allenlovesgreen

Is marijuana a health issue, a legal problem, or a victim of bad publicity?
7/22/09|Examiner| By Launa Virgo



Mary Jane, Grass, Weed, Smoke, Pot...no matter what its called, a debate is sure to follow when the subject of marijuana comes up. But what is it anyway?

Cannabis sativa or C.indica is practically a weed that is easy to grow and has been in medical use since around 2000 BC. Mexico, Paraguay and the US are current major producers. George Washington wanted it sown everywhere on his property, Thomas Jefferson cultivated cannabis, and Benjamin Franklin started the first American paper mill which made paper exclusively from cannabis; it was a common crop in colonial America and became a very important commodity during the second world war when Asian supplies were cut off. Rope, clothing, food products and paper are just a few of the things made from industrial hemp, its non-hallucinogenic relative. The flowering tops, stems and leaves (in the active ingredient Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] variety) are used for drug production. Note that non-THC varieties of cannabis, when planted with the THC variety will reduce the THC to the point where it is not profitable for drug production. The two varieties are usually lumped together in marijuana arguments.

"...one acre of hemp, in annual rotation over a 20-year period, would produce as much pulp for paper as 4.1 acres (17,00m2) of trees being cut down over the same 20-year period. This process would use only 1/4 to 1/7 as much polluting sulfur-based acid chemicals to break down the glue-like lignin that binds the fibers of the pulp, or even none at all using soda ash. The problem of dioxin contamination of rivers is avoided in the hemp paper making process, which does not need to use chlorine bleach (as the wood pulp paper making process requires) but instead safely substitutes hydrogen peroxide in the bleaching process...If the new (1916) hemp pulp paper process were legal today, it would soon replace about 70% of all wood pulp paper, including computer printout paper, corrugated boxes and paper bags."
USDA Bulletin No. 404

Health Issue

Research has shown that marijuana lowers testosterone and sperm counts in males while raising testosterone levels in women. It also affects memory, can lead to dependence, and the inhaled smoke affects the lungs. As with any chemical a pregnant woman is exposed to, THC can pose a health risk for her unborn child.

Medicinal marijuana use includes lowering the pain and nausea from chemotherapy. Administering THC in pill form has been tried but has not been well received since it is more expensive and is said to be not as effective. It has been estimated that the millions currently spent on marijuana patrol and incarceration could be shifted to health care - addressing the problem as an addiction much like alcohol and tobacco.

Compared to other causes of death, marijuana use is fairly small (reported to be 0%): tobacco - 435,000; poor diet and lifestyle - 365,000; alcohol (including vehicular deaths) - 85,000; prescriptions - 32,000; guns - 29,000; all illicit drug use - 17,000.

Other products with a potential for addiction are alcohol and tobacco, both regulated by government. It is interesting to note that pharmacies, places where people go for medicines to treat/alleviate health conditions, are the same places you can go to buy cigarettes - the leading cause of death.

"US pharmacy students need an expanded worldview that includes how the world perceives pharmacists in the United States and what we do in theory and practice. All of us within our academy need to have an expanded tobacco related worldview as well. Seeing the United States as the major promoter of tobacco products worldwide and observing that a significant percentage of our educational programs are located in sites that are in tobacco-selling venues does not send a proactive message on public health promotion to the rest of the world."
PubMed

As anyone with a predilection for addiction (alcohol, tobacco, gambling, food, etc.) can attest, there are problems the addicted person, friends and family endure. Drug addiction can lead to criminal activities, break up families and ruin lives. If you are currently experiencing an addiction problem, therapies and medical intervention are available.

Legal Problem

Early in the 1900's, the controversy started regarding illicit trafficking. By the 50's, the incarceration rates for marijuana possession, trafficking and use began to rise. It is now estimated that 60-80% of Mexican drug trafficking profits come from marijuana. The largest demographics for incarceration are young African American and Latino males - and a large number are housed in for-profit prison industry institutions run by companies such as Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). In much the same way that for-profit health care inherently carries no incentive to reduce illness, a for-profit prison industry would not have an incentive to reduce the prison population as their shareholders would lose money. "Early in the next century, the United States will incarcerate more citizens than any other nation. That's a dubious distinction worth examining, given that the crime rate is plummeting and prisons represent one of the fastest growing parts of state and federal budgets (a March 21 Palin Dealer editorial comment)."

First Nations are also impacted. When a Lakota Nation family tried to grow industrial hemp on sovereign land, federal agents and legal confrontations ensued.
One factor people often do not realize is that many states strip felons of their right to vote - some for a number of years after release, others for their lifetime. In some states, this means that up to 40% of African American men are currently disenfranchised. This is an important factor when voting demographics are considered.

"We incarcerate too many people in this country. Most are young, male, people of color. Public officials are looking for a quick fix: a for profit-driven concern for the bottom line." At a March 21, 1998 forum on privatization in Youngstown - attorney Jonathan Smith

Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank and Texas Republican Ron Paul, along with some others, have co-authored a new bill introduced in the House of Representatives (H.R. 5843) that would "eliminate most Federal penalties for possession of marijuana for personal use, and for other purposes". In a recent video, Ron Paul debated this subject.

Bad Publicity



Up until the mid 1930's Cannabis was used regularly in medical preparations, cultivated, and carried no threat of jail time. Early arguments for criminalization had more to do with politics and financial empires than hard science and medical research. On one side of the present argument are crime and the misery associated with trafficking and addiction. On the other are the medicinal applications and economic benefits of hemp products. Canada and many other countries view marijuana use as a public health concern and address it as such. No other health issue is dealt with by the American criminal justice system.

How have you been impacted by marijuana's health or legal issues?