U.S. Congressman Tom Latham
Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong opposition to the Hinchey amendment.
Let's be clear: Marijuana is not harmless, as some claim. It is a schedule 1 drug
under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning it has no accepted medical use in treatment
and has a high potential for abuse. In fact, marijuana continues to be the most
widely abused drug in the United States.
Those who anecdotally claim that marijuana has a medical benefit do not differentiate
between THC and whole marijuana. Whole marijuana contains hundreds of chemicals,
many of which are harmful to one's health. An evaluation by several Federal agencies
concluded that no sound scientific studies supported marijuana's medical use, and
smoking marijuana is not approved as a legitimate medical use by the FDA.
The bottom line is, marijuana is an addictive substance that is linked to cancer
and respiratory ailments and problems with the immune and reproductive system.
Let me say as a member of the Speaker's Task Force for a Drug-Free America, marijuana
is the drug that will tell whether or not someone is going to get on methamphetamines.
It is the precursor, the gateway drug, for heroin use. As we continue to fight this
battle against illegal drug use, this is the drug that gets people started.
Anyone who is trying to send a message to our young people today should be embarrassed
by having an amendment like this, because this is telling people that this is okay,
that it is socially acceptable, that you can start here and it won't hurt you. And,
in fact, medically, scientifically, that is dead wrong.
The message we are sending to our children today is very strong.
Whether we support legal use of marijuana as a precursor to methamphetamines, to
heroin, this is the message we will be sending if we approve this. I strongly urge
my colleagues to vote against this amendment.
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In March 1999, the Institute of Medicine issued a report on various aspects of marijuana,
including the so-called, Gateway Theory (the theory that using marijuana leads people
to use harder drugs like cocaine and heroin). The IOM stated, "There is no conclusive
evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent
abuse of other illicit drugs." |
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Source: Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr., and John A Benson, Jr.,
Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral
Research, Institute of Medicine (Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1999). |
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The Institute of Medicine's 1999 report on marijuana explained that marijuana has
been mistaken for a gateway drug in the past because, "Patterns in progression of
drug use from adolescence to adulthood are strikingly regular. Because it is the
most widely used illicit drug, marijuana is predictably the first illicit drug most
people encounter. Not surprisingly, most users of other illicit drugs have used
marijuana first. In fact, most drug users begin with alcohol and nicotine before
marijuana? usually before they are of legal age." |
|
Source: Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr., and John A Benson, Jr.,
Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base, Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral
Research, Institute of Medicine (Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1999). |
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