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Sixth of a six part series on the Marijuana initiative petition.

While surrounding states have legalized marijuana, Utah has not. So, an initiative petition has been used to get a marijuana vote to the people for the 2018 election. If marijuana is legalized under cover of any mantra, ‘medical marijuana’ or ‘cannabis’ it will open up advertizing to lure in users and abusers.

The Southwest Utah Public Health Foundation, Spring 2018 magazine has a publisher’s note and a 2 page article  ‘Marijuana Scientific Answers to Common Questions’

Question – How Does Marijuana Effect impact the Brain? It reduces higher functioning.

Is Marijuana Addictive? Yes

Is Marijuana Medicine? No

The American Glaucoma Society says ‘there is no scientific basis for use of [cannabis] in the treatment of Glaucoma.’

The American Cancer Society Does not advocate the use of marijuana or the legalization of marijuana.

The American Psychiatric Association ‘[not] beneficial for the treatment of any psychiatric disorder. *** strong association of cannabis use with onset of psychiatric disorders.’ [legalization] increases in admission for addiction treatment, fatalities from car crashes, hospitalization for overdoses and poisonings, crime around dispensaries and grow sites, and opioid overdose deaths. Marijuana is not a harmless substance***

The American Medical Association does not endorse cannabis programs.

New Zealand reports regular marijuana users were 60 times more likely to try other illicit drugs than those who had never smoked marijuana.

The First Presidency of  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also has made a statement which can be located at.

https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/first-presidency-statement-on-utah-marijuana-initiative

We commend the Utah Medical Association for its statement of March 30, 2018, cautioning that the proposed Utah marijuana initiative would compromise the health and safety of Utah communities. We respect the wise counsel of the medical doctors of Utah.

The public interest is best served when all new drugs designed to relieve suffering and illness and the procedures by which they are made available to the public undergo the scrutiny of medical scientists and official approval bodies.

In the 1950s the TV series Dragnet covered marijuana and drug users in Los Angeles. Marijuana, though addictive, had no beneficial use then. Over a half century later, the scientific health world is still waiting for a double blind clinical trial to qualify Marijuana for any medical treatment. The real trial uses a placebo and controls its patients. The trial would monitor adverse effects (these are already known – increased diarrhea, vomiting, fevers, fatigue, abnormal liver function tests (LFTs), somnolence, and disordered thinking and anxiety).   What are the interactions with other drugs, foods, and ingested items such as alcohol? What levels of concentration are toxic?   Are there associated infections or psychoactive effects? Yes. Are there any benefits? No. For example, marijuana does not treat glaucoma. What are addiction levels? The DEA level of Marijuana is Schedule One, reserved for addictive drugs with no medically accepted use.

An example of warning advertising.

GRIZZLY Pouches the Hunt Begins Outdoor Corps. WARNING Smokeless tobacco is addictive. Premium Wintergreen.

 

Definition of Controlled Substance Schedules

Drugs and other substances that are considered controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) are divided into five schedules.  An updated and complete list of the schedules is published annually in Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) §§ 1308.11 through 1308.15.  Substances are placed in their respective schedules based on whether they have a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, their relative abuse potential, and likelihood of causing dependence when abused.  Some examples of the drugs in each schedule are listed below.

Schedule I Controlled Substances

Substances in this schedule have no currently accepted medical use in the United States, a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision, and a high potential for abuse.

Some examples of substances listed in Schedule I are: heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), peyote, methaqualone, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (“Ecstasy”).

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