Tornado Alley (PROG)

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This i agree with 100% At least at minimum decriminalize and enforce the law intelligently .. A Mental Health Reader

Some Thoughts About Marijuana and Alcohol

Allan N. Schwartz, LCSW, Ph.D.: Thu, Apr 16th 2009

Important Note: (The ideas and comments found in this posting are
those of Dr. Schwartz only and do not reflect the ideas of Mental Help Net).

It has been my observation that each time new evidence emerges about the harmful effects of chronic marijuana abuse, users of the substance react by attacking alcohol abuse. I suppose the reason for this is that those who use marijuana assume that those who attack it are hypocrites because the very same critics of marijuana use alcohol. There are two things that the defenders of marijuana overlook: 1) Alcohol abuse is extremely harmful and life threatening and 2) The chronic use of any substance is harmful.

The chronic use of a substance usually means that an individual is not simply using a substance every day but using it all day. Speaking for myself, I fail to see how being under the influence of a drug all day long can be anything but harmful. The reason for my skepticism is that we are discussing substances that create an "altered state of being."

Most people are familiar with the harmful effects of alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse leads to
addiction, liver damage, and, ultimately, loss of employment, family, friends, home and life itself.

Insert: Suggestion is, may "lead to" .. picky perhaps, but some do get away with abuse of any substance.

Thus far the harmful effects of chronic marijuana abuse is that it brings about depression in those predisposed to depression, psychosis in those predisposed to psychosis, loss of motivation and difficulty concentrating. For those individuals diagnosed with severe mental illnesses such as Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia and others, marijuana negates the effects of their medication and leads to serious exacerbation of their symptoms. However, there is no evidence that I am aware of that physical addiction occurs with marijuana. Nevertheless, there does appear to be a variation of "psychological addiction" that does take place.

The legalization Issue:

There is an ongoing debate across the United States about the medical usage of marijuana. There is evidence that cannabis reduces the side effects connected with chemo therapy in cancer patients, reduces pain associated with cancer and other diseases that cause terrible pain, and has other beneficial medical uses. Among the advocates for the medical use of marijuana are some physicians who favor its use if it is legalized. Critics of this simply see the medical use of marijuana as a veiled way to decriminalize the substance.

Actually, the State of California has approved the selling of prescription marijuana for medical purposes. This has placed legal officials in an awkward position because Federal Law takes precedence over state law and Federal Law continues to make marijuana use illegal.

History and Logic:

History tells us that when people want a substance they will find ways to obtain it regardless of law enforcement. The most recent example of this was the period of Prohibition during the early twentieth century. The governments attempt to end the sale and consumption of alcohol ended in total failure. In fact, prohibition encouraged the rise of major crime syndicates in the nation and abroad. Ultimately, prohibition was repealed and alcohol once again became a legal and easily manufactured and available substance.

In my opinion, we are in a very similar situation with marijuana. Cannabis is widely used by people of all ages and across all economic, social class, ethnic and racial lines across the United States and elsewhere in the world. I knew of upstanding and law abiding citizens who purchased and used this substance with no difficulty at all. In recognition of this fact, many state and local governments have already legalized the possession of very small quantities of this substance.

Therefore, it seems logical to me that marijuana be legalized. I want to make it clear
that this is strictly my opinion and does not reflect the opinion of Mental Help Net.

Legalization would take this drug out of the hands of criminals. The raising of marijuana crops would add to quality control so that users no longer run the risk of buying the substance laced with unknow and dangerous chemicals. There are different types of marijuana that could be used for medical conditions. This drug could be taxed in much the same way that tobacco is taxed. Federal, state and local governments can control the ages of those to whom the drug is sold much as is done with alcohol. Finally, government efforts could be focused more on the criminals who trade in truly dangerous chemicals that must be stopped because of the damage they do. In this way, we could end the connection between marijuana and illicit dangerous drugs.

A cautionary reminder: If the day ever comes when marijuana is legalized it will remain important for people to use it
with care. Any substance that is misused will have harmful effects whether people want to admit it or not.

This is only an opinion. I am interested in learning your thoughts and ideas
about this controversial topic. Your comments and questions are encouraged.

Allan N. Schwartz, PhD

http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_index.php?idx=119&d=1&w=1&e=29088