MORE ABOUT MARIJUANA USE

To the editor:

Dr. Keegan's Nov. 10th letter stating that marijuana use "is a good thing"
and is "highly therepuetic" seems to ignore what the rest of the medical
field reports. Dr. Keegan further states that marijuana "is a mild
intoxicant, has no lethal overdose potential, little risk of addiction, and
no long-term health consequences."

However, the fact is, marijuana is a Schedule 1 drug, which, by FDA
definition, means that it is a highly addictive drug with no medical
usefulness. That puts it in the same class of drugs as LSD and heroin. This
placement was challenged in court but lost in a U.S. Court of Appeals
ruling in 1994, keeping it as a Schedule 1 drug. In that ruling, the court
stated that medical doctors who supported marijuana had relied on
non-scientific evidence. This appears to be the case with Dr. Keegan.

The Department of Justice website reports the following - Marijuana is an
unstable mixture of more than 425 chemicals that convert to thousands when
smoked. Many of these chemicals are toxic, psychoactive chemicals which are
largely unstudied and appear in uncontrolled strengths. (These chemicals)
are stored in fat cells of users for up to several months. Marijuana users
experience the same health problems as tobacco smokers, such as bronchitis,
emphysema, and bronchial asthma. Some of the effects of marijuana use also
include increased heart rate, dryness of the mouth, reddening of the eyes,
impaired motor skills and concentration, and frequent hunger. Extended use
increases risk to the lungs and reproductive system, as well as suppression
of the immune system. Occasionally, hallucinations, fantasies, and paranoia
are reported. (Other) harmful consequences ... include ... premature
cancer, ... coordination and perception impairment, a number of mental
disorders including depression, hostility and increased aggressiveness,
general apathy, (and) memory loss.

The main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, THC (Tetra Hydrocannabinol),
is already legally available in pharmaceutical capsule form by prescription
from medical doctors. This drug, Marinol, is less often prescribed because
of the potential adverse effects, and there are more effective new
medicines currently available.

The Food and Drug Administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration and
the U. S. Public Health Service have rejected smoking crude marijuana as a
medicine. Major medical and health organizations, as well as the vast
majority of nationally recognized expert medical doctors, scientists and
researchers, have concluded that smoking marijuana is not a safe and
effective medicine. These organizations include: the American Medical
Association, the American Cancer Society, National Sclerosis Association,
the American Glaucoma Association, American Academy of Opthalmology,
National Eye Institute, and the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Keegan compared marijuana to alcohol and tobacco. Marijuana combines
the risks of both: the intoxicating effects of alcohol and long term lung
damage of tobacco.

There is one thing I agree with what Dr. Keegan writes, but probably not in
the way he intended it: "Safety demands that young people be provided with
truthful information about the risks they face. When we lie to them about
marijuana, we completely loose our credibility."

Scott Abbott, Redwood Valley