Buzzby

Despite Legality, Pot Still A Danger
Dotty Burns | The Renegade Rip | 03/30/2005

As a result of recent articles in the Renegade Rip on March 9, medicinal marijuana use has been a very popular topic for the last month on the Bakersfield College campus.

Well, I am sorry to spoil the party, but marijuana should not be used to treat minor illnesses. I can't entirely disapprove the idea of prying open the door of drug legalization for the sick and the dying. However, I don't necessarily understand how an illicit drug that causes neurological defects could really help anyone. But for those who spend their numbered days in agony, and regard "getting high" as one their last comforts, by all means they should be the restricted few who should have access to medicinal marijuana.

Until recently I had never had any strong beliefs regarding medicinal marijuana until I ran into so many bizarre cases on the subject. About a month ago, I overheard a haggard middle-aged woman vehemently talking to another student about her experience with medicinal marijuana. The woman dispensed a long heart-wrenching saga about how she has had to combat illness, and how society has unreasonably prosecuted her for her marijuana use.

Although she never stated exactly how the hallucinogenic drug reduced her pain, the woman so adamantly supported the use of medicinal marijuana I was halfway convinced that indeed society had unduly mistreated her.
However, when she mentioned her serious ailment, my jaw nearly dropped in disappointment. I was expecting her to tell the student that she was battling cancer, or had a terminal illness. The woman claimed that she was suffering from "insomnia," "arthritis" and "osteoporosis."

While those are terrible conditions that do need serious medical treatment, I don't understand how a hallucinogenic drug can help. For the last month staff members of the Rip have produced some very interesting stories, with the same kind of heart-felt testimonies that the woman produced.
Some of their alleged conditions I found even more shocking than the woman's, which were "headaches," "scoliosis" and "Attention Hyperactive Disorder."

Regardless of the way the infirmed and the dying seek out relief, cannabis is hazardous to the health of "cannabis medicators." Cannabis contains psychoactive components that can cause subtle impairment and some long-term damage. The most effecting ingredient is tetrahyrocannbinonl (THC).
According to John Witton of the National Addiction Center, evidence has shown that THC has a profound effect on mental heath, causing amnesia, delusions, tremors and anxiety. A technical paper published by Drug Scope, claimed the THC causes neurological damage by depleting blood supply to the brain, which in affect leads to psychological disorders.

I have 70% deficit in auditory memory, severe dyslexia, Attention Deficit Disorder and clinical depression. And I'm sure Cheech and Chong medicinal marijuana users would probably be able to direct me to the right places if I felt compelled to use illicit drugs.

Personally, I've never smoked a joint. It's not because I've never had the opportunity. I didn't turn down offers in high school to try marijuana because I had knowledge of proven facts.

The "potheads" who attended my high school were a handful of degenerates, flaunting their criminal record, as well as their poor grades. When the day came when they intercepted my walk home, offering me a joint, I quickly turned down their offer because I didn't want to reduce myself to what most people regard as a "loser."

I know these so-called "cannabis medicators" loathe the term "pothead," but in lieu of reality, wouldn't "pothead" be the accurate term?

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