Journal of the American Medical Association [JAMA]

Time for a change in marijuana laws? 

Former editor-in-chief says YES! 

Harvard's Dr. George Lundberg, editor-in-chief of JAMA from 1982 to 1999, wrote a Medscape editorial  in August 2005 which said in part: 

"For many decades, marijuana has been the American poster child for how not to deal with a troubling psychoactive substance." 

"Although far from harmless by toxicological or pathologic criteria, marijuana is much less dangerous than many other substances in less restrictive schedules, like morphine and cocaine, not to mention the unscheduled legal mass killers tobacco and alcohol." 

"Of course, marijuana does have proven medical usefulness for some conditions," said Lundberg, citing the New England Journal of Medicine. "

"Kids quickly see through lies. Many kids may discount the proper scare tactics about really dangerous drugs, like heroin and PCP, because the dangers of marijuana have been so overstated." 

"In fact, enforcement of unrealistic laws regarding marijuana has probably caused more harm than marijuana itself." 

"People obey laws they believe to be just; they do not obey the marijuana laws because they know they are unjust, even absurd."