The
Case Against Legalizing Marijuana in the State of New York.
1. Legalizing marijuana will
generate in new users an addiction rate or 7-8% in adults and 13-15% in
teenagers. A single most damaging
argument is that fewer teens finish college.
2. Increased availability
will affect the workplace by blunting cognitive abilities and produce negative effects
on physical and mental health.
3. Studies have linked
marijuana use to increased risk of psychiatric disorders including
schizophrenia, suicide and criminal behavior.
4. Arguing for legalizing
leisure use of marijuana based on a medical argument is invalid since three
cannabinoids are already approved by the FDA.
5.Pregnant women who use
marijuana have 2.3 times greater risk of stillbirth.
6. The experiences of
other states have not been sufficiently studied to determine the direction of
any legalizing legislation. This
argument may be the most important.
More research is needed before any further decisions are made. The FDA has never done a study on leisure
use of marijuana.
7. As pointed out in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association).
2015 Jan 20; 313(3): 241–242.,
Edible
products are responsible for the majority of health care visits due to
marijuana intoxication for all ages. This is likely due to failure of adult
users to appreciate the delayed effects of ingestion compared with inhalation.
Prolonged absorption complicates dosing, manufacturing inconsistencies lead to
dose variability, and the appealing product forms lead to unintentional
ingestion by children.
This is unconscionable. Furthermore,
Manufacturing
practices for marijuana edible products are not standardized. This results in
edible products with inconsistent THC concentrations, further complicating
dosing for users. According to a report in the Denver Post, products described
as containing 100 mg of THC actually contained from 0 to 146 mg of THC
8. There is an increase
in collision claims in Colorado.
After
retail marijuana sales began in Colorado, the increase in collision-claim
frequency was 14 percent higher than in nearby Utah and Wyoming, according to
the report. Washington’s estimated increase in claim frequency was 6 percent
higher than in Montana and Idaho.
9. There aren't adequate parameters
to police marijuana use.
10. There are long term
effects of chronic use. According to the
British Journal of Psychiatry (2001-178:101-106),
There
is considerable evidence that performance in heavy, chronic cannabis users
remains impaired even when they are not actually intoxicated. These impairments, especially of attention, memory
and ability to process complex information, can last for many weeks, months or
even years after cessation of cannabis.
11. The conclusion;
“Cannabis is not, as widely perceived, a harmless drug but poses risks to the
individual and to society.”
12. The argument that the
majority of the public wants legalization should be re-framed to state what the majority of an informed public prefers.
Certainly, the majority of the public wanted pain relief, but they did not
bargain for an opioid epidemic.
13. Currently, the drive
for legalization of marijuana is being driven by powerful Wall Street forces
that do not have the health of the public as a prime objective.
Alternative
plan to legalization:
1. Legislate monetary
penalties rather than incarceration.
2. Use the funds for
education on addiction.
3. Request the federal
government to address the status of marijuana as a Schedule I drug in view of
the three cannabinoids approved by the FDA.
4. Urge the funding of
the FDA to do a long needed independent study.
5. Wait until we have
more definitive information.
[This was submitted to the Democrat & Chronicle as an op-ed topic].
