Pubdate: Wed, 16 Jan 2013
Source: Evening Tribune, The (NY)
Copyright: 2013 GateHouse Media, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.eveningtribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4473
Author: James M. Bassage

SO CALLED BENEFITS OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA NOT SUBSTANTIATED

In the next legislative session, there will be a bill to approve 
crude smoked or eaten marijuana as a "medicine." There are 
mis-perceptions regarding this controversial initiative. It's 
important to set the record straight.

Marijuana legalization advocates would have you believe that smoking 
marijuana is the only alternative for cancer sufferers who have pain 
or the nausea associated with chemotherapy. However, numerous safe 
and effective medications and treatments are currently available to 
ease their suffering.

The anecdotal reports regarding "medical" marijuana are not reliable 
scientific evidence because the claimed benefits were not 
independently verified and do not reflect double-blind controls. The 
anecdotal reports may also be inaccurate due to the emotional 
expectancy of the person using marijuana and the placebo effect. In 
some cases, there may be deliberate exaggeration for ideological reasons.

There are no established doses for smoked marijuana. It's unclear how 
it interacts with other drugs or medical conditions. There is much 
evidence that smoking marijuana harms sick people.

Citizens in "medical" marijuana states have grown tired of the crime, 
noise and abuse that "medical" marijuana dispensaries bring to their 
neighborhoods. "Medical" marijuana is often sold in packages that 
look like candy.

The initiative ignores the Food and Drug Administration medicine 
approval process that has protected us for 100 years. It is dangerous 
to approve anything as medicine without going through the FDA process 
of scientific inquiry and study. We strive to be a compassionate 
society, but there must be a balance between alleviating or managing 
illness and creating a system that does more harm than good. The road 
that the "medical" marijuana legislation is traveling is laden with potholes.

James M. Bassage

Prevention Director, Steuben Council on Addictions
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom