Marijuana is not good for society

I vehemently disagree with Ms. Seefeldt’s opinion piece in the March 18 Whitefish Pilot. Perception-altering drugs like marijuana are not good for society. Here’s why.

While the medical community has established the efficacy of marijuana in only very limited cases, specifically for combating nausea in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, the effectiveness of smoked marijuana for other uses remains suspect. Thus for most other aches and pains, proven prescription drugs are far more effective.

Because of this, Solvay pharmaceuticals developed a cannabis-derived prescription drug called Marinol that has few side-effects as compared to other effects cited later in this opinion. So if Montanans want to get effective analgesic effects from cannabis, they should visit their physician and get a script for Marinol. But the truth is “medical marijuana” users just want to get high.

To try to circumvent existing prohibitions, users did an end-run and passed Initiative 148 in 2004. This thoughtless initiative allows the limited use of marijuana, but only for debilitating medical conditions, specifically defined as cancer, glaucoma, HIV or AIDS, or chronic or debilitating diseases or medical conditions or its treatment that produces wasting syndrome; severe or chronic pain; severe nausea; seizures or severe or persistent muscle spasms.

The liberal interpretation of Initiative 148 means if you have, for example, persistent back pain, you could go see a fly-by-night practitioner (who perhaps does not even have a narcotics license) to get a card, then see a completely untrained and largely unregulated grower (for some bizarre reason called a caregiver) to buy pot. All to do what you actually intended — get high.

There are now more than 1,436 users and 400 known growers (aka caregivers) in the Flathead, and the number is growing exponentially. Currently, about one of 56 citizens is a user, and one of 220 is a grower. And these are just the ones we know who have registered. Imagine the actual numbers and the deleterious effects they have on society.

To complicate the problem, marijuana growing and distribution is not well regulated, nor is the drug being distributed as intended by the initiative. A growing amount leaks through to reach unintended recipients, usually our youth. Is this what we want?

In 1975, Alaska decriminalized marijuana. But due to soaring use (more than twice the national average) and the ruinous effects on Alaskan society, the law was revoked, recriminalizing the drug in 1990. Alaska is now on the mend. Even in the Netherlands, often cited as the “Mecca for drug users.” the citizenry is growing increasingly intolerant of drug use and have clamped down significantly.

The fact is, youth and adults who use other drugs — meth, cocaine and heroin for example — did not just wake up one morning and start using that drug. The common thread is that they all have used marijuana as a stepping stone.

Here are some verified facts that the marijuana industry and lobby does not want you to know. Its use causes distorted perception, problems with memory and learning, loss of coordination, trouble with thinking and problem-solving, increased heart rate, reduced blood pressure, and four times higher risk for a heart attack.

As well, marijuana contains more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco. And I’ll bet you didn’t know that marijuana smokers were three times more likely to develop cancer of the head or neck and that smoking marijuana is overall more harmful to the lungs than smoking tobacco. It also impairs the body’s immune system from fighting disease and increases the risk of developing bacterial infections and tumors. So it is not as harmless as the illegal drug industry wants our kids to think it is.

Lastly, driving after smoking marijuana almost doubles the risk of a fatal highway accident, according to an extensive study of 10,748 drivers involved in fatal crashes between 2001 and 2003. Many of us know youth who were killed as a result of drug use. Do we really want to know more?

Take a moment to compare the advantages and disadvantages, and then factor in all the unknowns. It is easy to see that Whitefish should not want to open this Pandora’s box. I do not know about you, but I presume that the majority of law-abiding citizens do not want rampant drug use in our town, ruining our children’s opportunities and further debasing what is left of our American society.

Whitefish has a huge and growing drug problem, and the town is doing its best to keep it hidden. I urge the city council to do the honorable thing and write our ordinance to support federal law with regard to marijuana and ban it within the jurisdiction. I hope all other local municipalities and the county follow suit. We must stand up to those who would ruin our way of life.

Mike McNamara lives in Whitefish.