Pubdate: Thu, 31 Dec 2009
Source: Record, The (Hackensack, NJ)
Copyright: 2009 North Jersey Media Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.northjersey.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/44
Author: Gail Barry

SAYS LET'S RETHINK MEDICAL GRASS BILL

Editor, The Item

As a member of the Governor's Council for Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the 
Millburn Municipal Alliance Committee for Drug Awareness, or M-MAC, 
has been asked to educate our community about the issue of making 
marijuana legal for medical purposes. The New Jersey Assembly will 
soon vote on bill A-804, The Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana 
Act, which would allow people 18 years of age and older the use of 
one ounce of unrefined marijuana for medical benefit in the State of 
New Jersey even though this law would go against federal law. M-MAC, 
as a substance abuse prevention organization for the past 20 years, 
has a great deal of reservation about the efficacy of this 
legislation. Our reasons are as follows:

Medicine must not be based on anecdotal accounts of benefits, but on 
peer-reviewed scientific research. To date there is no evidence that 
marijuana has any medical benefits.

Smoking is not an appropriate delivery system for any medication 
especially since marijuana smoke is known to contain more carcinogens 
that tobacco smoke and recently it has been discovered that marijuana 
smoke damages DNA.

Legislators do not have the expertise to decide what medications a 
patient can or cannot use. This decision should be left up to the 
medical community and should never be legislated. This could set a 
very dangerous precedent.

Legalization of medical marijuana often leads to decreases in 
perceived harm and social disapproval among our youth, as well as 
adults, which then leads to increases in their use.

The states which have legalized medical use of marijuana have the 
highest rate of teenage use. New Jersey which has had a network of 
drug prevention alliances for twenty years has one of the lowest 
rates of teenage use. Why even take the chance of jeopardizing this.

Nationwide there are increasing numbers of teens and adults seeking 
help for addiction to marijuana which is clearly not the harmless 
substance it is claimed to be, especially for our kids.

The states that have enacted this legislation are finding it very 
difficult to control, i.e., keeping it out of the hands of criminals; 
preventing unauthorized people from purchasing marijuana, turning 
neighborhoods into high time environment.

New Jersey legislators should take a long hard look at the other 
states that have enacted this law before they vote for the 
Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana Act. From M-MAC's twenty years 
of experience of prevention efforts, the passage of bill A-804 would 
show no compassion for the great majority of New Jersey residents. If 
you wish to get involved with this issue, contact your Assembly 
person and let him or her know your views. Our children count on us 
to keep them safe!

Gail Barry

CoordinatorMillburn Municipal Alliance Committee for Drug Awareness
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom