Pubdate: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 Source: Kenyon Leader (MN) Copyright: 2014 Kenyon Leader Contact: http://www.thekenyonleader.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5497 Author: Terri Lenz MYTHS OF LEGALIZING MEDICINAL MARIJUANA The Chemical Health Initiative of Goodhue County in collaboration with other coalitions and state agencies across Minnesota worked together to sponsor a professional forum on Feb. 13 at the Mall of America. Dr. Kevin Sabet spoke about the consequences of legalizing medicinal marijuana. In addition to CHI staff, school staff from Goodhue and Red Wing were in attendance. Sabet brought a wealth of knowledge and experience from working directly with Colorado after marijuana was legalized. Sabet is the director of the Drug Policy Institute at the University of Florida and an assistant professor in the College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. He is also the co-founder of Project SAM; Smart Approaches to Marijuana. He is a policy consultant to numerous domestic and international organizations through his company, the Policy Solutions Lab. Myth 1- Marijuana is harmless and non-addictive One in six teens who try marijuana become addicted, and the adolescent brain is especially susceptible. Under the influence of a substance, alcohol quadruples your chance of a car accident and marijuana doubles the chance. In Colorado, car crash fatalities involving drivers testing positive for marijuana rose by 112 percent. Sabet stated the general public is unaware that the marijuana of today is more potent. In the past 15 years, marijuana potency has tripled and since 1960 has grown five times stronger. Marijuana is known as a gateway drug. Seventy-five percent of patients in rehab for cocaine or heroin are said to have begun with marijuana. Sabet said that according to his research with Emergency Room doctors, physicians have seen panic attacks, hearts racing, mental symptoms, delusions, hallucinations and paranoia associated with marijuana use. The harmful effects to the brain include memory, learning, attention and reaction time. These effects can last up to 28 days after abstinence from the drug. By using the drug the effects of mental illness can be: schizophrenia, psychosis, depression and anxiety. Myth 2- Smoked or eaten marijuana is medicinal Sabet informed the professional group that there are three answers to the question of whether or not marijuana is medicine. If it is smoked or inhaled raw marijuana; then no, it is not medicine. There are marijuana-based pills available and other medications coming soon; so in that form, yes, it would be medicinal marijuana. It is also important to note that research is ongoing on this subject so the answer "maybe" is also valid. All answers are not final yet as further testing needs to be completed. Studies show that components within marijuana have medicinal value. For instance, dronabinol (also known as Marinol) contains lab-made THC and is widely available at pharmacies as capsules to treat nausea/vomiting from cancer chemotherapy. Sativex is in the process of being studied in the USA. It is administered via an oral mouth spray and is approved in Canada and Europe. It does contain both THC and CBD. Sativex, a cannabinoid medicine for the treatment of spasticity due to multiple sclerosis, is also in development for cancer pain and neuropathic pain of various origins. Only a small portion of medicinal marijuana users report any serious illness. In Colorado, 2 percent reported cancer, less than 1 percent reported HIV/AIDS and 1 percent reported glaucoma as their reason for using medicinal marijuana. Sabet said the average medical marijuana patient profile is of a 32 year-old white male with a history of alcohol and substance abuse with no life-threatening illnesses. He noted that 87.9 percent of medicinal marijuana users had tried marijuana before the age of 19. Residents of states with medical marijuana laws have seen abuse/dependent rates almost twice as high as states with no such laws. Myth 3- Legalization of other drugs strengthen case for marijuana Sabet says legal corporations will keep prices low and consumption high but also tell the public to "Enjoy Responsibly". Taxes today for alcohol are one-fifth of what they were during the 1950s. Sabet said people ask him, in his speaking engagements across the country, if legalization will diminish the power of cartels and the black market. Marijuana accounts for 15-25 percent of revenues gained from drug trafficking groups. More money is found in human trafficking, kidnapping and other illicit drugs. However, the use of marijuana is important for the tobacco industry in terms of an alternative product line. Sabet said we have the land to grow it, the machines to roll it and package it and the distribution to market it. In fact, some firms have registered trademarks which are taken directly from marijuana street jargon. Estimates indicate that the market in legalized marijuana might be as high as $10 billion annually. When the company goals behind 'Big Marijuana' are to keep consumption high and prices low; one would wonder whom their target audience is. When referring back to tobacco industry, Sabet said their words from the beginning were to keep tobacco out of the hands of adolescents and to have the public "use responsibly". Sabet said upon digging further, one can find actual documents that show the tobacco industry looking at new concepts for sweet-flavored youth cigarettes. If the tobacco industry targeted youth as their mass consumption, why would legalized marijuana be any different? A large number of medical marijuana products and edibles can be found in dispensaries. Some of the sweets include: brownies, carrot cake, cookies, peanut-butter, granola bars and ice cream. Many more sweet treats such as Ring Pots and Pot Tarts are marketed with cartoons and characters appealing to children. ER admissions for children under the age of 5 for marijuana-related visits rose 200 percent upon legalization of medicinal marijuana in Colorado; 60 percent for kids ages 6-12, 92 percent for kids ages 13-14. Seventy-four percent of Denver-area teens in treatment said they used somebody else's medical marijuana on average of 50 times. Twenty-nine percent of Denver high school students used marijuana in the last month. If Denver were an American state, it would have the HIGHEST public high school current use rates in the country. Myth 4 -Legalization would make it easier to control Sabet said that the city of Denver office of the Auditor concluded that the city does not have a basic control framework in place for effective governance of the medical marijuana program. Sabet also noted that the Office of the Auditor said medical marijuana records are incomplete, inaccurate and inaccessible and that many shops are operating without licenses. Finally, it should be noted, Sabet said, that in the first week after legalizing medicinal marijuana, a two year girl was sent to the ER for accidental poisoning due to ingestion of a pot cookie. A Colorado marijuana store declares that the high school senior is his ideal target customer. The State of Colorado is supposed to be IDing/tagging marijuana plants but they were not ready on day one and sales continued. Colorado marijuana is already going to neighbor states as documented by users on www.reddit.com. CHI opposes The Chemical Health Initiative of Goodhue County strongly opposes any efforts to pass medical marijuana initiatives or marijuana legalization. As a community coalition working to prevent youth substance abuse, an essential priority is to reduce teen marijuana use through environmental strategies that decrease access to marijuana and increase perception of harm of the drug. Marijuana is a schedule 1 controlled substance and remains a federally illegal drug; it has not been approved as medicine by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Medicines are determined through rigorous study, research and clinical trial, not through popular vote. Also, medicines are dispensed through the highly regulated pharmaceutical system. Circumventing the existing processes and infrastructure to determine and distribute medicine risks public exposure to fraudulent and/or unsafe medicine. According to CHI's most recent 2010 data, 20 percent of Minnesota seniors reported smoking marijuana in the past 30 days compared to 21.1 percent of youth nationwide based on the 2010 Monitoring the Future Study. In the most current 2010 Minnesota Student Survey study on the MN Dept. of Health and Human Services website, 11 percent of Goodhue Co. high school seniors reported using marijuana 3 or more times during the past 30 days. One percent of freshmen said the same. But the rates were higher for less frequent use; 17 percent of seniors and 2 percent of freshmen said they had used marijuana once during the 30 day period. The collection of confiscated drug paraphernalia on display at the Kenyon Police Department shows that drugs are here. Kenyon Police Chief Lee Sjolander noted that legal medical use would likely lead to more stealing of marijuana from people with a prescription. Will medical use, or any use, of marijuana be legal in Minnesota's future? The legislature, through the people they represent, will make the ultimate decisions that will affect the future of this controversial topic. Tara Chapa and Julie Hatch work for the Chemical Health Initiative of Goodhue County. Terri Lenz contributed data from the Minnesota Student Survey. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt