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Exposing the Myth of Medical Marijuana Page 3 of3 accidents. It found that just as many of the accidents were caused by drivers using marijuana as were caused by alcohol-- 12.5 percent in each case. . Consider also that drug use. including marijuana, contributes to crime. A large percentage of those arrested for crimes test positive for marijuana. Nationwide, 40 percent of adult males tested positive for marijuana at the time of their arrest. Q. Is marijuana a gateway drug? . Yes. Among marijuana's most harmful consequences is its role in leading to the use of other illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine. Long-term studies of students who use drugs show that very few young people use other illegal drugs without first trying marijuana. While not all people who use marijuana go on to use other drugs, using marijuana sometimes lowers inhibitions about drug use and exposes users to a culture that encourages use of other drugs. . The risk of using cocaine has been estimated to be more than 104 times greater for those who have tried marijuana than for those who have never tried it.12 In Summary: . Marijuana is a dangerous, addictive drug that poses significant health threats to users. . Marijuana has no medical value that can't be met more effectively by legal drugs. . Marijuana users are far more likely to use other drugs like cocaine and heroin than non- marijuana users. . Drug legalizers use "medical marijuana" as red herring in effort to advocate broader legalization of drug use. 1 Herbert Kleber, Mitchell Rosenthal. "Drug Myths from Abroad: Leniency is Dangerous, not Compassionate" Foreign Affairs Magazine, September/October 1998. Drug Watch International "NIDA Director cites Studies that Marijuana is Addictive." "Research Finds Marijuana is Addictive," Washington Times, July 24.1995. 2National Instilue of Drug Abuse, Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of Clinical Phamacology. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Pharmacology Review. 3"Marijuana and Heart Attacks" Washington Post, March 3. 2000 41. B. Adams and BR Martin, "Cannabis: Pharmacology and Toxicology in Animals and Humans" Addiction 91: 1585-1614. 1996. 5Nationallnstitute of Drug Abuse, "Smoking Any Substance Raises Risk of Lung Infections" NIDA Notes, Volume 12, Number 1, JanuaryfFebruary 1997. 6Dr. James Dobson, "Marijuana Can Cause Great Harm" Washington Times, February 23, 1999. 72000 National Drug Control Strategy Annual Report, page 13. S.'Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base," Institute of Medicine, 1999. 9See footnotes in response to question 4 regarding marijuana's short and long term health effects. 10"Marijuana Appetite Boost Lacking in Cancer Study" The New York Times, May 13, 2001. 11 Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health. 12Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health. http://www.usdoj.gov/dealongoing/marijuanap.html 4/29/2005