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Answers to “Marijuana impairs ones ability to drive safely, thus endangering themselves and others.” -Marijuana is less impairing than legalized substances such as prescriptions and alcohol. Claim Support Marijuana intoxication in drivers is no way unusual compared to many medicinal drugs. In 1996, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted studies on marijuana’s effect on actual driving performances on freeways and urban roads in the Netherlands with various dosages of marijuana. No increased risk for road trauma was found for drivers exposed to cannabis. Accident Analysis & Prevention, a peer-reviewed journal, reported in its article titled "Psychoactive Substance Use and the Risk of Motor Vehicle Accidents," by K.L.L. Movig et al. (Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 631-636, July 2004): "The objective of this study was to estimate the association between psychoactive drug use and motor vehicle accidents requiring hospitalization.[...] The risk for road trauma was increased for single use of benzodiazepines and alcohol [...] High relative risks were estimated for drivers using combinations of drugs and those using a combination of drugs and alcohol. Increased risks, although not statistically significant, were assessed for drivers using amphetamines, cocaine, or opiates. No increased risk for road trauma was found for drivers exposed to cannabis." July 2004 Accident Analysis & Prevention Answers to “Legalizing marijuana for medical purposes would lead to increased drug abuse among children/teenagers.” -Since marijuana was legalized for medical purposes in California, there has been no increase of drug abuse among children or teenagers. -There has actually been a decrease in drug abuse among the teens and children. -The average marijuana user today is now older than ever before. Most smokers are past the stage of adolescence. Claim Support Since medical marijuana was legalized for medical purposes in California in 1996, there has been many studies conducted to see how it has impacted children and teenagers. The results were the same time after time – there was no increase in drug abuse among the teens and children. Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D. and Karen O’Keefe, Esq. stated in their 9/05 report "Marijuana Use by Young People: The Impact Of State Medical Marijuana Laws": Not only has there not been an increase, there has actually been a decrease in the use of marijuana by teenagers. Percentage of Cannabis (marijuana) Use in Past Six Months Grade 199119931995199792 94 96 98 9th 19.4% 30.4% 34.2% 32.5% 11th 29.4% 40.0% 42.8% 41.6% - Sept. 2002 California Student Survey The average age for marijuana users has risen. "Nine years after the passage of the nation's first state medical marijuana law, California's Prop. 215, a considerable body of data shows that no state with a medical marijuana law has experienced an increase in youth marijuana use since their law's enactment. All have reported overall decreases of more than the national average decreases -- exceeding 50% in some age groups -- strongly suggesting that enactment of state medical marijuana laws does not increase teen marijuana use.... 199900 19.2% 34.7% 2001-02 19.3% 34.0% According to, “Why Marijuana Should be Legal,” by Ed Rosenthal and Steve Kubby, the average age of marijuana users has risen. Answers to “Marijuana is more damaging to your health than it is helpful” -Marijuana does not cause lung cancer. -No one has ever overdosed on marijuana alone. -Marijuana does not have hazardous effects on the brain. Claim There has been no correlation made between smoking marijuana and lung cancer and/or damage to the lungs (i.e. emphysema). Support Lester Grinspoon, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, wrote in his opinion article, "Puffing is the Best Medicine," published May 5, 2006 in the Los Angeles Times: "[T]here is very little evidence that smoking marijuana as a means of taking it represents a significant health risk. Although cannabis has been smoked widely in Western countries for more than four decades, there have been no reported cases of lung cancer or emphysema attributed to marijuana. There is no known account of anyone ever overdosing on marijuana. It is near impossible. I suspect that a day's breathing in any city with poor air quality poses more of a threat than inhaling a day's dose -- which for many ailments is just a portion of a joint -- of marijuana." May 5, 2006 Lester Grinspoon The British Medical Journal stated in a 9/20/03 editorial by Stephen Sidney, M.D., Associate Director for Clinical Research at Kaiser Permanente (Vol. 327, pp. 635-635): "No acute lethal overdoses of cannabis are known, in contrast to several of its illegal (for example, cocaine) and legal (for example, alcohol, aspirin, acetaminophen) counterparts." (9/20/03) British Medical Journal Marijuana use does not cause brain damage. * According to Time Magazine, a 165lb person would have to smoke 900 joints in a 15 minute period to overdose. Lynn Zimmer, Ph.D. and John P. Morgan, M.D., wrote in their 1997 book Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts: "None of the medical tests currently used to detect brain damage in humans have found harm from marijuana, even from long-term high-dose use.... The claim that marijuana destroys brain cells is based on a speculative report dating back a quarter of a century that has never been supported by any scientific study." (1997) Lynn Zimmer Answers to “Why not just take the legal version of Marijuana- Marinol?” -They do not have the same effects because Marinol is taken as a pill while marijuana is smoked. -The goal of scientists and doctors is to make Marinol as close to marijuana as possible. Claim Because Marijuana is smoked rather than taken in pill form, as Marinol is, there is a difference in the effect it produces. The smoking allows the THC to get into the bloodstream more quickly and allows the patient to control their level of relief. Support Professor Donald Abrams, M.D., who has conducted U.S. Government approved research at U.C. San Francisco into the effects of smoked marijuana and AIDS patients, noted in a lecture on May 17, 1999: "When we look at the pharmaecopia, when taken by mouth, delta-9 THC [Marinol] has a very low 6 to 20 percent absorption, and it's very variable from one person to another.... Smoking THC, the THC is rapidly absorbed into the blood stream and redistributed with a considerable amount of it destroyed by combustion. Peak plasma levels are achieved at the very end of smoking and decline rapidly over 30 minutes, as if it were given intravenously, whereas, if taken by mouth, it's a slow and doesn't reach very high peaks and takes a long time to disappear. Patients who have taken both Marinol and Marijuana overwhelmingly prefer Marijuana. The amount of THC one is exposed to might be the same, but certainly the effects are much different. In patients who say, 'I can control the onset and the duration much easier if I smoke than if I swallow it' are telling us just what we know from the pharmaecopia." (5/17/99) Donald Abrams Robert Gorter, M.D., Ph.D., stated in an October 1998 interview with AIDS Treatment News: "My patients who had experience with both cannabis and Marinol almost always preferred cannabis, because Marinol had more side effects, including headaches and a hung-over feeling." (10/98) Robert Gorter Answers to “If marijuana is legalized, people will become addicted to it” -Marijuana does not have the characteristics of an addictive drug. Claim Support A defining characteristic of an “addictive drug” is symptoms of withdrawal which marijuana does not possess. David Borden, Executive Director of The Drug Reform Coordination Network, emailed this statement to ProCon.org on 2/14/02: "Addiction is an imprecise term that relates to five different properties of drugs researchers have defined: withdrawal, reinforcement, tolerance, dependence and intoxication. Dr. Jack Henningfield of the National Institute on Drug Abuse rated various drugs for these five effects and found marijuana roughly tied with caffeine as the least addictive overall." (2/14/02) David Borden * Colin Blakemore, Ph.D. and Leslie Iversen, Ph.D. wrote in an editorial published in The Times [United Kindgom] on 8/6/01: "For some users, perhaps as many as 10 per cent, cannabis leads to psychological dependence, but there is scant evidence that it carries a risk of true addiction. Unlike cigarette smokers, most users do not take the drug on a daily basis, and usually abandon it in their twenties or thirties. Unlike for nicotine, alcohol and hard drugs, there is no clearly defined withdrawal syndrome, the hallmark of true addiction, when use is stopped." (8/6/01) Colin Blakemore and Leslie Iversen Answers to “There has been no long term studies conducted proving the benefits of marijuana.” -Through the Compassionate IND program, long-term studies have been conducted. Claim There have been long terms studies. The Compassionate IND (Investigational New Drug) program was started in 1976 and it has been helping certain qualified patients receive medical marijuana for 30 years. Support George McMahon, a patient in the Compassionate IND program for medical marijuana, wrote the following in his 2004 book Prescription Pot (NJ: New Horizons Press, co-author Christopher Largen): "I was up to seventeen different pills, three times a day and I was pretty incapacitated because of the side effects when my application [to the Compassionate IND program for medical marijuana] was finally approved and my doctor received my first shipment of medical marijuana from the federal government.... I feel lucky to be a legal patient. I don't feel guilty about my status, but I can't take for granted what so many other patients need and lack. Nevertheless, my health depends on a steady supply of medicine.... People who have never struggled with a life threatening or disabling illness often do not comprehend how debilitating the resulting depression can be. Long days spent struggling with sickness can wear patients down, suppress their appetites and slowly destroy their wills to live. This psychological damage can result in physiological effects that may be the difference between living and dying.... The elevated mood associated with cannabis definitely affected my health in a positive manner. I was more engaged with life. I took walks and rode my bike, things I never considered doing before in my depressed state, even if I had been physically capable. I ate regular meals and I slept better at night. All of these individual factos contributed to a better overall sense of wellbeing. If you feel better, you are better... I accepted the fact that I might not ever be cured of my condition, but at least I had found a way to feel less physical and emotional pain in the meantime." (10/29/02) George McMahon Answers to “Legalizing marijuana is the stepping-stone to allowing other drugs to be legalized” -Unlike the legal substances, nicotine and alcohol, marijuana is not a gateway drug. -Using marijuana will not lead to the usage of harder drugs. Claim Alcohol and nicotine products which are both legal, are the real gateway drugs. Support The 1999 U.S. government-sponsored IOM Report observed on Page 99: "In fact, most drug users do not begin their drug use with marijuana--they begin with alcohol and nicotine, usually when they are too young to do so legally... There is no evidence that marijuana serves as a stepping stone on the basis of its particular physiological effect." (March 1999) IOM The use of marijuana will not lead to harder drugs. According to the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine’s 1999 report, Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base: "There is no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs … There is no evidence that marijuana serves as a stepping stone on the basis of its particular physiological effect … Instead, the legal status of marijuana makes it a gateway drug." The World Health Organization noted that any gateway effect associated with marijuana use may actually be due to marijuana prohibition because "exposure to other drugs when purchasing cannabis on the black-market, increases the opportunity to use other illicit drugs." Answers to “Why take Marijuana when there are prescription drugs available” -Prescription drugs can kill. -Over the counter drugs can kill. Claim Support Prescription drugs kill approximately 15,000 people each year in the United States and Europe. A range of commonly prescribed drugs including antibiotics may be responsible for around 15,000 sudden deaths each year in Europe and the United States. The drugs interfere with electrical activity controlling heartbeat. Health News- May 11th, 2005 Over the counter pain killers can also kill. Aspirin is the cause of 2,000 deaths each year in America. -Why Marijuana Should Be Legalized Answers to “Marijuana should not be legal because it is hazardous to one’s health” -Unlike marijuana, alcohol is not beneficial for any medical uses. -Alcohol is a deadly drug, which kills thousands each year. Claim Support Alcohol is deadly; marijuana is not. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, approximately 20,000 Americans die annually as the direct result of alcohol consumption. The comparable number for marijuana is zero. Alcohol is a hazard to the human body and causes many diseases. Unlike marijuana, alcohol is in no way beneficial. Alcohol is the world's most widely abused drug. Society and beverage manufacturers promote drinking as a harmless social activity, but the reality is dramatically different. Even in moderate amounts, alcohol seriously impacts virtually every system of the body. The correlation between risky behavioral choices and physical well-being is strengthened, as the link is revealed between alcohol consumption and such ailments as alcoholic pancreatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, fetal alcohol syndrome, and several common cancers. Dr. Ernest P. Noble, genetic researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles. (Medical information has been authenticated by top health care providers and researchers.) Answers to “Marijuana weakens the immune system, therefore being more harmful to AIDS/HIV patients then beneficial.” -Marijuana has been proven a safe choice for AIDS and HIV patients. - Smoking Marijuana is an effective way to alleviate pain and other symptoms of AIDS and HIV. Claim Support There is much evidence citing that marijuana does not impair the immune system and is therefore a safe medicine for AIDS and HIV patients. *A placebo-controlled clinical trial designed to determine "the short-term effects of smoked marijuana on the viral load of HIV-infected patients" concluded the following, as reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 8/19/03, Vol. 139, Issue 4, pp. 258-266 ( "Conclusions: Smoked and oral cannabinoids [marijuana] did not seem to be unsafe in people with HIV infection with respect to HIV RNA levels, CD4 and CD8 cell counts, or protease inhibitor levels over a 21-day treatment." The accompanying "Summaries For Patients" provided by the journal (click here to read summary in pdf format) stated: "Patients receiving cannabinoids [smoked marijuana and marijuana pills] had improved immune function compared with those receiving placebo. They also gained about 4 pounds more on average than those patients receiving placebo." *In his book Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts, author Lynn Zimmer, Ph.D. wrote: 1. "There is no evidence that marijuana users are more susceptible to infections than non-users. Early studies that showed decreased immune function in cells taken from marijuana users have since been disproven. Indeed, not a single case of marijuana-induced immune impairment has ever been observed in humans."(August 1997) Not only has marijuana been proven safe, but it is also effective in AIDS and HIV patients. A 2/12/04 article by Reuters, "Marijuana Eases HIV-Related Nerve Pain," stated: 1. "For people with nerve damage that can result from HIV infection, smoking marijuana seems to relieve the pain they experience, according to the results of a small pilot study. ...In a trial, 16 HIV-infected subjects with neuropathy were given three marijuana cigarettes each day for seven days...Twelve of the 16 participants reached the [optimal] 30 percent goal in reduction of pain...” Answers to “Marijuana has no medical value.” -Many physicians do believe that marijuana has great medical values. -Although marijuana is not the sole cure for a specific disease or illness, its use benefits a vast array of patients. Many physicians feel that marijuana is helpful in lessening the symptoms of patients, especially those suferrings with AIDS and cancer. *Kate Scannell, M.D., wrote in an article published in the 2. San Francisco Chronicle on Feb. 16, 2003: "From working with AIDS and cancer patients, I repeatedly saw how marijuana could ameliorate a patient's debilitating fatigue, restore appetite, diminish pain, remedy nausea, cure vomiting and curtail down-to-the-bone weight loss." Dr. Scannell concluded by noting: "...almost every sick and dying patient I've ever known who's tried medical marijuana experienced a kinder death."(2/16/03) Kate Scannell, M.D. *The Green Party of Aotearoa conducted a medical marijuana survey of physicians in New Zealand. The survey (published in October 2003) reported that out of the 225 responses they received (margin of error +/- 6.5%): Research has proven that although marijuana might not be the cure to a certain disease or illness, it is extremely beneficial in many cases. 32% of doctors indicated they would consider prescribing medicinal cannabis products if it were legal to do so. The U.K.'s Medicinal Cannabis Research Foundation published on their website in November, 2001: 3. "Research to date suggests that research into the medicinal uses of cannabis and cannabinoids has the potential to make exciting breakthroughs in the management of severe symptoms such as pain, spasm, bladder dysfunction and nausea and could therefore bring a dramatic improvement in quality of life for people with: AIDS wasting syndroms Alzheimer's disease Arthritis Asthma Glaucoma Hypertension Multiple sclerosis Nail Patella Syndrome Brain injury/stroke Nausea w/chemotherapy Crohn's/colitis Pain Depress./mental ill. Eating disorders Epilepsy Fibromyalgia Phantom limb pain Migraine Spinal cord injury Tourette's syndrome Answers to, “Marijuana is not a medical solution to nausea or appetite stimulation.” - Marijuana has been proven effective in both categories. Support Claim It has been established for a long time that marijuana is effective at reducing nausea. Francis L. Young, DEA Administrative Law Judge, made the following statement in his 1988 ruling: 4. "The overwhelming preponderance of the evidence in this record establishes that marijuana has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States for nausea and vomiting resulting from chemotherapy treatments in some cancer patients. To conclude otherwise, on this record, would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious."(9/6/88) Francis L. Young *Should Marinol, rather than marijuana, should be used to treat nausea? No, according to Bill Zimmerman, Ph.D., who wrote in his 1998 book Is Marijuana The Right Medicine For You? : 5. "Patients experiencing extreme nausea find it difficult to swallow any medication in pill form. Some patients vomit when trying to swallow the capsule and are unable to use it. When Marinol does work, many patients claim it takes over an hour re relieve their symptoms. This probably results from the fact that the THC passes through the liver before reaching the receptors in the brain... Because Marinol takes so long to reduce nausea, some patients have complained that they are at risk of overdosing when they are driven to get quick relief from their violent symptoms." Marijuana is effective in stimulating appetite. **The journal Nature published a study ("Physiology: A Hunger for Cannabinoids" Vol. 410, No. 6830, p.763, 4/12/01) where researchers Raphael Mechoulam et al found: 6. "[M]olecules found naturally in the body, as well as in cannabis -- stimulate appetite."4/12/01 Nature Answers to “Marijuana can cause depression and other psychological disorders.” -Just like any other medicine, marijuana must be used properly to ensure the best results. -Not only does medicinal marijuana usage not cause depression, it may actually alleviate it. -Bipolar patients find marijuana more helpful than traditional medicines. Claim In order to get the best treatment, you must make sure you administer the marijuana correctly. When treating mood disorders, you must thoroughly discuss the treatment with your doctors. Support Bill Zimmerman, Ph.D., wrote in his 1998 book Is Marijuana The Right Medicine For You? A Factual Guide to Medical Uses of Marijuana on page 139: 7. "Using marijuana to treat mood disorders can be very tricky. Since active mood disorders often warp one's observational skills, reports by patients about marijuana lifting them out of depression are inherently unreliable. If you intend to use marijuana for this purpose, it is very important that you thoroughly discuss it with your doctor. Patients who respond well report that marijuana not only diminishes their undesirable moods, it also motivates them to There has been much evidence proving marijuana can alleviate depression and relieve bipolar patients. productivity. For some of thesePh.D., patients, depression was a press by-product of :a Mitch Earleywine, noted in an 11/17/05 release debilitating disease or illness for which marijuana provided a 8. "Not only doesFor marijuana depression, it looks welcome remedy. others, not the cause marijuana seems to have like it may actually alleviate it... acted directly on the depression."(1998) Bill Zimmerman Those who use marijuana to battle the symptoms of illness may be depressed because of their illness, not because of marijuana. Studies that do not identify medical use might falsely implicate marijuana, rather than sickness, as the cause of depressed feelings... Thirty percent to 40% of patients with bipolar disorder are not consistently helped by or cannot tolerate standard medications. In the course of the authors' studies of the medical uses of cannabis (Grinspoon & Bakalar 1997), a number of sufferers were discovered who believed marihuana to be more effective than conventional anti-manic drugs, or who used it to relieve the side effects of lithium."(11/17/05) Mitch Earleywine Answers to “Medical marijuana should not be an option for the terminally ill.” -Marijuana can provide a way for the terminally ill to end their lives with dignity. Claim Prescribing marijuana to the terminally ill is somewhat a question of ethics. If marijuana provides a way for patients to carry on their daily activities without being debilitated by pain or constantly in a drug induced sleep, then why not give it to them. Support 9. The 1999 U.S. government 10. IOM Report stated on Page 159: "Terminal cancer patients pose different issues. For those patients the medical harm associated with smoking is of little consequence. For terminal patients suffering debilitating pain or nausea and for whom all indicated medications have failed to provide relief, the medical benefits of smoked marijuana might outweigh the harm."(March, 1999) IOM