MARIJUANA DEBATE IN AMERICA

Article by Robert Rowe.

The subject of marijuana use in the United States has become one of the most hotly debated in the last few decades. Proponents espouse the supposed positive medicinal benefits of cannabinoids as sufficient reason for legalization. Opponents, on the other hand, point to several health risks connected to the most common method of using marijuana, smoking, as the necessity for maintaining its controlled (read illegal) status.

As America becomes increasingly tolerant of pot use, at least by adults, it is developing an almost cultish following, known as the 420 crowd. It has derived this name from the old Scooby Doo cartoons of the seventies in which all the clocks in the show read 4:20. Most people believe that the characters Shaggy and Scooby exhibited one of the most common side effects of pot usage, their constant hunger. In today’s America, where those choosing to drink at what is socially deemed an inappropriately early time are often heard commenting that it is five o’clock somewhere, similarly those who participate in pot consumption are often remarking that it is 4:20 somewhere.

Additionally, April 20th has become known across the country as a day to celebrate marijuana usage either recreationally or medicinally.

It is popularly believed by most in the 420 subculture that marijuana prohibition laws should be treated the same as alcohol prohibition laws were early in the 20th century. Juries tended to stand against the government in most of these cases as a way to protest the unfair and unjust laws. This is a process known as jury nullification which practice fell out of favor for most of the 20th century and is gaining in popularity again in 21st century America.

Proponents of the herb’s usage often extol many recent studies which indicate that its use may have considerably greater health benefits than it does negative effects. In fact, researchers at the University of California have discovered that the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), actually decreases the growth rate of cancer cells in lung, breast and brain tumors. It can also be used for treating the symptoms of Crohn’s disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). In 1985, the Food and Drug Administration approved for use the nausea treating drug Marinol which is derived from synthetically produced THC.

It is obvious the U.S. Government knows of the positive health effects gained by pot usage. The question then arises: why is it still on the controlled substance list making it illegal for Americans? Answers to this question range from the hemp competition theory to the taxation theory and anything in between.

Many believe that marijuana was included in the hemp ban because of the difficulty in determining the difference between the two. Hemp was outlawed in America as it interfered with the lumber industry’s monopoly on paper products and the oil industry’s monopoly on fuel products. Marijuana usage at that time was fairly common as a medicinal and recreational herb. However, once it was discovered that hemp could produce far more paper at a far cheaper cost per acre than lumber and it could produce fuel oil at a substantially lower cost than oil companies paid to pump oil out of the ground, big business swung into action and lobbied Congress to outlaw the plant. Marijuana was included in that law.

Later, the Food and Drug Administration added marijuana to the controlled substance list citing the negative health effects it has on the human body including emphysema, linked to the carcinogens inhaled by pot smokers. Indeed, marijuana smokers are more likely to suffer from diseases like emphysema than cigarette smokers in spite of the fact that marijuana is smoked less frequently than cigarettes are by tobacco smokers.

Recent studies have indicated that children under the age of 16 who are regular pot smokers tend to score considerably lower on cognitive tests of brain function, especially those assessing executive functions (planning, abstract thinking, understanding rules and inhibiting inappropriate responses to stimulus). What is often left out when citing these studies is that THC appears to have no effect on an adult brain with regard to these same assessments. This furthers the cause of legalization as no law presented for consideration has ever included an allowance of minors to use the substance recreationally.

It has also been found to inhibit immune response especially in the lungs which seems to contradict the previous UC study. This has caused opponents of marijuana use to lobby extensively to keep pot on the Federal Controlled Substance list.

No lobby group seems to have more influence in this effort than the National Lung Association which cites respiratory infections as being more prevalent in pot smokers than in cigarette smokers. It is believed this is due to the increased THC and tar levels in marijuana plants grown today. Tests performed on confiscated marijuana have shown that these levels have more than doubled between 1993 and 2008. The National Lung Association claims that this increased level of tar, which is four times greater than in a regular cigarette, explains the increase in reports of lung and respiratory infections in pot smokers.

Marijuana addiction is also cited as a reason to keep the plant on the controlled substance list. However, the statistics do not seem to suggest marijuana is a very addictive plant. Fewer than 10% of marijuana users become addicted to it versus users of other substances like alcohol (15%), heroin (23%) and cigarettes (32%).

Taxation is another issue which prevents the Federal legalization of the plant. It can be grown just about anywhere, processed easily with common tools and materials found in any large store like Wal-mart and sold by “independent retailers” without any records being kept of transactions. This makes it almost impossible for the government to levy taxes against it. The State of Washington and Colorado appear to have figured this problem out, however. In fact, it opined by many lawmakers in Colorado, that the taxes collected from marijuana sales in that state could cover the operating costs of every public school district and still have money left over for addiction treatment programs.

Marijuana has been shown to be effective in the treatment of tumors, glaucoma and migraines amongst other diseases. It has been shown to be equally effective in the treatment of the symptoms of various diseases like Tourette’s Syndrome, PMS and ADD/ADHD. Additionally, it has been shown to stop the neurological effects and nerve damage caused by Multiple Sclerosis and seizures.

The pharmaceutical industry argues that they have created medicines which can often have the same results without exposing the user to the possibilities of addiction. Cannabis proponents counter with the argument that marijuana is a natural substance which is already recognized by the human body, the human body comes with cannabinoid receptors, and produces far fewer of the harmful side effects of the chemical pharmaceuticals. Big Pharma, it should be noted, is one of the biggest opponents to the legalization of marijuana in spite of the fact that patent rights for THC, both synthetic and natural, have been granted to large pharmaceutical companies. While states like Washington and Colorado are leading the way toward what many believe to be the inevitable Federal deregulation of marijuana, some wonder what the unintended consequences of this may be. The immediate influx of tax dollars may temporarily solve many fiscal problems but those in the fields of medicine wonder what the long term effects of legalization will be on the health care system which is already bloated and constantly on the brink of financial ruin.

MARIJUANA DEBATE IN AMERICA