Pubdate: Sun, 09 Feb 2014 Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL) Copyright: 2014 Sarasota Herald-Tribune Contact: http://www.heraldtribune.com/sendletter Website: http://www.heraldtribune.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/398 Author: Tom Knight Note: Thomas M. Knight is the Sarasota County sheriff. SHERIFF: MANY PROBLEMS WITH MEDICAL MARIJUANA In November, voters will consider legalizing marijuana in the state of Florida for medicinal purposes. Organizers easily gathered the signatures needed to get the issue on the ballot, and various polls suggest there may be enough public support to pass it into Florida law. As someone who owes his job to the wishes of our constituents and the elective process, I am always reluctant to deny the people something they may want. However, it is my firm belief that the campaign to get this issue on the ballot, and the ballot amendment itself, are at best misguided and at worst intentionally misleading. There is overwhelming factual information pointing to the darker side of legalized marijuana, even when it is intended strictly for medical therapy. Messages in the $4 million-plus campaign to get this issue passed have tugged on our emotions and focused on isolated cases, without a thought or mention of the many negative, unintended consequences that are already playing out in other states that have legalized medical marijuana -- even those whose ballot amendment language was far more restrictive than what is proposed in Florida. Although many voters may think that medical marijuana will truly be limited to those with chronic, life-threatening conditions or severe, unmanageable pain, we must not delude ourselves into thinking that this will be our reality if it passes. Keep in mind that it will not be treated like real medicines -- the kinds that are scientifically tested through clinical trials and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Instead, it will be more like a homeopathic substance, sold not by pharmacists but marijuana retailers. Since Florida does not have an FDA-like agency, it will not be closely monitored and controlled. We have a hard enough time controlling the use and distribution of medicines that are FDA-approved, including and especially prescription painkillers. Let's say, for argument's sake, that we had the infrastructure in place to genuinely limit its use to therapy. Although I'm not a doctor, there are those who insist it can alleviate symptoms in people with certain conditions. However, our ballot language does not define exactly what those conditions are. And interestingly, while pro-legalization commercials and websites repeatedly reference the support of doctors and the medical community, both the Florida Medical Association and the American Medical Association have issued statements opposing marijuana's legalization, as have the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society. In fact, terminal sufferers account for only a small fraction of medical marijuana patients in other states. In Colorado, where nearly 107,000 patients have approval for medical marijuana, the average user is a male in his 30s with no terminal illness and a history of drug abuse. Only 2 percent of Colorado medical marijuana patients report being treated for cancer, less than 1 percent report treatment for HIV/AIDS, and only 1 percent report treatment for glaucoma. The statistics from other states that permit medical marijuana show similarities. If passed, medical marijuana will be available in Florida for any condition a doctor determines to be "debilitating," and with no age restrictions. What we will likely (almost certainly) see is a proliferation of marijuana dispensaries in our communities, because the profit potential here is enormous. Census data suggests that communities with populations comparable to Sarasota's in states that permit medical marijuana have already experienced this. To evaluate this for yourself, visit www.weedmaps.com. Thus, Venice, Florida, could mirror Venice, California, where marijuana dispensaries are a common sight along the famous beach. Can you imagine Siesta Key Village or St. Armands Circle with marijuana dispensaries at every turn? Because federal law makes marijuana illegal, corresponding banking and credit card restrictions make medical marijuana a largely cash business. As with any cash business involving a commodity that people crave, the infiltration of organized crime has followed. In November 2013, the Drug Enforcement Administration raided several Colorado marijuana dispensaries based on suspected ties to Colombian drug cartels. Given that Florida has almost four times the population of Colorado, this trend will easily migrate here. As you, the voter, weigh the legalization of medical marijuana, I hope you will take the time to do thorough research and look beyond the heart-string-tugging campaign sound bites, because it is vitally important to understand the potential fallout of this proposed amendment. If it passes, we all have to live with the consequences -- whether or not we choose to use it as "medicine." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom