"We know that over 110,000 people who showed up voluntarily at treatment facilities in 2007 reported marijuana as their primary substance of abuse. Additionally, in 2008, marijuana was involved in 375,000 emergency visits nationwide."  - Gil Kerlikowske, ONDCP, March 4, 2010

Response to the Drug Czar’s address to the California Police Chiefs Association Conference – by Mary Lynn Mathre, Co-Founder, Patients Out of Time

Our new drug czar (former cop), Gil Kerlikowske begins his talk to police chiefs by stating that the President directed him to travel the country and hear every side of the drug abuse issue and then he notes that the biggest problem today is drug overdoses. He notes that drug overdoses outnumber gunshot deaths and are approaching motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of accidental death. Of course he was talking about prescription medications. First of all, he has never bothered to talk with Patients Out of Time, who for the past decade has hosted a biennial series of accredited national clinical conferences that bring together researchers from around the world to present the latest studies on cannabis and cannabinoids. Regarding medical marijuana (cannabis) Kerlikowske states, "…I believe that science should determine what a medicine is, not popular vote." We agree. The problem is, he is relying on old science. Kerlikowske and his advisors need to attend The Sixth National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics that will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick, RI on April 15-17, 2010, where they can learn about the current research findings that support cannabis as a safe and effective medicine.

What is so disingenuous about his talk is that he presents drug overdoses as a major public health problem, but ignores the fact that there has never been a recorded overdose from cannabis. Cannabis is remarkably safe compared to illicit drugs used today as well as prescription and over the counter medications. Aspirin results in more than 100 deaths per year. Also in recent news was a story on deaths and adverse consequences from teens "huffing" inhalants. There are dangerous drugs available in the licit and illicit market and the public should be educated about the potential dangers from unsupervised use of drugs. But where is the logic in focusing on the one drug that will NOT result in death?

Next Kerlikowske throws out meaningless statistics about the high numbers of persons "voluntarily" showing up at treatment facilities who reported marijuana as their primary substance of abuse. I have worked in the substance abuse field since 1987 and believe me, cannabis is not the problem. The majority of patients with addiction problems have problems with alcohol, cocaine, prescription medications, methamphetamine, and heroin. Persons seeking help for cannabis are doing so because of a positive drug test and they need to go to "treatment" to avoid legal problems or to keep their jobs, not because of problems related to their marijuana use. He also notes that in 2008 marijuana was "involved" in 375,000 emergency visits nationwide. Sounds alarming doesn’t it? I challenge someone, anyone, to review those visits in greater detail and I will bet that these patients may have used cannabis, but the marijuana/cannabis had NOTHING to do with the reason for their trip to the ER. One could just as easily state that drinking water was involved in the emergency visits.
Those numbers come from DAWN – the Drug Abuse Warning Network, but the more fitting name for DAWN is Data About Worthless Numbers. DAWN simply captures past drug use by persons coming to the ER, the drug use is not necessarily related to the reason for the ER visit. Ask any ER physician or nurse about the "emergencies" they see that are related to cannabis and you will find that it is not high on their list of priorities.

The 30% rate of marijuana dependence is a new one. Check out world leaders and studies on the incidence of cannabis dependence and you will find that it is around 9%, much lower than alcohol, opioids, and stimulants including nicotine. The problem here is that the federal government likes to define drug abuse as use of any illicit substance – therefore if one uses cannabis then that person is automatically abusing it. Come on people - drug abuse and drug addiction can be serious problems with serious health and social consequences. Look past the "legal" problems resulting from the prohibition, what are the problems experienced by cannabis users?? Yes, some people may have an addiction to cannabis and treatment should be available if needed. But the vast majority of daily users do not crave the drug to the point of robbing others to maintain their supply and they clearly don’t suffer from serious withdrawal if they abruptly stop using. We would never even consider hospitalizing someone for cannabis withdrawal since it is less severe than withdrawal from caffeine. Many persons use cannabis as medicine and when they are forced to stop (either due to legal consequences or lack of a safe supply) they suffer because they no longer experience the therapeutic benefits of the herbal medicine.

Kerlikowske continues his curious talk by noting that regulating drugs like Oxycontin (a potent pain medication which is associated with numerous overdoses) shows that "legalizing" drugs is not a panacea because it widens availability and misuse. But wait a minute, while Oxycontin and other opioids may be used "recreationally" by some, they are still valuable medications for patients in pain and we aren’t going to forbid the use of opioids because some people will abuse them. So what is so crazy about the notion of allowing patients access to cannabis, a VERY SAFE medication that even if not used "as directed" by a healthcare professional, it will NEVER result in an overdose death? Drug abuse and addiction are serious problems and drug education is vital in our efforts to prevent drug abuse. There is no panacea for ending drug abuse, but denying patients access to this very beneficial and safe medication is clearly not a wise or compassionate policy.

Patients Out of Time simply asks that our federal policies are based on science. If one objectively reviews the science behind the therapeutic potential of cannabis, the answer is clear – it was a very popular medicine prior to its ill-founded prohibition beginning in 1937 and the research today tells us that cannabis and cannabinoids have a great safety profile and a wide variety of therapeutic indications for use. Wake up America. We want our police chiefs to focus their priorities on crimes of violence. To spend time and money looking for and arresting persons who either possess or grow (not manufacture) cannabis is not only a complete waste of time and money, but erodes any respect we may have for our police officers who are supposed to "protect and serve" the citizens. Enough of twisting the truth. Gil Kerlikowske, why not send your Deputy Director of the ONDCP, Thomas McLellan, to our conference in April? He can learn about the research and talk with the experts. Its time you listen to our perspective.

Take care, Mary Lynn Mathre