Marijuana

Many compare the war on marjuana to 1930's prohibition on alcohol.  Statistics show that regardless of the laws making marijuana illegal many continue to use it.  In 2002, 94.9 million Americans admitted to having used marijuana at some point in their lives and in 2008 102.4 million Americans admitted to having used marijuana. 

Several organizations are pushing for the legalization of marijuana.  Some say that legalizing marijuana will reduce some of its popularity while others contend there are untapped health benefits.  Many still fight to keep the drug illegal becasue it is percived as addictive, and for its potenial as a gateway drug.

Those who want to legalize marijuana, groups such as Norml (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) http://norml.org/ and MPP (Marijuana Policy Project) http://www.mpp.org/ , support the rights of responsible adults to use marijuana either for personal or medical use. Groups and individuals make a case that regulated sales will reduce crime, corruption, and violence related to black market sales.

Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, an Israeli professor of Medicial Chemistry and Natrual Products at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel is the man who first discovered THC.  Dr. Mechoulam and his team are in the front of medical marijuana research.  They were the first to identify the endocannabinoid system in the human brain using THC much the way that active compound in opium (morphine) was used to discover the endocrine system. 
http://www.smart-publications.com/articles/MOM-mechoulam.php

Studies have shown that the medical use of marijuana has the ability to relieve pain and nausea or reduce anxiety and insomnia.  Many states including Califonia, Oregon, and 11 others have medical marijuana laws in effect although it is still against federal law. 

Those pushing to keep marijuana illegal state that marijuana is a gateway drug and leads to further drug abuse.   Studies have shown that very few teens use other drugs without having tried marijuana, alcohol, or tobacco first. 

There is also a case for marijuana addiction.  An article in the New York Times follows two people's struggle with addiction and quotes Dr. Richard N. Rosenthal, chairman of psychiatry at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan said “The people who become chronic users don’t have the same lives and the same achievements as people who don’t use chronically.”
 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/fashion/19pot.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

http://www.marijuana-addiction.net/

Is it possible that marijuana poses less of a risk than other drugs?  Both sides produce compelling evidence to support their stance.  Only time will tell if we will be seeing pot shops poping up on street corners or more flashing lights and handcuffs.


Some food for thought:

Trailer for the 1936 movie Reefer Madness:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1jB7RBGVGk

Medical marijuana arrests:  http://www.cbs8.com/global/category.asp?c=155799&clipId=&topVideoCatNo=149659&topVideoCatNoB=155712&topVideoCatNoC=155713&topVideoCatNoD=155710&topVideoCatNoE=155711&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=4114860&flvUri=&thirdpartymrssurl=


Sources:

http://www.mpp.org/

http://www.smart-publications.com/articles/MOM-mechoulam.php

http://www.norml.org/

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/fashion/19pot.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

http://www.marijuana-addiction.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael_Mechoulam