Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press Tuesday, September 10, 1996 11:44 am EDT
"As medicine, this proposition is unworthy of the Middle Ages; as politics, it is dishonest." said Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the national drug control policy director.
He said Proposition 215 on the California ballot in November "poses a serious threat to the effectiveness of drug enforcement and prevention" by providing loopholes for drug dealers.
Supporters of the proposition say smoking marijuana eases the pain for patients suffering from cancer and AIDS. But McCaffrey said the claims don't hold up under scrutiny and that the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana is available in pill form already for treatment of HIV Wasting Syndrome and chemotherapy-induced nausea.
Laboratory research, he said, has shown marijuana compromises brain function, the immune system, the lungs, and hormonal responses to stress and metabolic change.
"The California proposition is dangerous and wrong," McCaffrey said in a written statement. "It would make marijuana available to the public without following the scientific processes of the Food and Drug Administration for approval and regulation. No consumer protection would be in place.
"The proposition sends our children the message that marijuana use is beneficial, that marijuana is medicine."
Also, he said, the California proposal would not even require a written prescription or medical examination.
"The voters in this country should not be expected to decide which medicines are safe and effective," he said.
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