Proposal 1 would allow so-called patients to possess 12 plants and 2.5 ounces of marijuana at any given time. A typical marijuana plant produces 1 to 5 pounds of “usable” materials to be smoked a year. It is estimated that 1 ounce of marijuana rolls approximately 60-120 joints. If passed, an individual could possess the ability to roll 11,670 to 115,500 joints at any given time!
Smoking is toxic and an extremely poor way to deliver a drug. Even though patients report that they “feel” better after they have smoked marijuana (that’s because they’re intoxicated), they’re not actually getting better in terms of their physical condition. Because of the adverse health effects associated with smoked marijuana, their overall physiological status is deteriorating.
There are literally dozens of FDA-approved medications that can effectively deal with the symptoms associated with the different medical conditions specified in this proposed bill. One of these FDA-approved medications, Marinol, utilizes the active chemical ingredient in marijuana (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) to provide relief. This drug, unlike marijuana, has passed the FDA-approval process and is not smoked.
The price tag for implementation will be well in excess of several million dollars. An entire bureaucracy will have to be designed and implemented in order to regulate production and distribution of the marijuana itself, and this presents a problem for agriculture, law enforcement, and the medical profession.
Crude smoked marijuana has been rejected by national medical associations in the country including the American Medical Association, the American Ophthalmic Association, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the American Cancer Society.
"Because marijuana is a crude THC delivery system that also delivers harmful substances, smoked marijuana should generally not be recommended for medicinal use."
Proposal 1 lists glaucoma as the second disease that would qualify for medical excuse marijuana; but according to the science referenced in Section 2, "Although glaucoma is one of the most frequently cited medical indications for MJ, the data do not support this indication."
No where in the referenced science is smoking MJ recommended. The only recommendation is for controlled, clinical trials, for the purpose of developing pharmaceuticals.
Because the proposal does NOT define "public place", smoking MJ could be allowed in most businesses, most stores (Sam's, K-Mart, etc.), hospitals, mall parking lots, etc. Is this really what MI wants?
Proposal 1 is NOT limited to terminally ill or even chronically ill patients. Temporary symptoms qualify.
Under Proposal 1 a smoker NEED NOT REGISTER to be immune from prosecution; there is no state oversight - no registry card is needed in court to have charges automatically dismissed.
While this proposal does not require an employer to “accommodate the ingestion of marijuana in any workplace or any employee working under the influence of marijuana,” it does not address what would be required of any employer if an employee tested positive on a drug test during employment. Proponents of Proposal #1 claim that its passage would not allow an individual to be intoxicated while on the job, but how will intoxication be determined? No impairment level has ever been established, and drug tests detect the presence of drugs, not impairment. Studies, however, indicate the impairment caused by marijuana use can persist as long as 24 hours - even though the user may no longer be aware he is still impaired. Therefore, observation of employees may not determine potentially unsafe employees which would be detected through drug testing.
Proposal #1 does not address the age requirement of its so-called qualifying patients. Conditions listed in this initiative as debilitating such as anorexia, seizures, and chronic pain are all prevalent among our nation’s youth. Is it the intent of those behind this initiative to allow Michigan’s youth to smoke pot for conditions that can be better treated with FDA approved medications?
Allowing for marijuana as a so-called medicine will send the wrong message to the youth of Michigan. According to the Office of Applied Studies report titled State Estimates of Substance Use From the 1999-2006 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, states that have legalized marijuana as a so-called medicine continuously rank in the top ten for the highest recorded marijuana use for adolescents in the 12-17 age category. Do not condemn the youth of Michigan to the same statistics.