By Eric Voth, M.D. FACP
“MEDICAL” MARIJUANA
“Medicine” is defined as meeting FDA guidelines for safety and effectiveness. Crude marijuana in any form does not constitute a medicine.
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia struck down crude marijuana as a medicine.
We do not smoke medications or take potions in this country. Often treatments are thought to be useful but turn out to be ineffective or dangerous when submitted to rigorous scientific study.
No legitimate medical entity seeks the availability of crude marijuana as a medicine.
THC is available as a medicine in a pure oral preparation.
Nasal inhalers or suppository forms of THC could be developed.
The pro-drug movement seeks the legalization of marijuana as a medicine as a step toward the overall legalization of marijuana. There are physicians leading the central push for medical marijuana who smoke marijuana themselves.
The most recent detailed review of the issue by the Institute of Medicine state that the only use of marijuana should be under extremely tight oversight, in a research setting, and after all legitimate medicines have failed.
NEEDLE EXCHANGES
They do nothing for underlying addiction.
They have been shown to increase HIV infection in Montreal, have been shown to increase Hepatitis B and C in Seattle, and have demonstrated no reduction in needle sharing in Chicago.
They place the public at risk by serving as a gathering place for active addicts and by having the public exposed to thousands of needles that have been used and discarded.
HEMP
It is proposed as a fiber and energy alternative. However, claims are exaggerated and inaccurate.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has determined that the potential uses for hemp represent only a small niche market.
Evaluations from the University of Kentucky, the University of Hawaii and the International Drug Strategy Institute have found that the international market for hemp is actually declining.
Most support for “industrial” hemp originated in the pro-drug movement. The movement wants the entire marijuana plant to be legal, not just the hemp stalks.
Smoking hemp is smoking pot.
SENTENCING ISSUES
Reduction of drug sentences is a mistake.
In some state systems, roughly 90 percent of drug offense inmates are incarcerated for trafficking.
In the federal system, more than 95 percent of drug offense inmates are incarcerated for trafficking.
Reducing mandatory minimums puts drug criminals back on the street.
We should consider a rigorous separate tract for drug offenders in the penal system.
LEGALIZATION/DECRIMINALIZATION
It risks increasing drug use.
It risks increasing drug-related crime.
It creates substantial increased burden on treatment systems with increased use and addiction.
In the Netherlands, it has caused increases in shootings by 40 percent, car thefts by 62 percent, hold-ups by 69 percent, and addiction by 49 percent.
It risks increasing use among youth where drug use is already rising.
© 1999 PRIDE-Omaha, Inc. All rights reserved.