Letter: Marijuana Harmless? Hardly, Says Drug Czar
Wednesday's column by Tallahassee Democrat Senior Writer Gerald Ensley ("Reefer madness: It's time to fix the marijuana laws") has resulted in numerous calls to the Florida Office of Drug Control (ODC). The callers are not from Mr. Ensley's "otherwise law-abiding citizens" who choose to break the law and smoke marijuana. The callers are Floridians who do not want to change the marijuana laws. They want to protect our youth. They want to abide by our laws. They want informed decisions about marijuana, a harmful drug.
I share Mr. Ensley's concerns about the harm caused by alcohol and tobacco. As ODC director, I have always contended that alcohol is our most dangerous drug. Indeed, a priority effort of ODC is to reduce underage drinking. However, my alignment with Mr. Ensley ends here.
Democrat readers must weigh both sides of the legalization argument. In Mr. Ensley's column, Allen Turnage, legal director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws in Florida, does a great disservice to his supporters and recklessly misleads the public by mischaracterizing marijuana smoking as a "genuinely harmless activity."
Marijuana smoking, of course, is not a harmless activity, as some of the very data marshaled to bolster the case for decriminalization or legalization indicate. As noted in the column, about 10 percent of experimenters or casual users of marijuana will eventually become heavy, dependent users. These dependent users find the process of reducing their use or quitting quite difficult, and many seek assistance from drug treatment providers. Cannabis dependence harms users in other ways as well. Students who are constantly high typically display a diminished ability to learn and recall new information, potentially resulting in poor academic and occupational achievement.
Research also correlates marijuana use and adverse health effects, including a strong association between chronic smoking of marijuana and abnormalities of cells in the respiratory system, increased risk of cancer, lung damage, chronic bronchitis, increased risk of pulmonary disease, and poor pregnancy outcomes. If we, as a society, now spend so much energy and resources persuading people to stop smoking, why would we now send a signal that smoking marijuana is acceptable?
Last week, a study funded by the British Health Department concluded there "is sufficient evidence to warn young people that using cannabis could increase their risk of developing a psychotic illness later in life." While causation was not directly established, the results were strong enough to further warn that "despite the inevitable uncertainty, policy makers need to provide the public with advice about this widely used drug." While the likelihood of a cannabis-related psychotic disorder is low, the prevalence of marijuana use mandates wide dissemination of this warning.
Ignoring the harms of marijuana use may be convenient when arguing for a system of taxation and regulation similar to alcohol and tobacco. However, a discussion of the potential harms of cannabis is not the only thing missing from the article's plea for reform. A frank assessment of what might happen to marijuana use rates if marijuana were available in a legal market is also conspicuously absent. Perhaps this is because regulating marijuana in the same way we regulate alcohol and tobacco — with all of the big-budget marketing and advertising that goes along with it — could lead to a substantial increase in marijuana use. It certainly would be more available to our children. I do not believe our society or health-care system is ready for the consequences.
I ask Floridians to consider the evidence. Marijuana is illegal because it is harmful. Studies consistently correlate marijuana use with adverse health issues. Marijuana that is grown today is more potent and potentially more harmful. Appropriately, our government has drawn a line saying we are not going to add marijuana to our long list of alcohol and cigarette problems. Do not change the marijuana laws.
William H. Janes is director of the Florida Office of Drug Control. | 
