'Green Tours' would have a new meaning, more importantly, legalizing marijuana would put an end to the Mexican cartels who infest our state and national forests with their huge destructive grows” (Stancliff 1). Presently, much of America's tax dollars are being spent on anti-drug programs and advertisements. Many supporters claim that “f drugs were decriminalized…much of the $50 billion spent annually by federal and state government agencies might be used in such critical areas as health care, education, low-cost housing, and programs to reduce dependency on drugs and alcohol”(Gottfried 68). The cost to enforce marijuana laws in the U.S. is an estimated $10-15 billion (Nadelmann 214). Most supporters of marijuana legalization agree with the opinion of Ethan A. Nadelmann:

“No drug is perfectly safe, and every psychoactive drug can be used in ways that are problematic, The federal government has spent billions of dollars on advertisements and anti-drug programs that preach the dangers of marijuana -that it's a gateway drug, and addictive in its own right, and dramatically more potent than it used to be, and responsible for all sorts of physical and social diseases as well as international terrorism. But the government has yet to repudiate the 1988 finding of the Drug Enforcement Administration's own administrative law judge, Frances Young. Who concluded after extensive testimony 'marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man',” (Nadelmann 214).

Instead of spending American tax dollars on advertisements which people will ignore, that money could go toward improving the lives of the citizens.

In the United States, the possession of marijuana lands more that 700,000 people in jail every year (Nadelmann 214), most of which have no other criminal records. That means that the number of people arrested for marijuana related crimes is “almost as the same number as are arrested each year for cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, and all other illicit drugs combined” (Nadelmann 214). Clearly the U.S. government has overreacted and over the years this view has grown without many of the view-holders fully aware of the facts. In the some countries the use and sale of marijuana is legal and regulated as tobacco. For example, Amsterdam allows people to buy marijuana at coffee shops and the country does not seem to have a problem with abuse of the drug.

“Young people who smoke marijuana are to do so in coffee shops that openly sell the drug. There are rules governing these coffee shops. They are not allowed to sell alcohol or hard drugs. They may dispense no more than five grams of marijuana or hashish in any single transaction. Drugs may not be advertised. The shops must not cause any nuisance to local neighborhoods” (Gottfried 92).

Not all Americans agree that the same success with pot would happen in the U.S. Amsterdam and the other European countries, which do not prohibit the sale of marijuana, rely more on public transportation than most citizens of the United States. If pot were legal to the American public for personal use, laws prohibiting driving under the influence of marijuana should be enforced much like the laws regarding drinking and driving.

For a number of United States citizens that idea of marijuana legalization is a subject in which lies a lot of gray area. There are people who are totally against the idea, others who think that legalization is an imperative part of improving the quality of life in America, and many who are undecided on the matter. However, a plethora of American people who believe that marijuana should be legalized are vocal enough to gain national attention. Nadelmann states that “Marijuana Prohibition is unique among American criminal laws. No other law is both enforced so widely and harshly and yet deemed so unnecessary by such a substantial portion of the populace” (213). Many people disagree with the use of marijuana because of moral views but the same groups also disagree with tobacco and alcohol, both of which are not prohibited by law. Marijuana is no more dangerous than cigarettes or alcohol and therefore, should be legally treated as equals.

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Anderson, Tim. “Marijuana should be Decriminalized.” http: //www.themountaineeronline.com. (18 Nov 2008).

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Califano Jr., Joseph A. “Marijuana is a gateway drug.” Espejo, Roman. Drug Abuse. San Diego: Green Haven, 2002.

Drug Policy. “Myths and Facts about Marijuana.” http:// www.drugpolicy.org /marijuana/factsmyths /#harms. (2009).

Gardner, Dan. “Legalizing Drugs would not cause an increase in Drug Use.” Espejo, Roman. Drug Abuse. Green Haven: San Diego, 2002.

Gottfried, Ted. Should Drugs be Legalized? Brookfield: Twenty First Century, 2000.

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The Institute of Medicine. “Marijuana Use does not lead to Harder Drugs.” Espejo, Roman. Drug Abuse. San Diego: Green Haven, 2002.

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Nadelmann, Ethan A. “An End to Marijuana Prohibition”. Goldberg, Raymond. Taking Sides: Drugs and Society. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006.

NORML. “NORML Statement on the Cultivation of Industrial Hemp.”http://www.norml.com/index.cfm? group_ID=5447. (11 Dec 2006).

Office of National Drug Control Policy. “Marijuana and the Truth behind 10 Popular Misperceptions.” Goldberg, Raymond. Taking Sides: Drugs and Society. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006.

Rich, Alex K. “Legalization of Marijuana: an overview.” Points of View: Legalization of Marijuana. http: //search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=puh&AN=23554883&site=pov-live. (Feb 2007).

Stancliff, Dan. “California can lead the nation out of this depression by legalizing Marijuana.” http:// www.times-standard.com/ci_11865538?source=most=viewed. (08 Mar 2009)

Tam, Donna.” Marijuana Legalization Supporters say Bill could save Billions.” http: //www.times- standard.com/localnews/ci_11865543. (08 Mar 2009).

Medical Cannabis is nothing new, despite the current groundswell of laws making pot legal for medical uses. Here's a quick fact file on cannabis and its medical history.
1. “Marijuana” is a Mexican term that originally was applied to low-quality tobacco.
2. Cannabis was cultivated in China for therapy (and recreation) over 4,700 years ago.
3. More than 20 prescription medicinescontaining cannabis were sold in U.S. pharmacies at the turn of the 20th century. marijuana based medications were commonly available until 1942, when cannabis was stricken from the U.S. Pharmacopeia, the official compendium of drugs considered effective. From 1937 to 1942 the federal government collected a tax of $1 per ounce for such drugs.
4. About 17,000 studies on marijuana and its components have been published, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, an advocacy group, but fewer than 20, all of them small, have included human subjects.
5. The federal government is in the pot-growing business. Under a federal contract, the University of Mississippi in Oxford cultivates marijuana for use by researchers, who have to be cleared by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
6. The plant has nearly 500 chemical compounds, called cannabinoids.
7. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. But patients in these states face federal prosecution for using it—or for growing or possessing pot for medical purposes.
8. Federal law prohibits physicians from prescribing or otherwise actively supplying patients with the drug. But in 2002 the U.S. Supreme Court backed an appellate court ruling that physicians who discuss it with patients, or provide oral or written recommendations, are protected.

Ricky Williams is back to his old ways and has failed yet another drug test. It is now being reported that last month he tested positive for marijuana use and his NFL return is now officially in jeopardy. Williams was already trying to return from a one-year suspension for failing a drug test, but his latest setback will prolong a decision on his return.

First year Roger Goodell will likely make an example out of Williams, and deservedly so. It is hard to imagine him getting yet another chance to embarrass himself and the league. It won't help his cause that Miami also has a new coach, Cam Cameron. Cameron will probably not put up with his shenanigans and is doubtful that the Dolphins will even ask Ricky to return. Miami has a talented backfield led by returning starter Ronnie Brown, a former Auburn University standout and first round draft pick. Brown has proven to be a durable NFL back surviving his first two seasons without losing much playing time. The Dolphins also acquired Florida State's Lorenzo Booker in this year's draft.

Ricky Williams is the latest in a long line of sports figures who have literally thrown away the opportunity of a lifetime over dope. I guess that's why they call it dope, because only a dope would mess with it. If I were a betting man I would bet that this is the end of the line for Williams. He is still on the hook for $8 million for walking away from the Dolphins prior to the 2004 season. I suppose the Dolphins could take him back at a minimum salary offer to work off some of this $8 million balance. Maybe they could put him on the scout team and let Jason Taylor and the defense pound on him some. At least the he might get some sense knocked back into him!

Williams has fallen a long way from 1998 when he won the Heisman Trophy at the University of Texas. His first few years in the league were promising until his drug abuse problems began to show up. Williams walked away from football in 2004 leaving the Miami Dolphins hanging without a viable option at running back. Many players and staff didn't forgive him for this, but first-year coach Nick Saban allowed him to return. Williams shared carries with Ronnie Brown that year, but Williams failed another drug test and was relegated to the Canadian Football League where he showed promise before breaking an arm.