MARIJUANA USE HOLDS RISKS, SUCH AS DRUG ADDICTION

The emotional hysteria generated by any reference to marijuana usage
(illicit or medically authorized) is a fascinating
psychological-sociological phenomenon throughout the U.S. This
exaggerated reaction can be traced back to the 1930s when Harry
Anslinger, the head of the federal drug agency at the time, spent a
lot of effort castigating marijuana usage. It is truly amazing that
this perception lingers today.

In almost a half-century of forensic pathology practice, having
performed 17,000 autopsies, I have never attributed a death directly
to a marijuana overdose. I have reviewed more than twice that number
of cases signed out by other forensic pathologists in other
jurisdictions, and I have never seen a death certificate listing
marijuana overdose as the cause of death.

"Acute combined drug toxicity" is a growing cause of death in our
country, not limited to celebrities such as Elvis Presley, Anna Nicole
Smith or Michael Jackson. It is my fervent hope that the federal and
state agencies charged with the responsibility of controlling the
improper use of drugs and chemical compounds will deem it necessary to
concentrate on this kind of drug abuse, with at least the same level
of passion that they have used in trying to prevent patients from
receiving a physician-prescribed therapeutic dose of a comparatively
benign drug such as marijuana.

Cyril H. Wecht, M.D.

Pittsburgh