Pubdate: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 Source: Herald & Review (Decatur, IL) Copyright: 2014 Herald & Review Contact: http://www.herald-review.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/837 Author: Gerald Thompson LEGALIZING MARIJUANA WILL NOT IMPROVE OUR COUNTRY Our president recently said that marijuana was no more harmful than tobacco. Since marijuana is now legal in a couple of states, there is a push to legalize it by those who claim it is not harmful. The evidence does not support their claim. Dr. Kevin Sabet served in the Obama administration as senior advisor at the White House office of National Drug Control Policy. He is now director of the Drug Policy Institute at the University of Florida College of Medicine. He says, "The marijuana conversation is one mired with myths. Many Americans do not think that marijuana can be addictive, despite scientific evidence to the contrary." The American Medical Association has come out strongly against the legal sales of marijuana. According to the National Institute on Health, one in six 16 year-olds who try marijuana will become addicted to it. It has also been linked to an eight point redirection in IQ; and that if used strongly it is connected to mental illness. Dr. Louis Kraus, M.D., chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center says "there is a multitude of risks associated with the use of cannabinoids." Dr. Drew Pinsky who has been working with addicts for decades says, "It would be malpractice to say cannabis isn't addictive." He says that giving up cannabis is more difficult than giving up cocaine and alcohol. He states, "It is extremely addictive for some people." Dr. Christian Thurstone, society president and youth addiction researcher at the University of Colorado-Denver, observed that his clinic has been inundated with young people reporting for marijuana-addiction treatment. Is legalizing marijuana going to make our country better or worse? I believe the evidence is clear -- it will be worse. Gerald Thompson Decatur - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom