MEDICAL MARIJUANA WOULD BE UNHEALTHY AND TROUBLESOME

On Nov. 4, Michigan residents will decide whether or not to join 12
other states in legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes. Proposal
1's intent is to benefit people suffering from debilitating
illnesses. If passed, it would allow registered patients with a
chronic medical condition such as cancer, glaucoma or Hepatitis C to
use marijuana.

The Michigan Department of Community Health would be required to
establish an identification card system for patients who meet the
criteria to use marijuana and individuals who meet the criteria to
grow marijuana.

Make no mistake, chronic pain is debilitating, and we as a health
care community must do our best using the many tools available to
help patients relieve pain. Nevertheless, legalizing the smoking of
marijuana for this purpose is not the right answer.

Consider the facts. The smoked form of marijuana is not considered
modern medicine. In 2006, the FDA issued an advisory stating that no
sound scientific studies have supported medical use of smoked
marijuana for treatment in the United States

Major public health organizations do not support smoking marijuana as
medicine. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the American
Medical Association and the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the
National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society all oppose
the smoked form of marijuana as medicine.

Just as cigarette smoke can produce serious illnesses such as lung
cancer, marijuana smoke is detrimental to a person's health. It
alters the functioning of the central nervous system, the brain and
the brain stem. It also changes how a person thinks and feels.

It is true that THC, the primary cannabinoid in marijuana plants, has
demonstrated medical value. It is currently available in the
prescription drug, Marinol. Recent studies also have demonstrated
that inhaling of the THC using a vaporizer or inhaler can achieve the
same or higher THC levels as smoked marijuana.

Like all prescription medication, the federal government regulates
Marinol and any new medicines that are developed. Federal regulation
assures a level of quality and efficacy. Under Proposal 1, the
dosage, the purity or the quality of the marijuana is unregulated and
essentially unknown. This does not meet the ordinary standards of
medical care or pharmaceutical practice, and this will put the
patient at higher risk for an adverse outcome.

Also, Proposal 1 contains loopholes that would place a consumer at
risk. For example, the proposal is silent as to how registered
patients will acquire marijuana in the first instance. This can
encourage illegal activity that will put our communities at risk.

If passed, Proposal 1 would cause legal confusion, drug enforcement
problems and significant health risk for patients. The proposal is
simply bad policy that Michigan does not need.