If a person can get marijuana on a medical prescription, Gov. Gary Herbert fears there will be situations where Dr. Feelgood says, "Que pasa, here's your doobie for the day." In other words, medical marijuana might open the door for people to obtain the drug under the pretense of medical needs, when in reality it is for recreational purposes.
I suggest this is not very good reasoning for rejecting medical marijuana. Yes, the scenario could take place. But, is it already taking place, with the prescription drugs we already have? Does the doctor sometimes say, "What's shaking, brother? Here's your fix for the day." Does he sometimes prescribe traditional drugs when the patient is wanting them for recreational purposes?
I'm not limiting the use of the word "recreational" to just getting a high. People can take drugs for the feelings they give them even if that feeling isn't a high. They can take them for an escape, for one thing. "Recreational" can apply to any use other than the one for which it is prescribed.
Considering how many people abuse prescription drugs, I say it is evident people have been abusing drugs long before the medical marijuana question came about. So, the answer is not that we should maintain the ban on medical marijuana, but that we should correct the situation for all drugs.
The same set of doctors who will be issuing prescriptions for marijuana are already issuing prescriptions for the drugs currently being abused. What makes Gov. Herbert think they will be any more inclined to say, "Here's your doobie for the day," for marijuana than they are to say, "Here's your fix for the day," for the other drugs possessing recreational value?
No comments:
Post a Comment