opnion
may16
2013
Voices From the Crowd:
Marijuana Under the Microscope
By Miles Wickstrom
The article on marijuana in
the April 4 edition of Vernonia’s Voice
contains so much false information
that it is difficult to know where to
start, so let’s begin with the headline.
“Science of Drugs: Marijuana”
implies that marijuana is a drug. It
is not a drug. It’s a plant - and a
relatively innocuous one at that.
The article rightly states that
the plant is illegal under Federal law.
A little history lesson is appropriate
to understand how that came to
be. Prohibition of alcohol ended
in 1933 with the repeal of the 21st
Amendment. One of the immediate
effects of repeal was that several
thousand Federal law enforcement
officials were no longer needed
since there were insufficient illegal
intoxicants to justify their continued
employment. Enter one Harry J.
Anslinger, who relentlessly spread
propaganda about a powerful new
threat among us – a mysterious
“drug” known as marijuana. Among
the claims he made are, “Marijuana
is an addictive drug which produces
in its users insanity, criminality, and
death.” And, “…the primary reason
to outlaw marijuana is its effect on
the degenerate races. Reefer makes
darkies think they’re as good as
white men.”
That was the justification
used to make marijuana illegal.
Despite what the published
article claims, marijuana use by
pregnant females has not been linked
to any physical or mental defects in
the unborn, or to any “…increased
risk of neurobehavioral problems in
babies”. The most in-depth studies
on this question have been done in
Jamaica among the Rastafarian sect.
The annual volume of marijuana
consumed by Rastafarians is
legendary (think Bob Marley),
making it an ideal target group to
study for adverse health effects.
There is no evidence of ill effects
among the unborn or the children of
these heavy marijuana users.
The
article
claims,
“Associations have also been found
between marijuana use and other
mental health problems, such as
depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts
among adolescents, and personality
disturbances….” Really? Does that
mean there would be no such thing
as teen angst if marijuana didn’t
exist? Which of the above list is not
associated with hormonal changes
experienced during puberty? Which
peer-reviewed scientific paper shows
a causation / correlation relationship?
As the article states,
marijuana grown today can be more
than five times stronger than the
pot our parents smoked. However,
listen to the weasel words in this one
paragraph: “For a new user, this may
mean….” “Increases in potency may
account for….” “For experienced
users, this may mean….” Critical
thinkers who read this article would
be correct to wonder why we seem
to know so little with certainty about
a plant that has been illegal in this
country for three quarters of a century
and has been used extensively
worldwide for at least four millennia.
The
word
“addiction”
is thrown around rather loosely
throughout the article with no peer-
reviewed data to support the claim.
Nor are there comparative norms for
reference. “…withdrawal symptoms
including irritability, sleeplessness,
decreased appetite, anxiety….”
could just as easily describe empty
nest syndrome or the aftereffects
of divorce. The claim of addiction
was refuted as early as 1944 by the
La Guardia Commission (“…the
practice of smoking marijuana does
not lead to addiction in the medical
sense of the word.”) and again in
1972 by the Shafer Commission,
presented to Congress in a paper
titled “Marijuana, A Signal of
Misunderstanding”.
In closing, the Scientific
Method is wholly lacking from
this article. The writers have an
obvious bias against the plant and
have cherry-picked only those
studies which cast the darkest light
on the subject. There is a wealth of
scientific articles that paint a far less
dire picture, yet they are nowhere to
be found. In 1936, a propaganda film
called Reefer Madness was released
to exploit the artificial hysteria
created by Anslinger and his ilk.
The article in the Voice is simply an
extension of that meme.
An Opinion:
Vote Costley for School Board
On the May 21, 2013 election
ballot there is an open position for
Vernonia School District Board of
Directors. Camrin Eyrrick has decided
not to run for re-election for Position 6
and no other candidate filed to run.
Vernonia resident Brett Costley
has said he would serve in the position
if elected by write-in vote.
There is hardly anyone more
qualified than Costley to serve in
this position. He has served for the
last few years on the School District
Budget Committee and is familiar with
the current financial situation of the
District. Costley also has two children
in the Vernonia school system.
Costley served as a Vernonia
City Councilor from 2002 to 2010 and
knows how to work in a committee
setting. He is a graduate of The Ford
Family
Foundation,
Community
Leadership Training Program and has
also acted as a Community Trainer
for additional Ford Family Foundation
classes in Vernonia. Costley also
just graduated from the American
Leadership Forum of Oregon.
If you have not already returned
your ballot, please consider writing
in Brett Costley for Position 6 for the
Vernonia School Board.
Publisher and Managing Editor
Scott Laird
503-367-0098
scott@vernoniasvoice.com
Contributors
Chip Bubl
Bill Haack
Karen Miller
Bob New
Sonia Spackman
Miles Wickstrom
Brad Witt
Photography
Tracy Easlon
Joel Glass
Scott Laird
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Contact: scott@vernoniasvoice.com
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PO Box 55
Vernonia, OR 97064
503-367-0098
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