The "green" answer to cancer

The discomfort of cancer patients is unlike any. They don’t just suffer from pain directly caused by cancer — they also have to contend with the toxic effects of the very treatments helping them in their battle. They feel nauseated and weak. They feel tired, on top of the pain they already feel. Conventional drugs for their symptoms will not always work. Unfortunately, stronger ones make them sleepy, aside from exposing them to serious adverse effects.

Then comes along marijuana. Cancer patients who get stoned for “leisure” realize that their symptoms go away – they feel a lot better after smoking weed.
They experience a drug-induced high, their symptoms melting away while they continue to smoke pot. Their anecdotes carry far and wide, reaching the ears of health practitioners. Soon enough, a debate ensues on whether or not medical marijuana use deserves to be legalized.

Taking the “high” road
Although marijuana can alleviate many symptoms experienced by cancer patients, it is addictive — and that remains one of the most common (and soundest) arguments against legalizing medical cannabis use.
A few countries, such as Canada and Israel, have legalized medicinal hemp use. Some states in the US have passed laws to legalize marijuana use for medical reasons as well. Even the Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of cannabinoids in relieving nausea and anorexia among cancer patients.

However, the US federal government still refers to marijuana as a controlled substance, one that is absolutely outlawed, according the Matthew Seamon in his 2006 article published at The Annals of Pharmacotherapy.
The conflict between state and federal laws is as yet unresolved and will remain so until the courts say that medical marijuana use is constitutional. In the meantime, doctors and patients resort to playing it by ear, something they shouldn’t have to do if the rules were clear.

As stakeholders struggle with the stalemate, Israel is tinkering with a solution that they hope will end the debate once and for all.

Mary Jane gets a makeover
In a secret location in Israel, marijuana continues to grow in seemingly endless fields. You see, unlike regular marijuana, the weed grown in these Galilean hills cannot get you addicted.
This non-addictive variant of marijuana was developed by Zach Klein, the former advocacy and development director of Tikun Olam. The company’s name is Hebrew for “repairing the world" — a suitable name, considering their novel discovery.

The new strain of marijuana, named Avidekel, contains less than two percent of tetrahydrocannabinol, the substance responsible for getting hemp users stoned. Despite the greatly reduced THC content, Avidekel marijuana still contains more than 15 percent cannabidiol, theorized to reduce inflammation.
In contrast to THC, CBD does not attach to receptors in the brain — that means it can exert its effects without getting a person “high."

Perhaps the new hemp strain can put the weed debate to rest. But the original and addictive THC-rich weed can provide relief for other symptoms, which means that marijuana supporters can still argue to have regular marijuana legalized, not just the THC-free plant.

The “pot” is black, or so the kettle says
We are years away from reaching a compromise. Legalizing marijuana, even if it’s for friends and family suffering from the disabling effects of cancer, still comes with consequences.
Others argue that many controlled drugs in the market are also addictive, such as anti-anxiety medication and sleeping pills, and that marijuana has much fewer side effects compared to these. But the back-and-forth continues as many of our doctors and lawmakers reach what seems to be an impasse.

We try out best to look for solutions. Israel is doing its part in establishing a compromise: marijuana, yes, but without the addictive THC.
But we should check our opinions at the door. What we need is more data. We need facts. We need to determine whether or not smoking the plant is better than drinking a pill composed of chemicals extracted from it.

The public also needs to be educated on both the advantages and adverse effects of marijuana use. Ulterior motives must be set aside if we want to achieve a therapeutic milestone. For instance, people who use marijuana but know very little about the science behind cannabinoids cannot simply support the legalization of marijuana for their own selfish reasons. On the other hand, people who wrinkle their nose at potheads should not automatically condemn marijuana use in medicine.

The argument between the opposing camps exists for a reason. It is actually good that we don’t agree with each other.
Much has to be done before legislators figure out whether marijuana should be legalized for medical use. Much has to be said before doctors can ensure that marijuana is a plant that should be used by people who allegedly need it.
But, as is the case in any worthy but difficult endeavor, we have to start somewhere — even if that “somewhere” is in a heated debate with brilliant people who, unfortunately, do not share the same point of view.

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Federal Court Hearing on Marijuana Prohibition Today

For the first time since the 1970s, defendants in a cannabis-related criminal case are being allowed to present new scientific and medical studies as part of their defense in a federal trial in California that begins today.
Starting today and for the next three days, U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller will be holding a hearing to determine if the classification of cannabis as a Schedule I substance is supported by scientific and medical evidence.

The marijuana growers using this defense were likely not growing the cannabis in the national forest of Trinity and Tehama counties for medical reasons, which their defense attorney, Zenia Gilg, a member of the NORML legal committee, readily admits. However, her defense is based on the premise that cannabis prohibition is unconstitutional and based on inaccurate information. If the judge agrees with Gilg, the initial ruling will have a massive impact on those with pending federal marijuana charges.

The courts will hear testimony from doctors, researchers, and even the federal Department of Justice, which has been ordered by the administration to not prosecute marijuana offenders who are complying with state laws. Expert witnesses for the defense include physician Dr. Philip Denney and Clinton-era FBI crime analyst James Nolan. They’ll be squaring off against Bertha Madras, who insists that marijuana use causes brain damage.

Ladybud Magazine commends Judge Mueller for her willingness to hear the evidence in this hearing, despite the protests of prosecutors. It is possible that the next three days could result in the beginning of the end of federal marijuana prohibition. Ladybud will be following the case and reporting on the ruling once it is made publicly available.

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Marijuana ban to have rare hearing in federal court

Marijuana users and growers usually try to stay out of federal courts, which strictly enforce the nationwide laws against the drug and have rebuffed challenges to the government’s classification of pot as one of the most dangerous narcotics.
But that could change this week when a federal judge in Sacramento, in a criminal case against seven men charged with growing marijuana on national forest land in Trinity and Tehama counties, hears what she has described as “new scientific and medical information” that raises questions about the validity of the federal ban.

The Drug Enforcement Administration classifies marijuana, along with such drugs as heroin, LSD and ecstasy, in Schedule One — substances that have a high potential for abuse, have no currently accepted medical use, and can be dangerous even under a doctor’s supervision. The classification amounts to a nationwide prohibition on the possession, use or cultivation of the drug. The DEA reaffirmed marijuana’s status in 2011, and a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., upheld it last year.

But the hearing that starts Monday may be the first of its kind in a criminal case since the early 1970s, shortly after Congress put marijuana in Schedule One under the DEA’s supervision, said Zenia Gilg, the San Francisco criminal defense lawyer who filed the current challenge.
“At that point, not a lot was known about the medicinal benefits of marijuana,” said Gilg, a member of the legal committee of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. “It’s about time somebody looked at the new evidence.”

That will be U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller, who granted the hearing, scheduled for three days, over prosecutors’ objections. In an April 22 order, she said lawyers for the defendants had presented expert declarations “showing there is new scientific and medical information raising contested issues of fact regarding whether the continued inclusion of marijuana as a Schedule One controlled substance ... passes constitutional muster.”

She issued the order in a case that, based on the evidence so far, has little to do with medical marijuana — the defendants are charged with growing a large tract of pot plants on forest land, and there’s been no indication that it was for medical use. But Gilg said that’s irrelevant if they were charged under an unconstitutional law.
As Gilg acknowledges, it will not be an easy case to win. She and her colleagues must prove not merely that the federal law is misguided, based on current research, but that it is entirely irrational. An initial ruling would apply only to the current defendants, but the impact would be broader if higher courts weighed in.

Support for defense
The witness list includes doctors and researchers who laud marijuana’s medical benefits and say it is much less hazardous than tobacco, alcohol and some everyday medications, and a former FBI analyst who says the federal ban has been socially destructive. Defense lawyers say they also are drawing support from an unlikely source — President Obama’s Justice Department, which, while defending the federal ban in court, has advised federal prosecutors not to charge people who are complying with their state’s marijuana laws.
California, 20 other states and Washington, D.C., allow the medical use of marijuana, and two of those states, Colorado and Washington, have also legalized personal use.

“If marijuana is actually such a dangerous drug, the rational response by the Department of Justice would be to increase, not decrease, prosecution in those states,” Gilg said in court papers. She also argued that the government’s state-by-state enforcement policy is discriminatory.
The government’s expert witness is Bertha Madras, a Harvard professor of psychobiology and a former official in the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President George W. Bush. In a court declaration, she said marijuana “has a high potential for abuse” and is properly classified among the most dangerous drugs.

Medical uses debated
Contrary to popular notions, Madras said, marijuana is addictive for frequent users, interferes with concentration and motivation, and can cause brain damage. Marijuana smoke contains “significant amounts of toxic chemicals,” she said. And despite “anecdotal evidence” that it helps some patients feel better, she said, there are no valid long-term studies that support its use as medicine — in fact, although some of the plant’s ingredients may be beneficial, “there is no such thing as medical marijuana.”

Nonsense, said Dr. Philip Denney, a defense expert witness and a founding member of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians. Despite government restrictions on the supply of marijuana for research, he said in a declaration, new studies have shown “remarkable promise” in using marijuana to relieve pain and treat numerous illnesses, including forms of hepatitis, gastrointestinal and sleep disorders, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Marijuana, Denney said, is a “nontoxic, nonlethal substance” with little potential for abuse and no recorded cases of fatalities, in contrast with the deaths caused by alcohol and tobacco. He said its side effects pale in comparison with the serious illnesses that can be caused by heavy doses of pain relievers like Tylenol and Advil and the hallucinatory effects of the main ingredient in NyQuil and Robitussin cough syrups.

Another defense expert, James Nolan, a chief of crime analysis and research for the FBI during President Bill Clinton’s administration, said the main harm caused by marijuana is “its status as an illegal substance,” which has relegated much of its distribution to criminals and cartels and ruined the lives of many of its users.
Mueller, who will weigh the conflicting testimony, is a former Sacramento city councilwoman and federal magistrate who was appointed to the bench by Obama in 2010. She is the first female judge in the Eastern District, which includes Sacramento and Fresno.

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Medical Marijuana Helped Me Survive Cancer Treatment

Last November, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Like many others in similar circumstances, I've tackled much of it with humor and a positive attitude and loads of pharmaceuticals with varying unpleasant side effects. It has been an epic battle involving a double mastectomy, radiation therapy, breast reconstruction (a process which left me miserably uncomfortable every single minute), and chemotherapy -- endless needles pumping foreign liquids into my body leaving me weak and nauseous and horribly depressed for days afterward.

At one point, many months into my treatment, I was ready to quit. There are no words to adequately describe the discomfort and despair I was feeling. It was at that time a friend of mine offered to get me some medical marijuana from Colorado. I said yes. I was willing to try anything, willing to break the law, for some relief.
Before you jump to any conclusions, I'm in my '50s and work in the medical field and am not a recreational pot smoker (or anything else for that matter.) Still, the chemotherapy combined with the prescription medications left me so miserable and incapacitated, I was desperate.

I ate it -- didn't smoke it -- I don't want to smoke anything. And it worked. Marijuana took away my nausea, so I could eat healthy. It took away the severe restlessness and anxiety, so I could relax. It allowed me to eat, sleep and be up and active when I was awake -- all of which are critical to recovery. It didn't get me "high;" it made me feel halfway normal (as opposed to the prescriptions, which left me feeling drugged and weak). It gave me the strength to continue with chemotherapy when I had reached a point where I really couldn't tolerate it anymore.

For me, the medical marijuana was a miracle drug, a life-saver. I wished I had used it from the beginning because it was so helpful. And according to our current law, I should go to jail for it.
The fact that people in Florida can legally smoke cigarettes (which are known to cause cancer), but cannot legally relieve their cancer treatment symptoms with medical marijuana is completely ridiculous. Medical marijuana is safe, is already legal in 23 states and the District of Columbia, and is supported by the American College of Physicians, American Public Health Association, American Nurses Association and many other organizations.

Yet, here in Florida politicians have decided to take it upon themselves to decide what's best for health care when medical decisions should be made by doctors and their patients, not politicians.
Amendment 2 would fix that flaw by legalizing medical marijuana and making it available for people with debilitating conditions and diseases like cancer, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's.

These people deserve compassion, not threats of imprisonment or stigmatization for using a drug scientifically proven to help alleviate their misery. Doctors should be allowed to recommend medical marijuana to patients who need it and provide them a better quality of life. It seems cruel to withhold any solutions we have at our disposal.
Legalizing and regulating medical marijuana isn't only the compassionate thing to do, it's also the responsible thing to do to ensure safety.

I shared my experience with marijuana with women on a breast cancer internet forum to help empower them to take control. Out of desperation, one woman bought pot from a "street dealer" (since it's not legal), and it only made her misery worse because it wasn't the type of marijuana appropriate for her needs. Regulating marijuana means patients could get prescriptions for exactly what they need.

I have a friend who's dying from ALS who texted (because he can no longer speak) me asking if I have any marijuana. I gave him everything I had left. It breaks my heart that he and countless other suffering individuals don't have access to this simple, safe solution. I urge everyone in Florida to vote "yes" on Amendment 2 this fall. Individuals who are sick and suffering should not go to jail for medical marijuana, and neither should their doctors.

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Smoking cannabis does not accelerate progression of liver disease in people with HIV/HCV co-infection

Michael Carter

Smoking cannabis does not worsen liver disease in people with HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection, Canadian research published in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases shows.
“We found no evidence that cannabis smoking increases the risk of progression to significant liver fibrosis or cirrhosis,” write the authors. Results also showed that cannabis was widely used for pain relief by co-infected people.

Up to 30% of people with HIV in resource-rich countries are co-infected with HCV. Liver disease caused by HCV is a leading cause of serious illness and death in these co-infected individuals.
Cannabis (marijuana) is believed to be widely used by people with HIV. In a study conducted in Ontario, Canada, 43% of participants reported use of cannabis in the previous year, 29% saying they had self-medicated with the drug.

Previous research examining the effects of cannabis consumption on liver disease outcomes has produced conflicting results. Three cross-sectional – or 'snapshot' – studies involving people with chronic HCV infection found an association between cannabis use and liver cirrhosis. In contrast, a small study involving 58 people with HIV showed no association between cannabis use and significant changes in liver enzyme levels over one year.

Given this uncertainty, investigators in Canada designed a prospective study involving 690 HIV-positive people with chronic HCV co-infection and no significant fibrosis at baseline enrolled in the Canadian Coinfection Cohort study. Every six months, participants were asked if they had used cannabis. Users of the drug were asked how often they smoked cannabis and the number of joints they consumed on the days they smoked.

The investigators then examined the association between cannabis use and progression to significant fibrosis, cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease. Significant fibrosis was defined as an AST platelet ratio index (APRI) score of 1.5 or above. An APRI score of 2.0 was used to diagnose cirrhosis and the authors also looked at the relationship between cannabis use and progression to a clinical cirrhosis diagnosis.

The investigators were concerned that participants might start to consume cannabis – or intensify their use of the drug – to alleviate symptoms related to advancing liver disease. By collecting concurrent data on exposure to cannabis and disease outcomes it could appear that cannabis caused liver disease when in fact this was present before the participant changed their drug-use behaviour. The investigators therefore repeated their analyses looking at cannabis use in the six to twelve month period before liver disease assessments. They called this method of analysis “lagging”.

The participants were followed for a median of 2.7 years and contributed a total of 1875 person-years of follow-up. The majority of participants were male and the median age at baseline was 44 years. Most of the participants had an undetectable HIV viral load and the median CD4 cell count at the start of the study was 400 cells/mm³. Injecting drug use was reported by 38% of participants and 15% had alcohol abuse issues.

Over half (53%) of participants reported use of cannabis at baseline with similar proportion of individuals using the drug through follow-up. On entry to the study, approximately 40% of participants who used cannabis said they did so for symptom relief, and this proportion increased to over 50% during follow-up. Turning to frequency of use, the investigators found that 40% of cannabis smokers consumed the drug on a daily basis.

During follow-up, 19% of participants developed significant fibrosis, 15% cirrhosis (diagnosed by APRI score), 1% received a clinical diagnosis of cirrhosis and 2% progressed to end-stage liver disease.
The incidence rate of progression to APRI 1.5 or above was 39.2 per 1000 person-visits; incidence of progression to APRI 2.0 or above was 29.2 per 1000 person-visits; incidence of progression to a clinical cirrhosis diagnosis was 2.1 per 1000 person-visits; and incidence of progression to end-stage liver disease was 2.9 per 1000 person-visits. There were no differences in these incidence rates between users and non-users of cannabis.

The investigators’ initial analysis appeared to show that smoking cannabis accelerated progression to a clinical diagnosis of cirrhosis (HR = 1.33; 95% CI, 1.09-1.62 per ten joints/week). However, after lagging this association ceased to be significant. Smoking cannabis was also initially associated with a combined outcome of clinically diagnosed cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease (HR = 1.13; 95% CI, 1.01-1.28). But once again this association ceased to be significant when the researchers looked at cannabis consumption in the six to twelve months before the clinical outcomes were diagnosed.

“Reported use for symptom relief was very prevalent suggesting that the association of daily cannabis use and more advanced fibrosis may, in fact, be related to an increased use for symptoms management of the disease,” the authors suggest. “Previous cross-sectional studies reporting an association between marijuana smoking and liver fibrosis may be biased by reverse causation due to self-medication with marijuana for relief of symptoms related to significant liver fibrosis.”

They conclude, “We could not demonstrate any important effect of marijuana on liver disease outcomes.”

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It’s Time To End The Stigmatization Of Medical Marijuana

I’m not going to lie: I like weed.

Most college students like weed. I wouldn’t be surprised if many of our professors liked weed, as well. Despite being classified as a Schedule I drug by the federal government—along with heroin and LSD in the category of drugs that have “no medical use” and are most likely to be abused—smoking weed has never seemed to be a deviant activity. Hell, when I was growing up, underage drinking seemed to be more immoral than smoking weed.

However, I differ from my peers in the fact that my endorsement of marijuana isn’t just because I like to be high.

I suffer from a rare, inherited degenerative tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Type III that affects merely 1 in 15,000 people worldwide. At the age of 19-years-old, I already have osteoarthritis, and experience frequent joint dislocations, a proclivity to skin lacerations, horrible scarring, and constant, severe fatigue and pain.

Currently, there is no cure for EDS, and medical treatment is focused on pain management—meaning I have enough pill bottles of prescription painkillers and muscle relaxers to decorate a Christmas tree.

Although painkillers can help make basic, every day tasks—like walking to class or going to the grocery store—more bearable, it’s no secret that they’re incredibly addictive. Last year, NYU Local reported that the resurgence of heroin use may be tied to prescription opiates. The threat of opiate addiction is very real and so very scary, which is exactly why I attempt to avoid taking my Vicodin if I can.

This is where weed comes into play. Researchers at Johns Hopkins have recently found that, in states in which medical marijuana is legal and available, the incidence of prescription opiate-related overdoses decreased by 25%. The study emphasizes that medical marijuana users aren’t using prescription opiates at all, but rather that they may be choosing weed over pills more often.

Despite being one of the most progressive states in the country, New York’s medical marijuana bill—passed this summer, making it the 23rd state to embrace the legalization of marijuana as medicine—is stringent. Unlike my native state of California, medical marijuana prescribed in New York state cannot be smoked, and can only be prescribed to people suffering with serious conditions like cancer, multiple sclerosis, and ALS.

When the bill is fully implemented within the next year, there will only be twenty dispensaries statewide. And although the New York Compassionate Care Act was supported by Governor Cuomo and Staten Island state senator Diane Savino–the latter of whom hopes to bring a dispensary to Staten Island–the medical marijuana movement is being stymied by both the federal government and the old-school legislators who remain steadfast in their belief that marijuana has no medical use and is incredibly dangerous.

It’s so incredibly difficult to enjoy life as a 19-year-old should when you’re plagued by throbbing, swollen joints and consistent exhaustion. But, for me, marijuana makes it a little bit easier. The science is there: marijuana can and does ameliorate chronic pain. In my home state, I am eligible for a medical marijuana prescription; however, it’s questionable whether I’d be eligible in New York to legally receive medical marijuana for medicinal use.

And that leads to the biggest question on my mind: why? As the daughter of a heroin addict who died by overdose six years ago, it blows my mind that heroin and marijuana are considered by the DEA as being equally dangerous and addictive. Perhaps the DEA’s classification is inspired by the idea that it’s the government’s responsibility to enforce some sort of moral code upon the electorate; however, to me, it’s just unfathomable that a substance that can help so many people cope with their severe medical conditions is demonized as some sort of potentially fatal and morally reprehensible drug.

Change comes with time, and I’m hoping that, sometime before I die, the stigmatization of marijuana will disappear, and maybe the number of people choosing marijuana over potentially fatal doses of opiates will decrease even further. But, until then, I’ll manage my pain as best as I can, and will continue to advocate for broader availability of medical marijuana.

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Top Ten Reasons to End Marijuana Prohibition by Taxing and Regulating Marijuana

1. Prohibition has failed – marijuana use is mainstream and widespread.

When the federal government first effectively prohibited marijuana in 1937, relatively few Americans had even heard of it. Today, according to 2010 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data, 106 million Americans admit to having tried it (17.4 million in the last month), and every year, the Monitoring the Future survey finds that over 80% of high school seniors say marijuana is easy to obtain.

2. Prohibition is an immense waste of public resources, while marijuana taxation would bring in much-needed revenue.

According to 2010 estimates by Harvard University economist Jeffrey Miron, replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of taxation and regulation would yield $17.4 billion government savings and increased tax revenues.

3. Arresting and prosecuting marijuana offenders prevent police from focusing on real crime.

In Chicago alone, the police superintendent estimated officers spent 45,000 police hours on arrests for 10 grams or less of marijuana in a year. Meanwhile, FBI data shows that less than half of violent crimes and only 18% of property crimes were cleared nationwide in 2010.

4. Prohibition sends an incredible number of Americans through the criminal justice system, ruining countless lives.

According to the FBI, since 1995, there have been more than 12 million U.S. marijuana arrests, with 853,838 in 2010 – significantly more than for all violent crimes combined. Eighty-eight percent of these arrests are for possession – not manufacture or distribution.

5. Marijuana laws are enforced unevenly.

According to Jon Gettman, Ph.D., blacks are three times as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites, despite the fact that use rates among African Americans are proportional to use rates among whites. While marijuana users who were not convicted have gone on the be president or Supreme Court justice, a criminal conviction can stand in the way of securing a job; getting housing; or receiving a professional license, student loans, food assistance, a driver’s license, a firearms permit, or the right to vote.

6. There is no evidence that imposing criminal penalties on marijuana use reduces its use.

The National Research Council found that “perceived legal risks explains very little in the variance of individual drug use”. In 2008, the World Health Organization found that in the Netherlands, where adults are allowed to purchase and possess small amounts of marijuana, both teen and adult use significantly lower than in U.S., where marijuana is illegal.

7. Prohibition makes control impossible.

Producers and sellers of marijuana are completely unregulated. Unlike licensed businesses that sell liquor or tobacco, marijuana sellers operate virtually anywhere and have no incentive not to sell to minors. Prohibition guarantees that marijuana cannot undergo quality control inspectors for purity and potency, creating possible health hazards as a result of contamination by pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, molds, fungi, or bacteria, as well as the lacing of marijuana with other drugs or formaldehyde. Under taxation and regulation, producers and sellers would be licensed and zoned accordingly.

8. Marijuana prohibition breeds violence.

Currently, the only sellers of marijuana are criminals. As in 1920’s Chicago, since disputes cannot be solved lawfully, violence is inevitable. According to the Atlantic, since 2006, more than 50,000 people have been killed in Mexican drug cartel-related violence. Those purchasing marijuana illegally also may face muggings and other violence.

9. Prohibition is bad for the environment.

Because marijuana cultivation is illegal, unlicensed, and carries felony charges, it often takes place in environmentally damaging locations such as national parks and wilderness areas. Under taxation and regulation, marijuana sales would be relegated to regulated, licensed businesses, which would cultivate in legally zoned areas.

10. Marijuana is safer than alcohol.

Unlike legal substances such as water, alcohol, Tylenol, and prescription opiates, marijuana has never caused a single medically documented overdose death in recorded history. Alcohol causes hundreds of overdose deaths each year, and in 2009 (the latest year for which data is available), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 24,518 “alcohol-induced death”. The British government’s official scientific body on drug policy concluded that {legally regulated drugs} alcohol and tobacco are “significantly more harmful than marijuana”. American law treats alcohol as if it were safer than marijuana, encouraging people to drink.