Congressmen Ron Paul and Barney Frank talk Marijuana

Congressmen Barney Frank and Ron Paul

Recently I again had the chance to speak with two individuals who have been on the forefront of cannabis reform for some time. These gentlemen have voiced support for medical marijuana, decriminalization and industrial hemp farming from the House of Representatives in the United States Congress.

Congressmen Barney Frank (D-MA) and Ron Paul (R-TX) co-sponsored legislation in 2008 that would protect medical marijuana patients, remove federal penalties for small amounts of cannabis and allow for realistic hemp farming. These are quite literally, two of the hardest working Congressmen…ever. They are senior members of some of the most important committees such as House Foreign Relations and, in the case of Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Finance Committee.

They took some time this week to have serious discussions about marijuana reform for my public radio program, Active Voice Radio.

I asked them both about their federal legislation HR 5842 and HR5843, Attorney General Eric Holder’s statements on medical marijuana raids, President Obama’s online town-hall comments and Hemp farming.

Ron Paul noted that he does not see marijuana legalization as a tax issue, since he is anti-tax anyway, but sees the topic as a state’s rights and personal privacy issue. Congressman Paul also noted his own rather conservative district voters in Texas have never penalized him for his pro-reform positions. He spoke about the Industrial Hemp Farming Act as well, mentioning that he owns a few hemp t-shirts already.

Barney Frank congratulated the people in his home state of Massachusetts for decriminalizing marijuana possession in a ballot referendum this fall. Congressman Frank also discussed the economic crisis and offered a welcome bit of levity. This is one elected official with the street cred to joke. He also brought up the aspect of civil liberties and marijuana prohibition, illustrating the point with a recent, disturbing incident in New York City.

Here are some MP3 sample clips
Download audio file (4_2_09_cut1.mp3)
Congressman Barney Frank Clip 1

Download audio file (4_2_09_cut2.mp3)
Congressman Barney Frank Clip 2

Download audio file (4_2_09_cut3.mp3)
Congressman Ron Paul Clip 1

Download audio file (4_2_09_cut4.mp3)
Congressman Ron Paul Clip 2

These conversations were definitely a highlight of my week. The full interviews with Congressmen Ron Paul and Barney Frank are online at the Public Radio Exchange:

Rep. Paul – http://www.prx.org/pieces/34992

Rep. Frank – http://www.prx.org/pieces/34982

Locally, things are moving forward.

New Jersey has reached a critical stage for the medical marijuana bill. Having passed the Senate, The New Jersey Compassionate Use Marijuana Act is halfway through the legislative process. A804 is solid legislation that would immediately relieve the suffering of patients with medicine and protection. But only through continued support from NJ voters and active contact from those who are enduring debilitating medical conditions will the bill pass. www.cmmnj.org

In Pennsylvania, Rep. Mark B Cohen continues to enthusiastically work on the first draft of the medical marijuana bill for the Keystone State. Proving again that life is always stranger than fiction, the first opportunity that the medical access bill could be introduced is when the PA legislature reconvenes: Monday, April 20^th. You can’t make this stuff up. www.phillynorml.org

Marijuana reform is definitely a ‘mainstream’ issue now, so there has been no better time to send emails, call legislators, donate dollars and spend some time each day to help end cannabis prohibition. Important social justice issues only move ahead with consistent, positive actions and support.

The only thing that Change is waiting for is YOU!

Download the NORML Daily Audio Stash for 2008-08-12

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Today is Government at Work day… and most of them are in recess.  So I’m bringing back the interview with Rep. Barney Frank on his HR5843 bill to end federal penalties for personal marijuana possession.

Then I’ve got the executive producer of a new film chronicling the work of hemp activists, Rod Pitman.  It’s called “Hempsters Plant the Seed” and a screening will be held this Thursday at 7pm and 10pm at Portland’s Bagdad Theater (yes, it is spelled that way).

Allen St. Pierre’s post in the influentual Capitol Hill blog, The Hill (reported earlier here) has been a smashing success on that website.  To date, it has generated 98 comments, almost all positive, which the editor tells us is a record response for a post in that blog.

It has brought the drug warriors out, too.  Reluctantly, I suppose, since they are generally told not to engage in drug war debates (because it’s hard to win an argument against facts, logic, and reason with only scaremongering and lies).  Here it is, with the comment I have posted in response interspersed within the text:

The Hill Blog» Blog Archive » Congress Must Reject Marijuana Decriminalization Bill
Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) recently introduced H.R. 5843, “The Act to Remove Most Federal Penalties for Possession of Marijuana For Personal Use” in Congress. Should this bill come to the floor for a vote, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) urges Congress to vote no. Legislation such as this is not the solution to reducing drug abuse or its concomitant crime and ignores the fact that responsible drug policy should be driven by research based prevention, treatment, and recovery. Not only would H.R. 5843 remove all criminal penalties for anyone, regardless of age, who possesses up to 100 grams of marijuana, but it also removes any criminal penalties associated with the “not-for-profit transfer” of up to one ounce of marijuana and only allows a civil penalty of no more than $100 to be imposed for the public use of marijuana. This legislation severely undermines the prevention efforts of the many community anti-drug coalitions throughout the country and their message that marijuana is not a benign drug.

Yes, decriminalization would severely undermine the efforts to paint marijuana as a dangerous drug… by removing the prohibition-related dangers from marijuana.

Proponents of decriminalization and legalization purport that marijuana is a harmless, non-addictive drug. They also imply that marijuana use begins in adulthood rather than in adolescence. These arguments ignore the facts that marijuana has been classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration as an addictive, Schedule I drug; is the most widely abused illicit drug in the nation among both youth and adults; and that treatment rates for marijuana addiction have skyrocketed in recent years. In fact, results from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) revealed that the mean age at first use for marijuana initiates is 17.4, and 63.3% of all marijuana initiates between 2002 and 2006 began prior to age 18. Also, according to the 2007 Monitoring the Future results, 41.8% of high school seniors have tried marijuana, with 18.8% of them reporting that they have used marijuana in the last 30 days. It is important to note that while these trends are disturbing, this national data set masks the fact that many communities throughout the country are seeing a much, much lower age of initiation for marijuana use – often times as young as 12 and 13. Further, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that rates of clinical diagnoses of marijuana abuse and/or dependence for minors has increased by a staggering 492.1 percent between 1992 (when marijuana use was at its lowest point) and 2006. Concurrently, there was a 53.7 percent decrease in rates of clinical diagnoses for all other substances combined, including alcohol, illicit, controlled prescription and over-the-counter drugs and inhalants.

Treatment rates have skyrocketed because the number of “drug courts” that sentence cannabis offenders to treatment have skyrocketed. 1/3rd of the people admitted to marijuana treatment haven’t even used marijuana in over thirty days (how’s that for addictive?) Almost 60% of the people in treatment are there from criminal justice referrals; only 15% seek treatment for marijuana on their own (compared to 21% for meth and 28% for alcoohol).

Furthermore, while 41.8% of American teens have tried pot, only 19.8% of Dutch teens have, where it is tolerated and sold in coffee shops to eager tourists and locals — talk about your “wrong message”; why are half the percentage of Dutch kids using pot compared to the American kids who are getting the “right message”?

Using marijuana at a young age can have deleterious effects on youth. In fact, according to Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), drug addiction is a pediatric/adolescent onset disease and prevention of first use is critical. In other words, the younger the age a person first uses drugs, the higher their chance of adult drug dependency and addiction. The 2002 NSDUH substantiated this fact as it reported that youth who first smoke marijuana under the age of 14 are more than five times as likely to abuse drugs as adults.

Yes, marijuana use by young teens is bad. That’s why I’d prefer they’d be ID’ed at a liquor store to get pot. Weed dealers don’t ask for kids’ ID. Cigarette smoking is bad for kids, too, and we got those rates to decline not by making smokes illegal, but through advertising bans, public health education, anti-smoking campaigns, and social pressure.

Marijuana use among youth also contributes to poor performance in school as indicated by the 2002 NSDUH which reported youth with an average grade of D or below were more than four times as likely to have used marijuana in the past year than youth with an average grade of A. Additionally, according to the NIDA study entitled “Marijuana Abuse: Age of Initiation, Pleasure of Response Foreshadow Young Adult Outcomes,” youth who initiate marijuana use by age 13 usually do not go to college, while those who have abstained from marijuana use, on average, complete almost three years of college. Even if they decrease their usage later in life, those who begin using marijuana by age 13 are more likely to report lower income and lower level of schooling by age 29.

Lots of marijuana using kids can’t go to college because the government takes away their student loans and grants if they are busted for marijuana. And, as usual, CADCA plays the correlation/causation fallacy. Bad grades aren’t caused by weed. Bad grades and weed smoking are caused by many factors, like income, parental involvement, schools, teachers, illnesses, learning disablilities, etc. (Carl Sagan smoked weed; I think his grades were OK.)

A clear link between violence and marijuana use among adolescents also has been established, and exists not only for the perpetrators of violence, but also for those who are victims of violence. For example, in its 2006 National Summary of its Questionnaire Report for Grades 6-12, Pride Surveys reported that of those students who reported carrying a gun to school, 63.9% reported also using marijuana; of those students who reported hurting others with a weapon at school, 68.4% had used marijuana; and of those students who reported being hurt by a weapon at school, 60.3% reported using marijuana.

Hmm, do you suppose that when you’re carrying a contraband plant worth more per ounce than palladium, you might face the possibility of robbery and violence, and you might protect yourself with a gun? Have you ever felt the need to carry a gun while bringing home a 12-pack from the grocery store? No, because it is legal.

Research also illustrates that the decline in the use of any illegal drug is directly related to its perception of harm or risk by the user. Decriminalizing marijuana sends the wrong message to America’s youth, and will de-stigmatize a drug that clearly has the potential to be both dangerous and addictive. While it is true that alcohol and tobacco addiction rates are higher than that of marijuana, this is the case in large part because they are legal substances and the stigma associated with them has been removed. Doing the same for marijuana will only ensure that addiction rates continue to rise.

While the twelve states that decriminalized marijuana, starting with Oregon in 1973, saw a sleight rise in the rates of teen drug use, the rates rose higher in the states that didn’t decriminalize.  Numerous studies have concluded that decriminalization does not lead to an overall rise in use (other factors led to the ’70s rise, like the fact that it was the ’70s and marijuana use went up everywhere).  Furthermore, addiction and hospitalization due to alcohol declined following the repeal of Prohibition.

This is evidenced by the fact that those states which have implemented “medical” marijuana ballot initiatives have some of the highest addiction rates in the country. In those states where marijuana has been equated with medicine, the perception of harm relating to that drug has been drastically reduced and social norms to reinforce “no use” messages, have been undermined. In fact, according to the State Estimates of Substance Use from the 2004–2005 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in February of 2005, most of the states in which marijuana ballot initiatives have been passed were clustered at, or near the bottom of the list, in terms of the perception of great risk associated with smoking marijuana once a month.

In the twelve medical marijuana states, teen use of marijuana has declined since the passages of those laws. Do teens see “medical marijuana” as less harmful than “demon reefers”? Sure, and they should. When we tell kids Schedule I marijuana, heroin, ecstasy, peyote, mushrooms, quaaludes, GHB, LSD, and PCP are all equally harmful, and kid sees friend who smokes weed not turn into a heroin-like junkie, it undermines the perception of danger of the drugs that are really dangerous.

Responsible drug policy must focus on effective research based efforts to both prevent and treat drug use. If passed, H.R. 5843 would normalize the use of a Schedule I addictive drug by removing all criminal penalties associated with possession of up to 100 grams and would reduce the perception of harm associated with marijuana use thereby increasing the number of new initiates and enabling existing addictive behaviors to continue. This is not the message we should send to America’s youth. Congress should vote no on “The Act to Remove Most Federal Penalties for Possession of Marijuana For Personal Use.”

I completely agree with the statement: “Responsible drug policy must focus on effective research based efforts to both prevent and treat drug use.” Unfortunately, the War on Marijuana ignores all of the research, from the 1894 India Hemp Drugs Report to the 1942 LaGuardia Commission report, to Nixon’s 1971 Shaffer Commission report, to the 1999 Institutes of Medicine report, and so many reports of the Canadian, British, and Australian governments that have recommended decriminalization, repudiated the so-called “gateway” theory, and demonstrated marijuana’s medical efficacy.

I dream of the day we base our marijuana policy on research, instead of the hangover from Harry J. Anslinger’s “reefer madness” of the 1930’s and the ongoing continuing culture war against the 1960’s.

Download the NORML Daily Audio Stash for 2008-08-05

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Today we get to visit with Darrel Rogers from Schools Not Prisons PAC, an organization dedicated to electorally slaying the biggest Drug War dragon in the House, Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN).

Then comedian Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing) visits with a preview of his show this Thursday in Washington DC with reggae artistrs Lionize.

Plus a couple of snippets from Paul Armentano’s interview on the Dr. Drew Pinsky radio show and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) on FOX News in support of HR5843.

FOXNews.com – Lawmakers Propose to Legalize Marijuana – America’s Election HQ
CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL (R-TX), SUPPORTER OF THE PROPOSAL TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA: Well, my aim is always to promote freedom and the constitution, and an issue like this is just – has no value to have the federal police going out and trying to find people who might be smoking. Before 1938, the Federal Government wasn’t even involved so I would think that the states can handle things like this.

And the whole notion that we regulate and prosecute people for things that some other people think is a vice – I just don’t see any purpose on this. I thought we learned our lesson about what prohibition did in the early part of the last century. There’s no value to it. It wastes a lot of money and causes a lot of trouble. And what do we do? We end up with laws like this that prohibit sick people from using marijuana where they can get benefit. We literally – the Federal Government overrides state laws and arrests people who are sick and getting some benefit from marijuana and they’re dying with cancer or AIDS. It makes no sense at all.

TheHill.com – Positive local buzz from marijuana bill surprises Clay
Rep. Lacy Clay didn’t intend to sign on to a bill legalizing marijuana, but he’s happy so far with the buzz from constituents.

The Missouri Democrat was flying with Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) on a congressional trip to Africa earlier this year when Frank asked Clay to co-sponsor his “marijuana bill.”

It seemed like a simple request to Clay, who for years has signed on to bills to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. So his answer was “No problem.” He called his staff and told them to put his name on the bill.

Only later did he find out that the bill went far beyond medical marijuana. Frank’s bill would end all prosecution of the personal use of marijuana, and Clay was one of only seven sponsors.

Clay was worried about the reaction. Supporting the liberalization of marijuana laws is not often seen as a political winner, especially in Midwestern cities like St. Louis.

But instead of stoner jokes, derision and righteous indignation, Clay was surprised to start getting praise from complete strangers.

“People are coming up to me saying this is a common-sense, sensible way to deal with the issue of personal use,” Clay said.

So far, he said, his calls, mail and contacts are running 80-20 in favor of the bill. He was impressed enough that he decided to go ahead and step before the cameras last week with Frank and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) at a news conference touting the bill.

This is exactly what Rep. Frank was talking about in our Friday interview: the people are way ahead of the politicians on this one.  Please call your congressperson at 202-224-3121 and ask him or her to co-sponsor (or at least support) Barney Frank’s HR5843.  The calls really do matter – many of these legislators are smart enough to know that marijuana prohibition has failed, but like Rep. Clay, are afraid of what the backlash may be back home.

Some of you may have a Republican or Conservative Democrat as a representative who will turn off immediately to anything involving marijuana.  Call anyway.  When I was living back in Idaho, represented by Republicans at the city, county, state, and federal level, I used to try to find an angle that would slip past their prejudice, something like:

I just wanted to call you about this bill by Barney Frank to legalize marijuana.  Y’know, I think that dope is stupid and people that do dope are stupid, but, heck, if we outlaw stupidity, we’d have to lock up most everybody at some point.  Maybe we oughtta try this thing so that we’re not spending a bunch of my tax dollars busting baggy-pants skateboarders for a joint when we could spend that time and money busting those meth freaks rippin’ metal off the bridges!

You know I don’t think “dope” is stupid and that I have nothing but compassion for meth addicts, right?  But they don’t have to know that.  If I act as if I’m coming from their point-of-view, maybe I can open them up a little bit to at least talk about it and force them to defend the status quo.

Download the NORML Daily Audio Stash for 2008-08-01

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Today on the Stash we’re honored to be speaking with Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) on his bill to end federal penalties for the adult possession and non-profit transfer of personal amounts of marijuana.

Steve Bloom brings us the CelebStoner.com report on the Cheech & Chong Reunion Tour, Snoop Dogg’s bus bust, and the Princeton Review’s list of the top stoniest colleges.

For those of you who see the Cannabis Common Sense cable access show in Portland, Denver, Seattle, and elsewhere, I’ll be appearing tonight in a non-talking-head role as guest musician.  I’ll probably end up talking anyway.  It’s my nature.

Marijuana bill sparks debate among iReporters – CNN.com
qotsa7777: I absolutely agree with the legalization of recreational marijuana use as a means to end the damaging and unproductive war on responsible, non violent users, but if we deny individuals the right to cultivate and sell marijuana for profit (with regulation similar that of alcohol), than we continue to perpetuate the most damaging aspect of marijuana prohibition: the funneling of money to gangs.

TJ1: I have been in hiding too long on this subject. I have a medical disorder that marijuana helps…. why should I have to hide responsible use of this what I consider to be very helpful to me?

Aoman: These issues should be left up to the states to decide. Let the DEA worry about drugs that are actually harmful to society.

Oilengineer: I am completely fine with the idea that individuals can make their own decisions on drugs.

LindaLou65: I’m not sure how many are aware of the fact that marijuana is used to treat HIV and AIDS patients.

Bigsilk: I will admit, however, 100 grams is a lot of weed. I would say that for most recreational smokers, that’s at least three or more month’s worth of pot. Maybe a hundred grams is a little high (pardon the pun).

GarthC420: [My Dutch husband] explained that in the Netherlands marijuana is just another tobacco product, and it doesn’t have this big forbidden taboo surrounding it like in the U.S. When the U.S. goes so far as to have news coverage of arrests of individuals for personal use pot gets better publicity then any trendy witty commercial drug dealers could air on TV.

Lascivius: There is no doubt in my mind that marijuana doesn’t ruin lives (unless you count the legal problems that it causes in peoples’ lives). It is also my opinion, being the child of an abusive alcoholic father, that marijuana use is far less harmful to lives than the use of alcohol can be.

Sensibleguy: Short and sweet, here’s the case: Marijuana is not harmful. It is not physically addictive (like alcohol/cocaine can be), mentally destructive (acid, alcohol), does not carry serious side effects (prescription meds), and does not cause cancer (cigarettes).

cweezy172: I smoke pot every night before I go to sleep, it has reduced my general stress in life, and improved my quality of life. I recently (June) graduated with a 3.8 from a Master’s program and got a pretty good job, which I am currently excelling in.

Missbosshawg: I don’t smoke pot, but have a lot of friends who do. Most who are 40 and 50 years old. I have never seen any of these people violent or commit crimes. They are hard working people who pay their taxes, own their own homes and volunteer in our community.

EyeiandiEye: It is a great disparity in the American courts to allow this catastrophic aspect of the drug war to go any further.

And this next one is my favorite, so I bring it to you in its entirety:

Denbee: I am a 58-year-old Vietnam veteran. American troops in Vietnam were generally split into two groups, the boozers and the tokers. In two years of Vietnam I never once saw anyone who was high on pot turn to violence. Never once saw anyone high slurring their speech or being aggressive or vomiting all over themselves and others. The worst I can say about the tokers is that we broke into the mess hall one night and stole a 5 pound carton of strawberry ice cream (shared among 12 of us) and it was wonderful!

So given the violent history of alcohol and the aggressiveness and stupidity it causes I made a choice 40 years ago and it was one of the best choices I have made. I am a responsible husband and father; I am a cardiovascular technologist and have been employed with the same employer for 36 years. I have been married for 26 years. I am a runner and have run for over 20 years. Oh, I have smoked marijuana almost everyday for the last 40 years also. Should we make room in the jail for me?

So, if you’re keeping score, that’s thirteen mostly positive responses to the idea, and a couple that criticize it for not going far enough into legalization. That leaves us the two hilarious negative responses:

Jennb: Americans have displayed a serious lack of judgment recently. Do you think they can utilize this substance without affecting others? Do we want more people driving while intoxicated? Do we want our children to go to their friend’s house, where their friends parents use only a little pot? Should we allow teens to use this substance without consequence? No, No, No, No, No!

Jenn, you write as if these things aren’t already happening!  Everyone who wants to smoke pot is doing it right now.  Making pot legal doesn’t change DUI laws – if you’re busting pot DUIs now, you can continue to bust pot DUIs when it’s legal, and you’ll have more police resources to do so because they won’t be taken off the streets to haul in and process someone for merely possessing it.  Finally, Frank’s bill clearly says “adults”.

TAZER357: I cannot even grasp why the liberal left seem to want the country getting high. Oh wait, on second thought, it makes perfect sense. If the country is high, then they wont really know what the liberal left is really doing to the country. My personal opinion is that if people really want to get high, they will either take their chances with the law, or they can pay for a ticket to Amsterdam.

What an appropriate user name.

Legislators aim to snuff out penalties for pot use – CNN.com
“The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government’s business,” Frank said during a Capitol Hill news conference. “I don’t think it is the government’s business to tell you how to spend your leisure time.”

CNN.com now has the video of some of the press conference.

The Raw Story | Bush drug warrior crashes pot press conference
On Wednesday, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) held a press conference to tout his pot-decriminalization bill, that even defenders admit has an almost non-existent chance of becoming law in the near future.

Frank, however, found himself alongside The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s “chief scientist” and two aides who were dispatched to provide instant rebuttal. Given the bill’s chances of passage, Bush Administration surrogate Dr. David Murray’s impassioned arguments that seemed more appropriate in Reefer Madness were greeted with plenty of puzzled glances.

Why did the White House feel it necessary to send at least three staffers to Capitol Hill to place in every reporter’s hand a copy of its 20-page, color-copied “2008 Marijuana Sourcebook?” RAW STORY posed this question to Murray.

“It is our responsibility to be aware of policy developments,” he said, explaining that Frank’s attempt to modify the controlled substances act was very much of interest to the Bush administration’s pot prohibitionists.

How pathetic are the government’s pot prohibitionists?  First of all, the chances that this bill will pass are slim-to-none right now.  Second, even if the bill moves forward, it won’t be heard until the next Congress, and this Dr. David Murray, appointed by George W. Bush, won’t even be around anymore.  Third, these minions of the Drug Czar are required by LAW to lie to the public about marijuana – even if Jesus himself appeared at that press conference to say that cannabis is the sacred healing herb given by God to Man and no man has the authority to deny it to another, the ONDCP would be required by LAW to say, “no, it isn’t”.

You remember Dr. David Murray?  He’s the guy who testified to Congress in 2007 on medical marijuana, delivering these gems:

These modern-day snake oil proponents cite testimonials—not science—that smoked marijuana helps patients suffering from AIDS, cancer, and other painful diseases “feel better.”

The “Snake Oil” gambit, one of my favorites.  Cousin to the “Why not smoke crack?” argument.

[T]he Department of Health and Human Services…, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy issued an advisory reinforcing the fact that no sound scientific studies have supported medical use of smoked marijuana for treatment in the United States…

…because the Department of Human Services refuses to allow anyone to study medical use of smoked marijuana.

[T]he idea of telling suffering patients that the best we can do for them is to encourage them to inhale the hot smoke of a burning weed, of unknown dose and purity, seems medieval at best.

The idea of locking people up for doing so seems medieval, period.

Medical marijuana laws lead to drug-related violence. Since the first medical marijuana law passed in the United States, as many as 20 “legal” medical marijuana providers have been killed around the country, mostly in robberies.

If prohibition didn’t jack up the price of a weed to palladium-like levels and prevent people from acquiring it cheaply and easily, there wouldn’t be much incentive to rob a provider.

[O]ur investment in medical science is at risk if we do not defend the proven process by which medicines are brought to the market and to patient-physician relationships. All drugs must undergo rigorous clinical trials before a drug can be released for public use. The responsibilities of the public health system are to ensure the safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of contemporary drugs.

You know, like the proven process that brought us Vioxx, Phen-Fen, Chantix, and so many other pharmaceuticals that have killed and harmed infinitely more people than marijuana.