What is cannabis?
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, (weed, pot, grass, hemp) refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug.
Cannabis is one of the most unique and diverse hardiest plants on the planet. Cannabis grows on just about every continent. From the tropic climate of Africa, equatorial climate of Columbia and Mexico, to the northern climes of Afghanistan and highest mountain tops of the Kush region. Marijuana is also increasingly cultivated by means of indoor hydroponic technology.
Two very unique marijuana types exist. Cannabis indica and cannabis sativa. Cannabis indica is a short squat plant that grows best in northern climates. Some examples of cannabis indica include Afghani #1, Northern Lights, Hindu Kush and Hash Plant. Cannabis sativa is a tall lanky marijuana plant that requires a lengthy growing season such as those found in Mexico and Thailand. Examples of this marijuana strain are, Haze, Columbia Gold, Panama Red and Thai.
The word 'cannabis' refers to the plant itself, as well as the products that are used - the dried flowers, leaves, hash and hash oil.
The word marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word, marihuana. According to the United Nations, cannabis "is the most widely used illicit substance in the world."
Cannabis is used in four main forms: marijuana, hashish and hash oil.
• 'Marijuana' usually refers to the dried flowers ('heads' or buds) and leaves of the cannabis plant. It is the least potent of all the cannabis products and is usually smoked.
• Hashish (hash) is made from the resin (a secreted gum) of the cannabis plant. It is dried and pressed into small blocks and smoked. It can also be added to food and eaten. Hash oil, the most potent cannabis product, is thick oil obtained from hashish. It is also smoked.
• Hash oil is concentrated oil made from the cannabis plant.
• Cannabis foods (medables sounds almost like edibles) (including hash brownies and ganja goo balls) are food products made with cannabis in herbal or resin form as an ingredient. They are consumed as an alternate delivery means to experience the effects of cannabinoids without smoking marijuana or hashish. Instead, the cannabinoids are put into cake, cookie, brownie, or other foods, and are consumed for recreational or medicinal purposes. There are many different names and slang terms for the recipes. Prefixes such as hash, cannabis, weed, space, cosmic, freaky, magic, special, enhanced, medicated, fabricated, buffed, stimulated, stimmed, superskunk, evolved are added to the name of the food that they are prepared with: "hash cakes," "special brownies" etc.
A cannabis chef will create a weed concoction that is baked into cookies, cakes or even ice cream. These marijuana laced foods are excellent to ingest in public as no one will know your inhaling cannabis.
How is it used?
The flowers (and to a lesser extent the leaves, stems, and seeds) contain psychoactive and physiologically active chemical compounds known as cannabinoids that are consumed for recreational, medicinal, and spiritual purposes.
Cannabis is usually smoked in hand-rolled cigarettes (known as 'joints') or in special waterpipes ('bongs') or vaporizers. These pipes or bongs can be bought or made from things such as orange juice containers, soft drink cans, fruit such as apples and even toilet rolls.
Historically, tinctures, teas, and ointments have also been common preparations.
If smoked, cannabis usually affects the person quite quickly. When smoked, weed is a pleasant mood altering substance. Cannabis produces a euphoric effect known as marijuana high. Depending on the type of weed inhaled a user will either become energetic or lethargic. With the marijuana high lasting a variable amount of time. How long someone is 'stoned' is based on the marijuana plant's strength and tolerance level of the user.
Sometimes people will eat cannabis, mixed with other ingredients such as in biscuits (cookies) or cakes.
• If it is eaten, the effects take much longer to be felt, but can build up and get stronger over a longer time.
• It is much harder for someone to control the dose of the drug when cannabis is eaten.
What does cannabis do to you?
The main active ingredient in cannabis is called delta-9 tetrahydro-cannabinol, commonly known as THC. This is the part of the plant that gives you the 'high'. There is a wide range of THC potency between cannabis products. There are many other chemicals in cannabis, some of which also act on the brain.
Cannabis affects your mood, thinking, concentration, sense of time and memory.
Why do people use cannabis?
Cannabis can make people feel 'high' or 'stoned'. A group of young people gave the following reasons for why they use cannabis:
• for relaxation
• for socializing
• to relieve boredom
• to cope with stress
• For peer acceptance - eg. because all their friends use it
• to manage pain
• for the adventure of taking a risk
• to forget problems
• to experiment
• to rebel against adults, or have a secret from parents
• To help get to sleep.
Another reason that some people give for using cannabis is that they believe it can be helpful with certain illnesses.
Marijuana History
Though marijuana has been cultivated for thousands of years, only within the last 150 years has cannabis been prohibited
Cannabis has been used for thousands of years to relieve a variety of medical illnesses.
Most recently the oldest stash of marijuana was found in the mummified remains of a Shaman in China. Scientist estimates the marijuana to be from 2500 BC. Their efforts to germinate seeds from the cannabis stash failed (most marijuana seeds are only viable for about 5 years). However this is more excellent proof that pot has been used for thousands of years and its prohibition is ridiculous.
First Fabric Known to Man
The hemp plant, also called cannabis or marijuana, has been used around the world for thousands of years. Sometime around 7000 - 8000 BCE, the first fabric is believed to have been woven from dried hemp weed.
Cannabis Seeds Used as Food
The Chinese culture was first in discovering that marijuana was a viable substance around 6000 BC. They began by eating hemp seeds. By 2727 BCE, the Chinese documented the use of cannabis as a medication to treat a variety of health problems.They soon discovered how to weave hemp into fine fibers. They later grew the plant on a large scale for food and fiber.
Cannabis is Cultivated and Left as an Offering
In 1500 BCE Scythians started to cultivate cannabis for weaving cloth. Scythian tribes left cannabis seed offerings (700 - 300 BC) in the royal tombs as tributes to their gods. Nomadic Scythian tribes people brought marijuana seeds to Northern Europe around 500 BC. Remains of a Scythian urn containing dried marijuana leaves was unearthed in Berlin, Germany and dated from this time period.
"Sacred Grass" Named One of Five Sacred Plants in India
Cannabis "Sacred Grass" for spiritual enlightenment began between 1200 - 800 BC with the Hindu sacred text Athara Veda suggesting the marijuana plant is one of the five sacred plants of India that can be used as a sacramental offering to Shiva. The text explains how to make Bhang. A drink of dried cannabis leaves spices and milk. An ancient Persian text Zend-Avesta written by Zarathustra refers to Bhang as a "good narcotic."
Hemp Use Spreads Throughout Europe
The hemp plant was introduced into Northern Europe by the Scythians around 500 BCE over the next 400 years it spread throughout the subcontinent.
Cannabis Mentioned in the Jewish Talmud
Sometime around 500 - 600 CE, there was a mention of the euphoric properties on cannabis in the Jewish Talmud.
Smoking Cannabis Becomes Popular in the Middle East
Between 900 -1000 the use of cannabis spread throughout the Arab world. By the early 1200s, smoking marijuana had become very popular in the region. It was popular among Muslims, who are not permitted to drink alcohol.
Marijuana Comes to the New World
In 1492, Christopher Columbus brought Cannabis Sativa to America.
Farmers in America Required to Grow Hemp
From 1000 to 1500, the use of marijuana spread further. The French and British grew hemp in the colonies of Port Royal, Virginia and Plymouth. In 1619 a law was passed in Jamestown, Virginia Colony, which required farmers to grow hemp. Marijuana also became a major trade item between Central and South Asia during this time.
Presidential Marijuana
At Mount Vernon, George Washington grew hemp as his primary crop in 1797. Thomas Jefferson grew hemp as a secondary crop at Monticello.
Napoleon Bans Hemp
In 1798, Napoleon declared a total prohibition of hemp after realizing much of the Egyptian lower class were habitual smokers of marijuana.
Medical Cannabis Sold in the U.S.
In 1840, medicines with a cannabis base were available in U.S. pharmacies. Hashish was available in Persian pharmacies.
U.S. Receives the Gift of Marijuana
In 1876, the Sultan of Turkey gave marijuana to the United States as a gift. By 1880, Turkish smoking parlors were opened all over the northeastern U.S.
Food and Drug Administration Formed in the U.S.
In 1906, the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed in the U.S. and the Food and Drug Administration was formed. This was the first time drugs had any government oversight.
Ford's Hemp mobile
In 1908, Henry Ford made his first Model T with hemp plastic. The car was fueled with hemp ethanol.
Cannabis Prohibition Begins in the U.S.
California passed the first state marijuana law in 1913, but it was largely overlooked because it specifically addressed "preparations of hemp, or loco weed." Other state anti-marijuana law was passed in Utah in 1915, in Texas in 1919, Louisiana in 1924 and New York in 1927.
Cannabis Prohibition in Britain
In 1928, the recreational use of marijuana was banned in Britain.
Marijuana Ordinance Passed in El Paso
Marijuana came into the southwestern United States in the early 1900s with Mexican migrants who entered the country looking for work. Laborers enjoyed smoking marijuana after hard days in the fields. The local European Whites believed that marijuana gave the Mexicans "superhuman strength" and turned them into killers.
In 1914 in El Paso, some white men were allegedly attacked by a Mexican man who had "gone crazy" on supposedly "killer weed." Following the incident, the El Paso City Council passed an ordinance banning possession of marijuana. The law was more about controlling the local Mexican populace than controlling marijuana, as the predominantly white constituency did not like the Mexicans or their customs
Harry J. Anslinger Declares War on Marijuana
The federal government gave control of illegal drugs to the Treasury Department, which created the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. Harry J. Anslinger, a prohibitionist, became the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics in 1930. He held the position until 1962. Anslinger declared war on drugs and effectively shaped America's views about marijuana.
Marijuana Use Spreads to Major Cities
In the 1930s, bales of marijuana (called muggles), tea and reefer were arriving in southern port cities such as New Orleans via West Indian sailors. Jazz musicians travelled north and took marijuana with them, making reefer parties popular in many major cities along the way.
The Uniform State Narcotic Act
When it became too expensive for the Bureau to pursue all drug cases on its own, Anslinger tirelessly campaigned and lobbied for the passage of the Uniform State Narcotic Act, which would require states to police drug trafficking and commit state resources for the war on drugs. Only nine states initially agreed, so Anslinger launched a nationwide media campaign declaring marijuana causes temporary insanity. The ads featured young people smoking marijuana, then behaving recklessly, committing crimes, killing themselves and others or dying from marijuana use. The propaganda campaign was a success and all states signed on.
Reefer Madness
In 1936, the propaganda film "Reefer Madness" was made in an attempt to scare young Americans away from using marijuana. The film directly stated that smoking marijuana causes insanity. In the film, a woman smokes marijuana, then laughs while a man who has smoked marijuana beats a third person to death.
Marijuana Tax Stamp Act
Anslinger's propaganda campaign convinced the public that marijuana was in fact a "killer drug." Hysterical voters demanded action without seeing or hearing about any scientific research about marijuana or proof of the supposed harm that comes from smoking it.
On October 2, 1937, without any open debate, scientific enquiry, or political objection, President Roosevelt signed the Marijuana Tax Law. The law made it illegal to possess marijuana in the U.S. without a special tax stamp issued by the U.S. Treasury Department. In theory, growing and selling marijuana was still legal as long as you bought the government tax stamp for $1.00. However, the Treasury Department did not issue any tax stamps for marijuana, effectively making growing, selling and possessing marijuana illegal under the Act.
First Marijuana Conviction
On the very day the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act was passed, the FBI and Denver police raided the Lexington Hotel and arrested two people: Samuel R. Caldwell and Moses Baca. Three days later, Caldwell, a 58 year old unemployed laborer, became first person in the U.S. to be convicted of selling of marijuana without a tax stamp. He was sentenced to four years of hard labor in Leavenworth Penitentiary. Presiding Judge J Foster Symes, had previously stated that he considered marijuana to be the worst of all narcotics and vowed to impose harsh sentences for violations of the Marijuana Tax Act. Caldwell was also fined $1,000 for the two marijuana cigarettes that were found in his possession. Baca, who was his customer, was found guilty of possession of marijuana and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Both men served their full sentences. Caldwell died a year after his release.
New York Mayor Takes a Stand Against Marijuana Prohibition
Fiorello La Guardia, the mayor of New York, spoke out against the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act, saying the majority of Americans did not want the law and it should be abolished. He was skeptical of the government's claims and propaganda touting marijuana as a dangerous, evil, killer narcotic. La Guardia commissioned a six-year study by a group of 31 impartial scientists. After an in-depth scientific analysis, researchers concluded that marijuana does not cause violent, psychotic episodes, is not responsible for anti-social behavior, does not cause uncontrollable sexual urges and does not alter a person's core personality structure.
In 1944, La Guardia's commission published a report of the findings, scientifically disproving all of Anslinger's propaganda and outlandish clams about the effects of smoking marijuana. Once again, Anslinger used his muscle with the press to discredit the report and destroyed every copy of the report he could. He then successfully blocked any further research by restricting the availability of marijuana.
Anslinger Targets Hollywood
Anslinger then began digging up dirt on anti-prohibitionists, and took special aim at the entertainment industry. Hollywood buckled under the pressure and gave Anslinger personal control over movie scripts that mentioned drugs. Any movie that Anslinger felt sent the wrong message was banned.
The Marijuana Propaganda Continues in the 1950s
In the 1950s, Anslinger used a new scare tactic by producing propaganda claiming that marijuana was a gateway drug to heroin. Americans were concerned about a growing number of teens using heroin, so Anslinger used that concern as an opening to push his marijuana message once again. The media circulated the myth that most heroin-addicts were led down the path to disaster by marijuana and that most marijuana users become addicted to harder drugs.
Boggs Act Increases Drug Penalties
In 1951, Anslinger supported an amendment to the Harrison Narcotic Act, introduced by Senator Hale Boggs that would dramatically increase mandatory drug sentences. Boggs said that harsh sentences were needed for all drug offenses because drugs were a tool of Communist China. Truman signed the Boggs Act.
Narcotic Control Act of 1956
On a roll, Anslinger then pushed for even tougher drug laws and got President Eisenhower on board. The Narcotic Control Act put marijuana in the same drug class as heroin and added more severe penalties. A first conviction of possession of marijuana was punishable by a mandatory two to 10 years in prison. State drug laws also toughened up. In Missouri, a second conviction for possession of marijuana was eligible for a life sentence.
Anslinger Targets the United Nations
Propelled by his success in criminalizing marijuana and adding teeth to drug laws, Anslinger set his sights higher and went to the U.N. In 1961, Using the then-considerable influence of the United States, he convinced over 100 countries to consolidate their drug agreements into a single convention that would make marijuana illegal around the world. Anslinger was honored by JFK at his retirement in 1962.
1960s Anti-Drug Propaganda
In the 1960s, anti-drug propaganda was widely distributed with the message that smoking marijuana would not only make you lazy and irresponsible, but that you were also out of touch with reality and a threat to national security.
Dr. Leo E. Hollister, the associate chief of staff and the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital in California conducted a study of the effects of marijuana and concluded that smoking marijuana makes people happy, friendly, intoxicated and sleepy. He found no reason to believe that smoking pot made people aggressive or led to addiction to other drugs.
Marijuana Culture is Born in the U.S.
Despite the propaganda, marijuana increased in popularity on college campuses across the country. Students spoke out about their marijuana use and gradually changed the public's perception of the drug. By 1965, an estimated 1 million Americans had tried marijuana. With events like Woodstock and popular groups such as the Grateful Dead, smoking marijuana became a part of pop-culture. By 1972, approximately 24 million Americans had tried marijuana.
Nixon's War on Drugs
Nixon won the election on a campaign-platform for restoring law and order in the country. Since most criminal violations are handled by the states, he found that drug laws could allow him to be most effective. He launched Operation Intercept. Two thousand customs agents were deployed along the Mexican border in a military-style search and seizure mission to stop the flow of marijuana. Virtually no marijuana was found among the 5 million people who were searched and after three weeks the operation was abandoned. Nixon then decided to concentrate on police training to fight the war against marijuana. Almost immediately, marijuan-related arrests and convictions increased dramatically.
Don Crowe Sentenced to 50 Years
Twenty-five year old Vietnam veteran Don Crowe was convicted of selling marijuana to an undercover cop. It was his first offense and the amount of marijuana was under an ounce. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
The Controlled Substances Act
There was a push for marijuana reform as the public began to realize that marijuana laws were not effective and that the penalties were too harsh. A big wake-up call for many middle-class people was the fact that their own kids were the top demographic for arrests and prosecution. At a Senate hearing on marijuana legislation in 1969, Dr. Stanley Yolles estimated that 8 to 12 million people in the United States smoked marijuana and urged Congress to abolish mandatory minimum sentencing for drug offenses. Congress took the advice and passed Controlled Substances Act which eliminated mandatory minimums and reduced penalties for possession of marijuana.
The National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse Report
Nixon continued his anti-drug crusade. He enlisted celebrities and used the media to spread the message, as well as funded a new study to identify the dangers of marijuana. Researchers found that using marijuana did not lead to crime, and that laws were selectively enforced and police targeted people with a certain look. They also found the cost of attempting to enforce marijuana laws far outweighed any deterrent effect of that enforcement.
In 1972, The National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse released a report which would be the most comprehensive study on marijuana ever done. The commission took the position that smoking marijuana in one's own home should not be criminalized. Nixon threw the report in the garbage can without ever reading it.
DEA is Born
Nixon did not give up, and pushed forward with his war against marijuana. In 1972, all of the government's existing drug agencies were combined into one super-powerful agency, the Drug Enforcement Agency. The DEA was given the authority to enter homes without knocking, use wiretaps and gather intelligence on anyone.
Marijuana Activism
In the 1970s, smoking marijuana became popular among middle-class adults, and activists revamped the movement for decriminalization.
The Reagan Administration's War on Drugs
In the 1980s, the Reagan administration launched its own war on drugs. An average of one person every 38 seconds was arrested for violating marijuana laws.
Judge Francis Law Recommends Reclassifying Marijuana as a Prescription Drug
Judge Francis Law, a DEA administrative law judge, held hearings on the medical benefits of marijuana. He found that marijuana has a clearly established medical use and recommended that it be reclassified as a prescription drug. However, no action was taken to reclassify marijuana based on Law's findings.
First U.S. Medical Marijuana Law Passed
Although Canada became the first country in the world to legalize medical marijuana in 2003, the U.S. Federal Government has been resistant to changing marijuana laws. California passed Proposition 215, the first U.S. medical marijuana law, in 1996. Today Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington have passed medical marijuana laws. Several other states are also considering legalizing medical marijuana.
U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Medical Marijuana Case
On May, 18, 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a dispute over California's medical marijuana law. Opponents of California's Compassionate Use Act argue that the law undermines federal drug laws. Last year, a California appeals court ruled that the state's medical marijuana law does not supersede federal drug laws.
The Fight for Reform and Medical Marijuana Continues
Currently marijuana activists are working for marijuana reform and fighting for medical marijuana laws. The U.S. National Institute of Health spent $1 million on medical research to investigate the therapeutic effects of synthetic chemicals that mimic the effects of smoking marijuana. At Temple University, research is also being done on synthetic marijuana.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government, which supposedly has no horse in the medical marijuana race, has patented medical marijuana. US Patent 6630507 was assigned to the United States of America, as represented by the Department of Health and Human services on October 7, 2003 and protects "Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants.
Medicinal Marijuana Debate
In recent years, the controversy over the use of marijuana for medical purposes has been debated in both political and medical arenas. Due to the social stigma that is attached to the recreational use of marijuana, the potential benefit that could result from its use as a medicine is being argued.
Medicinal Marijuana: The Benefits
There has been definite evidence that marijuana is beneficial:
• in the treatment of cancer to relieve the nausea caused by chemotherapy
• for AIDS wasting syndrome
• to relieve muscle spasms and tremors in people with multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injuries
• to treat glaucoma by reducing intraocular pressure
• to treat chronic pain
In 1986, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a drug in pill form which contains THC, a component found in marijuana, for treatment of the nausea due to cancer chemotherapy. It has been determined though that the pill, which is called Marinol (Dronabinol, THC), acts differently than smoked marijuana and is not as effective.
Marijuana also has been found useful in the treatment of arthritis. Aspirin, which is commonly used for arthritis is believed to cause more than 1,000 deaths annually in the United States. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which also are routinely used for arthritis treatment cause more than 7,600 annual deaths and 70,000 hospitalizations. The gastrointestinal complications of NSAIDs are the most commonly reported serious adverse drug reaction. Long-term use of Tylenol (acetaminophen) is thought to be one of the common causes of end-stage renal disease. Marijuana smoked several times a day is often as effective as NSAIDs or acetaminophen in arthritis treatment, and without any reports of death.
Medicinal Marijuana: The Potential Harm
The possible harmful effects of chronic marijuana use have been studied by federal government funded studies. In 1988, scientists found receptors for THC in the parts of the brain controlling:
• memory
• mood
• visual processing
• attentiveness
• the ability to filter out extraneous stimuli
This helped explain the effects on coordination and short-term memory. It also clarified the impossibility of taking a fatal dose of marijuana since there are hardly any THC receptors in portions of the brain that control consciousness and respiration.
For years the effect of marijuana on the respiratory system of long-term marijuana users was studied. It was revealed that smoking marijuana is even more damaging to the lungs than tobacco smoking. Marijuana smoke has 50 to 70 percent more known carcinogens than tobacco smoke. Marijuana smokers were found to have more microscopic damage to the lung's defense against inhaled contaminants and microbes, and also more precancerous cellular changes.
Schedule 1 vs. Schedule 2 Drug
Currently marijuana has the status of a Schedule 1 drug which means it is considered to be potentially addictive with no current medical use. It has been proposed that marijuana be changed to a Schedule 2 drug which means it would be considered potentially addictive with some accepted medical use. In 1986, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) held extensive hearings about the proposed change. The DEA's own administrative-law judge concluded "it would be unreasonable, arbitrary, and capricious for DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance in light of the evidence". The DEA however overruled the judge's order to transfer marijuana to Schedule 2, and in 1992 issued a final rejection of all requests for reclassification.
Medicinal Marijuana: The Politics
For more than 25 years, the medical marijuana battle has been fought graciously by patients with cancer and glaucoma. The war has accelerated recently and has become more vocal. In 1976, following a lawsuit and weeks of tests at UCLA Robert Randall, who was suffering with glaucoma, became the first person to receive marijuana from the federal government. As years passed by, more tests and studies were showing that there was indeed a medical benefit to smoking marijuana. By 1991, the federal government, while still denying its benefit, was shipping marijuana to 12 people suffering from cancer nausea, glaucoma, chronic pain, and muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis. Randall encouraged AIDS patients to apply to use the unproven drug as he had. It was a program which Jimmy Carter had established after Randall's case went public. The FDA was suddenly swamped with thousands of unproven drug applications and approved about two dozen more patients by late 1991. However, the Public Health Service under George Bush stopped approving new participants and ended all marijuana research programs. The patients who had been approved but were still awaiting the drug were never to receive them. Today the government provides marijuana to only 8 of the original 12 patients. The other four have died. Bill Clinton has upheld the ban but added a provision that allows research into the medical benefits.
Proposition 200 and Proposition 215
In November of 1996, voters in Arizona and California approved propositions 200 and 215 respectively, allowing patients to smoke marijuana for medical purposes with a doctor's recommendation. Fifty-six percent of Californians favored Proposition 215, with 44 percent opposed. Arizona's proposition 200 won with a bigger margin, 65 percent to 35 percent. The initiatives won not due to a widespread desire for legalization of marijuana, but rather because of sympathy for the extremely ill patients and chronic pain sufferers. The California measure resembles laws twice passed by the state legislature previously, but vetoed by Governor Pete Wilson. Besides allowing patients to possess, grow, and consume marijuana on a doctor's recommendation, it stipulates that the patient's primary caregiver and the recommending doctor would be exempt from criminal sanctions. The Arizona proposition 200 promised an even larger impact by allowing doctors to prescribe any Schedule 1 drug if they site research supporting a medical application and obtain a concurring written approval from another doctor. The Arizona act also included many criminal justice provisions designed to "medicalize" the drug war.
Medicalization vs. Legalization
Under federal law it is still illegal to manufacture, use, possess, or distribute Schedule 1 drugs. Even patients complying with state laws and following doctor's orders are in violation of federal law. Opponents to the propositions have the view that medical-use laws will lead to legalization of marijuana. It is feared by opponents that as the nation struggles to educate teenagers not to use psychoactive drugs, they will be sent a contradictory message that drugs are good. Proponents find this alleged contradiction to be ludicrous. The marijuana proponents also counter that government policy on this issue is set by pharmaceutical manufacturers who stand to lose billions of dollars to a plant they cannot patent. Proponents feel medical professionals, not bureaucrats, should decide health care issues.
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