The Push To Legalize Marijuana In Michigan

Debates are raging across the States in the United States as to whether or not marijuana should be legalized. Currently legal in Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Alaska, these states are now starting to discover growing pains when it comes to marijuana. Colorado for example has found that marijuana-impaired drivers have made up about 12.5 percent of all citations for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

A health study by Northwestern University and Harvard medical schools found that young adults who used marijuana only recreationally showed significant abnormalities in two key brain regions that are important in emotion and motivation, scientists report.

This is the first study to show casual use of marijuana is related to major brain changes. It showed the degree of brain abnormalities in these regions is directly related to the number of joints a person smoked per week. The more joints a person smoked, the more abnormal the shape, volume and density of the brain regions.

“This study raises a strong challenge to the idea that casual marijuana use isn’t associated with bad consequences,” said corresponding and co-senior study author Hans Breiter, M.D. He is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a psychiatrist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

“Some of these people only used marijuana to get high once or twice a week,” Breiter said. “People think a little recreational use shouldn’t cause a problem, if someone is doing OK with work or school. Our data directly says this is not the case.”

The study was published April 16, 2014 in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Paul Welday

In Michigan Oakland County Republican political operatives Suzie Mitchell, a Republican political fundraiser, and GOP consultant Paul Welday are behind a new advocacy group that is exploring a 2016 ballot initiative legalizing marijuana use

In the video below Matt Mardsen of the Michigan Cannabis Coalition could not defend, the fact that former Michigan State Representative Rocky Raczkowski brought up about marijuana flooding the black market and getting into the hands of those under age. He also could not defend the risk to the general public should

Rocky Raczkowski

a surgeon or pilot be high on marijuana for example.

Mardsen says that Marijuana isn't addictive but he is wrong. Marijuana is as addictive as alcohol. 

Approximately 10% of people who smoke marijuana will get addicted to it. That means 90% of people can use it recreationally. But for the other 10%, marijuana is not a harmless herb. They will have difficulty controlling their use, and they will continue to use even though it has negative consequences to their life. Every day people enter rehab programs or go to a 12 step group to deal with their marijuana addiction.

One study looked at 2,446 young adults between the ages of 14-24, and followed them for a period of 4 years. Approximately 10% met the criteria for marijuana addiction. 17% experienced withdrawal when they stopped using, 14% had difficulty controlling their use, and 13% continued to use even though they had health problems due to their marijuana use.

Marijuana users are 4 times more likely to develop depression. One study looked at 1,920 people, and followed them for 16 years. It discovered that people who smoked marijuana were 4 times more likely to develop depression.

Another study looked at 1601 students aged 14-15 and followed them for seven years. Approximately 60% of the students had used marijuana by the age of 20, and 7% had become daily users. The young women of the group who were daily users had a five time greater chance of developing depression.

Marijuana almost triples the chance of developing psychotic symptoms. A 3-year study followed 4,045 psychosis-free people. It came to the conclusion that marijuana smokers are three times more likely to develop psychotic symptoms (including manic-depression) than non-smokers.

Marsden, Welday and Mitchell are all longtime members of Michigan's Republican establishment. Marsden worked for former Gov. John Engler before serving as the chief spokesman for then-Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop and his successor, Sen. Randy Richardville. Welday is a fixture in Republican circles who served as former U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenburg's chief of staff before becoming chairman of the Oakland County Republican Party. Mitchell, wife of Republican pollster Steve Mitchell, is a fund-raiser with deep experience in southeast Michigan's GOP money belt.

Marijuana Debate: Should It Be Legalized?