Pubdate: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA) Copyright: 2003 Santa Cruz Sentinel Contact: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/394 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Ed+Rosenthal) (Rosenthal, Ed) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) POT LAWS GROW MORE CONFUSING Clarity -- It's time for good public-health policy to dictate this country's laws pertaining to marijuana. We have long argued that the fight against AIDS has everything to do with public health policy and nothing to do with morality. Perhaps we should take a similar approach with the medical-marijuana situation. Unfortunately, neither side of the medical-marijuana issue is dealing with the future in a practical or effective way. The problem stems from marijuana's role in the drug culture, and that it's a recreational drug for many people -- and what seems to be medical treatment for some. Most Americans seem to believe that marijuana is basically a danger to the public health, but that it may well be, for some who are sick, marijuana is a great medicine. Unfortunately, our society isn't doing a great job of figuring out a reasoned approach. Doctors and scientists in particular haven't been much help in communicating to the rest of us about the benefits of medical marijuana. Is smoking it the only way to achieve the benefit? Are there scientifically sound alternatives? Marijuana has a vocal legion of supporters, many of whom believe the benefits of the drug go further than bringing relief to those with cancer and other serious disease. However, more and more evidence is piling up that marijuana smoking by otherwise healthy people can contribute to further medical problems, both physiological and psychological. Law enforcement is in complete disarray over enforcing drug laws. At least here in Santa Cruz County, local law-enforcement personnel have shown restraint in dealing with medical-marijuana users -- and those who distribute the drug. Of course, amid much publicity, federal authorities are cracking down. Federal agents have arrested medical-marijuana distributors and have confiscated the drug. In Oakland, medical-marijuana guru Ed Rosenthal was convicted on federal charges of growing the drug, and defense lawyers were prevented from introducing evidence that he had been doing so to provide pot to medical patients. Now, federal lawmakers are considering legislation that would allow defendants like Rosenthal to be able to introduce evidence showing that state law allows pot growing. The legislation, while understandable, just seems to be laying another layer of confusion onto the argument. We agree that some people seem to need medical marijuana, but the reality is that many others are interested in the recreational aspect of the drug. So we're caught in a situation where medicine tells us that some people are helped by pot, while others are harmed physically or psychologically by using it. Marijuana is hardly the only drug that is good for some and not for others: a wide variety of prescription drugs are harmful if used outside the bounds of good medicine. It's time for marijuana to be treated in the same way. Our public health system ought to make information more available to the public, and to our lawmakers, about when and where marijuana should be used. Those who are sick and can be helped by marijuana should have access to it. Those who just want to get high should be limited by laws that already pertain to other prescription-only drugs. The marijuana situation is getting murkier all the time. Those who use the drug to get high seem to want it made available more and more. We're not convinced that universal access to marijuana is something that's good for our society. That's why it's time for good science and public-health policy to dictate what our marijuana laws should be. Adding confusing legislation onto the pile really won't solve the problem. - --- MAP posted-by: Jackl