By Staff
To the editor:
Opposing the issue Michigan is now debating regarding "medical marijuana" is so important to us.
We firmly believe, based on factual information and statistics, that passage of this bill is dangerous to our youth and our society.
It is a substantiated fact that in areas where bills such as this have passed, marijuana has become more accessible to school-age children.
It is also a fact that in many cases marijuana is a stepping-stone to more dangerous drugs.
The drug advocates and politically correct do-gooders are giving our youth the impression that drugs aren't all that bad; heck, if marijuana can be a medicine, how can it be bad for you?
Or, if our government is lowering the penalty for possession of this drug it can't be that bad.
I'm sure you get the point.
The Michigan "medical" marijuana ballot initiative permits the use of smoked marijuana as "medicine." No other medicine is smoked. Smoking is a poor way to deliver a medicine.
There is no way to calculate the dose because there is no way to determine how much is actually being inhaled.
There are many unanswered questions about "medical" marijuana.
Before any controlled substance is approved as a safe and effective medicine it must go through our normal scientific process for drug approval – the FDA process. There is no reason why marijuana should be exempt from the FDA process.
We cannot allow untested and potentially contaminated materials to be distributed to vulnerable patients.
Anecdotal reports regarding "medical" marijuana are not reliable and may be inaccurate due to the emotional expectancy of the person using marijuana and the "placebo effect." In some cases there may be deliberate exaggeration for ideological reasons.
"Medical" marijuana has an impact on kids. It is a step towards legalization of marijuana; which will have serious negative consequences for kids.
In California, high school students openly smoke "medical" marijuana.
The teenagers were able to get "medical" marijuana for conditions such as "sleeplessness" and "stress."
I am one of 8,000+ members of the New Hampshire State Elks Association who are part of a 1 million-member nationwide fraternal organization committed to our Youth Drug and Alcohol Awareness Program.
We are asking you to help us combat the drug problem facing the youth of our nation by sending the correct message.
We ask that you please vote NO on "medical" marijuana.
President
N.H. State Elks Association
Committee Member
Elks Youth Drug and
Alcohol Awareness Program