Letters To The Editor

MARIJUANA SUPPRESSES HEALTH

Marijuana is addictive and very toxic. When physicians go outside their
area of expertise and research, they frequently make mistakes.

Thus Dr. Andrew Weil, who has contributed so much to the wise use of plants
in medicine, was dead wrong when he said that marijuana is "one of the
safest drugs known to medicine."

More than a decade ago my research lab found that the addictive component
of marijuana, THC, suppressed the human immune system required for optimum
cancer and disease resistance. Ten years ago, we reviewed the multitude of
research papers showing that THC was immunosuppressive, more so than
tobacco. Since then the volume of data and studies have expanded
understanding of marijuana's many properties which suppress health.

Not unexpectedly many researchers have found that regular smoking of
marijuana, like tobacco smoke, by humans and animals greatly increases lung
disease and oral cancer. Marijuana smoking is no more dangerous than
tobacco. But tobacco kills 500,000 Americans a year. How can it be a "safe
drug?"

Happily federal restrictions have kept the regular use of marijuana down,
saving thousands of lives. Daily exposure to environmental, tobacco or
marijuana smoke similarly cause many lung and systemic medical problems.
The Citizen could do a service to the Tucson public by interviewing local
marijuana researchers on its toxic properties.

Ronald R. Watson
Professor of public health research
Arizona Prevention Center

Checked-by: Richard Lake