Re-legalizing Marijuana for both medical and recreational purposes. Why should we?

The title should say it all…A lot of people are anticipating bringing medical marijuana to Florida. Since this is primarily political blog, then it is more relevant than knowing the Rev. Bill Keller’s current rantings.  Here are some facts and myths that have been found by actual scientific studies.

Myth: Marijuana Can Cause Permanent Mental Illness. Among adolescents, even occasional marijuana use may cause psychological damage. During intoxication, marijuana users become irrational and often behave erratically.

Fact: There is no convincing scientific evidence that marijuana causes psychological damage or mental illness in either teenagers or adults. Some marijuana users experience psychological distress following marijuana ingestion, which may include feelings of panic, anxiety, and paranoia. Such experiences can be frightening, but the effects are temporary. With very large doses, marijuana can cause temporary toxic psychosis. This occurs rarely, and almost always when marijuana is eaten rather than smoked. Marijuana does not cause profound changes in people’s behavior.

• Iverson, Leslie. “Long-term effects of exposure to cannabis.”Current Opinion in Pharmacology 5(2005): 69-72.

• Weiser and Noy. “Interpreting the association between cannabis use and increased risk of schizophrenia.” Dialogues in Clincal Neuroscience 1(2005): 81-85.

• “Cannabis use will impair but not damage mental health.” London Telegraph. 23 January 2006.

• Andreasson, S. et al. “Cannabis and Schizophrenia: A Longitudinal study of Swedish Conscripts,” The Lancet 2 (1987): 1483-86.

• Degenhardt, Louisa, Wayne Hall and Michael Lynskey.  “Testing hypotheses about the relationship between cannabis use and psychosis,” Drug and Alcohol Dependence 71 (2003): 42-4.

• Weil, A. “Adverse Reactions to Marijuana: Classification and Suggested Treatment.” New England Journal of Medicine 282 (1970): 997-1000.