SCIENCE VS. THE POT SMOKING PITCH

While it has long been clear that chemical compounds found in the marijuana
plant offer potential for medical use, smoking the raw plant is a method of
delivery supported neither by law nor recent scientific evidence.

Nonetheless, a number of recent ballot initiatives have advocated marijuana
as a treatment for various ailments. The net effect of these initiatives
has been to favor political activism over objective science in advancing
what would be the only smoked drug in America.

Advocates for smoking marijuana make a well-financed, emotional appeal to
the voting public, claiming that what they demand is humane, useful and
safe. While relying on anecdote to document their claims, they seize upon
partial statements to validate their assertions. But in so doing they avoid
the main conclusion of medical science: That there is little future in
smoked marijuana as a medically approved drug.

A report by the prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded that
cannabinoid drugs have potential for therapeutic use. It specifically named
pain, nausea, vomiting, and lack of appetite as symptoms that might be
alleviated. According to the report, cannabinoids are "moderately well
suited" to combat AIDS wasting and chemotherapy-induced nausea and
"probably have a natural role in pain modulation, control of movement, and
memory."

Another report, by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), recognized the
potential benefit of marijuana to help with appetite stimulation and AIDS
wasting.

These studies present a consistent theme: Cannabinoids in marijuana do show
potential for symptom management of several conditions. But the finding
most important to the debate is that the studies did not advocate smoked
marijuana as medicine. To the contrary, the NIH report called for a
non-smoked alternative as a focus of further research. The IOM report
recommended smoking marijuana as medicine only in the most extreme cases.

The conclusions of the NIH and IOM reports are supported by commentary
published in the nation's medical journals. Much of this literature focuses
on the problematic aspect of smoke as a delivery system when using
cannabinoids for medical purposes.

There is strong evidence that smoking marijuana has detrimental health
effects to the degree that it is unlikely ever to be approved by the Food
and Drug Administration as a medicine. Unrefined marijuana contains
approximately 400 chemicals that become combustible when smoked, producing
in turn more than 2,000 impure chemicals. The IOM report states that, when
used chronically, "marijuana smoking is associated with abnormalities of
cells lining the human respiratory tract. Marijuana smoke, like tobacco
smoke, is associated with increased risk of cancer, lung damage, and poor
pregnancy outcomes."

A subsequent study by Dr. Zuo-Feng Zhary of the Jonsson Cancer Center at
the University of California-Los Angeles determined that carcinogens in
marijuana are much stronger than those in tobacco.

Chronic bronchitis and increased incidence of pulmonary disease are
associated with frequent use of smoked marijuana, as are reduced sperm
mobility and testosterone levels in males. Decreased immune system
response, which is likely to increase vulnerability to infection and
tumors, is also associated with frequent use. Even a slight decrease in
immune response can have a major public health ramifications.

Irrespective of such risks and the fact that the demonstrated beneficial
components in marijuana are already available in the approved prescription
drug Dronabinol, ballot initiatives have proceeded -- with tumultuous
consequences. All such initiatives create a conflict between state and
federal drug laws. California's problematic experience is instructive: The
"buyers' clubs" for marijuana became notorious for facetious
interpretations of the definitions of "prescription," "doctor's
recommendation," and "medical." One "patient" obtained a prescription for
marijuana to treat hot flashes. Another, arrested for possession, claimed
he was medically entitled to his stash to treat a condition exacerbated by
an ingrown toenail. Undercover police in several buyers clubs reported
flagrant sales to minors. Eventually, 10 of the 13 clubs in California were
closed.

James McDonough is director of the Florida Office of Drug Control. This
article was adapted from a longer article in the journal Policy Review,
published by the Heritage Foundation.