EAST BAY DOCTOR FEARS LEGALIZING POT

Though California voters rejected the legalization of marijuana, the
debate rages on. The pros and cons of this controversial subject will
continue butting heads.

Dr. Bob Albo, 78, retired as an Oakland general and oncology surgeon
in 2006, but he remains a consultant for the Raiders and Warriors
sports franchises, and he's a professor of surgery at UC San Francisco.

As for legalizing marijuana, which is a federal offense even though
smoking pot occurs in all 50 states, you can basically count Albo
among the cons.

"There is plenty of evidence," he said Tuesday, "that the use of
marijuana is a drug that will cause immense complications if you open
it up to the public and let a 21-year-old go to a store and buy it at
his convenience, and then pass it around to people who are younger.

"One of the studies done said that the use of marijuana is clear down
to junior high schools. You're talking about the smoking of marijuana
at the junior high school level? And having it legalized? It would be
an atrocity."

Marijuana has become more toxic over time, but Albo said its
immediate impact isn't any worse than consuming alcohol. He does see
one distinct difference.

"A lot of people have a glass of wine and aren't impaired," he said.
"A person who smokes one joint is impaired, and it hangs around in
your bloodstream anywhere from several days to several weeks. A glass
of wine or a martini, in comparison, has zero effect by the end of
the evening or the next morning."

One frightening aspect of legalizing marijuana is the highway. It's
crazy enough out there with daredevils cutting in and out of the
slimmest openings. But if potheads are out there with the drunks,
with both stimulants now legal, look out!

"One marijuana cigarette can cause drowsiness and poor reaction
time," said Albo, "and it will last longer than having one glass of
alcohol. There's distortion with both (pot and booze), but it depends
on the amount (of either)."

Comparing those addictions, Albo said there is no liver disease or
liver failure from abusing marijuana, as is the case with alcohol.
And, he added, there are no medical studies showing long-term effects
from using marijuana.

He refuted one line of thinking, however, for legalizing marijuana --
that those who sold it or used it would then be taxed, and the tax
money would alleviate California's financial burdens. He pointed out
that there can be no taxation because the federal government hasn't
legalized marijuana.

"So their reasoning is totally out in left field," he said of those
marijuana proponents. "They couldn't do it if they wanted to, and
even if it passed in this state, it wouldn't be accepted (nationally)."

Smoking pot won't cause lung cancer, Albo observed, but it does lead
to bronchitis and respiratory symptoms.

"There are three advantages of cannabis," he said. "People with
chronic diseases in which pain is the major complaint. People who are
on chemotherapy; marijuana, in some instances, can stop the nausea
better than medication. And for people with HIV, marijuana has been
shown to elevate their mood and make their terminal days more comfortable."

Albo supports medical subscriptions of marijuana in those instances,
but he is "100 percent against" marijuana being grown and sold
without any restrictions.

Besides his highly regarded medical reputation, Albo, a Berkeley
native and Piedmont resident, is among the world's leading experts on
magic. He has written 13 volumes on magic, but can't make his current
illness disappear.

He suffers from a "progressive, downhill" autoimmune disease that has
destroyed the covering of his motor sensory nerves, which means this
UC Berkeley Athletic Hall of Fame member is losing control of his
limbs. Because he isn't in constant pain, marijuana cannot benefit him.

"Would I take medical marijuana if I were in pain?" he asked. "I
doubt it. I have strong feelings against smoking of any kind, but the
sweet smell of marijuana permeates a room. It's a dirty, terrible addiction."