We acknowledge that there are people who truly believe they are helped by marijuana. Contrary to the anecdotal evidence of a few people with compelling stories, however, the FDA and the top medical associations of our country, including the American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Glaucoma Society, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the very medical societies that advocate for patients with serious illnesses like cancer, glaucoma and MS, all have rejected marijuana as a medicine. They say marijuana has too many negative effects and that real medicines, like Marinol, work as well or better for the problems stated and are approved by the FDA, available for prescription by physicians, and could be reimbursable by insurance. The Marijuana Policy Project does not care about weighing benefits against negative effects. Their agenda is to legalize marijuana. They want voters to ignore science and override health care standards that have protected the public for years.
Marijuana causes the same heart and lung problems as cigarette smoking. Actually, worse, because pot-smokers inhale deeply and never use filters. The smoking-related diseases, lung cancer, heart attacks, emphysema, all can be caused by smoking marijuana as well. That is why the country’s leading medical organizations do not approve or recommend any drug that is smoked—a fact the Marijuana Policy Project ignores.
Marijuana use decreases short-term memory, concentration, coordination, and ability to solve problems. It also causes loss of motivation. These problems hit adolescents the hardest, and teens who smoke marijuana regularly get worse grades, are less likely to finish school and earn less money as adults.
Marijuana use often causes panic attacks and chronic anxiety, and can cause paranoia. These are serious psychiatric problems.
Marijuana use affects a driver’s concentration, perception, coordination, and reaction time, causing increased risk of accidents. Montana checks for marijuana in the bloodstream of drivers involved in fatal accidents, and found that fatal accidents caused by pot-smoking drivers increased by 25 percent when their medical marijuana law went into effect. So much for harmless!
The harmful effects of marijuana are even greater for seriously ill people, the very people the Marijuana Policy Project claims need it! Smoking pot damages the immune system, leaving immune-suppressed patients more vulnerable to infection. This is particularly bad for AIDS and cancer patients. With respect to multiple sclerosis, the National MS Society stated that “coordination, cognition (thinking and memory) and other functions affected by MS could be worsened” by marijuana.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the American Cancer Society and the American Glaucoma Society do not support medical marijuana, and they represent the very diseases medical marijuana is supposed to help. It makes sense listen to the medical professionals who care about our health instead of the Marijuana Policy Project, whose real agenda is to legalize marijuana.
Also, marijuana is an addictive drug. About 6-10 percent of regular users get addicted. People addicted to pot have the same problems as people addicted to any other drug—relationship break-ups and divorce, trouble keeping jobs, and increased violence and aggression.
Marijuana is definitely not harmless.
“Medical” Marijuana is already available. Marinol, a synthetic form of THC, is FDA approved and available at any pharmacy with a doctor’s prescription. It is not smoked and is given under direction of a physician attending directly to the patient’s need.
FAQ #6: Will Marijuana users be subject to DUI laws?
QUESTION: Someone told me that a marijuana cardholder will be exempt from DUI laws. Is that right?
ANSWER: Yes. Prop 203 creates a protected class of drug users who will be exempt from the long-standing DUI laws of our State.
Marijuana cardholders will enjoy special treatment. If Prop 203 passes, marijuana cardholders can’t be prosecuted for DUI unless marijuana metabolites appear in “sufficient concentration to show impairment.” Unlike tests for blood/alcohol ratios establishing impairment, there is no test or standard for marijuana impairment. Cardholders can claim their blood levels are too low even when they obviously are impaired. Expect this to play out in court for years.
FAQ #7: How does Prop 203 affect employers?
QUESTION: Will employers be able to fire a marijuana cardholder for failing a drug test?
ANSWER: No. Prop 203 creates a protected class of drug users who will be exempt from workplace safety and compliance laws.
Protections similar to DUI exemptions are given to marijuana cardholders in the workplace. Employers can’t ask cardholders about marijuana use in an interview and can’t discriminate or terminate an employee who is a cardholder on the basis of a failed drug test. Again, there is a presumption that a marijuana cardholder always is using marijuana for medical purposes. Employers will have to prove that an employee is actually impaired due to marijuana use. There is no definition of what constitutes actual impairment, so lawsuits will ensue. Employees who use marijuana before work could pose threats to the safety of other employees and property, all at great liability to employers.
Imagine a workplace where employees show up for work after smoking marijuana, putting other employees and the public at risk, and there is nothing you can do about it! Expect insurance rates to increase, productivity to decline and new, unwelcome challenges to be presented in workplace safety and compliance. We don’t want these issues in Arizona!
FAQ #12: Will marijuana be taxed by the State?
QUESTION: Will marijuana be taxed by the State?
ANSWER: No. The issue was considered by the legislature last Spring, but it did not pass. Prop 203 specifically provides that marijuana is exempt from taxation.
To date, thirteen states have decriminalized Marijuana for medical purposes only.
◦No medicine is smoked. Marijuana is composed of more than 400 chemicals and contains more cancer-causing agents than tobacco smoke. The amount of THC in the marijuana determines how strong its effects will be. The more potent, the greater risks to the user.
◦States that have “medical” marijuana laws have higher than average incidences of teenage use of marijuana. Marijuana is generally more available in marijuana-friendly states.
◦In “medical” Marijuana states, Marijuana dispensaries have brought increased crime to neighborhoods, including assaults, burglaries, robberies, drug trafficking, money laundering, murders and gang infiltration.
◦Law enforcement personnel are overwhelmingly against “medical” marijuana laws as being contrary to public safety.
◦Many cities in “medical” Marijuana states, frustrated with the increased crime and administrative problems caused by dispensaries, have passed local ordinances banning “medical” marijuana dispensaries within city limits. Cities banning dispensaries are being challenged in the courts by marijuana advocates with deep pockets to force compliance with state marijuana laws. Understanding the potential for cities and towns to “opt out” of the marijuana business, Prop 203 requires local authorities to be “reasonable” in zoning ordinances concerning dispensaries, making legal challenges inevitable. At what economic cost to our cities and towns will Prop 203 be passed?
It is not a proper use of taxpayers’ money to have cities, counties and state governmental agencies dealing with this issue.
◦We all should take note of the “warning” from Alameda city officials, who imposed a temporary ban on dispensaries, concluding that the “potential impact of such facilities poses a current and immediate threat to the public health, safety, and welfare” due to “reported increases in illegal drug activity, illegal drug sales, robbery of persons at or leaving dispensaries, loitering around dispensaries, falsely obtaining identification cards to qualify for medical marijuana and other increases in criminal activities “
These “grow houses” become blights in our neighborhoods, bringing down our already crippled property values, and dramatically increasing criminal activity.
◦The legalization of “medical” Marijuana sends the message to our children that marijuana not only is acceptable, it’s good for you! Marijuana use is on the rise partly because of the mixed message that is sent when adults tout marijuana as a safe and effective medicine. In fact, marijuana is a dangerous and addictive drug with a high potential for abuse.
◦There will be no regulation whatsoever of the “quality” of the marijuana dispensed to “patients.” Prop 203 does not require State testing of the marijuana. It could be full of pesticides, fungus or other harmful components or additives.
◦Prop 203 allows for marijuana dispensaries to be located as close as 500-feet away from any school.
◦Schools may not refuse to enroll marijuana cardholders except under limited circumstances.
Children under the age of 18 can get a marijuana card if he or she has written permission from a parent or guardian and recommendations from two doctors. Given the large quantity that can be dispensed, what can we expect to happen to the “leftovers?”
◦Cardholders, which can include children, are allowed to purchase as much as 2.5 ounces of marijuana every 14 days, which is enough to produce as many as 200 joints.
◦According to government estimates, 66,000 Arizonans could have marijuana cards within the first few years if this proposition passes. This translates to over 10,300 lbs. of marijuana coming into our neighborhoods every two weeks.
◦Prop 203 allows for any “medical” marijuana cardholder who is not within 25 miles of a dispensary to grow as many as 12 marijuana plants in their home. A “medical” marijuana caregiver (because he or she is allowed to have as many as five “patients”) would be allowed to grow as many as 60 marijuana plants! What if two “caregivers” are married? What if “caregivers” form cooperatives (as they do in other states)? These “grow houses” become blights in our neighborhoods, bringing down our already crippled property values, and dramatically increasing criminal activity.
◦In “medical” Marijuana states, unauthorized marijuana dispensaries spring up all over and move from place to place. And, to get around regulations with respect to the location of dispensaries, some dispensary owners are running “cannabis caravans” and delivering to cardholders at their homes. Prop 203 specifically allows dispensaries to deliver!
Senator Jon Kyl, Senator John McCain, Congressman John Shadegg, Congressman Trent Franks, Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley & Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk held a press conference to urge Arizonans to vote "NO" on Prop 203. Governor Brewer & Attorney General Goddard finally agreed on something & expressed their strong opposition to Prop 203 and, in so doing, joined ALL 15 County Sheriffs and ALL 15 County Attorneys, who already had released a joint statement expressing their unprecedented, united opposition to a political issue. The Association of Counties and the County Superintendents of Schools also oppose Prop 203.
The Arizona Republic Opposes Prop 203! After doing its research, The Arizona Republic came out swinging against Prop 203, saying this “medical” marijuana initiative is a “sham.” “It is an expensive distraction as the state faces billion-dollar shortfalls for years to come. Prop 203 is a Trojan horse that will suck up scarce resources.” The Arizona Republic, October 14, 2010 (“Voters Should Reject Push for ‘Medical’ Pot”). The marijuana industry will DRAIN State resources, yet Prop 203 specifically EXEMPTS marijuana dispensaries from State income tax and the State legislature has NOT provided for a tax on sales of marijuana!
Don't believe the propaganda! The Marijuana Policy Project (“MPP”), a national pro-drug lobby out of Washington, D.C., is behind Prop 203. The MPP has the stated mission of legalizing marijuana across the country. The MPP spends millions of dollars nationally on advertising campaigns to persuade voters to falsely believe that “medical” marijuana initiatives will make small amounts of marijuana available only for people with serious illnesses. By specifically allowing marijuana recommendations for “severe and chronic pain,” Prop 203 provides the same loophole being abused in other “medical” marijuana states. Unethical “pot docs” hand out marijuana recommendations to anyone who pays their fee. In other states, as few as 2% of cardholders have a serious illness like cancer and most marijuana recommendations are written for people between 17 and 35 who claim “chronic pain." Prop 203 actually is a "back door route to legalization without any consideration of the repercussions." The Arizona Republic, September 26, 2010 ("Just Say 'No' to Medical Marijuana")
Prop 203 will bring INCREASED CRIME, TEENAGE drug use, and car wrecks to Arizona! In other states, dispensaries and “indoor grow houses" blight neighborhoods, BRING DOWN PROPERTY VALUES and dramatically INCREASE drug trafficking and other criminal activity, yet Prop 203 allows criminals to own and operate dispensaries and cultivate marijuana! Marijuana users will become a protected class in the workplace, renting homes or apartments, and in driving an automobile. Contrary to existing State law, marijuana cardholders, including school bus drivers, will be allowed to drive with marijuana metabolites in their bloodstream. “Medical” marijuana states have far more fatal car wrecks caused by marijuana-fueled drivers. Teens in “medical” marijuana states are far more likely to use marijuana.
Impact on Businesses
http://keepazdrugfree.com/index/impact-on-businesses/
Impact on Public Safety
http://keepazdrugfree.com/index/impact-on-public-safety-2/
Impact on Our Communities
http://keepazdrugfree.com/index/impact-on-our-communities/
Barbara LaWall: Prop 203 ‘bad medicine’ for Arizona
by Admin on 27. Oct, 2010
http://keepazdrugfree.com/index/2010/10/27/barbara-lawall-prop-203-bad-medicine-for-arizona/
EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE URGES “NO” VOTE ON PROP 203
by Admin on 27. Oct, 2010
http://keepazdrugfree.com/index/2010/10/27/east-valley-tribune-urges-no-vote-on-prop-203/
ARIZONA CHAPTER OF AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS OPPOSED TO PROPOSITION 203
by Admin on 27. Oct, 2010
http://keepazdrugfree.com/index/2010/10/27/arizona-chapter-of-american-academy-of-pediatrics-opposed-to-proposition-203/
Where did President Reagan Stand on Marijuana?
His Remarks at a business conference in Los Angeles (1977-03-02)
“The smoke from burning marijuana contains many more cancer-causing substances than tobacco. And if that isn’t enough it leads to bronchitis and emphysema. If adults want to take such chances that is their business. But surely the communications media should let four million youngsters know what they are risking.
In a Taped statement (August 1979). Reagan is on record as opposing legalization of Marijuana:
"I also want to applaud you for helping the people of Oregon fight a misguided minority that would legalize marijuana. That would be the worst possible message to send to our young people."
In 1984 Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" Movement begins.
Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" anti-drug campaign becomes a centerpiece of the Reagan administration's anti-drug campaign. The movement focuses on white, middle class children and is funded by corporate and private donations.
Just a Few More Things NOT to like about Prop 203 aka “Medical Marijuana”
Marijuana use affects a driver’s concentration, perception, coordination, and reaction time, causing increased risk of accidents. Montana checks for marijuana in the bloodstream of drivers involved in fatal accidents, and found that fatal accidents caused by pot-smoking drivers increased by 25 percent when their medical Marijuana law went into effect. So much for harmless!
The harmful effects of Marijuana are even greater for seriously ill people, the very people the Marijuana Policy Project claims need it! Smoking pot damages the immune system, leaving immune-suppressed patients more vulnerable to infection. This is particularly bad for AIDS and cancer patients. With respect to multiple sclerosis, the National MS Society stated that “coordination, cognition (thinking and memory) and other functions affected by MS could be worsened” by Marijuana.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the American Cancer Society and the American Glaucoma Society do not support medical Marijuana, and they represent the very diseases medical Marijuana is supposed to help. It makes sense listen to the medical professionals who care about our health instead of the Marijuana Policy Project, whose real agenda is to legalize Marijuana.
Also, Marijuana is an addictive drug. About 6-10 percent of regular users get addicted. People addicted to pot have the same problems as people addicted to any other drug—relationship break-ups and divorce, trouble keeping jobs, and increased violence and aggression.
Marijuana is definitely not harmless.
It’s harmful both physically and psychologically.
Marijuana causes the same heart and lung problems as cigarette smoking. Actually, worse, because pot-smokers inhale deeply and never use filters. The smoking-related diseases, lung cancer, heart attacks, emphysema, all can be caused by smoking Marijuana as well. That is why the country’s leading medical organizations do not approve or recommend any drug that is smoked—a fact the Marijuana Policy Project ignores.
Marijuana use decreases short-term memory, concentration, coordination, and ability to solve problems. It also causes loss of motivation. These problems hit adolescents the hardest, and teens who smoke Marijuana regularly get worse grades, are less likely to finish school and earn less money as adults.
Marijuana use often causes panic attacks and chronic anxiety, and can cause paranoia. These are serious psychiatric problems.
Marijuana legalization violates my constitutional right to due process.
http://thehive.modbee.com/node/20714
Legalizing Marijuana: Why Citizens Should Just Say No
Published on September 13, 2010 by Charles Stimson
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2010/09/legalizing-marijuana-why-citizens-should-just-say-no
Marijuana, America's most dangerous illegal drug
by James C. Backstrom June 21, 2010
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/06/21/backstrom/
Cop talk: Legal pot will increase crashes, deaths, arrests
Posted August 14, 2010 at 9:56 pm
http://www.redding.com/news/2010/aug/14/legal-pot-will-increase-crashes-deaths-arrests/
The Harmful effects of Marijuana on the Brain and Central Nervous System are:
Impaired thinking, mood, memory, and coordination
Marijuana (THC) is an extremely powerful and pleasurable intoxicant. Its affects alter and damage brain cells that control thinking, emotion, pleasure, coordination, mood, and memory. The pituitary gland is also damaged which regulates hunger, thirst, blood pressure, sexual behavior, and the release of sex hormones.
Clogged synapses, brain damage, and addiction
Marijuana accumulates in the microscopic spaces between nerve cells in the brain called "synapses." This clogging interferes by slowing and impairing the transfer of critical information.
Long term use causes the brain to stop production of brain chemicals necessary to "feel good" - a negative feedback condition. This causes the user to become chemically addicted to Marijuana.
The harmful effects of Marijuana on the Heart
Speeds up heartbeat as much as 50%, increases blood pressure, and poses great risk to those with hypertension and heart disease.
The Harmful effects of Marijuana on the Endocrine System
Marijuana damages the network of glands, organs, and hormones involved in growth and development, energy levels, and reproduction.
Organs and glands affected:
pituitary gland
thyroid gland
stomach
duodenum
pancreas
adrenal glands
testis
The Harmful effects of Marijuana on the Reproductive System for males and females
Marijuana use can decrease and degenerate sperm, sperm count, movement, and cause lowered sex drive. Females can have egg damage, suppression of ovulation, disrupt menstrual cycles, and cause alteration of hormone levels.
Regular use during pregnancy can lower birth weight and cause abnormalities similar to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (small head, irritability, poor growth and development).
Can destroy the number of chromosomes, resulting in cell abnormalities and impaired function.
Other affects on the central nervous system:
Distortions of perceptions, thinking, and reality
Difficulty in forming concepts and thoughts
Poor concentration
Mental confusion
Loss of motivation
Wide mood swings
Aggression and hostility
Depression, anxiety, and paranoia
The Harmful effects of Marijuana on the Eyes:
Sleepy looking, bloodshot eyes with dilated pupils.
The Harmful effects of Marijuana on the Throat:
Irritates membranes of the esophagus and increases chance of developing cancer of larynx and esophagus.
The Harmful effects of Marijuana on the Lungs:
Significant damage and destruction of the air sacs of the lungs, reducing the lungs ability to bring oxygen and remove carbon dioxide - Emphysema.
Causes bronchial tubes to be inflamed, thickened, and to produce more mucus which results in narrowing of the air passages - Chronic Bronchitis.
Marijuana smoke has twice as much "tar" as cigarette smoke and significantly increases chance of lung cancer, inflammation, and infection.
My Source: http://www.usnodrugs.com/marijuana-harmful.htm
How Does Marijuana Affect the Brain? - http://drugabuse.gov/infofacts/marijuana.html
Marijuana and Mental Health
A number of studies have shown an association between chronic Marijuana use and increased rates of anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. Some of these studies have shown age at first use to be an important risk factor, where early use is a marker of increased vulnerability to later problems. However, at this time, it is not clear whether Marijuana use causes mental problems, exacerbates them, or reflects an attempt to self-medicate symptoms already in existence.
Chronic Marijuana use, especially in a very young person, may also be a marker of risk for mental illnesses - including addiction - stemming from genetic or environmental vulnerabilities, such as early exposure to stress or violence. Currently, the strongest evidence links Marijuana use and schizophrenia and/or related disorders.4 High doses of Marijuana can produce an acute psychotic reaction; in addition, use of the drug may trigger the onset or relapse of schizophrenia in vulnerable individuals.
Effects on the Heart
Marijuana increases heart rate by 20-100 percent shortly after smoking; this effect can last up to 3 hours. In one study, it was estimated that Marijuana users have a 4.8-fold increase in the risk of heart attack in the first hour after smoking the drug.5 This may be due to increased heart rate as well as the effects of Marijuana on heart rhythms, causing palpitations and arrhythmias. This risk may be greater in aging populations or in those with cardiac vulnerabilities.
Effects on the Lungs
Numerous studies have shown marijuana smoke to contain carcinogens and to be an irritant to the lungs. In fact, Marijuana smoke contains 50-70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke. Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which further increase the lungs' exposure to carcinogenic smoke. Marijuana smokers show dysregulated growth of epithelial cells in their lung tissue, which could lead to cancer;6 however, a recent case-controlled study found no positive associations between Marijuana use and lung, upper respiratory, or upper digestive tract cancers.7 Thus, the link between Marijuana smoking and these cancers remains unsubstantiated at this time.
Nonetheless, Marijuana smokers can have many of the same respiratory problems as tobacco smokers, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illness, and a heightened risk of lung infections. A study of 450 individuals found that people who smoke Marijuana frequently but do not smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss more days of work than nonsmokers.8 Many of the extra sick days among the Marijuana smokers in the study were for respiratory illnesses.
Effects on Daily Life
Research clearly demonstrates that Marijuana has the potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person's existing problems worse. In one study, heavy Marijuana abusers reported that the drug impaired several important measures of life achievement, including physical and mental health, cognitive abilities, social life, and career status. Several studies associate workers' Marijuana smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers' compensation claims, and job turnover.
I Think that just about covers My Research and Homework on Prop 203 aka “Medical Marijuana”
Please “Like” this Note and “Share” it with others Who May have Questions, Concerns or Worse Like Prop 203 and Voted FOR IT!
Information and Education is the Best Way to get America Healthy & Strong Again.
Please Help Me get this Info to the Masses! Thank You again.
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