Medical Excuse Marijuana Laws Could Directly Increase Use

The facts are in. Every state that has legalized medical marijuana has seen a DECLINE in teen use.

A large majority of kids say marijuana today is easy or fairly easy to get, and about half say they can get it within a day. Outright legalization would change this. Drug dealers don't check ID. Under prohibition , if you can find the dealer (which kids obviously can) and you have the cash, you can get the contraband. Compare this to cigarettes and alcohol , whose sales are legal (despite their being far more dangerous and addictive than cannabis) and regulated. Vendors of these products face penalties if they sell to underage users, and therefore they check IDs and refuse to sell to kids.

Wow i'm sorry but i don't see you providing any evidence.

First of all, the "softening" marijuana laws will give people the impression that its not a horrible drug? Yes i think that's the right impression. More impressions should be given on how dangerous many prescription medications are.

You also mention that laws are going around the FDA. That's because the FDA is completely ineffective in this matter and is completely corrupt by the fact that the federal government has marijuana as a schedule 1 controlled substance, along with heroin. I don't know about you, but i'm pretty sure anybody with half a brain can tell you that heroin is more dangerous than marijuana. Even cocaine is schedule 2! Do you really believe that marijuana is more dangerous than cocaine?

Can we please have law 's based on FACTS not alternative agenda's?

How could carding marijuana customers and refusing to sell to minors *increase* use by children ? That doesn't make any sense!

Once marijuana's controlled like alcohol the only way kids will be able to buy it is with the help of an adult - and that's significantly more difficult than what they do today!

Adults buying alcohol for kids is a problem that we'll probably never be able to completely stamp out, but it doesn't mean that alcohol should be illegal . That'd just encourage criminals to sell it illegally and they don't care how old their customers are!

The exact same thing applies to marijuana.

Proper education of the benefits and harms associated with cannabis use would increase the medical use of the substance while possibly decreasing its frivolous use.

It's important to remember that, although the FDA has taken the silly position of only prescribing cannabis to certain people who have certain extreme conditions , many of its medical benefits are widely applicable, rendering it the type of substance that should be in nearly every household, in the same drawer as other herbs and spices. Effects such as blocking nausea and inflammation. Compare it to the most popular pharmaceutical anti-emetic, Gravol, aka Dramamine, a generally stupefying drug with a host of side effects, including hallucinations and memory loss or even paralysis in the case of overdose. If you experience nausea, cannabis is less toxic than Gravol/Dramamine, and should be favoured in most cases. How many people experience occasional nausea? Or look at its anti-inflammatory action. It is, in most cases, preferable to muscle relaxants for instances of exercise -related joint pain, because of the generally debilitating effects had by the muscle relaxants. How many people have ever had sore joints?

"Medical marijuana " then is a ridiculous political construct, treating an herb as if it were a pill. It's an herb; if you told people what its effects actually were, they probably would, in fact, use it more often -- they'd use it when they're nauseous or sore, instead of taking toxic pharmaceuticals . But you'd call that "increased use."

"Medical excuse marijuana laws could directly increase use of marijuana by young people if the rules for acceptable diagnoses are lax and if there is no clear oversite of who makes marijuana recommendations and how he laws are applied" says the good doctor..

'Could' ; 'if' ; 'if' ; 'who' 'how'. - what is the doctor saying without those variables in his statement?

The good doctor has no idea how many kids are using drugs; or what kind of drugs; and whether or not the drugs that they use are worse than marijuana - in regards to the health of kids.

Right now prescription drugs are popular among our youth; ever see the list of side effects and warnings on the average prescription drug? If kids start using pot instead of prescription drugs; and it causes an 'increase' in drug use - would that be a 'bad thing' overall?

Right now the most dangerous thing for our youth is to get caught using pot. It can mean the loss of student loans; and so the punishment- far exceeds the reaction to its use: beyond what the court can do.

As it is kids raid their parents medicine bottles for drugs; and I am sure that they would raid the medicinal marijuana from them. But -as a father and a grandfather: I really am not worried about an increase in drug use.

Thing is here folks; we in this country are addicted to changing our reality. We do it by going to church; to putting on a tie and coat; by changing wardrobes; by buying new cars; by getting a new type of haircut. We are addicted to changing our realities. We talk more on blackberries than in person; we smoke cigars; and cigarettes; and drink coffee and soda with caffeine and sugar; and we drink alcohol .

And yes we use "officially classified" as 'drugs'.

We cannot defeat our addiction to changing our reality. But what harm is it to do so if it makes you feel better - when there is a medical need to do so?

Kids know the lies that are being told about pot. They know they will not repeat the actions in 'reefer madness'; and they know that they are not automatically attracted to other drugs by using pot.

But one thing for certain; is that they know it is illegal; and to use it is illegal - EVEN IF IT IS MEDICALLY NEEDED. That breeds contempt for law ; and that - that we can fix with the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

I'm a chronic pain patient and this Doctor is wrong and blind to face the fact that Marijuana is better to use than all the drugs he can give. He live's like most who are against this drug lives in stupid land for some reason. As for the kids using,I would rather see them doing pot than what him or the liquor store can provided

Just to add my 2 cents..

Countries without prohibition of marijuana laws actually have less statistical teen useage (Dutch journal of Medicine).

Arguably medicine by popular vote is very much the issue here...Politicians made this medicine illegal...so therefore playing the political side we have to vote this medicine back into existance...herb works...its been tested for a 1000yrs to work...so why is it so wrong? Simple, they cant patent/distribute in a pharmacy or package a plant anyone can grow...only the derivatives of herb are marketable...in pill form...and well dont get me started on the lobby's out there trying to save their already overweight businesses

Overall, I do not believe in such a highly regulated situation as this will increase teen usage. 100% Legalization might but it might also decrease teen useage of other substances like booze....Dont punish the sick for what might happen....It is easy to demonize herb but alcohol was also demonized too and I cant think of a day that I dont use alcohol byproducts...

What Voth is saying is that the medical decisions of significant numbers of doctors who would prescribe medical marijuana would be wrong. In contrast, his a priori decision to deny it, without knowledge of the facts of the case, is right. In effect, that it is better to have people use other already legal drugs, use drugs illegally, go without the right drug , or go to jail. How he thinks he "knows" that marijuana, which has been used for thousands of years by innumerable people, is worse than some costly chemical invention recently dreamed up in a lab, subjected to studies that cannot bear a tiny fraction of credibility in comparison, and then marketed and sold at huge costs to consumers, is a testament to ignorance, prejudice and willful blindness to facts. A sadly persistent moral blindness masquerading as thought.

It's interesting that MPP can site 3 credible studies to back up their arguments but Mr. I'm a doctor so my word is good enough Voth sites NONE. This is right-wing reefer madness at it's best.

Voth states; "Medical excuse marijuana laws could directly increase use of marijuana by young people if the rules for acceptable diagnoses are lax and if there is no clear oversite of who makes marijuana recommendations and how he laws are applied. Numerous young people have been identified using marijuana dispensaries."

Apparently, Dr. Voth is just fine with teens raiding Mom and Dad's medicine cabinet for "FDA approved" medications that have horrendous side effects, and can, quite simply, kill you.

Voth states: "The overall atmosphere with the softening of marijuana laws does potentially risk young people seeing diminished risk in using marijuana. The states that have allowed marijuana have also generally seen broadening of the amounts of marijuana allowed, the definitions of caregivers, how marijuana is supplied, and even protections for dealers."

Teens may see "diminished risk" because, frankly, there IS less risk using cannabis as medicine, than allopathic drugs. But to say that will increase use, is absurd. Risk doesn't stop kids from sampling very dangerous drugs (see above).

What Voth calls "dealers" are, I am assuming, dispensary owners, who SHOULD be protected by state law from federal interference . . . but unfortunately they are not, due to pharma , alcohol and leo lobbies which only have their own bottom lines at heart.

Voth states; "Most importantly, the medical excuse marijuana laws create an atmosphere of "medicine by popular vote " and a dangerous bypassing of consumer protection through the Food and Drug Administration"

The last part of this comment makes my blood boil. Medicine "by popular vote" is probably one of the best ways of determining what actually works for people. People, Dr. Voth, are not stupid. They may believe, for a while, that a medication like Lyrica is better than cannabis for neuropathy, until they actually take it and suffer from the horrendous side effects.

I have long ceased having any confidence in the FDA to protect my interests, since they are funded by pharmaceutical companies, just as I have ceased having confidence in the AMA, since they are funded by exclusive rights (given by the DEA) to publish and sell the code books which physician's must purchase in order to comply with FDA and DEA regulations.

Remove the profit motive from these two organizations (FDA and AMA), and then they might be able to restore their credibility – but, frankly, that is going to take long, long time.

PS statistics show that teen use goes down in medical cannabis states, as it has done in countries like Portugal that decriminalized it 5 years ago (according to the Cato Institute).

legalizing cannabis will have no bearing on under age use by teens . they can get it illegaly if they want it. this is taking the police and dea out of our choice to use this valuable herb. there will be laws prohibiting the use by kids . the logic is flawed and ridiculous.

Could you please show your documentation verifying your claim "Numerous young people have been identified using marijuana dispensaries."

I'm a medical mj patient, and have rarely if ever seen anyone younger than me (late 20s) in such a facility, let alone a minor. It could be happening at less responsible facilities such that I haven't seen it, and if there is documented evidence ("have been identified" implies documentation) I would very much like to see it.