Friday Faceoff

USING MEDICINAL MARIJUANA HAS TOO MANY RISKS

Marijuana is one of the most commonly used illicit drugs throughout
the United States. What makes marijuana most potent is the ingredient
THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).

A study in 1999 by the Institute of Medicine concluded that smoking
marijuana is not recommended for the treatment of any disease and
that there are more effective medications available.

I agree with the Institute of Medicine's conclusion.

Using marijuana does alleviate pain due to certain diseases and
sicknesses, but only temporarily.

For longer-term relief, you would have to smoke six or seven joints
per day - and you would be too high to get anything done during the
day. Plus, there would be harmful effects: shortness of breath,
increased heart rate, impaired learning, loss of memory, anxiety and
panic attacks.

According to the National Institutes of Health, someone who smokes
five joints per week may be taking in as many cancer-causing
chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes every day.

Long-term risks include psychological dependence, lung cancer,
lowered sperm production, and immune system damage. In addition,
illegal drug use is the foundation of the criminal system.

Legalizing marijuana would be like taking crack cocaine, putting it
into a pill, selling it -- and then advertising against it. Sounds
insane, right? Sure, smoking marijuana might make patients feel
better, but what message would that send young people? Go get a fix;
it doesn't matter. Drug use is OK.

Marijuana, weed, mary jane, piff -- whatever you call it, it's still a drug.

It's still marijuana with all its ill side effects, even if you slap
a label on it with a doctor's signature.

Marijuana should remain an illegal drug for all people, patients or not.