by Shannon Takahashi

Created on: November 05, 2008   Last Updated: June 29, 2010

The people of the State of Michigan will vote on November 4, 2008, on whether or not we should legalize marijuana for treatment of medical conditions. If passed, we will be following in the footsteps of 12 other states which have done so since California legalized it in 1996. In order to make an informed decision regarding the legalization of medical marijuana, we need to explore how marijuana works in the human system, its benefits and drawbacks, viable alternatives, and legal issues that extend beyond the State of Michigan.

The botanical name for marijuana is cannabis sativa, and the major active chemical is delta-9-tetrahydrocannibanol (THC). Marijuana is most commonly ingested by smoking, but can also be used in foods or brewed into a tea. Since smoking is, by far, the most common form of ingestion, that is the primary form we will deal with today. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, scientists now understand very clearly how THC affects the brain. Smoking causes THC to pass very quickly into the bloodstream, which transports the chemical to various organs, including of course the brain. THC connects to sites called cannabinoid receptors, which are concentrated in areas of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordination.

Marijuana was made illegal in 1937 by the federal government, along with such heavyweight drugs as heroin and cocaine. The apparent benign nature of marijuana is part of its appeal to users, be they medical or recreational users. One of the arguments made for removing it from the ranks of addictive substances is that even among government studies, it has not been found to be physically addictive. Total withdrawal produces nothing more than a strong craving to resume usage, with none of the life-threatening withdrawal caused by other controlled drugs.

While proponents claim that smoking marijuana is less harmful than cigarettes, there are a very limited number of studies that have actually been done by reputable organizations. This is because researchers are very reluctant to expose subjects to smoking as a delivery method for THC, despite the number of willing subjects available. It is interesting that these same researchers appear to have no such concern about exposing subjects to cigarette smoke.  Comparison of marijuana smoking risk to tobacco in a study headed by the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand shows that smoking one joint is the equivalent

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