Pubdate: Mon, 13 Oct 2014
Source: Oklahoman, The (OK)
Copyright: 2014 The Oklahoma Publishing Co.
Contact: http://www.newsok.com/voices/guidelines
Website: http://newsok.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/318
Page: 8A

CONSIDERABLE DOWNSIDE TO DECRIMINALIZATION OF POT

MARIJUANA legalization was highlighted in a recent debate between 
Oklahoma candidates for a U.S. Senate seat. This issue continues to 
bubble up in political discussions, so it's important that associated 
policy decisions be based on facts. Research continues to identify 
significant consequences to recreational marijuana use.

The Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, state Sen. Connie Johnson of 
Oklahoma City, supports decriminalizing marijuana use. She defended 
that stance in the debate. Her opponent, U.S. Rep. James Lankford, 
R-Oklahoma City, isn't a fan of that idea.

"I just have a hard time with anyone saying, 'The best thing we can 
do for our kids is to get their parents to smoke more marijuana,' " 
Lankford said.

That's a common-sense conclusion validated by credible research. 
Wayne Hall, of The University of Queensland Centre for Youth 
Substance Abuse Research, recently completed a review of research on 
marijuana use over the past two decades. On the whole, he found 
credible studies consistently show "that cannabis use increases the 
risk of accidents and can produce dependence, and that there are 
consistent associations between regular cannabis use and poor 
psychosocial outcomes and mental health in adulthood."

"Research in the past 20 years has shown that driving while 
cannabis-impaired approximately doubles car crash risk and that 
around one in 10 regular cannabis users develop dependence," Hall 
writes. "Regular cannabis use in adolescence approximately doubles 
the risks of early school-leaving and of cognitive impairment and 
psychoses in adulthood. Regular cannabis use in adolescence is also 
associated strongly with the use of other illicit drugs."

Among middle-aged adults, regular marijuana use "probably increases 
cardiovascular disease risk" while marijuana's "effects on 
respiratory function and respiratory cancer remain unclear, because 
most cannabis smokers have smoked or still smoke tobacco."

One study reviewed by Hall found cannabis users "had higher rates of 
hospitalization for injury from all causes than former cannabis users 
or nonusers" among 64,657 patients from a Health Maintenance 
Organization. A review of nine studies found "recent cannabis use" 
doubled the risk of a car crash. Those driving while high are less of 
a threat than drunk drivers, but Hall notes marijuana use still 
accounted for 2.5 percent of traffic deaths in France.

That the push for marijuana legalization coincides with public 
anti-tobacco efforts is an often-noted irony. Hall's findings suggest 
marijuana legalization would undermine those anti-smoking efforts.

He notes that in 1993, kids tended to smoke cigarettes and then move 
on to marijuana. But thanks to subsequent anti-smoking efforts, 
"cannabis smoking is initiated increasingly by young people who have 
not smoked tobacco. A number of recent studies have reported that 
these cannabis smokers are now more likely to become tobacco smokers 
after using cannabis, a pattern described as a 'reverse gateway.' "

Supporters of legalization will undoubtedly argue that marijuana 
shouldn't be available to teenagers. Yet legalization is likely to 
increase availability to underage users, not decrease it.

There's also little doubt marijuana's effects are less adverse than 
some drugs, such as opiates, and that the legality of alcohol 
produces negative outcomes that often exceed those associated with marijuana.

But the question isn't whether there are worse drugs than marijuana. 
The question is whether there is good reason to legalize, and 
therefore tacitly condone, widespread marijuana use. Hall's research 
demonstrates why so many citizens continue to give the same answer to 
that question: No.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom