Marijuana – Page 147 – Family Council

Busting the Myth Marijuana is “Natural Medicine”

Dec 3, 2014JerryMarijuanaMarijuana

One of the arguments you hear in favor of marijuana these days is it’s “natural.”

The idea is if something is “natural,” then it must be also “safe.” Never mind that uranium, arsenic, and hemlock are all “natural.” Marijuana is supposed to be a “natural medicine.” Well, not so fast.

We have written before about how marijuana doesn’t really qualify as “medicine.” It hasn’t been approved by the FDA for medical use; marijuana’s potency varies from plant to plant, depending on growing conditions; dosage is difficult to manage; delivery methods for the drug are not always safe or uniform; and its effectiveness is difficult to predict.

In short, all the scientific standards that have made modern medicine the greatest in history–testing, approval, uniformity in manufacturing and dosing standards, and so on–are not part of the “medical marijuana” equation. Marijuana may be many things, but “medicine” simply is not one of them.

But what about “natural”? Is that a word that can describe marijuana?

The truth is the marijuana industry has cultivated countless strains and blends of marijuana; the website leafly.com currently lists 1,066 marijuana varieties, and Wikipedia has an article containing a few dozen particularly popular cannabis strains; each marijuana variety, supposedly, has its own unique characteristics–for instance, different colors, flavors, chemical levels, uses, and so on.

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Researchers: Marijuana Smoke as Dangerous as Tobacco Smoke

Nov 19, 2014JerryMarijuanaMarijuana

Preliminary findings in a study on marijuana reveal secondhand marijuana smoke may be as dangerous as secondhand cigarette smoke.

Matthew Springer, associate professor of medicine at University of California San Francisco and one of the authors of this newest study, says, “Both tobacco and marijuana smoke impair blood vessel function similarly. People should avoid both, and governments who are protecting people against secondhand smoke exposure should include marijuana in those rules.”

Researchers found blood vessel function in laboratory rats was reduced by 70% following exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke–similar to levels found as a result of tobacco smoke. Reduced blood vessel function can lead to serious health complications, including heart attack.

This research raises many questions. If secondhand marijuana smoke is dangerous, how safe can firsthand marijuana smoke possibly be? And just how safe are other methods of marijuana consumption? After all, many of them have not been thoroughly researched.

These latest findings underscore, once again, that marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

Read our most popular blog post of all time, “Busting the Myth Marijuana is Harmless,” here.

Marijuana Industry Donating to Candidates

Sep 29, 2014JerryMarijuanaMarijuana

We’ve said before that that any effort to legalize marijuana is going to bring unintended consequences. One of those consequences, apparently, is campaign contributions.

According to the Associated Press, members of the marijuana industry are already funneling big dollars into campaigns for marijuana-friendly candidates and ballot measures. One marijuana store owner in Denver, Colorado, was quoted as saying, “There isn’t a week that goes by where we don’t make a political donation.”

Efforts to legalize marijuana at the ballot box are seeing millions of dollars for their campaigns. Colorado’s congressional delegation has received $20,000 from marijuana advocates. Marijuana Policy Project–the group that bankrolled the 2012 effort to legalize “medical” marijuana in Arkansas–plans to give roughly $150,000 to federal candidates around the nation as well.

A looming question that remains unanswered amid all this: What will the marijuana industry do if the U.S. Attorney General decides to enforce the federal laws against marijuana?

Under federal law, it is still 100% illegal to grow, possess, or use marijuana anywhere in the country–including states like Colorado, Washington, and California. So how are people able to grow and use marijuana in these states? The U.S. Attorney General opted not to prosecute anyone “complying with state laws” on the matter. Colorado voted to legalize marijuana, and Attorney General Holder’s Department of Justice opted not to prosecute anyone opening a marijuana farm or marijuana store in that state. To put it another way, the Attorney General is ignoring the law.

Last week Attorney General Holder announced his resignation. He will remain in office until his successor is confirmed. Whoever that person is, he or she will have a choice: Continue letting the nation’s drug laws go completely unenforced in states like Colorado, or take on an industry that appears to be slowly working to elect candidates who share its views on marijuana.