STATE RULES MARIJUANA SMOKE IS A CARCINOGEN, MAY REQUIRE DISPENSARIES
TO POST WARNINGS

Joints and baggies sold at California's medical marijuana dispensaries
will soon carry a new warning label. Next to tags like "Purple Haze"
and "White Widow" will be the advisory: Contents may cause cancer when
smoked.

On Friday, California added marijuana smoke to its official list of
known carcinogens, joining the ranks of arsenic, asbestos and DDT. Pot
brownies, lollipops and other non-inhalables are not affected by the
new ruling.

Scientists found the pungent smoke shares many of the same harmful
properties as tobacco smoke, warranting its inclusion on the
Proposition 65 warning list. The law requires the state to publish a
list of chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity, and
businesses and government agencies must post warnings when they use
such chemicals or sell products containing them.

"Marijuana smoke is a mixture of different chemicals, and a number of
those were already on the Prop. 65 list," said Allan Hirsch, chief
deputy director of the state Office of Environmental Health Hazard
Assessment, which made the designation.

From a health perspective, pot advocates say the ruling was
unsurprising, given the state's track record on documenting the
harmful effects of all kinds of smoke inhalation. However, some are
worried by its political implications as advocates attempt to legalize
recreational use of marijuana.

"I definitely have concerns about law enforcement and politicians who
aren't in favor of medical marijuana or law reform, who would use this
designation to further restrict access," said Allen St. Pierre,
executive director of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform
of Marijuana Law, based in Washington, D.C. "This will be a vexing
series of conversations and negotiations."

Though marijuana smoke was added to the list Friday, the labeling
requirements won't go into effect until June 19, 2010. Only medical
marijuana dispensaries with 10 employees or more are required to post
a warning either in their shop or on the products themselves.
Violations of the law carry a fine up to $2,500 per violation per day.

The panel of scientists at the state Office of Environmental Health
Hazards Assessment reviewed an extensive body of research finding
links between marijuana smoke and cancer, particularly head and neck
cancers.

"There's not one single piece of evidence that was a slam dunk," said
Dr. George Alexeeff, deputy director for scientific affairs at the
OEHHA. "But the pieces together form a very compelling argument."

The panel did not consider studies showing medical benefits of
marijuana, like reducing nausea and restoring appetite after
chemotherapy or slowing the progression of glaucoma.

"Singling out marijuana is gratuitous," said Assemblyman Tom Ammiano,
D-San Francisco, who introduced a bill to legalize recreational
marijuana. "Many, many symptoms of disease can be alleviated through
smoking marijuana."

St. Pierre says the ruling may factor into the larger philosophical
debate about the role public health officials may play in adult
choices. He hopes the national conversation will turn to minimizing
the harmful consequences of smoking pot, rather than aiming for a
utopian drug-free society.