Pubdate: Sat, 11 Feb 2012 Source: Times-Reporter (New Philadelphia, OH) Copyright: 2012 The Copley Press Inc. Contact: http://www.timesreporter.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1188 Author: Jon Baker Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) AGENCIES OPPOSE PLAN TO LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN OHIO Two area drug-fighting agencies are going public with their opposition to a possible statewide ballot issue in November authorizing the use of marijuana as a medicine for certain types of illnesses. "We wanted to take early action to get our position out there," said Brian Kress, chairman of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services Board of Tuscarawas and Carroll counties. Also weighing in against use of medical marijuana is the Anti-Drug Coalition of Carroll County. In October, the Ohio Ballot Board approved a medical marijuana issue, the Ohio Alternative Treatment Amendment. In January, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine certified the petition for the proposed Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment to the Ohio Constitution. Supporters for both issues are gathering signatures to get them on the 2012 general election ballot. Kress said there are two reasons the local groups oppose use of medical marijuana. "We don't approve any drug in America through the ballot process," he said, adding that if marijuana should be approved for use, it ought to be subject to the same research, consideration and study by the Food and Drug Administration, as are all other legal medications. The second reason is that the FDA already has approved synthetic forms of THC -- one of the principal substances in the cannabis plant - -- that are available for the treatment of illnesses, said Mike Durkin, chief probation officer for Carrollton Municipal Court and chair of the Anti-Drug Coalition of Carroll County. California legalized use of medical marijuana in a statewide ballot issue in 1996, but Kress noted that there have been cases where it has been given out too readily. "We're already seeing abuse," he said. Orvis Campbell, chief detective at the Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office and a member of the ADAMHS Board, said, "The truth is that the smoking of marijuana for medicinal use is a fallacy. The FDA has concluded that there is sound evidence that smoked marijuana is harmful. "In my law-enforcement career, many addicts of different types of illegal drugs have expressed great remorse over their use of marijuana, stating that it was the use of marijuana that led them to the use of even more harmful, illegal drugs and left them resorting to theft and other crimes to support their addictions," he said. "The real evidence appears clear to me and it is that smoked marijuana has not withstood the rigors of science -- it is not medicine, and it is not safe." Two area drug-fighting agencies are going public with their opposition to a possible statewide ballot issue in November authorizing the use of marijuana as a medicine for certain types of illnesses. "We wanted to take early action to get our position out there," said Brian Kress, chairman of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services Board of Tuscarawas and Carroll counties. Also weighing in against use of medical marijuana is the Anti-Drug Coalition of Carroll County. In October, the Ohio Ballot Board approved a medical marijuana issue, the Ohio Alternative Treatment Amendment. In January, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine certified the petition for the proposed Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment to the Ohio Constitution. Supporters for both issues are gathering signatures to get them on the 2012 general election ballot. Kress said there are two reasons the local groups oppose use of medical marijuana. "We don't approve any drug in America through the ballot process," he said, adding that if marijuana should be approved for use, it ought to be subject to the same research, consideration and study by the Food and Drug Administration, as are all other legal medications. The second reason is that the FDA already has approved synthetic forms of THC -- one of the principal substances in the cannabis plant - -- that are available for the treatment of illnesses, said Mike Durkin, chief probation officer for Carrollton Municipal Court and chair of the Anti-Drug Coalition of Carroll County. California legalized use of medical marijuana in a statewide ballot issue in 1996, but Kress noted that there have been cases where it has been given out too readily. "We're already seeing abuse," he said. Orvis Campbell, chief detective at the Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office and a member of the ADAMHS Board, said, "The truth is that the smoking of marijuana for medicinal use is a fallacy. The FDA has concluded that there is sound evidence that smoked marijuana is harmful. "In my law-enforcement career, many addicts of different types of illegal drugs have expressed great remorse over their use of marijuana, stating that it was the use of marijuana that led them to the use of even more harmful, illegal drugs and left them resorting to theft and other crimes to support their addictions," he said. "The real evidence appears clear to me and it is that smoked marijuana has not withstood the rigors of science -- it is not medicine, and it is not safe." Kress conceded that America's war on drugs, which has been going on for decades, has not yet succeeded in eliminating the use of illegal substances. "I don't think we can stop the fight, because we're not winning," he said. "If everything was legalized, there would be chaos. When individuals are on certain drugs, violence goes up. If we don't continue the fight, society will continue to deteriorate." According to the ADAMHS Board, marijuana ranks second after alcohol as the drug of choice for adults entering board-funded treatment programs. For individuals under the age of 18 entering addiction treatment, marijuana is tied with alcohol as the primary drug of choice. Dave Schaffer, ADAMHS Board director, said that if the FDA eventually authorized marijuana as a prescribed drug, regulating and controlling its distribution would be next to impossible. "We know this based on the fact that very powerful prescription pain killers often illegally end up in the hands of individuals with addictive disorders, including young people," he said. "The coalition really wanted to get out in front of this issue," Durkin said. "Ultimately, allowing marijuana to be dispersed in this manner could negatively affect every household in Ohio." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom