MARIJUANA IS NOT MEDICINE

Last November, the Oregon chapter of the National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Laws sponsored the Oregon Medical Cannabis Awards--its
own version of the town chili cook-off. For a small fee, state-licensed
"medical marijuana" growers could enter their homegrown marijuana to be
judged in a best-in-show competition. For a little more money, licensed
"medical marijuana" patients could judge the samples themselves. Even
children--with a note from a parent, of course--could participate as
judges. The very nature of the event exposes medical marijuana opportunists
for what they are: people who are looking for the best high, not the best
medicine that science has to offer.

With marijuana awards making a mockery of medicine, drug use and addiction,
it is no wonder we have a hard time teaching kids how dangerous drugs
really are and creating an environment of prohibition. By characterizing
the use of illegal drugs as quasi-legal, state-sanctioned, Saturday
afternoon fun, legalizers destabilize the societal norm that drug use is
dangerous. They undercut the goals of stopping the initiation of drug use
to prevent addiction.

Organizations seeking to construe marijuana as medicine appeal to the
compassion of America. They cite testimonials that only marijuana can
provide relief to patients suffering from AIDS, cancer and other painful
diseases. In reality, smoked marijuana is not a Federal Drug
Administration-approved medicine. As a crude plant, marijuana is so
complex, unstable, and harmful that sensible physicians and researchers
consider it unethical to expose individuals to the risks associated with
smoking it.

Smoking marijuana impairs attention, memory, and dexterity, and increases
the risk of traffic accidents. Repeated use can lead to respiratory disease
and permanent cognitive impairment. Marijuana use is addictive.

There is a variety of existing, scientifically proven options available to
patients in need of pain relief. Among these is the FDA-approved medicine
Marinol. But smoked marijuana advocates refuse to acknowledge Marinol as a
viable option. Interestingly enough, the only property that Marinol lacks
is the capacity to create a "high."

The "Smoking is toking" campaign during the Great American Smoke Out
illustrates the impact the marijuana lobby has already had on our children.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 13 of 14
major cities, more youngsters smoke marijuana than cigarettes. They know
cigarettes are bad for them. Youth smoking prevention efforts are paying
off.

One can only imagine to what extent our successful anti-smoking efforts
would be stymied if there were an unchallenged, well-organized effort
promoting "medical tobacco" under the guise of compassion. Unless we give
thoughtful deliberation to the consequences of deeming marijuana as
medicine, we will be the ones to thank when drug prevention efforts falter
and our children suffer the consequences.

I witnessed firsthand the impact of the "medical marijuana" movement when I
was medical director for the largest youth addiction treatment system in
Illinois . Children entering drug abuse treatment routinely report that
they heard that "pot is medicine" and, therefore, believed it to be good
for them.

The best hope for reducing drug use and its consequences is to teach
children not to start. The environment is a major influence on whether a
child will experiment with drugs. A child is less likely to use if there is
a clear warning. The biggest threat to creating an effective environment of
prohibition is the active campaign of legalizers to blur the line between
dangerous, illegal drugs and medicine.