In an editorial dissent
written for the Badger Herald entitled “An impaired decision”
(Nov. 23rd, 2009), Beth Mueller argued against the
legalization of cannabis for purposes other than “well-controlled
and justified medicinal use.”
Mueller characterized
marijuana use as “inherently harmful.” This statement neglects
the fact that the negative effects of marijuana use may be greatly
diminished if safer absorption methods are utilized. Heating
marijuana to the appropriate temperature of approximately 185°
F causes Δ-THC, the most
well-known active ingredient in cannabis, to boil, thus allowing the
user to inhale the vapor while avoiding the cancer-causing effects of
combusted carbon, as well as the pain and damage to the lungs caused
by inhaling hot fumes. Hence, the immediate, non-psychological,
detrimental health effects of marijuana use may be easily avoided
with proper care and equipment, expensive though it may be.
Mueller
also claimed that marijuana use causes “[t]he impairment of reason”
and “block[s] the ability to think rationally”. She used cliché
arguments against recreational users of marijuana, such as that they
seek “only pleasure over the higher... goals of humanity”, and to
“forget [them]selves and the world just to feel good.” She also
wrote that marijuana use for purely recreational, non-medicinal
purposes is “mere escapism” and causes “artificial warping of
the mind”, and claimed that it diminishes awareness.
It
was irresponsible of Mueller to use such arguments without citing
supporting medical evidence. For decades, opponents of marijuana have
claimed that it kills brain cells, decreases short-term memory, and
impedes the user's ability to think rationally, but recent medical
evidence suggests just the opposite.
According
to the website of the National Organization for the Reform of
Marijuana Laws (NORML), researchers at the University of Saskatchewan
in Saskatoon found in 2005 that the administration of synthetic
cannabinoids in rats stimulated the proliferation of newborn neurons
in the hippocampus region of the brain. Not only that, but a 2007
study by the American Association for the Advancement of Science
revealed that endocannabinoids shape neuronal connectivity.
In
laymen's terms, the active ingredients in marijuana not only assist
the transformation of neuronal (nerve) stem cells into adult neuronal
[...] cells, but also facilitate the building of connections between
such cell, which may actually serve to increase the brain's capacity
to store memory. Arguments that characterize marijuana use as harmful
to the brains and minds of adults are, at best, ill-informed and
pseudoscientific, and at worst, intentionally deceptive and alarmist.
Other
medical studies have suggested that marijuana use may have effects
that are helpful in either preventing, curing, or relieving symptoms
of Alzheimer's disease, Tourette's syndrome, heart disease, and
cancers such as glioma, a cancer of the nervous system. However, this
is not to say that marijuana consumed via
the safest available methods is completely without harm. Marijuana
use can cause cognitive defects in fetuses, and, according to UW
[University of Wisconsin] professor Amy Mosher-Garvey, M.S.S.W., it
is physiologically addictive.
I
agree with Beth Mueller's main thrust that the consumption of
cannabis for purposes other than “well-controlled and justified
medicinal use” should be warned against, but I believe that the
list of reasons that constitute justified medicinal use is longer and
more broad than the list of reasons Mueller would be likely to
accept.
Neither
I nor any doctor would ever suggest that anyone smoke pot while
operating heavy machinery or in the presence of minors, nor that an
expecting mother do the same. When it comes to the willful ingestion
of controlled substances for recreational purposes, safety,
moderation, and keeping oneself well-informed should always be
encouraged.
Written in Late November 2009
Edited on October 30th, 2015
Originally Published on October 30th, 2015
Originally Published on October 30th, 2015
Note: This piece was not published by the Badger Herald.
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