Army Bob: Marijuana will be legal, health concerns matter not

by Robert M. Traxler

The Center for Disease Control (CDC), a federal agency, has recently published a paper on marijuana use. I am confident that we as a nation will legalize the use of marijuana within the next five years. Whether that is a good thing matters not; most people want it, and as a representative democracy we will get what we want. I disagree that legalizing yet one more dangerous drug is a good thing, but the will of the people will prevail.

The CDC report found:

“There is mixed evidence about whether marijuana can cause cancer, partly because most people who use marijuana also use tobacco, a substance that does cause cancer. Researchers have found an association between current, frequent, or chronic marijuana smoking and testicular cancer (non-seminoma-type). More research is needed to understand the full impact of marijuana use on cancer.”

That statement should make folks question if marijuana is safe, but who cares? Arguments like “it is not as bad as tobacco or alcohol” will be made, an argument akin to “rattlesnakes are not as poisonous as king cobras, so don’t be concerned if you are bitten.”

The CDC report goes on to say:

“The compounds in marijuana can affect the circulatory system and may increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Studies have shown smoking marijuana can have a big effect on heart rate and blood pressure, including:

• High heart rate and blood pressure.
• An increase in the report of chest pains when exercising among people with existing chest pain.”

“Smoke is harmful to lung health. Toxins and carcinogens are released when marijuana is burned. When these toxins and carcinogens are smoked, they are inhaled into the lungs, increasing health risks. Smoke from marijuana contains many of the same toxins, irritants, and carcinogens as tobacco smoke. Smoking marijuana can lead to a greater risk of bronchitis, cough and phlegm production. These symptoms generally improve when marijuana smokers quit.”

The folks who are in favor of marijuana legalization will again tell us it has not been proven to be as dangerous as other current legal substances; alcohol and tobacco are legal, so why not legalize yet one more intoxicant and carcinogen?

The marijuana of yesteryear is not the pot of today; the drug has been genetically engineered to pack an intoxicating punch much more potent than before. The tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content is up to 10 times what your grandfather’s pot contained. A friend tells me President Washington grew hemp, so what is wrong with growing weed today? General Washington grew hemp for rope and the THC content was dammed near nonexistent; a person could smoke a bushel basket of the stuff and not gotten high.

The long-term effects on our economic health and national health be dammed; who cares, folks want it legalized so it will be. Again, I do not like it but I understand it; marijuana is accepted by the left and many on the right. This law or repeal of laws just may be one of those things that contain the warning: be careful of what you wish for, you may get it.

Remember there was supposed proof positive that smoking tobacco prevented disease in the 1860s; folks who smoked came down with less malaria and yellow fever. The smoke kept insects carrying the diseases away, (medics did not know insects spread disease), thus smoking tobacco was good for you.

Most Americans want marijuana legalized and it will be, common sense matters not. Things will be fine until the users become older; then we will see the real damage in the same ways as we have seen with tobacco and alcohol.