MARIJUANA HARMLESS: HARDLY, SAYS DRUG CZAR

Wednesday's column by Tallahassee Democrat Senior Writer Gerald Ensley
("Reefer madness: It's time to fix the marijuana laws") has resulted
in numerous calls to the Florida Office of Drug Control (ODC). The
callers are not from Mr. Ensley's "otherwise law-abiding citizens" who
choose to break the law and smoke marijuana. The callers are
Floridians who do not want to change the marijuana laws. They want to
protect our youth. They want to abide by our laws. They want informed
decisions about marijuana, a harmful drug.

I share Mr. Ensley's concerns about the harm caused by alcohol and
tobacco. As ODC director, I have always contended that alcohol is our
most dangerous drug. Indeed, a priority effort of ODC is to reduce
underage drinking. However, my alignment with Mr. Ensley ends here.

Democrat readers must weigh both sides of the legalization argument.
In Mr. Ensley's column, Allen Turnage, legal director of the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws in Florida, does a great
disservice to his supporters and recklessly misleads the public by
mischaracterizing marijuana smoking as a "genuinely harmless activity."

Marijuana smoking, of course, is not a harmless activity, as some of
the very data marshaled to bolster the case for decriminalization or
legalization indicate. As noted in the column, about 10 percent of
experimenters or casual users of marijuana will eventually become
heavy, dependent users. These dependent users find the process of
reducing their use or quitting quite difficult, and many seek
assistance from drug treatment providers. Cannabis dependence harms
users in other ways as well. Students who are constantly high
typically display a diminished ability to learn and recall new
information, potentially resulting in poor academic and occupational
achievement.

Research also correlates marijuana use and adverse health effects,
including a strong association between chronic smoking of marijuana
and abnormalities of cells in the respiratory system, increased risk
of cancer, lung damage, chronic bronchitis, increased risk of
pulmonary disease, and poor pregnancy outcomes. If we, as a society,
now spend so much energy and resources persuading people to stop
smoking, why would we now send a signal that smoking marijuana is acceptable?

Last week, a study funded by the British Health Department concluded
there "is sufficient evidence to warn young people that using cannabis
could increase their risk of developing a psychotic illness later in
life." While causation was not directly established, the results were
strong enough to further warn that "despite the inevitable
uncertainty, policy makers need to provide the public with advice
about this widely used drug." While the likelihood of a
cannabis-related psychotic disorder is low, the prevalence of
marijuana use mandates wide dissemination of this warning.

Ignoring the harms of marijuana use may be convenient when arguing for
a system of taxation and regulation similar to alcohol and tobacco.
However, a discussion of the potential harms of cannabis is not the
only thing missing from the article's plea for reform. A frank
assessment of what might happen to marijuana use rates if marijuana
were available in a legal market is also conspicuously absent. Perhaps
this is because regulating marijuana in the same way we regulate
alcohol and tobacco - with all of the big-budget marketing and
advertising that goes along with it - could lead to a substantial
increase in marijuana use. It certainly would be more available to our
children. I do not believe our society or health-care system is ready
for the consequences.

I ask Floridians to consider the evidence. Marijuana is illegal
because it is harmful. Studies consistently correlate marijuana use
with adverse health issues. Marijuana that is grown today is more
potent and potentially more harmful. Appropriately, our government has
drawn a line saying we are not going to add marijuana to our long list
of alcohol and cigarette problems. Do not change the marijuana laws.