SAYS LET'S RETHINK MEDICAL GRASS BILL

Editor, The Item

As a member of the Governor's Council for Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the
Millburn Municipal Alliance Committee for Drug Awareness, or M-MAC,
has been asked to educate our community about the issue of making
marijuana legal for medical purposes. The New Jersey Assembly will
soon vote on bill A-804, The Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana
Act, which would allow people 18 years of age and older the use of
one ounce of unrefined marijuana for medical benefit in the State of
New Jersey even though this law would go against federal law. M-MAC,
as a substance abuse prevention organization for the past 20 years,
has a great deal of reservation about the efficacy of this
legislation. Our reasons are as follows:

Medicine must not be based on anecdotal accounts of benefits, but on
peer-reviewed scientific research. To date there is no evidence that
marijuana has any medical benefits.

Smoking is not an appropriate delivery system for any medication
especially since marijuana smoke is known to contain more carcinogens
that tobacco smoke and recently it has been discovered that marijuana
smoke damages DNA.

Legislators do not have the expertise to decide what medications a
patient can or cannot use. This decision should be left up to the
medical community and should never be legislated. This could set a
very dangerous precedent.

Legalization of medical marijuana often leads to decreases in
perceived harm and social disapproval among our youth, as well as
adults, which then leads to increases in their use.

The states which have legalized medical use of marijuana have the
highest rate of teenage use. New Jersey which has had a network of
drug prevention alliances for twenty years has one of the lowest
rates of teenage use. Why even take the chance of jeopardizing this.

Nationwide there are increasing numbers of teens and adults seeking
help for addiction to marijuana which is clearly not the harmless
substance it is claimed to be, especially for our kids.

The states that have enacted this legislation are finding it very
difficult to control, i.e., keeping it out of the hands of criminals;
preventing unauthorized people from purchasing marijuana, turning
neighborhoods into high time environment.

New Jersey legislators should take a long hard look at the other
states that have enacted this law before they vote for the
Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana Act. From M-MAC's twenty years
of experience of prevention efforts, the passage of bill A-804 would
show no compassion for the great majority of New Jersey residents. If
you wish to get involved with this issue, contact your Assembly
person and let him or her know your views. Our children count on us
to keep them safe!

Gail Barry

CoordinatorMillburn Municipal Alliance Committee for Drug Awareness