MEDICAL MARIJUANA SUPPORT NOT BACKED BY SCIENTIFIC STUDIES

The April 27 commentary from the Coalition for Medical Marijuana-New
Jersey made an argument for medical marijuana, including smoking
marijuana. They want marijuana approved as medicine by getting a state
law passed. They use emotional arguments instead of science. What does
science have to say?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve of smoked
marijuana as a medicine. Neither does the New Jersey Department of
Health. Commissioner of Health Fred Jacobs, in a letter to me, noted
that smoking marijuana poses a risk to users because it delivers
harmful substances and it cannot provide a consistent drug effect.
This would apply to eating marijuana also.

Questions of medicine are for the FDA to answer -- not
special-interest groups, not individuals, not public opinion. Our
medical system relies on proven scientific research.

Before the development of modern pharmaceutical science, the field of
medicine was fraught with potions. There were as many anecdotal
stories about these potions as there are today about smoked marijuana.
Many people were convinced these potions helped them. However, many of
these potions were useless or were harmful to unsuspecting ill people.
Thus evolved our current FDA drug approval process. It has protected
us for 100 years. It is dangerous to undermine it.

Smoked marijuana as medicine has also been rejected by the American
Medical Association, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the
American Glaucoma Society, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and
the American Cancer Society. Recently, the federal Institute of
Medicine also conducted research on this issue and they see "little
future in smoked marijuana as a medicine."

There are good reasons why they reject smoked marijuana. The major
reason is that numerous safe and effective FDA-approved medicines are
available for all the conditions that smoked marijuana allegedly
helps. Marijuana legalization advocates would have you believe that
smoking marijuana is the only alternative for cancer sufferers who are
going untreated for the nausea associated with chemotherapy, and for
those who suffer from glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and other ailments.

Marijuana is intoxicating, so it's not surprising that sincere people
report relief of their symptoms when they smoke it. They may be
feeling better, but they are not actually getting better. They may
even be getting worse due to the detrimental effects of marijuana.

Americans have the world's safest and most effective system of medical
practice built on a process of scientific research, testing and
oversight. Our investment in medical science is at risk if we do not
defend the proven process by which medicines are brought to the market.

All drugs must undergo rigorous clinical trials before a drug can be
released for public use. Smoked marijuana has not met that test.

Scientific literature shows use of marijuana is a major risk factor in
the development of addiction and drug use among our schoolchildren.
One study showed that of nearly 182,000 children in treatment, 48
percent were admitted for abuse or addiction to marijuana, while 19.3
percent were admitted for alcohol abuse and 2.9 percent for cocaine
abuse.

We take no issue with people who are legitimately ill. We are against
those who have manipulated sick people to promote legalization of marijuana.

I am a cancer survivor. I was lucky. I got the right information. It
is not compassionate to give sick people wrong information that
prevents them from using effective medicines instead of marijuana.
Many people are making money off selling marijuana to sick people.

Please leave this issue up to the FDA. It decides what is a medicine
and what is not. This is in the best interest of our citizens.