NO: ADDICTIVE DRUG HAS NO MEDICAL VALUE

Arguments for the legalization of "medical" marijuana do little to ensure
that the facts concerning marijuana are openly discussed and only further
confuse the issue for the American public. The truth is that marijuana is a
highly addictive drug and has no medical value.

Marijuana is one of the most abused drugs in this country. It is one of the
first illegal drugs young people are exposed to and some experiment with.
Using marijuana often lowers their inhibition against trying other,
less-forgiving drugs such as Ecstasy, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin.
The drug's effects cause memory loss, trouble with problem-solving, loss of
motor skills and an increase in heart rate, panic attacks and anxiety.
Marijuana weakens the body's immune system, which further complicates any
potential recovery from a serious medical condition.

Marijuana trafficked across the United States is up to 25 times more potent
than it was in the 1960s, which makes it much more addictive. Drug
traffickers in Mexico and Canada flood this country with vast amounts of
marijuana, and citizens of this country grow it with little regard for the
damage they are causing. The misleading message that young people receive
concerning this drug contributes to their decision to use marijuana.

If adults are misconstruing the facts surrounding marijuana use for their
own benefit, how can a 10- or 11-year-old make a decision on the harmful
effects of marijuana or other drugs? If elected officials openly violate
the law by distributing marijuana, as recently occurred in California, how
can they possibly have the best interests of their community and its young
people at heart?

The insinuation that smoking marijuana has widespread support and can
assist people suffering from AIDS, Lou Gehrig's disease and many other
terminal illnesses is misleading. While some people openly support the
legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, it is from a misinformed
position.

It does not matter that they are elected political figures; a misguided
decision is still a bad one, no matter who makes it. Legalizing marijuana
through a political process bypasses the safeguards established by the Food
and Drug Administration to safely test all drugs.

Others utilize the medical-marijuana claim as a ploy to legalize marijuana
altogether, and then will work toward the legalization of other dangerous
drugs as well. They work to misinform, mislead and weaken your resolve.
Operators of "compassion marijuana distribution centers" have attempted to
legitimize themselves in California, Oregon, Washington and elsewhere for
too long.

Misinformation causes confusion for the public seeking to make a rational
decision on this issue. Legalizers often cite a 1999 White
House-commissioned study by the Institute of Medicine, which they say
concluded that marijuana has medical benefits. This is not true. The study
concluded that smoking marijuana is not good medicine. It went on to state
that although marijuana delivers the active ingredient tetra
hydrocannabinol (THC), smoking marijuana also delivers harmful substances,
including most of those found in tobacco smoke.

No medicine prescribed today is ever smoked. Marijuana contains over 400
chemicals, and when smoked it easily introduces cancer-causing chemicals to
the body. Does this sound like good medicine? Marijuana contains numerous
compounds and could never deliver the precise effect sought by a medical
doctor assisting a patient.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) supports research into the study
of all drugs, including THC. As a result of that research, Marinol was
developed, and has been available to the public since 1985. The active
ingredient in Marinol is synthetic THC, which battles the nausea and other
discomforts associated with chemotherapy in cancer patients, and loss of
appetite, often associated with AIDS patients. Marinol is an alternative
drug approved by the medical community and the Food and Drug Administration.

We have all witnessed the horrific consequences of drug abuse in our
country over many years, and it is appalling. The DEA, and other law-
enforcement agencies, take the legal measures necessary to combat drug
traffickers, including those who grow and distribute marijuana, and who
often hide behind "medical marijuana" claims that have misinformed and
confused the public.

Accepting the notion that marijuana is harmless leads young people to
experiment with it, and allows legalizers the path they seek to undermine
the successful drug-prevention programs that law enforcement, community
leaders and schools have engaged in.

You can make a difference. Speak out against the false claims of legalizers
and put this issue to rest. Enough is enough, America, and it's time that
you stood your ground and said so.