Marijuana Health Concerns
There Aren't Many

"Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest, therapeutically active substances known to man."
- DEA Judge Francis L. Young

Courtesy: wggb.com

(PORTLAND, OR) - For whatever reason which is certainly not clear, The New York Times Jan 8 2013 continues to print ridiculous stories implying that marijuana use is somehow dangerous. I guess it increases the circulation of the newspaper.

One of the most prominent advocates for the use of marijuana as medicine other than former Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush, was DEA Judge Francis L. Young, who, after preceding over a months-long trial in 1988, about its dangers, wrote in his opinion:

"Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest, therapeutically active substances known to man."

Also, on WeedBlog.com, is an article, 25 legal drugs more dangerous than marijuana. This includes, Tylenol, caffeine, aspirin and even hamburgers.

The New York Times printed the article, Legalizing of Marijuana Raises Health Concerns by Roni Rabin, but which quotes Dr. Nora Volkow, the highly discredited director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, who doesn't seem to know that the U.S. government grows and gives marijuana to several patients, and also that the Food and Drug Administration legalized and approves prescriptions of Marinol; the pure marijuana chemical, which unfortunately has bad side effects, different and more dangerous unlike natural marijuana. They chatter about the higher potency of currently used marijuana, which just means patients use much less, except the newcomer high school kids, who sometimes get carried away with their own bravado.

Dr. Volkow bleats that teenagers, "May be more vulnerable to addiction," but the addiction rate is far less dangerous than alcohol, heroin, or tobacco, all of which are really lethal, unlike marijuana. She chatters that it can cause severe withdrawal symptoms which may be true (emotional not physical) in a very small percentage of users but certainly not with medical users.

Brain function tests on adolescents are questionable, but marijuana does have sedative effects on everybody and is widely used medically as a sedative/tranquilizer.

Some authors have published that about 40 percent of youth between 18 and 24 years, use marijuana occasionally or frequently. From The New York Times article, one might surmise a great epidemic of bad results. It has not happened.

We marijuana doctors, about 3500 in Oregon, for about 80,000 patients, recognize that marijuana is a valid medicine and it is estimated that throughout the U.S. there are several million card carrying legal users. No epidemics of bad side effects have occurred

More information on the history of Dr. Leveque can be found in his book, General Patton's Dogface Soldier of WWII about his own experiences "from a foxhole".
Order the book by mail by following this link: Dogface Soldier

If you are a World War II history buff, you don't want to miss it.

Watch streaming video question and answer segments about medical marijuana with Bonnie King and Dr. Phil Leveque.

Click on this link for other articles and video segments about PTSD and medical marijuana on Salem-News.com:
Dr. Leveque INTERVIEWS & ARTICLES

Salem-News.com Marijuana Coverage

Where and How to Smoke Legal Marijuana without Fear of Arrest in the U.S.

Eulogy of a Great Warrior: Hoss Plourde

The Ripple Effect How Marijuana Laws Are Impacting Society

Audit the Audit

Welcome Home, Tom

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Cory January 13, 2013 12:09 pm (Pacific time)

Thank you for sharing the truth, good doctor.

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