Medical Marijuana: Fact or Farce?

There have been several events in the local media involving incidents over medical marijuana. On September 25, 2007, the Sacramento Police Department arrested 32-year-old Adrienne Simone, who shot a juvenile she claimed was attempting to rob her residence. It was later discovered that Simone had marijuana growing in the back yard she alleged was used for medicinal purposes. (This is a misrepresentation of the facts)

The next day, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) served a search warrant at the River City Patient Center marijuana dispensary on El Camino Avenue in Sacramento County.

This leads me to the question that I am often asked. Should the United States legalize marijuana? Currently the state of California says, “Yes,” within certain parameters. However, federal law supersedes the voters’ decision and says, “No way,” invalidating the state law.

Because marijuana has been decriminalized to some extent through the medical marijuana law, and because of its popularity in treating various medical conditions, people wrongly assume that marijuana use is harmless and victimless.

Marijuana contains Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is a psychoactive ingredient. The higher percentage of THC the marijuana contains, the more active chemical it has which could lead to addiction and impairment. The percentages of THC have risen over the past ten years. The average in the 1990’s was around 6%. It is now in the range of 8.5% and above, which can increase its dangers.

Buying marijuana from a street dealer has inherent dangers within itself. There is a higher chance that the buyer could be robbed of his/her money in the commission of the purchase. There is the danger that the street marijuana could be laced with something. There is also a chance that the marijuana the buyer thinks he/she is buying may turn out to be alfalfa.

In the past several years, the Sacramento Police Department has seen an increase in home invasion robberies where marijuana and money have been taken. There have been homicides, assaults with bodily injury, and robberies all due to even small quantities of marijuana.

There is also the front illegitimate users provide when taking up the argument of legalizing marijuana. The pro-medicinal argument is reserved for legitimately sick people. It’s not for people who have a chronic back problem, or a torn hamstring. But then again, who is to measure one person’s pain against another?

There is an argument that when used medicinally, it can lessen pain and help symptoms of glaucoma, asthma/emphysema, AIDS, anorexia, cancer, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis. In other studies, smoked marijuana has been shown to impair an already weak immune system. A synthetic THC drug called Marinol has been available to the public since 1985. The FDA determined Marinol is safe and effective in the treatment of weight loss, nausea, and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy, and doesn’t produce the harmful health effects associated with smoking marijuana.

If marijuana were legalized, there could be more incidents of person’s driving while impaired, juveniles growing/smoking marijuana, people coming to work under the influence of marijuana, daycare workers watching your kids with THC in their system, heavy machine operators, air traffic controllers, truck drivers, health care workers, school bus drivers, constructions workers, even cops doing what they do every day with THC in their system. Do they do this with alcohol? Certainly, however, alcohol doesn’t stay in the system as long.

When I read a report written by the Narcotic Educational Foundation of America, I was surprised to find out that: “THC has been detected in the urine for as long as 45 days after ingestion in chronic users. The elimination of the metabolic products of cannabis from the body is slow, as it stores in the fatty tissue. Impairment can last from 3 to 6 days.” According to Pfizer Central Research, “The continued use of THC interferes with the normal function of the hippocampus and the cortex. These are believed to be related to marijuana’s reported detrimental effect on memory.”

There is a new bill awaiting Governor Schwarzenegger’s approval which would allow some state farmers to grow hemp for legitimate purposes. Hemp products are grown for the purpose of paper, oil body care products, clothing and rope. The Hemp Industries Association says that their annual sales are approximately $300 million and are growing annually by 10%. Each crop must provide samples which would then be tested in a laboratory registered with the DEA. Each sample must contain less than 0.3%THC to comply with this law. This law potentially has positive revenue for California. Hemp and marijuana are very different.

There are many more arguments associated with the medicinal marijuana topic. Let me know what you think.

Officer Michelle