MARIJUANA LINK TO LETHAL BEHAVIOR

The Sept. 20 editorial on marijuana legalization ("Straight Talk")
continues the misinformation campaign of past years. It resurfaces
many of the same points that have been scientifically refuted years ago.

While marijuana is not a lethal drug, using it can lead to
potentially lethal behaviors. Marijuana is a Schedule I substance
under the Controlled Substance Act for a reason: It has a high
potential for abuse and no medical value. The Supreme Court (U.S. v.
Oakland Cannabis Club) and the Food and Drug Administration have
determined that marijuana has no medicinal value. The FDA confirmed
this position again in 2006.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse and the American Medical
Association have documented the substantial risks of using marijuana.
Marijuana use can lead to respiratory diseases, increased heart rate,
cognitive impairment, poor school performance, automobile accidents
and dependence.

Smoking marijuana can promote cancer in the lungs due to 50 percent
to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke.
Marijuana admissions to drug treatment have increased from 8.6
percent of total drug admissions in 1994 to 15.9 percent in 2004. The
average age of those admitted to treatment was 24. Of all teenagers
in drug treatment, about 60 percent had a primary marijuana diagnosis.

Clearly, marijuana, the most widely used illicit drug in America, is
endangering our children and young adults. This editorial perpetuates
an all too frequent, unfounded assertion that smoking marijuana is
acceptable and harmless. It is not; it is illegal, dangerous and unhealthy.

The discussion on incarceration is also misleading, as it lumps all
drugs and drug offenses together. As presented in the editorial, the
statistics lump together distribution, trafficking and manufacturing,
as well as a variety of drugs, including cocaine, heroin and
methamphetamine. Quite to the contrary, however, according to Bureau
of Justice statistics, only 2.2 percent of federal inmates in 1997
were sentenced for marijuana possession.

We should also not dismiss the "gateway drug" aspect of marijuana. A
2003 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association
states that while an exact causal relationship has not been
established because of the inability to scientifically control all
variables, the clear association between marijuana use and subsequent
use of cocaine, heroin or other illicit drugs "has been well
established" much as smoking and cancer have been causally established.

Government and medical science have participated in debates and
presented the research evidence. The editorial gives false hope for
those who seek any justification to smoke pot or to bash all levels
of government that are charged with protecting our youth and society.
The author clamors emotionally for marijuana legalization but, like
those who have similarly argued over the years, presents no
scientific evidence to support his assertions. The result is
dangerously misleading at a time when our youth and society need
clear, strong messages against illicit drug use.

Janes is director of the Florida Office of Drug Control.