Marijuana Legalization:
A Man-Made Public Health Disaster
Currently Unfolding in Two States in the U.S.
By Paula D. Gordon, Ph.D.
December 5, 2014
Dupont Summit 2014
Sponsored by the Policy Studies Organization and American Public University
What should be the basis for sound public
policy regarding marijuana?
While Amsterdam and Switzerland have had second thoughts about
the permissiveness of drug laws, and while the states of Colorado and
Washington have legalized the recreational use of marijuana and
individuals in those states are increasingly concerned about the effects
of this change in policy, Oregon and Alaska along with the District of
Columbia have passed initiatives to legalize the recreational use of
marijuana. Is this sensible public policy?
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The effects of marijuana use on mental,
psychological, physical, social, and public health
Reports indicate that marijuana use has significant consequences for
mental, psychological, and physical health, social and public health in
general. So why would any public official or legislator want to legalize
it? Why would any voter want to legalize it?
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Marijuana as a mild to strong hallucinogen
depending on the level of THC
Do those promoting or condoning its legalization know about widely
available research its effects? Do they know that marijuana use
profoundly affects brain functioning and IQ levels of those under the
age of 25 because their brains are still developing? (Some experts say
the brain is developing into the late 20s or even the 50s.) Do they
know that the Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of marijuana today
can be 10 times more potent than the THC content of marijuana that
was widely available several decades ago?
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Additional References of Note
• Hundreds of references can be found in reports, articles and a 33 plus
page list of references at http://GordonDrugAbusePrevention.com.
• Most compelling, are recent findings outlined by Dr. Nora Volkow,
director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse, in an interview with
the Dalai Lama. The exchange took place in the fall of 2013 in India
and focused on the effects of mood-altering substances, including
marijuana, on human behavior and brain function.
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Additional References of Note (Continued)
• In addition, research recently published in the April 16, 2014 Journal
of Neuroscience revealed that structural anomalies have been found
in the brains of casual users, anomalies that are linked to disruptions
in behavior, cognition, memory, and decision-making capability.
• Long term behavioral effects, including an increase in drop out rates,
an increase in unemployment, and a seven fold increase in suicide
attempts in young users of marijuana have been reported by The
Lancet Psychiatry in its September 9, 2014 issue.
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Additional References of Note (Continued)
• An extensive review entitled “What has research over the past two
decades revealed about the adverse health effects of recreational
cannabis use?” was published October 7, 2014. In it, Professor
Wayne Hall, National Addiction Center at King’s College in London
revealed among many other findings that one in six youth who use
marijuana becomes addicted and one in ten adults becomes
addicted. (See
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.12703/full )
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Additional References of Note (Continued)
• In the November 25, 2014 Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, researchers at the University of Texas and the University of
New Mexico report on studies finding the shrinkage in the brains of
marijuana users (See “Long term effects of marijuana on the brain”
at http://m.pnas.org/content/111/47/16913.abstract ) .
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Failure to Acknowledge or Be Aware of the
Most Significant Research Findings
• The proponents of marijuana legalization do not seem to be paying
attention to these significant research findings. They dismiss such
findings as out of hand, holding fast to their view that marijuana is a
“relatively” harmless substance.
• In some cases, proponents may not know about the wide array of
research available on the effects of marijuana and they may not have
the expertise to understand the significance of those findings.
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Failure to Acknowledge or Be Aware of the
Most Significant Research Findings (Continued)
• Many people who have come to believe that marijuana is “relatively
harmless” are caught in a time warp and are citing inconclusive
cherry-picked research that is ten to fifteen years old. They also tend
to be unaware that today’s marijuana can be ten or more times
stronger than the marijuana that was used decades ago.
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Are those who support legalization uninformed
concerning the harmful effects of marijuana use?
Unfortunately, those who support legalization seem to be ill-informed
or uninformed. How else might their arguments in favor of marijuana
legalization be characterized? The arguments are varied but ignore key
facts.
If marijuana were a drug regulated by the FDA, the list of the side
effects and warnings would not begin to fit on a pack of marijuana
joints. In fact, owing to the many side effects of all kinds, the use of
marijuana would only be allowed to be used for certain conditions by
prescription and under the strict supervision of a doctor.
More about what an FDA warning label might look like later.
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Some often heard arguments favoring the
legalization of the use of marijuana
• Libertarian Argument:
• Social Justice Argument:
• The Argument that “Big Marijuana” Can Help the Economy
• The Argument that States Have the Right to Legalize Marijuana
• Tax Revenue Argument
All of these arguments overlook the fact that there are Federal laws
that keep the use and distribution of marijuana illegal and there are
international treaties to which the U.S. is a signatory that are abrogated
when those laws are ignored and broken.
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Libertarian and Civil Libertarian Arguments:
• Argument: “It is my life, my mind and my body and I should be free to
do what I want to with them” or “I should be free to use the
intoxicant of my choice” and “My use of marijuana is not hurting
anyone.”
• Response: Is marijuana use a victimless act if it affects the lives of all
those around the user, not to mention the life and health of the
user? Is marijuana use an innocuous act if it has known harmful
effects on the developing brains of those who use it? Is it an
innocuous act if it affects one’s behavior and mental functioning?
What are the consequences of a “stoned” citizenry? Can a
representative democracy afford to have a dumbed down or partially
stoned electorate?
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Social Justice Argument:
• Argument: “It is unconscionable that society should disproportionately make
criminals of individuals who use marijuana who are from lower socioeconomic
groups.”
• Response: Agreed. It is a fact that more individuals from lower socioeconomic
groups are negatively affected by marijuana laws as they are often
implemented. The remedy, however, is not legalization which only increases its
use, including among lower socioeconomic groups. A better remedy is to use the
justice system to give users from all walks of life the option of being remanded
users to drug court programs and other programs that emphasize counselling,
education, and treatment and rehabilitation. Through judicial discretion, this can
be done without giving individuals criminal records. The aim of drug courts and
other similar programs have been to discourage use of mood- and mind-altering
drugs and help all individuals fulfil their potential as healthy, functioning
individuals. Making marijuana use legal simply sends the false message that the
marijuana has insignificant, harmless consequences to the individual and society,
when in fact its use has significant harmful effects.
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Argument that “Big Marijuana” Can Help the
Economy
• Argument: “Turning marijuana sales and distribution into a regulated business
will benefit the economy. We can then regulate its use more carefully; treat it as
alcohol and tobacco are treated; do away with the black or gray markets and
intrusion of organized crime and cartels, and keep it out of the hands of those
under the age of 21.”
• Response: Indeed, what is currently happening in Colorado and Washington is
that many individuals are making large amounts of money selling drugs in the
black or gray markets, undercutting the prices that the “legal” dealers are
charging. Reports indicate the numbers of users of all ages are increasing,
including those who live in nearby states. According to reports, the number of
individuals seeking treatment had already been growing in the years prior to the
legalization of recreational use of marijuana. In addition, traffic fatalities in
Colorado involving drivers testing positive for marijuana had already increased by
114 percent from 2006 to 2011. Anyone familiar with the effects of marijuana on
cognition, memory, concentration, judgment, perception, sense of space and
time, knows full well that users cannot safely drive or operate machinery.
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The Argument that States Have the Right to
Legalize Marijuana
• Argument: “States have the right to legalize the use of marijuana even though it
is in contravention of international treaties and federal law.”
• Response: The President has a constitutional obligation under Article II, Sec. 3 to
“take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” The President is clearly not
enforcing the Controlled Substance Act, which pertains to the control,
distribution and use of marijuana. He is allowing the abrogation of international
treaties to which the U.S. is signatory. This leads to the following questions:
What are the implications for the future viability of the rule of law and the
Constitution when states act in ways that are counter to international treaties
and federal law? Or when the Department of Justice and the President allow
states to abrogate international treaties and federal law? An article on “The
Illegality of Legalizing Marijuana Use: An Open Plea to the President and Other
Sworn Public Officials…” by the author at Family Security Matters focuses in
further detail on these concerns.
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A Public Health Perspective That Does Not Favor
Legalization, But Favors Non-Punitive Alternatives
Involving Counselling, Treatment, & Rehabilitation
• It is a fact that more individuals from lower socioeconomic groups are
negatively affected by marijuana laws. The remedy, however, is not
legalization which only increases its use, including among lower
socioeconomic groups. A better remedy is to use the justice system to
allow for the option of remanding users from all walks of life to drug court
programs and other programs that emphasize counselling, education, and
treatment and rehabilitation. Through judicial discretion, this can be done
without giving individuals criminal records. The aim of drug courts and
other similar programs have been to discourage use of mood- and mindaltering drugs and help all individuals fulfil their potential as healthy,
functioning individuals. Making marijuana use legal simply sends the false
message that the marijuana has insignificant, harmless consequences to
the individual and society, when in fact its use has significant harmful
effects.
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The Public Health Perspective Can Prevail If
Individuals Become Familiar with the Research and
with the Unfolding Developments in the US
• People will throughout the country will be increasingly aware of the
negative effects, the costs, and consequences of the use of marijuana
and the legalization of marijuana use.
• Websites of particular note (including information concerning the
wide range of problems that have occurred since 2013 in Colorado
and Washington and surrounding states):
The Marijuana Report.Org
http://legalizationviolations.org/
http://learningaboutSAM.org
http://GordonDrugAbusePrevention.com
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Selected headlines and topics from the last seven
months of 2014 found at
http://legalizationviolations.org (Continued)
• Pot Poisoning Lawsuit Defendant Alleges Sabotage
• Toddler Tests Positive for Marijuana
• Marijuana Lollipop Leaves One Conn. Student Hospitalized
• State Tracking Spike in Minors Exposed to E-Cigarettes, Marijuana
• Children’s Hospital Sees Surge in Kids Accidentally Eating Marijuana
• Kids Poisoned by Medical Marijuana, Study Finds
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Selected headlines and topics from the last seven
months of 2014 found at
http://legalizationviolations.org (Continued)
• Colo. Teen Addiction Centers Gear Up for Legal Pot
• Student’s death in Colorado raises questions on pot and health
• Colorado’s neighbors dismayed by new wave of marijuana traffic
• Three Oklahoma City residents arrested in Colorado marijuana
distribution conspiracy
• Lives At Put At Risk As Hash Explosions Are On The Rise
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Selected headlines and topics from the last seven
months of 2014 found at
http://legalizationviolations.org (Continued)
• Complaint: Driver in Deadly Crash Smoked Pot (December 2, 2014)
• Pot-Positive Traffic Fatalities up 100% in Colorado (November 28,
2014)
• 7 Harmful Side Effects Pot Legalization Has Caused in Colorado
• Marijuana Poisoning Incidents Spike in Washington State (November
19, 2014
• Marijuana Public Consumption Tickets Up 471 Percent in Denver
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Selected headlines and topics from the last seven
months of 2014 found at
http://legalizationviolations.org (Continued)
• 5 High Schoolers Fall Sick after Eating Marijuana-Laced Brownies
• Denver Man Accused of Killing Wife after Eating Marijuana Candy
Formally Charged with Murder
• Colorado-Based Doctor Warns Georgia about Medical Marijuana
• Alleged Intoxicated Driver in Fatal Trick-or-Treater Crash in Court
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Selected headlines and topics from the last seven
months of 2014 found at
http://legalizationviolations.org (Continued)
• State Tracking Spike in Minors Exposed to e-Cigarettes, Marijuana
• In tiny Nebraska towns, a flood of Colorado marijuana
• Hash oil explosions rise with legalized marijuana
• Colorado deaths stoke worries about pot edibles
• Law enforcement from neighboring states agree, Colorado has
strongest marijuana in the world
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Selected headlines and topics from the last seven
months of 2014 found at
http://legalizationviolations.org (Continued)
• Colorado’s marijuana sales draining Nebraska budget
• Accidental Pot Poisoning in Kids Continues Upward Trend
• Colorado deaths stoke worries about pot edibles
• Law enforcement from neighboring states agree, Colorado has
strongest marijuana in the world
• Colorado’s marijuana sales draining Nebraska budget
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Increasingly Conservative Recommendations of a
Pro-Legalization Organization:
Do not use if you are under 21. [This of course neglects the fact that the
brain is still developing and its functioning is impaired after the age of 21.]
Do not use if you are pregnant or nursing [Note: Legal dispensaries in
Colorado and elsewhere provide such warnings to women who are pregnant
or nursing.]
Do not use and drive.
Do not use around people who are sensitive to the effects of marijuana and
who do not want to be around people who are using marijuana.
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Continuing Habit of Pro-Marijuana Organizations
and Sites to Cite Scientific Literature That is Ten to
Fifteen Years Old & Ignore Recent Findings
• Consistent failure to acknowledge or understand the significance
most compelling scientific research beginning with the study by Harris
Isbell and colleagues decades ago showing that THC has idiosyncratic
psychotomimetic effects in human subjects and through and
including research findings published in 2014 showing that anomalies
have been found in the brains of casual users and longitudinal studies
that have found a wide range of negative results of using marijuana,
from the increase in drop out and unemployment rates to a
significantly high incidence of suicide attempts.
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A Hypothetical FDA Warning Label Were Marijuana
Ever Considered Safe Enough for Use as Cigarettes
and Were Similarly Regulated by the FDA
• Marijuana should not be used if an individual has a history of
mental health problems.
• Marijuana use has been shown conclusively to have
idiosyncratic psychotomimetic effects in previously healthy
subjects.
• Marijuana should not be used by individuals who have a
propensity for violence, including persons who have
difficulty handling their anger and individuals who have
sociopathic tendencies.
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A Hypothetical FDA Warning Label Were Marijuana
Ever Considered Safe Enough for Use as Cigarettes
& Were Similarly Regulated by the FDA (Continued)
• Marijuana should not be used if an individual is contemplating having
children.
• Owing to the effect that marijuana has on the developing nervous system
and brain, women should not use marijuana if they are pregnant or nursing
(Note: Legal dispensaries in Colorado and elsewhere provide such warnings
to women who are pregnant or nursing).
• Marijuana use can cause hormonal imbalances, including enlarged breasts
(gynecomastia) in men and increase in one’s propensity for breast cancer.
• Marijuana can remain in the body over a week and beyond. Overweight
individuals will retain marijuana in their systems the longest. (Marijuana
should not be used by individuals who must past drug tests to obtain
and/or retain employment)
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A Hypothetical FDA Warning Label Were Marijuana
Ever Considered Safe Enough for Use as Cigarettes
& Were Similarly Regulated by the FDA (Continued)
• Marijuana use can lower sperm count and motility in men.
• Marijuana use can affect genital health in men.
• Marijuana use can affect testosterone levels in men.
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A Hypothetical FDA Warning Label Were Marijuana
Ever Considered Safe Enough for Use as Cigarettes
& Were Similarly Regulated by the FDA (Continued)
• Marijuana should not be used by individuals who operate vehicles, fly
planes, or work on railroads or mass transit.
• Marijuana should not be used by individuals who operate machinery
of any kind.
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A Hypothetical FDA Warning Label Were Marijuana
Ever Considered Safe Enough for Use as Cigarettes
& Were Similarly Regulated by the FDA (Continued)
• Marijuana use can cause flash backs after use has ceased, even
months afterwards.
• Marijuana use can cause hallucinations (Note: All marijuana that
contains THC is a mild to strong hallucinogen depending on the
amount of THC. The strongest substances including distillates such as
“wax” are highly hallucinogenic and have the same strength as
hashish).
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A Hypothetical FDA Warning Label Were Marijuana
Ever Considered Safe Enough for Use as Cigarettes
& Were Similarly Regulated by the FDA (Continued)
• Marijuana use can lead to magical thinking and open a person to uncanny
experiences.
• Marijuana use can cause an individual to give up his or her personal agency
and initiative.
• Marijuana use can cause one to lose one’s inhibitions and surrender one’s
normal moral compass.
• Out of consideration for the mental health, individuals should not use
marijuana around children or others who are sensitive to marijuana highs,
including individuals with mental illness, dementia, and former users.
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A Hypothetical FDA Warning Label Were Marijuana
Ever Considered Safe Enough for Use as Cigarettes
& Were Similarly Regulated by the FDA (Continued)
• Marijuana use can result in loss of motivation, initiative, and will
power
• Marijuana use can affect long term and short term memory
• Marijuana use can an affect cognitive functioning, judgment, and
decision-making.
• Marijuana use can affect concentration
• Marijuana use can cause a person to be giddy and lose control of his
or her emotions.
• Marijuana use can impair hand/eye coordination.
• Marijuana use can an affect one’s sense of time and space.
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A Hypothetical FDA Warning Label Were Marijuana
Ever Considered Safe Enough for Use as Cigarettes
& Were Similarly Regulated by the FDA (Continued)
• Marijuana should not be used if an individual has a history of
cardiovascular or respiratory problems
• Side stream marijuana smoke can be deleterious to an individual’s
mental, psychological, and physical health.
• Marijuana should not be used in proximity to individuals with a
history of drug use, particularly former users who may have a
particular propensity for contact highs. Subjecting an individual to a
high constitutes and infringement of the civil liberties of another
person and could be the basis for a law suit.
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A Hypothetical FDA Warning Label Were Marijuana
Ever Considered Safe Enough for Use as Cigarettes
& Were Similarly Regulated by the FDA (Continued)
• Marijuana should not be used in conjunction with other moodaltering or psychoactive substances owing to unknown and
unpredictable synergistic effects.
• Marijuana should not be used if doing detailed work requiring
precision.
• Marijuana should not be used prior to going to work or while at work.
• Marijuana should not be used if one is in the military or in a position
requiring that a person retain full responsibility for his or her actions
at all times.
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A Working List of Selected References and
Resources on the Harmful Effects of Marijuana
• See File at http://GordonDrugAbusePrevention.com
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Summation
The findings reported on in the scientific literature along with the personal
experience of users and former users indicate that marijuana use has
significant consequences for mental, psychological, and physical health,
social and public health in general. So why would any public official,
legislator, or policy maker want to promote or allow the legalization of the
use of marijuana and thereby encourage or sanction its use?
Why would any voter want to legalize the use of marijuana?
Why would anyone concerned about the future of the nation and the world
want to enact policies that would encourage or condone behavior that
results in the dumbing down of any segment of humankind and that results
in rendering individuals less than fully conscious while diminishing their
capacity to realize their human potential?
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Contact Information:
Paula D. Gordon, Ph.D.
pgordon@starpower.net
(202) 241– 0631 (Messages only)
http://GordonDrugAbusePrevention.com
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