Marijuana

Arizona is going to have the opportunity to vote on a medical marijuana proposition in the upcoming election in November. I've been thinking a little bit about the pro's and cons of legalizing marijuana and thought I'd write a blog about it.

I think I'll talk first about the pros for this proposition.

1. Marijuana has medicinal value for sick people. Some people disagree with this but I've got to say that they are flat out wrong if they think marijuana can't help for certain illnesses. If you're one of those people, consider this example - Cancer patients going through chemotherapy often have trouble with loss of appetite and nausea. If you've ever watched Harold and Kumar go to White Castle you know it's common knowledge that marijuana stimulates the appetite. It's not always the healthiest food you might be after but for a cancer patient who is having so much trouble keeping food down that they are experiencing weakness, it's hard to imagine not letting them make their own decision on the issue. You don't have to agree with the decision but can't you agree that it's their decision?

2. It's already widely used and, currently, drug cartels and the black market are reaping the financial benefits. Legalization would allow legitimate business to take over and would start to hurt the revenue streams of the drug cartels and the other various business components of the black market. Again, you don't have to agree with using marijuana but any reasonable person would at least concede this point as a benefit to legalization.

3. Marijuana is safe considered to other drugs that are legalized for their medicinal value. All kinds of opiates have been legally approved as ways to manage pain. Opiates are actually pretty dangerous compared to marijuana. It's pretty hard to argue against that. Who doesn't know someone they went to high school with who ended up overdosing on prescription pain killers and dying? I know I do. Does anyone know somebody who overdosed on marijuana and died? Some people say it's not possible. I don't know if it's ever actually happened, but I do know that not only have I never known anyone who overdosed on marijuana, I've never heard of it happening either. That being said, whatever your opinion is on this, I think it's safe to say that marijuana is much safer than other legal drugs prescribed to manage pain. So the question some medical marijuana proponents are asking is, "if opiates are legal, what's the problem with a little weed, dude?"

And the cons.

1. It's not easy to regulate. When a cop pulls someone over for driving drunk there are breathalysers and field sobriety tests to easily find out if they are driving under the influence. With marijuana, it's not so easy. Opponents say that medical marijuana users will drive under the influence without the threat of detection and make our roads more dangerous than they already are. Since this is a possibility, marijuana should remain illegal. (I'd say that's a problem for law enforcement. Why should a cancer patient not be able to use marijuana because cops are too stupid to find a way to prove if someone's high or not? Law enforcement can adapt if they try. It's really easy to take a blood sample onsite if someone is suspected of being impaired. And if a cop can't tell, then they're probably safe to drive anyway).

2. Kids will think it's okay to do drugs if they see adults using it. This is also a real possibility. Just like it's a real possibility for alcohol abuse or abuse of any other legal drug. Hey parents, get involved in your kids lives again. This isn't going to pose any problem that's not already out there, it's just with a different substance. Fact is that kids are just about 100% guaranteed to face these decisions in their lives, whether they are legal or not, and if they are educated with facts they will most likely make a responsible decision. And if they don't, they probably wouldn't have anyway.

3. It's not FDA approved and there are no federal studies to show that it has medicinal value. True, but have you ever asked yourself why there have been no federal studies to show that it has medicinal value? It is currently a schedule 1 drug, right up there with LSD and cocaine. The difference is that although it's a schedule 1 drug, it's nothing like other schedule 1 drugs. The FDA would have a hard time doing studies and administering a drug to a group that they said is as bad as LSD and cocaine. This has caused them not to research it which is why there is a lack of studies showing it's medicinal value. Kind of stupid if you ask me but nevertheless, it's what some opponents are saying.

Anyway, this kind of turned into a pro medical marijuana post. Wasn't really intending it to be like that but when I start thinking about it this is just where reason takes me. Hope you enjoyed it.