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Marijuana Can Be A Help To Those In Pain
Dan Kinkler | The Day | 06/01/2005

Letters To The Editor:

In response to “Medical marijuana can hurt more than heal,” published May 29, I support the legalization of medical marijuana. To date, no study has been performed on the benefits of marijuana because of the difficulty getting approval for a Schedule One substance study, especially when the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has a history of approval biased toward finding detrimental effects of Schedule One.

Every symptom or disease cited by advocates for medical marijuana probably has an appropriately researched alternative. Unfortunately, the DEA has an issue approving studies that show the “good side” of any of the Schedule-One substances.

There are ways to control dosage, contamination and the harmful effects on the lungs. Dosage can be controlled much like any other plant extract: substance levels in the plant are closely monitored, and plants are bred in order to control active substance concentrations.

Making sure that contaminants are not present where plants are grown can control contamination, which is easily done in an indoor environment. Inhalation can be avoided altogether by dissolving the active substance in fats, like butter, and eating food made with this fat.

The association between marijuana and poor performance is a tenuous one: the study simply showed the academic performance of a number of individuals instead of correcting for socioeconomic factors. Many people who use can lead full and productive lives.

The main reason that patients enter treatment for marijuana is not voluntary; rather, it is court-ordered. Many adolescents entering into treatment for marijuana “addiction” are nonhabitual users. The state's stance on marijuana and punishment skews this statistic.

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