occur when use is discontinued (Berger). Another myth commonly used to discourage the use of marijuana as a medicine is that marijuana has been scientifically proven to be harmful. In 1972,after reviewing scientific evidence, the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse concluded that while marijuana is not totally safe, it’s dangers had been grossly overstated (Morgan 1). In 1995, based on thirty years of scientific research, editors of the British medical journal Lancet concluded that “the smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health” (Science 1). Many anti-medical marijuana supporters have said that there is not medicinal value in marijuana. They claim that safer, more effective drugs, such as Marinol, are available. Marinol is a synthetic version of THC. In reality, smoked marijuana has been shown to reduce nausea induced by chemotherapy, increase appetites in AIDS patients, and reduce intraocular pressure in people with glaucoma. Marinol is a synthetic THC capsule and is available by prescription but is not as effective as smoked marijuana for many patients. Furthermore, pure THC may produce more unpleasant psychoactive side effects than smoked marijuana (Morgan 2). Marinol is more expensive than regular marijuana and seems to cause higher levels of anxiety and depression. Also, because one of the main problems combated in chemotherapy is nausea and vomiting, a pill is probably not the best idea for treatment (Thompson 149). There is a theory that marijuana is a “gateway” drug. Anti-marijuana supporters believe that even if marijuana itself causes minimal harm, it is a dangerous substance because it leads to the use of “harder drugs” such as heroin, LSD, and cocaine. Supporters dismiss this theory as “a casual explanation for the statistical association between common and uncommon drugs, which changes as drugs change in prevalence” (Morgan 4). Supporters...
