Analyzing Both Sides of the Argument...

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The element of risk, created by strong drug enforcement policies, raises the price of drugs, and therefore lowers the demand. A research paper, Marijuana and Youth, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, concludes that changes in the price of marijuana "contributed significantly to the trends in youth marijuana use between 1982 and 1998, particularly during the contraction in use from 1982 to 1992." That contraction was a product of many factors, including a concerted effort among federal agencies to disrupt domestic production and distribution; these factors contributed to a doubling of the street price of marijuana in the space of a year.

In an evaluation of 311 adolescents and teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18 referred to the Center for Alcohol and Drug Services, or CADS, in Davenport between July 2002 and June 2003, 67 percent said they had used marijuana -- compared to 53 percent in the same survey taken the year before, between July 2001 and June 2002. More than half had used marijuana and alcohol together, and nearly 60 percent were recommended for some type of substance abuse treatment program.

"Studies show that someone who smokes five joints per week may be taking in as many cancer-causing chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes every day."

(Smoking just five or more joints a day produces the same lung diseases as smoking a full pack of 20 cigarettes a day.)

A pharmaceutical product, Marinol, is widely available through prescription. It comes in the form of a pill and is also being studied by researchers for suitability via other delivery methods, such as an inhaler or patch. The active ingredient of Marinol is synthetic THC, which has been found to relieve the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy for cancer patients and to assist with loss of appetite with AIDS patients.

Smoked marijuana is not scientifically approved medicine.

Numerous medical and public-health organizations support legal access to medical marijuana. National groups include the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Public Health Association and the American Nurses Association. Regional groups include the New York State Association of County Health Officials, the California Medical Association and the Rhode Island Medical Society.

And this isn't even all.....

 

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wow roach, you love your news

That's why I wanted to do it in the first place.....