THE CRACK DOWN ON MARIJUANA

The Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana (MMJ) Act is a small but
promising start for Pennsylvania. There are currently 14 states where
MMJ has been legalized; laws regarding the amount of usable marijuana
and number of plants varies from state to state. Two other states have
passed laws that decriminalize MMJ. The federal government has made
clear that there will be no action to change the status of marijuana
on a national level. Therefore, changes regarding marijuana laws must
be made at a state level.

I give my most sincere condolences to Ms. Sharon Smith - whose
daughter passed away from a heroin overdose - regarding the loss of
her daughter. Unfortunately, it seems that her situation has turned
her into a crusader, refusing reason, favoring blind conviction. As an
argument against MMJ laws, she claims that the medical decisions
should be made by doctors, not the government. Creating laws to allow
MMJ would finally put the decision in doctors' hands. In most states,
it is illegal for doctors to prescribe marijuana, and illegal for
patients to use marijuana. The illegality is a dictum handed down from
the government.

She goes on to state that marijuana "is dangerous when regularly used
by a person with a mental illness" and goes on to cite the recent
Pentagon shooting as evidence. I'd say she's right. Lots of substances
(alcohol, Xanax, Oxycontin, Ritalin, etc) can be dangerous when used
by a mentally ill person; after all, they are mentally ill. I don't
see how the Pentagon shooter has any substantive relation to the
discussion about marijuana legalization.

Dr. Kitei cites a long list of potential side effects from marijuana
use. I challenge the readers of this to think of a legal drug,
prescription or over-the-counter, that does not have potential side
effects. I couldn't think of any. She goes on to cite the lack of
published data in regards to potential benefits. On this I agree.
There is not a large body of scientific research on the effects of
MMJ. This is due to the current federal treatment of marijuana, which
significantly limits the amount of research done. There is, however, a
wealth of anecdotal reporting on the effectiveness of MMJ. Many
patients use MMJ to escape from the much harsher side effects of many
prescription drugs. I can't cite everything here; Google it. I am
confident that future research will back up the anecdotal claims. The
sooner we open the door to more research on the effects of marijuana,
the better.

Finally, I put forth that MMJ laws are not progressive enough.
Marijuana should be legalized and regulated in the same fashion as
alcohol. I believe that treating marijuana like alcohol would actually
reduce the use of hard drugs. Marijuana is significantly safer than
alcohol or any hard drug; there are no deaths from marijuana overdose.
I have seen firsthand how people get involved in hard drugs. It almost
inevitably starts with somebody that they buy marijuana from offering
cocaine, or heroin or crack. Drug dealers don't check IDs. When I was
in high school, it was easier to get marijuana than alcohol. One could
be bought in the school parking lot; the other required a 21+
year-old-friend, which when I was 15, was nonexistent. The money that
would be spent on enforcement of marijuana laws, along with the
additional tax revenue from marijuana sales, could be used for drug
education and rehabilitation and enforcement of laws regarding hard
drugs. Regulating the distribution of marijuana would keep the plant
out of the hands of minors.

Prohibition did not work with alcohol. It is not working with
marijuana. Legalize it, regulate it, tax it.

Matt, Class of 2010