Pubdate: Mon, 17 Mar 2014
Source: Boston Herald (MA)
Copyright: 2014 The Boston Herald, Inc
Contact:  http://news.bostonherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/53
Author: Joshua P. Cohen
Page: 14

POT NEEDS TESTING

Having lived for 10 years in Amsterdam, I can attest firsthand to the
negatives surrounding an insidious drug subculture ("Let's weed out
idea that pot is not harmful," March 11).

Marijuana is not a terrible drug, but can serve as a gateway to much
more deleterious substances. Boston's drug subculture got a boost from
partial decriminalization of marijuana in 2008. Medical marijuana
dispensaries may make things worse. They involve people like ex-U.S.
Rep. William Delahunt who lack training in health care. Given the
current provisions in the law, dispensaries essentially bypass
physicians. Moreover, they greatly expand marijuana's uses to include
diseases such as epilepsy and glaucoma, where the evidence on efficacy
is thin. The drug's safety and efficacy need to be established by the
Food and Drug Administration.

- - Joshua P. Cohen, Boston The writer is a researcher at Tufts
University Center for the Study of Drug Development.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt