Marijuana Harmful or Helpful
By: Dr. Ada Fisher
Having served for years as an Alcohol Detoxification Director for a 16 county catchments area through the John Umstead Hospital in Butner, NC, I can tell you there is no cure for substance abuse and we have lost the war on drugs as it is presently being fought. It is shameful when we have a president and legislators who admitted to indiscretions for using the very same illegal drugs they continue to imprison non-privileged citizens who get caught for doing the same. And the lies in our understanding of a foreign policy which supports nations and gives most favorite nation status to Mexico, places our soldiers in harms way in Afghanistan and has no effective tools to deal with cocaine from Columbia continues to allow rampant drug importation and exploitation from these nations which says we don’t get it, we aren’t caring for our people and this is taking us down.
Unfortunately these realities ignore that though marijuana may come from elsewhere; the largest cash crop valued near $35 plus billion annually in our very own nation is marijuana. In North Carolina alone marijuana has surpassed tobacco and cotton for revenue. One of the freest of markets in the USA has become the drug trade above and underground which is supported by a juvenile minded population bent on self pleasure and self destruction with specious arguments for its justification:
“Marijuana’s a safe drug.” No it isn’t. Many studies show altered reaction times as well as a correlation of its usage as a gateway to using harder drugs in the future. Except for nicotine, it has the same carcinogens as tobacco making the development of lung disease likely.
Remember cigarettes may yield $25 billion or more in taxes but costs more than $250 billion per year in health related costs. What do you think “Weed” is doing to the economy?
The converse is also true for those who wish to make “Pot” illegal noting:
“It has no medicinal value.” Yes it does. Glaucoma has been show to respond to THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), marijuana’s active ingredient. Studies being undertaken on those with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and those with suppressed memory
disturbances intriguingly show some benefit from it. And, the value of “getting the munchies” from THC for those experiencing the awful wasting of cancer should not be discounted.
Just because we have lost the battle on illegal drugs doesn’t mean we should give in to those whose faulty rationale includes "its no worse than alcohol." Should we tax it and pay our bills based on other people’s weaknesses as is done with alcohol? What has that solved and how many continually die on the highways or are wasted on the byways of our lives?
We have no effective quick monitors to determine an individual’s THC drug content, especially relating to those in safety sensitive jobs from airline pilots to vehicle drivers on the highway.
The US Supreme Court, Federal Government (7/9/2011) and others who hold fast to opinions which contradict some pretty substantial evidence of THC’s potential value, allows folks with no training to be de facto doctors, practicing medicine without a license.
-It is imperative that a good drug detection system for THC be established for those operating in safety sensitive positions or operating any mode of transportation so as to remove them and limit their continuation in such operations.
-Our foreign policy must eliminate most favorite nation status for those nations contributing to the importation of illicit drugs and their attendant problems to the USA.
-And contrary to many, I would continue to allow medical marijuana’s use in large medical centers treating cancer patients or doing such research where the drug can be properly monitored.
For those who like “M.J.”, “Mary Jane,” “Weed”, “Pot” and “Grass,” screening should be allowed for such on jobs, post accidents and in any other areas where the public safety is possibly endangered. Unfortunately that means many careers and much human potential will go up in smoke or be lost, but that’s the choice for a nation too often flying high as a kite.
Dr. Ada M. Fisher is a PHYSICIAN, licensed teacher for secondary education in mathematics and science, previously elected school board member, AUTHOR and IS THE nc rEPUBLICAN nATIONAL cOMMITTEEWOMAN. Contact her at P. O. Box 777; Salisbury, NC 28145; DrFisher@DrAdaMFisher
