Overview of the Health Problems
According to the data provided by the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health steered by the revered Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, it was heightened that 10.2% of the young people between the ages of 12-17 years of age confessed to having taken marijuana.
The study further adds that the drug carries agonizing consequences for those who consume it. For example, it overpowers the dopamine receptors located in the brain thereby lowering IQ. Marijuana also ups the chances of experiencing a heart attack. As far as the marijuana content (Tetrahydrocannabinol, its proactive ingredient) in drugs is concerned, it has risen from a meager 5%, then to 13% and now to 30% in some dispensing centers (Smith, 2015).
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Severity of the Health Problems
Data collected from a Gallop poll indicated that the highest number of Americans favored the legalization of marijuana. In fact, this is the highest number in American history to ever approve the use of marijuana—58%. Staggering as it may see, this raises some concerns as to the people consuming marijuana at the moment. According to the studies done by Gallup, support for the legalization of marijuana has been on an upward trajectory—rising by 12%, 25%, 30% and 40% in 1969, 1970, 2000 and 2009 respectively (Jones, 2015).
The frequency of marijuana use has also been on the rise, the period between 2001 and 2003 was marked by an increasing number of disorders associated with marijuana majorly in young adults. Those who encountered problems related to marijuana use that is, the marijuana use disorder were 30% of those who used the drug, totaling to about 6.8 million of the total population (Deborah et al., 2015).
The consumption of marijuana has also been associated with some risk outcomes. For example decline in cognitive capabilities, cannabis-withdrawal syndrome, psychosocial impairments, motor accidents, frequent hospital visits, drug abuse aside from marijuana, low quality of life, and risk of addiction (Ibid, 2015). These disorientations in the people consuming marijuana are likely to increase with the growing consumption as projected by the studies done by Gallup.
Overview of the bill and Stakeholders
Through the enactment of the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Control Act, the bill seeks to institutionalize the licensing, regulation, manufacturing, and cultivation of cannabis in the within the office of the Governor of California. The bill seeks to establish divisions or departments to achieve this end. The bill also seeks to underpin the requirements of the acts by streamlining the responsibilities of both the state and local governments by developing a framework of enforcement.
Section two of the bill provides for the prosecution of professionals (physicians and surgeons) who may be posing the greatest harm as far the use of cannabis is concerned. It further mandates the Medical Board of California to compile an annual report to ensure that this end is met.
Section three further highlights that the dispensing, and prescribing of cannabis without appropriate examination by a trained physician is punishable by law for it constitutes what the bill calls “unprofessional conduct.”
Article 25 further comes down to the doctors who recommend cannabis to their patients. The bill states that those physicians or their families need not recommend cannabis for financial gain either if they own the facility recommending the drug or their family owns it, both are restricted.
The stakeholders in this bill are the patients (who may use cannabis as medication), the physicians (who prescribe the drug), and the Health Department. The Office of the Governor which regulates and enforces what the bill prescribes is also a stakeholder, the health facilities (hospitals, clinics, dispensaries, and pharmacies), the professional bodies (such as the Medical Board of California) and the trade unions.
Promises/Expected Outcomes
The Legislature of California promotes the bill on behalf of all the peoples of California. The bill seeks to seek to institutionalize the licensing, regulation, manufacturing, and cultivation of cannabis in the within the office of the Governor of California. The expected outcomes of the bill are that it will help in dispensing cannabis as a prescriptive drug to improve the health and well-being of Californians. Also, the bill will contribute to streamline the activities of physician and also outline the responsibilities of patients as far as cannabis prescription is concerned.
Problems
Jerry Brown, the governor of California and his administration have created a rift between lawmakers and police department over the bill. The Jerry administration argues that all laws formulated and passed by 2015 about medical marijuana should be merged into the new standard which legalizes the sale of cannabis in California called Position 64. This claim is rejected by both the lawmakers and the police because it will only serve to rewind their achievements so far (McGreevy, 2017).
The Faith and Freedom Coalition (Georgia Chapter) has also come out to show its strong opposition to the bill. The religious leaders posit that the guidelines set by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should not be overstepped by anyone much less the legislature. They question whether the FDA regulation would still be bent if someone mysteriously comes up with another “miracle cure.” Alongside their three-page list of objections to the bill, they gathered signatures to have it dropped for good (Bluestein, Galloway, and Malloy. 2015).
Unintended Consequences
Misuse of cannabis will most likely increase with the passing of this bill. As evidenced in the studies sampled above, there is a high prevalence rate of marijuana use mainly among the young adults. Also, public opinion on the legalization of marijuana is increasing by the clock. It is likely that some those advocating for medicinal cannabis only need it to abuse it, hence if the public opinion on the subject something to go by, there may be a rampant misuse of cannabis.
The other likely adverse outcome would be dropping the age restriction attached to the use of drugs like marijuana. It is important to note that those below the age of eighteen (18) are restricted access to such intoxicating drugs, but this might change. When cannabis changes status from a substance—to be abused, to a drug—to relieve pain, even minors will claim it. This, in the long run, will be disastrous to America’s young population.
Recommendation
The dangers cannabis reconsiderbys the bill poses to human health. It is evident that the use of cannabis is not merry, in fact, it has been disastrous. As noted above a lot of disorders and mental disorientations are associated with the drug which makes it highly dangerous to anyone who consumes. The suggestion is that the health benefits are again weighed against the risk cannabis poses to the health of those who will consume it, albeit, in medicated form (Deborah et al., 2015).
Other options aside from cannabis are considered. The question to ask, may be, is: why cannabis? Are we afraid of losing out on a rather expensive (but illegal) drug that we are finding ways of justifying it in medicine? What about other safer, natural alternatives? The author strongly suggests that other “natural” options which will not cause carnage on the roads and make people schizophrenic are considered instead of taking a wild card on something that has for long been fuelling crime and brutal murder.
References
Bluestein, G., Galloway, J., & Molley, D. (2015, February 6). Faith & Freedom Coalition lists objections to medicinal marijuana, anti-bullying bills. Retrieved from http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2015/02/06/faith-freedom-coalition-lists-objections-to-medicinal-marijuana-anti-bullying-bills/
Hasin, D. S., Saha, T. D., Kerridge, B. T., Goldstein, R. B., Chou, S. P., Zhang, H., … Grant, B. F. (2015). Prevalence of Marijuana Use Disorders in the United States Between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013 [HTML Version]. JAMA Psychiatry , 72 (12), 1235. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.1858
Jones, J. M. (2015, October 21). In U.S., 58% Back Legal Marijuana Use. Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/186260/back-legal-marijuana.aspx
McGreevy, P. (2017, April 14). Rift opens between the Brown administration and legislators over new marijuana laws in California - LA Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-medical-recreational-pot-rules-rift-20170414-story.html
Smith, B. (2015, February 15). The Problem With Pot. Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/problem-pot-306634
The State of California. (2014). AB 34 Assembly Bill – AMENDED: Cooley Medical Cannabis (34). Retrieved from California Legislature website: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/15-16/bill/asm/ab_0001-0050/ab_34_bill_20150602_amended_asm_v93.htm
