Marijuana Blog

Vs.

Heavy marijuana use is associated with cognitive decline in about 5% of teens, according to a new study, which suggests that the heaviest users could lose 8 IQ points. In the report, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, research conducted in New Zealand showed that teens who started smoking marijuana before age 18 and were diagnosed as being addicted to cannabis by age 38 experienced an IQ drop in early adulthood. But users who began smoking after age 18 - even if they used heavily— did not show a significant decline.

A couple things can be taken from this study, including heavy adult marijuana users showing no decline in IQ. And let’s assume for a moment that this study is right, and those under 18 shouldn’t use marijuana. If true, this is one of the biggest reasons to legalize marijuana for adults.

What is easier for kids to get, alcohol sold at a store or marijuana sold out of some shady dude’s basement? The answer is obvious. The more regulation placed around a product, the less able kids are to get it. Leaving marijuana in the black market makes it more accessible to those under 18, because drug dealers don’t check I.D.

You can’t be fighting for kids to stay off marijuana and approve of keeping it illegal; they are two different lines of logic.

The Mother Earth Alternative Healing Co-Operative is the only medical cannabis dispensary licensed under San Diego County, California’s restrictive ordinance, but it is now being forced to close under threats from the federal government.

“Mother Earth” serves about 2,500 patients, who will soon be displaced when it comes to getting their medicine. Co-founder Bob Reidel says it’s been tough the past few weeks.

"I mean every day we're dealing with people walking through this building crying," said Reidel. "What are we going to do? How come they don't care? And what am I supposed to say to people like that."

“How come they don’t care?” A great question, but one many people have trouble answering. We know “Mother Earth” was helping 2,500 people, so who exactly are they harming?

According to U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy: "It is not a defense to either criminal liability or to the forfeiture of property that the dispensary is providing 'medical marijuana.' The United States Attorney's Office supports eviction of the commercial marijuana businesses, like Mother Earth, that operate outside of federal law."

In other words, screw medical marijuana patients.

“Mother Earth” was able to forestall closure a couple months ago by filing for bankruptcy protection, but their legal maneuvering ran out Monday.

"We're going to keep fighting for it," said Reidel. "We're still a corporation, with no home. But, we can't stop this fight. We will stop dispensing and we will look for other legal means to reopen. Hopefully here. Maybe somewhere else that complies with the ordinance. We don't know."

The closure of “Mother Earth” will leave 70,000 patients in San Diego County without anywhere to get their medical cannabis, leaving the prospect of long trips out of county or the black market.

Source: http://www.kpbs.org