Drug Policy Update
Suzanne Wills, LVW-D Drug Policy Issue Chair & LWV-TX Study Committee Member
I was very pleased to speak to the LWV-D units in May on the “Drug War: How We Got Into This Mess and the Special Interests That Keep Us Here.” The talk tries to explain how the most medicated society in history came to have prohibition of certain drugs, who benefits from this policy, and who suffers the consequences both intended and unintended. In case you missed it, the talk and slides are online at http://www.dpft.org/overview.htm, click Historical Slide Show or email me and I’ll send you a text version.
In June the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Gonzales v. Raich, popularly known as “the medical marijuana case.” The opinion addressed only whether the federal government may prosecute users of marijuana as a medicinal herb even in states where such use is legal under state law. The Court ruled that it could. More than 98% of marijuana arrests are made by state law enforcement so immunity from state prosecution is still quite important. Editorial opinion following the decision was strongly supportive of patients’ rights. Every major newspaper in Texas ran editorials supporting either medical marijuana or the states’ right to determine their own medical policies.
Also in June, Dr. Jeffrey Miron, a visiting professor of economics at Harvard University, released his long awaited paper, "The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition." He concludes, “Replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of legal regulation would save approximately $7.7 billion in government expenditures on prohibition enforcement--$2.4 billion at the federal level and $5.3 billion at the state and local levels.” Marijuana prohibition costs Texas $273.71 million annually in law enforcement and potential tax revenue of $46.6-$59.3 million depending on the assumptions used. More than 530 economists, including 13 from Texas universities, have endorsed the report. It is online at http://www.prohibitioncosts.org.
Dr. Donald Tashkin, a leading researcher of the respiratory effects of marijuana smoking, reported to of the International Cannabinoid Research Society that "even heavy longterm use" of smoked marijuana does not cause cancer of the lung, upper airwaves, or esophagus. The report generated widespread publicity because Dr.Tashkin has long held a contrary opinion. It is Dr. Tashkin's prior research that the drug czar's office cites in ads linking marijuana to lung cancer. He changed his opinion after conducting a large, prospectively designed, population-based, case-controlled study. His study was funded by the University of California's Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research. Other large, well conducted studies have shown that marijuana smokers do suffer a higher incidence of bronchitis and respiratory infections. This study did not refute that conclusion.
At its July meeting NOW adopted a resolution entitled, “Women's Rights - Another Casualty of the Drug War.” It reads in part, “THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Organization for Women (NOW) iterate its opposition to the War on Drugs and in its stead support an approach to drug abuse and addiction that promotes compassion, public health and human rights.” The resolution is online at http://www.now.org/organization/conference/resolutions/2005.html#drugs.
Our League will continue its drug policy study with a panel discussion on September 27. We hope to have two legislators who support the drug war, one physician who specializes in pain management and one representative of the minority community who will discuss the discriminatory results of current drug policy. Please plan to attend.