MEDICAL MARIJUANA'S DUBIOUS STATUS

Robert Allen's piece on the marijuana dispensary owner prompted me to
try to clarify the issue of "Medical Marijuana" from the perspective
of an emergency physician with 25 years of practice.

I have had my share of encounters with recreational drugs of all sorts
and their effects on health and social issues.

Marijuana is arguably one of the most benign recreational drugs
around. In the emergency, I have only occasionally seen domestic
violence, automobile accidents or criminal activities in people who
have solely marijuana on board. More often than not this phenomenon is
associated with alcohol alone or a combination with cocaine, meth,
cannabis, etc.

Given its low impact on society, marijuana is a recreational drug
whose illegal status under federal law might need a review.

Another issue is the use of marijuana as a therapeutic
agent.

Despite anecdotal testimonies of people with terminal illnesses, there
is no good scientific evidence for the medical use of marijuana. There
are far better medications for the control of pain and nausea
associated with cancer and other terminal conditions than marijuana.

But let's suppose there exists a yet-to-be-proven medical
benefit.

The fact is most card-carrying medical marijuana users do not have a
terminal condition and most doctors who write those prescription are
well aware of this.

The disturbing truth is some doctors are willing to bend their sense
of ethics to accommodate a society in search of its next high.

The effort to legalize marijuana as a recreational drug failed and
medicine became it's a Trojan horse. The marijuana lobby has succeeded
in legalizing pot using medicine as an alibi.

That is a moral dilemma for legislative bodies throughout Colorado to
ponder.

Claude Lavallee MD

Frisco