Pubdate: Thu, 06 Jun 2013
Source: Journal Review (IN)
Copyright: 2013 The Journal Review
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Website: http://www.journalreview.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3548
Author: Andrea Neal

Marijuana and Tobacco

SOCIETY'S MIXED MESSAGES

"For First Time, Majority in U.S. Supports Public Smoking Ban." That 
was the headline in July 2011 as cigarette bans swept the country. In 
2000, just one major U.S. city banned smoking at work sites, 
restaurants and bars. As of last year, 60 percent of the 50 largest 
cities did, including Indianapolis. Last July, Indiana became one of 
38 states with smoke-free air laws.

"Majority Now Supports Legalizing Marijuana." That headline appeared 
this spring amidst growing debate over liberalizing marijuana laws. 
Although marijuana use is still against federal law, 26 states have 
moved to legalize medical marijuana, decriminalize recreational 
marijuana or both. Indiana has been flirting with the idea.

Senate Bill 580 this past session would have made possession of less 
than two ounces of marijuana a Class C infraction punishable by 
nothing more than a fine -- the same as a traffic ticket. The bill 
died without a hearing; its author, Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage, 
promised to reintroduce it next year. A WISH-TV/Ball State University 
Hoosier Survey showed support for decriminalization at 53 percent.

What's going on here? The Hoosier Survey and poll results from Gallup 
and Pew Research Center suggest a severe case of schizophrenia when 
it comes to smoking.

Health advocates have succeeded in their marketing campaign against 
Big Tobacco but have failed to gain the upper hand in the marijuana 
debate. This is partly due to misinformation and partly due to 
misrepresentation by activists.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) is 
the most vocal group seeking to repeal marijuana restrictions. The 
group says prominently on its website, "According to the prestigious 
European medical journal, The Lancet, 'The smoking of cannabis, even 
long-term, is not harmful to health.' "

Since The Lancet said those words in 1996, however, it has published 
numerous studies refuting the conclusion. In 2009, it wrote, 
"Epidemiological, clinical and laboratory studies have established an 
association between cannabis use and adverse outcomes ... (including) 
dependence syndrome, increased risk of motor vehicle crashes, 
impaired respiratory function, cardiovascular disease, and adverse 
effects of regular use on adolescent psychosocial development and 
mental health."

Any smoking is bad for one's health. Tobacco is addictive and 
second-hand smoke is a proven cancer-causing agent, justifying bans 
in public places.

But on almost every measure, marijuana is a more dangerous substance 
than tobacco, comparable with alcohol in its ability to impair 
judgment and to more-potent narcotics in its lasting effects on the 
brain. The typical cannabis cigarette "increases the smoker's risk of 
developing lung cancer by 20 times the amount of one tobacco 
cigarette," says the British Lung Foundation, which published a 
review of medical research in 2012.

Marijuana ingestion harms short-term memory and makes it difficult to 
learn and retain information or perform complex tasks. It slows 
reaction time and reduces motor coordination. Prolonged use is 
"associated with lower test scores and lower educational attainment 
because during periods of intoxication the drug affects the ability 
to learn and process information, thus influencing attention, 
concentration and short-term memory," said researchers M. T. Lynskey 
and W. D. Hall.

One reason commonly given for decriminalizing marijuana is to free 
law enforcement to focus on serious crime and to reduce the number of 
minor possession cases clogging the court system. Pot smokers are not 
criminals, the thinking goes.

The argument is naive. The National Research Council has found that 
the long-term marijuana use can alter the nervous system in ways that 
promote violence. Further, legalizing drugs doesn't end illegal 
activity connected with drug trade. Consider Amsterdam where coffee 
houses selling marijuana are commonplace. The city has been plagued 
by drug trafficking, drug tourism and street crime.

Support for legalizing marijuana has risen 11 points since 2010, a 
stunning increase that can only be attributed to propaganda. This is 
why policymakers must resist the urge to do the popular thing. 
Society can't in good conscience deem cigarette smoking a top public 
health hazard and simultaneously embrace marijuana smoking.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom