UNOA Position Statement : Medical Marijuana
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Facts about Marijuana
Marijuana is a schedule I controlled substance. An addictive substance that can cause withdrawal when use is stopped, marijuana addiction treatment admissions since 2002 have been higher that any other illegal drug. Among the 60 to 100 separate chemical components of marijuana called “cannabinoids”, only one, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is psychoactive. Higher THC content in marijuana produces greater and longer-lasting effects. In the last 20 years and due to market demand, constant genetic engineering has increased THC potency in marijuana plants, and extraction-concentration methods are becoming extremely popular and widespread. Marijuana is the second-leading cause of impaired driving arrests. One in six adolescents to try marijuana will become addicted.
Medical Marijuana
So called “medical marijuana” in other states has become a farce and a sham. The average user of smoked medical marijuana has no chronic illness and is a white male in his mid-30s with a history of alcohol and drug abuse. States with medical marijuana laws have a dramatically higher incident rate in the general population of both “past-month adult users” and “new youth (12-17) users”. 10 of the 13 western-most states, including Alaska and Hawaii, have authorized some form of legal use of the intact marijuana plant. Some states with medical marijuana laws have now “graduated” to full scale legal recreational use, including Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska. The attendant social problems created in those states is only beginning to be realized.
UNOA Position Statement
There is no scientific evidence that THC is necessary to boost or synergize the medicinal effect of cannabidiol (CBD) or other medicinal cannabinoids. Based upon the proximity of other medical and/recreational states, the black and grey market potential in Utah is exacerbated by the fact that since October 1, 2015, possession of up to 99 pounds of marijuana in Utah is a Class B misdemeanor. That includes highly-concentrated marijuana extracts (BHO, “dap” “shatter” “glass”) which can be up to 90% pure THC. Many national and local organizations, including the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, and the Utah Medical Association, are opposed to any use of intact marijuana as “medicine”.
The Utah Narcotic Officers Association opposes any use, medical or otherwise, of raw marijuana or any extracts containing THC. UNOA acknowledges the potential future medical benefits of other cannabinoids, and encourages continued research, studies and clinical trials of those components under strict oversight by federal and state authorities.