Guest Column: Marijuana’s only problem
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Guest Column: Marijuana’s only problem
OCRegister - Dec 31, 2006
” A 2004 study showed it blocks gamma herpes; a 2005 study showed it slows hardening of the arteries; a 2006 UCLA study concluded marijuana isn’t linked to lung cancer and may inhibit tumor growth. A 2006 Ohio State University study indicated it may stave off Alzheimer’s. Other pharmaceutical medicines may be more effective than marijuana in certain applications, but marijuana has an inherent advantage: It’s nontoxic. The Drug Enforcement Administration itself conceded in 1988 that there are no reported deaths from marijuana in recorded medical history. Third, regarding recreational use, an independent RAND Corp. study in 2002 concluded that marijuana does not act as a gateway drug or lead teenagers to experiment with hard drugs. According to the drugmaker Merck, marijuana’s active ingredient, THC, unlike alcohol and nicotine, doesn’t cause physical dependence… According to the drugmaker Merck, marijuana’s active ingredient, THC, unlike alcohol and nicotine, doesn’t cause physical dependence. Merck’s researchers concluded that opposition to the drug “rests on a moral and political, and not a toxicologic, foundation. Common sense is slowly taking hold, as many states now allow marijuana at least for medical use. Federal lawmakers, however, want to continue to subject marijuana users to arrest and punishment, without scientific or moral basis. There is no aspect of marijuana in a private setting that warrants federal agents breaking down doors and treating as thugs people who have not harmed anyone, arresting them or seizing their property. Over the 70 years of marijuana prohibition, American citizens have suffered cruel and unusual punishment, as well as unequal protection under the law. Imprisonment should be restricted to those we fear: murderers, rapists, batterers, thieves and people driving under the influence