Monday, November 30, 2009 â€" By Michael Mooney, West Hollywood
West Hollywood, California (November 30, 2009) - All efforts to keep marijuana a controlled substance and illegal to use should be stopped. All prisoners who are in jail for marijuana should be released. Marijuana should be legalized to be sold and taxed, just like alcohol.
This isn't just my opinion. These are the recommendations of Consumers Union, the non-profit organization that produces Consumer Reports that tests lawnmowers, cars and kitchen utensils.
What is pitiful is that Consumers Union published this recommendation in 1974 in their comprehensive review book "Licit and Illicit Drugs" and the United States government still hasn't done it, 35 years later.
Did you know that marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol? Well, that's the opinion of Norm Stamper, former Seattle Chief of Police. (See: http://www.alternet.org/story/137752/) Stamper notes that pot smokers don't race their cars like drunks do and don't get into fights like drunks do because pot use reduces aggression, while alcohol can increase it. He also notes that excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading cause of the death in the USA. Marijuana isn't even mentioned as a cause.
Excess alcohol consumption contributes to a number of mental and physical health problems with the negative impact in the United States estimated to cost us about $150 billion dollars a year.
Alcohol consumption ranks number three on the people killer list â€" marijuana appears not on that list â€" one cannot smoke enough to harm oneself.
While years ago, the powers-that-be worked to create much misinformation about marijuana causing all kinds of problems, recent studies confirm that THC, the cannabinoid molecule in marijuana that produces much of the "high" is profoundly anti-cancer and anti-tumor.
One study showed that moderate pot smokers experienced over 60 percent less head and neck cancers than those who don't smoke pot. In fact, cannabinoids, the molecules that cause the marijuana high are currently being studied in university-level studies for their anti-cancer effects, including cell growth inhibition, anti-inflammatory effects and tumor regression.
While there is no doubt that alcohol abuse is involved in many different types of crimes, marijuana use appears to do the exact opposite.
The Netherland, which has had a liberal policy on marijuana since 1976, just announced that they are closing eight prisons because of a lack of criminals. So goes our DEA's statement some years ago that the loose drug policy of the Netherlands would cause more crime. Apparently, people who have legal access to pot don't break laws as much.
As an analgesic and anti-inflammatory, marijuana cannot be beaten, say scientists â€" aspirin in quantity enough will kill, too.
I, for one, who've dealt with injuries and surgery this last year can confirm that medical marijuana is a better option in some ways than addictive painkillers like Vicodin. I hadn't smoked pot in over 30 years when a friend gave me some for sleep after my shoulder surgery.
What a revelation. Works better and is healthier than addictive pain killers! I use a marijuana vaporizer to avoid the smoke, so I expect it's even better for reducing cancer risk.
Support your city and state representatives that want to change the legal status of marijuana and tell your Congressperson how you feel about this issue.
You can find their phone number by going to: http://www.house.gov/ and putting your zip code in the upper left hand corner. Controlled and taxed legal sales of marijuana could help pull California out of its budget deficit and maybe eventually we can close some prisons, too!
Mr. Mooney has written for numerous publications about exercise, diet, and the progressive use of dietary supplements. He co-authored a book about complementary medical options, such as nutritional and hormonal intervention for people living with HIV, called " Built To Survive."
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