MEDICAL MARIJUANA -- AN OXYMORON

My Word

Humboldt State University President Rollin Richmond's recent
marijuana speech before the Arcata City Council prompted me to submit
this opinion, which I first expressed in the November 2000
Humboldt-Del Norte Medical Society Bulletin.

Marijuana is not a medicine. Marijuana is a recreational drug used by
many people to get high. Alcohol is also a recreational drug; no
better and no worse than marijuana in its good or bad effects. But
alcohol is legal to produce, possess and consume. Alcohol is not a medicine.

Heroin, cocaine and amphetamines are hard drugs and are damaging to
all illegal users who come in contact with them, be they users,
suppliers or innocent victims. Heroin (morphine), cocaine and
amphetamines are useful drugs when prescribed by a physician to treat
specific diseases or symptoms. When used as prescribed, they are medicines.

Marijuana is grown illegally in Humboldt County and in spite of
millions of dollars spent on the Rambo-style efforts of CAMP it
remains the No. 1 income producer, either legal or illegal, in
Humboldt County. This annual infusion of large amounts of illegal
cash in this county converts many otherwise law-abiding citizens into
criminals and lowers the morals of the entire county.

The active ingredients in marijuana have been available as a
prescription medicine in pill form for years. Any physician can
prescribe marijuana under its trade name Marinol. Patients do not
like Marinol because it does not work as well as other drugs for all
the "diseases" marijuana is supposed to help.

The marijuana law is a total hypocrisy. The "physicians" who
prescribe marijuana get $200 cash for few-second encounter. Growers
use the law as a cover to grow commercial quantities of dope.
"Clinics" are commercial dope sellers preying on the sick or the
allegedly sick. "Patients" often have bogus diseases and many are
smoking dope to get high.

Those Humboldt County residents who are truly ill (terminal cancer
patients, for example) should be able to get free marijuana from our
abundant local supply.

Legalize marijuana, smoke it to get high -- but don't call it a
medicine. It's not. Calling marijuana a medicine is a hypocrisy and
will only delay its legalization as a recreational drug.

Denver Nelson is a retired neurosurgeon. He lives in Eureka.

The opinions expressed in this My Word piece do not necessarily
reflect the editorial viewpoint of the Times-Standard.