Medical Marijuana?

The Justice Department announced a major change in drug enforcement policy yesterday. In states that have legalized medical marijuana, the Federal government will no longer go after sellers that appear to be in compliance with state laws. Dispensaries in California that have their paperwork in order will not have to worry about breaking Federal laws against the sale of controlled substances.

I’m conflicted about this decision. The libertarian in me is all in favor of expanding the rights of individuals to do as they please without government interference. The strict constitutional constructionist in me applauds the victory for state’s rights inherent in the decision. The social conservative in me is … troubled.

I think the thing that bothers me is the mendacity inherent in the system. If medical marijuana was really about resolving nausea in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, or helping glaucoma patients who don’t respond well to other drugs, I don’t think anybody would be bothered one way or the other. That was the protective cover used to sell the idea.

The reality is somewhat different.

In reality, medical marijuana is about legalizing a narcotic so that people who want to get stoned can do so without risking being arrested. In California, anyone who wants to can get a prescription from a doctor to acquire as much cannabis as they can consume. If you don’t know a doctor who will write a prescription for “anxiety” or “insomnia,” just visit a marijuana dispensary and they will be happy to recommend one to you. According to a profile in The New Yorker magazine, there are over two hundred thousand medical marijuana prescriptions written in California alone.

I’m uncomfortable with training the citizenry to lie about their health in order to indulge their vices. Of course, one of the truisms of a democracy is that when enough of the citizens want to participate in a vice, they will find a way to legalize it.

In my state, they passed a law setting up a state lottery a few years ago. The pretext was that the lottery was going to raise funds to “enrich” education in the state. Hogwash! Folks just wanted to gamble.

So if people want to spend a good chunk of their lives intoxicated, I guess we should let them, whether the drug of choice is pot or booze. But let’s not kid ourselves that the stoners are being treated with medicine.