Lets handle this:
- "marijuana use is associated with addiction"
Lol I should've just stopped reading here.
- "Studies also reveal that marijuana potency has almost tripled over the past 20 years, raising serious concerns about what this means for public health – especially among young people who use the drug because research shows their brains continue to develop well into their 20's"
Really? There are THC receptors in the brain that develop along with the rest of your brain "into your 20s". They make no statement and provide no proof that the effects of high-potency marijuana in lesser-developed minds are negative.
- "neither the FDA nor the Institute of Medicine have found smoked marijuana to meet the modern standard for safe or effective medicine for any condition."
This is because neither the FDA or IM would benefit from marijuana treating patients for various conditions. As an ANSO major I can tell you I've done a lot of research and reporting on the current medical industry in this country, and I can tell all of you honestly that the minds of those in charge are fueled by Benjamins, nothing more. Major pharmaceutical corporations (better known on scene as 'Big-Pharma') know that as soon as marijuana becomes legal, at least as far as treatment goes, they will lose billions simply because they will have yet to find a way to make money from it themselves. Medical corporations have even gone as far as to have the US Government sign an agreement stating that nobody, including the Gov, may negotiate the prices of ANY medications with Big Pharma.
- "As a former police chief"
This man is a biased pig. Everything he says is irrelevant. Note how they state; "legalizing marijuana would not provide the answer to any of the health, social, youth education, criminal justice, and community quality of life challenges associated with drug use. " They can, in no way, prove this. These are opinions being tossed around as reasons as to why marijuana shouldn't be legal.
This is a very disappointing response from the US Government. It shows how uneducated and ignorant to the truth Gov officials really are. It's all about money. If they can't make enough of it, it won't fly.