What If?

On the local news last night there was a report on some research with marijuana and cancer. It turns out that the active ingredient in marijuana might stop cancer. The story seems to be an update to this one:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417193338.htm

Add that information to a 2006 report that showed no connection between heavy marijuana smoking and lung cancer:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/25/AR2006052501729_pf.html

Before I continue, let’s join hands and repeat “Medical stories in the media are always wrong…medical stories in the media are always wrong.” So this blog post is more of a “what if” sort of thing.

What if it turns out that smoking marijuana doesn’t cause cancer, and actually inhibits it better than anything you can buy in a baggie from a guy who has a suspicious rash?

I know, I know, the cancer-fighting component of marijuana probably needs to be administered in some concentrated form to be effective against cancer. So smoking marijuana, or eating it, probably wouldn’t work. But this is a “what if” post.

Now take a look at the “Fact Sheet” produced by a division of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse folks.

http://www.well.com/user/woa/fspot.htm

If the science around marijuana curing cancer were to become indisputable, and if smoking marijuana delivered the medicine, would they ever mention that in the fact sheet?

In other words, might the “fact sheet” ever be balanced for both the good and the bad?

Updated Marijuana Fact Sheet

1. Marijuana cures cancer.
2. Marijuana reduces stress.
3. Marijuana helps digestion.
4. Marijuana improves your sex life.
5. Marijuana is expensive, thanks to your government.
6. Marijuana is illegal, thanks to your government.
7. Marijuana will make kids lazier and stupider than usual.
8. Marijuana causes psychological dependence, similar to jogging.
9. Marijuana is expensive, similar to an iPhone.
10. Marijuana reduces the number of highway accidents.

That last one is just a guess based on the weasel-wording used by government groups to describe marijuana use and driving. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard of an accident caused by marijuana use alone. But I’ve heard of several accidents caused by people who WEREN’T gripping the steering wheel with both hands, focusing intently on the road, and driving 5 miles per hour under the speed limit.

NOTE TO KIDS: Don’t use marijuana. There are good reasons you aren’t allowed to do adult things such as vote, fornicate, or sign legal documents. Your brain isn’t developed enough to understand those reasons.

If science someday proves marijuana promotes good health and safety, would the government ever recommend it for adults?

Comments

[rodger]

hahaha, got to love all the comments chastising Scott for being a supporter and in some even a pothead himself. Even though he mentions about media reports usually being wrong or twisted. Scott asks a simple what if something is proved to be true…and people take it as this is true the government should legalize it.

I think that yes, if science were to prove that its benefits way outweighed its drawbacks, it would become legal, not right away but eventually.
Personally I say legalize all drugs, make some money off of it seeing you have to pay for treatments for them now legal or not.

As for getting caught driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol, I say just raise the fine up to a proper level. 10% of your gross salary or net worth whatever is greater + the blue book value of the car you are driving, if it is your car you can give up your car for that portion.

That way maybe the celebrities would do what they should and hire someone to drive their drunk asses around…like Cato June…taking %10 of his roughly $4mil a year contract for a first offence may wake him up.

[Alan]

People that are commenting on this subject that have never used the drug should just keep there mouth shut!

All of the stereotypes are getting to be a little ridiculous. I smoked pot all through high school (and I don't mean a little bit, between my friend & I we would smoke at least a quarter ounce a day). I graduated with a 3.5 GPA and had 10 more credits than I needed and I'm now a President of a company.

Granted I haven't smoked in around 20 years but it didn't have the stereotypical affects on me, I didn't turn out to be a menace to society.

Now to answer your question; I think the answer is yes, the Government would change their thinking and tax the crap out of it, of course growing your own would still be illegal unless they set up a growers permit that would be some outrageous fee. All of the tobacco companies could make the switch easy enough (which I think would be a good thing).

Alan

[Casey]

WTF Dude. It clearly states in the article that it impairs driving and DOES cause cancer as well as heart problems. You're sending the wrong message, even if it's in humor.

[deeplyflawedmuslim]

"By decriminalizing drugs, you take money out of the hands of criminals." - Neal Miskin

That's gotta be the most obvious thing I've read today. If it's not a crime, I'm not a criminal!

[Real Live Girl]

I'm not sure the government would recommend it for adults. They are plenty of studies that show red wine (and some alcohol) taken regularly, and in moderation having a good effect on your body and I don't hear them promoting those benefits in a meaningful way.

But I wish they would legalize and regulate it (and tax it) - then let people decide the health/recreation issue for themselves. We have better things to do with our tax dollars and public servants' time than chase down people who want to smoke pot.

Ironically, I've never smoked it myself. The last thing I need to put in my body is something that gives me the munchies even more. I spend enough time at the gym as it is. :P

[Kevin Kunreuther]

[Posted by: What Would Deep Throat Do? |
The reason why mary-jane is illegal is because the feds don't know if/when you're really on it.]

Are you high? Ever look at the pupils of someone who smoked marijuana?

[The government, any government, hates anything it can't control.]

Yes, you are high, and paranoid. Once the government legalizes it, they will control the hell out of it: strength, taxes, transportation, age limit of users, where to use it, etc.

Get Straight, Doper!

[Drew Weaver]

All of that research or horsecrap. What about a reaction from the religious faction? Have we forgotten Mr. Mackey's mantra, "Drugs are bad, mmmmmmkay"?

I really don't give two flying farts. If they (the government) give the okay to adults to puff and pass then good for them. I would like to see the social and economic reaction to legalized marajuana. Maybe we will get all comatose like the canadians...

[Simon Jester]

Scott,

I'm not sure where you got point 4 from.

The study in the WaPo should be treated with great care, as they excluded people over 60 - which is when cancers tend to manifest.

The reason given to exclude the over-60s was that people in this age group - ie. those born in 1947 or before - were unlikely to have used cannabis when young.

In other words: people who were in their teens in the 1960s didn't use pot. Hmmmm...

By the way, I'm in favour of legalising pot. I just think we should have a realistic idea of the dangers.

[Podders]

The science has been done, over and over again. It's now a moral judgement.
I personally really enjoy the plant and would enjoy it even more if it were legal.

[Sean Arenas]

Someone else's comment:
(By the way, I'd like to point out that any drug enforcement officer who reads this blog should, if he has any brain cells at all, immediately put you on the drug-bust list. You're quite obviously a drug-smoking hippie, as you're advocating for the use of marijuana.)

An advocate for legalization of marijuana is a user of marijuana?

I'm an advocate for abortion, yet I'm not even a woman - I can't get pregnant. How does your logic apply to this?

I know many non-smokers who think that marijuana should be legalized - they want the government to collect tax money off of it. Just because you advocate it doesn't make you a smoker.

[noclue]

Cool. Smoking pot could totally change the world for the betterment of all and make people feel good and make them healthy and we wouldn't need cops anymore and nobody would ever hurt animals anymore and cops would like animals again and the animals could stop the global warming. And there'd be way more cool new colors like purploovia and orangeploovia. I'd live in a bus in a tree. It would feel like I'm jumping a bus over a tree all the time. If all the neighbors put cars and buses in their trees it would look like a big treecar race, but it wouldn't be a race because the trees would be standing still but it would look like a race. I'd try to make my tree grow faster so the branches would grow longer and then my bus would move with the branches and then I'd win the race. If I could have a bus in a tree that would be so cool.

[Rack]

Government reports are always wrong, government reports are always wrong, government reports are always wrong. So no I don't think we'd ever see an honest fact sheet.

[Michael Jones]

You write as though "the government" is an entity in and of itself. I agree that it always SEEMS like that but the government is made up of people we elect (yeah, I read the post about my vote not counting) and normal people just like "us" (civil servants). "The government" will (eventually) do whatever we (collectively) want.

[Mel]

It also helps with diabetic nerve pain, or its supposed to. I wouldnt know cuz its illegal :) Yeah. Thinking about moving to canada but the cold weather makes the nerve pain worse!

[Thomas]

I recently read that while THC might help fight cancer, it destroys your lungs in the long run; it forms large bubbles by basically popping up your alveoli. The upshot of which is that you basically get difficulties breathing over time. Now, this seems at the time irreparable and can kill you. As this was in the media, it is wrong. So Marijuana does not cure cancer and it does not cause any harm either. Is not that the true what if post?

[Iain]

Stomper says keeping it illegal makes it more expensive. Not round here dude, it has gotten cheaper and cheaper by the year. Gettin high is much less than half the cost of gettin Brahms and Liszt. Legalising would add a nice layer of tax no doubt.

[Yoni Banai]

Uh.. You wrote "expensive" twice.

[Neal Miskin]

The Canadian government is starting to recognize that

1. Prohibition of drugs doesn't work. There are drugs everywhere to spite them being illegal.

2. Addiction is a disease, not a crime.

3. By decriminalizing drugs, you take money out of the hands of criminals.

4. If it's illegal the government can't very well collect taxes on it, but what if there was a tax on drug transactions, the money could be used to fund better drug education programs, and rehabilitation centers.

I predict that Marijuana will be legal in Canada within 25 years; and other drugs will soon follow.

[syn]

Just had to correct a few of these.

2. Marijuana reduces stress. Until you develope paranoia.

4. Marijuana improves your sex life. Which is great if your into loser stoner chicks.

6. Marijuana is illegal, thanks to your government, because otherwise people would drive on it and kill people. (I know i know.. just like beer, but we are discussing Marijuana)

7. Marijuana will make kids lazier and stupider than usual, and then they become lazy stupid adults who raise lazy stupid criminals.

8. Marijuana causes psychological dependence, similar to jogging, however joggers are not well known to steal to support their hobby, nor does jogging lead onto Crack.

9. Marijuana is expensive, similar to an iPhone. Except one hour after you spend XX hundred dollars on an iphone you still have something worth money and not just ash and bad teeth. Also the iphone doesnt make you eat $50 worth of food after you use it.

10. Marijuana reduces the number of highway accidents, assuming if made legal people wont drive on it, like they are doing now in increasing numbers causing police to start using drug testing kits in addition to drink driving kits.

[Elisa]

Scott,

Ever talked to a dope user? They are idiots. Slow and will be fascinated by a puddle on the ground for hours. I expected better from someone as smart as you. Smart people don't usually advocate using anything that will kill your brain cells. Even if it does "cure cancer". Uh huh.

[Garthilk]

Let me go ahead and cut out all the comments by people who know nothing about physiology, health-care management or research medicine. I call BS on the original post.

Lets go ahead and say that Meth is a good antidepressant since it supposedly releases 40 times more seratonin in the brain than an orgasm. What if, right?

Why not give it to bipolar children during their low cycles?

[mr tom]

Unfortunately, it also seems to cause (or trigger in individuals who may have had a pre-existing susceptibility).

Interesting choice.

I could be dead, but in full posession of my cognitive powers (note irony) or I could be alive but a total vegetable.

Hmmm.

[wuwei]

"would the government ever recommend it for adults?"

stoned citizens are ideal citizens, i guess ...

[What Would Deep Throat Do?]

The reason why mary-jane is illegal is because the feds don't know if/when you're really on it. The government, any government, hates anything it can't control.

The Canadians and Alaskans laugh at us lower 48 because of our pot laws, but the reality is that they aren't any less controlled than we are regardless of the severity of those laws.

[What Would Deep Throat Do?]

Who cares? ......'ere....