The use of medical marijuana has recently become newsworthy again in light of the Canadian government’s decision to open a pot farm to grow a national supply of the narcotic plant for those deemed in medical need of it.
Our neighbors to the north have decided that marijuana is a real benefit to those with various medical conditions and are therefore steaming full speed ahead with their plan to both grow and hand out the drug through a national system. This is not surprising from a country with an already lax view of the drug and will likely pave the way for more decriminalization of marijuana use in Canada.
To some this is news to rejoice over, but in reality one should be concerned over the growing acceptance and glamorization of marijuana. The drug may indeed have some therapeutic effects for people suffering from various sicknesses, but the vast majority of people smoking or ingesting marijuana in this country today do so for purely recreational reasons.
Supporters of medical marijuana seem blind to this fact and only harp on about what they regard as the plant’s seemingly spiritual healing abilities. They do not seem to understand that most people use marijuana only to support their addictive personalities, not to heal their bodies. And using marijuana in this fashion makes the plant no nobler than a can of beer.
At issue here is the fact that as the drug becomes more socially accepted in this country through its decriminalization for medical reasons, the ill effects of marijuana will be ignored. Any study on drug use in this country will show that marijuana is the most pervasive of all narcotics, and more young people are learning how to use it than any other drug.
While the pleasant effects of marijuana soothe anxiety and stimulate the appetites of those suffering from chronic diseases, the drug saps the ambition and fuels the addictive tendencies of the average person. There is no factual support for the tired argument that marijuana is a “gateway drug” that leads its users to heroin or cocaine, but basic sense will lead one to understand that any drug is dangerous to a person with an addiction problem. Be it alcohol, tobacco or marijuana, those who want to will get hooked on drugs no matter what substance they start out using.
And if people with a pattern of addiction take up marijuana, it is very likely that they could go on to use more serious drugs. The decision to use marijuana is easier to reach if one believes that the drug is a harmless and healthy substance instead of the powerful narcotic it actually is.
Therefore, in the debate over medical marijuana, this nation needs to move forward in a way mindful of marijuana’s risks. Especially in Eugene, the drug is considered somewhat socially acceptable. Decades ago small-time grifters sold miraculous cure-all tonics that were usually nothing more than codeine and alcohol to gullible folks who believed the fancy talk that a few doses would set them up good. Today a specter of that same confidence scam hovers over the medical marijuana debate. When we focus too much on the possible benefits of the drug, we underestimate its threats and leave more people susceptible to those threats.
Millions of people use marijuana daily. And most of those people lead successful lives, just like the millions who drink alcoholic beverages daily. But we do not praise alcohol as if it were a wonder drug, and we should not do so with marijuana.
Country station’s demise disheartening
KKTT 97.9, also known as Cat Country, went silent over the weekend, and country fans throughout Lane County now have even fewer options to find their music.
The alternative rock station KNRQ is already playing on KKTT’s old numbers and one has to be struck by the irony in that what is known as alternative rock is now considered more mainstream than country. Some may welcome this news and others resent it, but it is just another example of how something as simple as the music we listen to can tell quite a bit about a community.
This part of the Willamette Valley is growing more urban, and the failure of the local radio market to support two large country stations proves that. The simple message of country music will soon be replaced by the ambiguity of popular music, just as the simplicity of Eugene’s rural heritage is being replaced by the complexities of urban development.
Just don’t tell Hank, Merle, Waylon, Johnny or George that.
This editorial represents the views of the Emerald’s editor in chief and does not necessarily represent the views of the Oregon Daily Emerald.