cannabisnews.com: Proposal 1's Mixed Message Would Hike Drug Use





Proposal 1's Mixed Message Would Hike Drug Use
Posted by CN Staff on October 21, 2008 at 06:25:58 PT
By Judge Bill Schuette and Dr. Daniel Michael
Source: Detroit News 
MI -- Michigan voters are being asked to approve Proposal 1, a ballot question that is full of careless loopholes and dangerous consequences that put Michigan's communities and our kids at risk.Voters in California approved a similar proposal a decade ago, legalizing marijuana for "medical" purposes. Even the staunchest advocates admit that the presence of "pot dealers in storefronts," "chaos" on the streets and millions of dollars being pumped "into the criminal black market" afflict their state.
Michigan voters should reject Proposal 1.Parents and teachers battle to keep their teens away from drugs and their destructive influences. The Michigan Sheriffs Association and the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police see the devastating consequences of drug use and are united in their opposition to Proposal 1. They understand that the battle to keep kids away from drugs becomes much more difficult when drugs become legally accessible and adults start calling them "medicine."California law enforcement points to the state's pot law as a cause for the dramatic increase in drug use among high school students.Proposal 1 allows one person to grow and provide marijuana for other people, as long as the marijuana is kept in a locked facility. In California, that has led to the distribution of the drug from everything from strip mall storefronts to garages in residential neighborhoods.Drug use has become so pervasive that in North Hollywood it is easier to find marijuana than a hot cup of coffee. Pot shops outnumber Starbucks stores, and last week a security guard was gunned down outside a legal Los Angeles drug house. These are the scary consequences of passing a flawed law.Legalizing marijuana is also bad for doctors and hospitals, those providing medical care to Michiganians.First, Proposal 1 doesn't require a prescription. Further, it not only relies on but promotes smoking as a delivery mechanism. The proposal could lead to costly lawsuits and force doctors and hospitals to permit smoking in the doctor's office or the hospital room despite every other legal smoking ban.The Michigan State Medical Society, the Michigan Health and Hospital Association and the Michigan Osteopathic Association all oppose Proposal 1 because smoking marijuana is simply not the answer for the effective care of patients.The unintended consequences of Proposal 1 are staggering. Michigan's doctors, hospitals, sheriffs, police chiefs, prosecutors, family groups and taxpayer advocates are united in their opposition because they understand the dangers that the flaws and loopholes will force our communities and our kids to confront.In California, medical marijuana led to rampant drug use and violence. Let's not repeat those mistakes here in Michigan.Judge Bill Schuette is a member of the Michigan Court of Appeals, and Dr. Daniel Michael is a Detroit neurosurgeon and speaker of the Michigan State Medical Society's House of Delegates.Complete Title: Proposal 1's Mixed Message Would Hike Drug Use, Offer Ineffective CareSource: Detroit News (MI)Author: Judge Bill Schuette and Dr. Daniel MichaelPublished: Tuesday, October 21, 2008Copyright: 2008 The Detroit News Contact: letters detnews.com Website: http://www.detnews.com/ Related Articles & Web Site: Stop Arresting Patientshttp://www.stoparrestingpatients.org/Police Chief Critical of Marijuana Measurehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24237.shtmlPatients Need Relief Marijuana Giveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24233.shtmlVote 'Yes' on Medical Marijuana Planhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24230.shtml
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Comment #6 posted by Sam Adams on October 21, 2008 at 07:51:02 PT
frightening words
 They understand that the battle to keep kids away from drugs becomes much more difficult when drugs become legally accessible and adults start calling them "medicine."Anyone that currently or in the future plans to take pain-relieving medication should be very afraid of talk like this. Wake up! The issue here is not marijuana.
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Comment #5 posted by greenmed on October 21, 2008 at 07:46:57 PT
fear-mongering
Parents and teachers battle to keep their teens away from drugs and their destructive influences. The Michigan Sheriffs Association and the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police see the devastating consequences of drug use and are united in their opposition to Proposal 1. They understand that the battle to keep kids away from drugs becomes much more difficult when drugs become legally accessible and adults start calling them "medicine."Study shows that teen use decreases in states with medical cannabis laws:http://cannabisnews.com/news/21/thread21090.shtmlhttp://www.mpp.org/research/teen-use-report.htmlFirst, Proposal 1 doesn't require a prescription.Tsk-tsk ... from a judge. He really should, and no doubt does, know better, especially as he was a Congressman (R) for six years.Further, it not only relies on but promotes smoking as a delivery mechanism. The proposal could lead to costly lawsuits and force doctors and hospitals to permit smoking in the doctor's office or the hospital room despite every other legal smoking ban.The Michigan State Medical Society, the Michigan Health and Hospital Association and the Michigan Osteopathic Association all oppose Proposal 1 because smoking marijuana is simply not the answer for the effective care of patients.Vapor, Baby, Vapor!
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Comment #4 posted by runruff on October 21, 2008 at 07:45:17 PT
to elaborate.....
"Don't doctors and Judges read or even research history?"That question was too general I know but the fact is many of them don't. Often times specialist fill their heads with only one or two subjects and don't know much else. Idiot savants come in degrees. You can be 99% idiot and 1% savant or vice versa. Some people know so much about one thing they think they know it all. This general description fits Doctors lawyers, judges and scientist in particular.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on October 21, 2008 at 07:39:51 PT
runruff
There's none so blind as those who will not see.
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Comment #2 posted by runruff on October 21, 2008 at 07:36:52 PT
I wonder if they believe this stuff?
Polls: Yes-59%    No-37%Don't doctors and Judges read or even research history?
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on October 21, 2008 at 07:10:49 PT
Cops and liars.
Colorado law enforcement groups alleged what Michigan law enforement officials claim now, but those claims have proven false. Colorado's medical cannabis laws work and it helps sick citizens as it was intended. 
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