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Op-ed: Marijuana is more sensible than other, legal therapies

| Courtesy Photo David Jolley

I was pleasantly surprised to read that a medical marijuana bill is being introduced to the Utah Legislature. However, given how conservative Utah is, I remain skeptical of this actually passing. My skepticism was reaffirmed after reading the op-ed in last Wednesday's paper, "Medical marijuana is not sensible therapy," in which Perry G. Fine, an anesthesiologist, and Rep. Bradley M. Daw of Orem argue legalizing medical marijuana would not be a sensible solution to those who suffer from chronic illnesses.

I respectfully disagree and would like to personally respond to Fine and Daw's claims about the alleged harms of marijuana, and suggest that medical marijuana is the best and most sensible therapy for a number of debilitating illnesses, contrary to their claims.

First, you should know that I am a cancer survivor, and therefore have a unique perspective that only those who have been through can relate. As a result of my diagnosis, I have been through the ringer of medical treatments and procedures, including chemotherapy, full-body radiation, multiple surgeries and a bone marrow transplant. Even though my transplant was a success, I developed (and still deal with today) a severe case of graft-versus-host disease. This manifests itself in many ways, including nausea, lack of appetite, dry/tight skin, and in my case, sporadic rheumatoid arthritis. To deal with my condition, I have been put on a number of pain-killers, some of which have been effective, but they come at a price of numerous bad side-effects.

In his editorial, Fine says the first step in agreeing that medical marijuana is not sensible is that smoking is not healthy. Yes! I agree smoking cigarettes is harmful and causes cancer. However, if Fine had done his research he would see that studies have shown there is no correlation between smoking cannabis and cancer, unlike tobacco. A recent study published in the latest edition of the "International Journal of Cancer" (June 30, 1014) found habitual pot smokers are at no greater risk of developing lung cancer than those who don't smoke at all. These findings have been replicated in similar studies. So Fine, can we agree science has shown smoking cannabis is not unhealthy? Yes? Good. Let's move on.

The next step in determining whether medical marijuana is "sensible therapy," according to Fine, is to agree that drugs with addictive potential do get abused. Yes, that may be true, but that goes for a litany of drugs, which are far more addictive and harmful to your health, such as cocaine, heroin, and meth. Even still, alcohol and prescription pain killers, which are perfectly legal, are far more addictive and harmful than marijuana.

Fine further states the reason there is a black market for cannabis is because of its potential for abuse. To the contrary, marijuana is on the black market because of doctors and legislators (like Fine and Daw) who base their opinions on anecdotal and unsubstantiated evidence, resulting in unjustifiable and ineffective laws. If they would look logically at the evidence and listen to the thousands of people who have benefited from medical marijuana, maybe they would change their opinion.

It's no wonder marijuana has been approved medically in over 20 states and recreational in three of them. The bottom line is marijuana has proven to be beneficial for a number of serious conditions, including cancer, glaucoma, seizures, anxiety, depression, nausea, Alzheimer's Disease, and multiple sclerosis, just to name a few. For these reasons, isn't it sensible policy to legalize medical marijuana? Yes? Good, let's move on!

David M. Jolley, J.D., is a graduate of Gonzaga Law School and lives in Salt Lake City.