Is the right to get high and buy legal marijuana in a store worth the risk to kids, society, and the economy in the form of: greater addiction and learning deficits, a new, legal industry relying on addiction for profits, increased safety and health costs (like car crashes or the costs to health care and the costs of a newly regulated system).
Marijuana smoked or inhaled is not medicine. The United States Food and Drug Administration has not been presented with any sound scientific studies supporting medical use of raw marijuana for treatment in the United States, and no animal or human data has supported the safety or efficacy of marijuana for general medical use. There are alternative FDA-approved medications in existence for treatment of many of the proposed uses of smoked marijuana such as Marinol and other marijuana based pills. More will be developed and become approved.
It is important to note that increased access and availability lead to decreased perceptions of harm and increased use. In California, it is almost a joke; 90% of card holders are registered for ailments such as general pain or headaches. Most card holders are white men between the ages of 17 and 35 with no history of chronic illness and many with a history of drug use and alcohol abuse.
Marijuana based medications may have significant health benefits and help folks suffering in pain. Opiates have the same benefits, we did not legalize opium and heroin. Scientific based research created opiate based medications that are widely used throughout the world as health benefits and to alleviate pain.
Why is John Morgan working so hard for medical marijuana in Florida?
