MARIJUANA

Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts: A Review of the Scientific Evidence, by
Lynn Zimmer and John P. Morgan, 241 pp, paper, $12.95, ISBN 0-9641568-4-9,
New York, NY, The Lindesmith Center, 1997.

Most of us reading about marijuana use and effects usually seek the answer
to two questions. One is "How good is marijuana?" -- this is generally
referred to as the "medical marijuana" debate. The other is "How bad is
marijuana?" -- the answer relates to the enormous toll, in both human and
economic costs, of prosecuting and imprisoning hundreds of thousands of
people for marijuana-related offenses.

In reviewing the state of the art, Zimmer and Morgan provide an
extraordinarily well-researched and passionately argued book on the
biomedical and sociological issues raised in today's debate about marijuana.
In their desire to "set the record straight," however, they sometimes
sacrifice even-handedness for impact.

My dictionary defines myth as either a story, presented as historical,
dealing with supernatural traditions of a people, or a popular fable or folk
tale.

A fact, on the other hand, is defined as any statement strictly true, truth,
reality. By using the words myth and fact, Zimmer and Morgan imply that
moral, religious, and social factors contaminate "scientific" arguments
against marijuana use. While there are cases in which this undoubtedly is
true, the topic is not developed in depth. Rather, the authors almost
challenge the reader to take sides. Their title begins this process by
immediately forcing the reader into wondering, "Who's telling the truth?"
or, less helpfully, "Who's lying?"

Either side in a polarized context -- the "drug warriors" or the
"legalizers" -- could have chosen the title. While Zimmer and Morgan do not
explicitly recommend legalization of marijuana use, they clearly articulate
an argument that the effects of marijuana are not as bad as political,
scientific, and regulatory agents would have us believe. They also make an
extremely strong case that the health consequences of marijuana use have
been exaggerated and are less than those of alcohol and tobacco.

Zimmer and Morgan present "20 myths about marijuana." These include
"marijuana has no medicinal value"; "marijuana policy in the Netherlands has
been a failure"; "marijuana causes crime"; and "marijuana is more potent
today than in the past." Each "myth" is followed by several quotations from
social service, regulatory, research, or enforcement personnel who promote
it. A brief "fact" summarizes the "truth" on the issue in question. The
remaining five to 10 pages of each chapter review the literature on the
topic.

This critique reinterprets the data upon which the myths are built, or
presents data from additional studies contradicting those supporting the
myth.

The 20 topics effectively capture the salient issues in the current policy
debate about how to regulate and understand the effects of marijuana use.

The debate is not trivial, and much is at stake. The George Soros-funded
Lindesmith Center, a drug policy research institute, published this book.

Ethan Nadelmann, director of the Lindesmith Center, reminds us in his
introduction that more than 70 million Americans have tried marijuana, and
more than 20 million have smoked it in the last year.

Zimmer and Morgan convincingly demonstrate examples of exaggeration,
contradiction, and misinformation in statements by those with a political,
moral, or institutional need to portray marijuana as all bad. While the
authors refute arguments that they believe maximize adverse effects of
marijuana, at times I think they minimize real or potential dangers. For
example, they downplay upper respiratory effects of chronic marijuana
smoking, and their review of the literature on fetal effects of maternal
marijuana smoking seems a little cavalier. When warnings about marijuana are
given, the tone is almost apologetic.

My somewhat muted reaction to this book is based on my feeling that a slight
modification of the authors' style would have appealed to, and perhaps
affected, a larger number of readers undecided on the relative merits of the
complex arguments raised by marijuana. A literature review and critique of
this magnitude (68 pages of references), with a less inflammatory title,
using a less pugnacious approach, might be easier to buy, read, and digest.

Nevertheless, Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts raises issues and reviews the
literature comprehensively and in a highly accessible manner.

As such, it is an important contribution to the marijuana and drug policy
literature and deserves a wide audience. I hope future editions can maintain
the same thoroughness in a more even-handed manner.