Why Marijuana Should Be Legalized: An Expert's Perspective
Summary
TLDRIn this insightful transcript, retired pharmacology professor John Morgan shares his expertise on marijuana, co-authoring 'Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts.' He addresses common misconceptions, asserting that marijuana is the safest psychoactive drug despite its risks. Morgan advocates for legalization not due to safety, but to better control its dangers through regulation, emphasizing that even if new evidence emerged, it would strengthen his argument for legalization.
Takeaways
- 📚 The speaker, John Morgan, is a retired professor of pharmacology with 28 years of experience teaching at the City University of New York Medical School.
- 🌿 He has a special interest in the pharmacology, toxicology, and regulation of marijuana, having spent many years studying these aspects.
- 📖 In 1997, he co-authored a book titled 'Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts', which aimed to debunk common misconceptions about marijuana.
- 🔍 The book critically examines arguments against marijuana legalization, including the gateway effect, pulmonary damage, and effects on the fetus and immune system.
- 💊 Professor Morgan acknowledges that marijuana, like all drugs, has some hazards but considers it to be the safest among psychoactive drugs.
- 🚫 He advises against performing certain activities, such as driving or making important decisions, while under the influence of marijuana.
- 🚫 Despite no medical evidence, there is a common belief that marijuana might cause cancer, which the professor does not support.
- 🚗 He argues that marijuana is not a significant contributor to vehicular accidents, as impaired drivers tend to drive more cautiously.
- 🔑 The professor is a strong advocate for the legalization of marijuana, not because it is safe, but because it is dangerous and should be regulated.
- 🙏 He expresses a willingness to apologize and change his stance if new evidence shows that marijuana is more harmful than he has believed for 28 years.
- 🛑 The speaker concludes that the potential dangers of marijuana are a better reason for legalization and regulation to control its use and remove criminality associated with it.
Q & A
Who is Miss John Morgan?
-Miss John Morgan is a retired professor of pharmacology at the City University of New York Medical School, with 28 years of experience teaching medical students about the effects of drugs.
What is the title of the book Miss Morgan co-authored with Glenn Zema?
-The book is titled 'Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts', which addresses common misconceptions about marijuana.
How many copies of 'Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts' are available in the United States?
-There are 40,000 copies of the book available in the United States.
What was the main purpose of writing 'Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts'?
-The main purpose was to challenge the arguments often made by those opposed to the legalization, regulation, and reform of marijuana.
What topics were covered in the book regarding marijuana?
-The book covered topics such as the gateway effect, pulmonary damage, damage to the fetus and pregnancy process, and damage to the immune system.
What is Miss Morgan's opinion on the safety of marijuana compared to other psychoactive drugs?
-Miss Morgan believes that marijuana is by and large the safest among psychoactive drugs, despite acknowledging that all drugs have some hazards.
What is Miss Morgan's stance on the gateway effect of marijuana?
-She does not believe that marijuana is a gateway drug, despite anecdotal evidence to the contrary.
What does Miss Morgan think about the potential harms of marijuana, such as cancer and lung disease?
-Miss Morgan does not believe that marijuana causes cancer or chronic lung disease, based on the current scientific evidence.
How does Miss Morgan view the impact of marijuana on driving ability?
-She acknowledges that marijuana impairs driving ability, but notes that users tend to slow down and be more cautious, reducing the risk of vehicular accidents.
Why does Miss Morgan advocate for the legalization of marijuana?
-She advocates for legalization not because marijuana is safe, but because it is dangerous and would benefit from a regulated system that removes criminality and allows for better control.
What would Miss Morgan do if new evidence contradicted her views on marijuana?
-She would apologize for misinterpreting the science and adjust her stance, but also argue that the new evidence would be a better reason to legalize marijuana through regulation.
Outlines
📚 Professor John Morgan's Expertise on Marijuana
Professor John Morgan, a retired pharmacology expert from the City University of New York Medical School, shares his extensive knowledge on the pharmacology and toxicology of marijuana. Having taught for 28 years, he co-authored 'Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts,' a book debunking common misconceptions about marijuana. The book, still in circulation, addresses topics such as the gateway effect, pulmonary damage, and effects on the fetus and immune system. Morgan believes marijuana is the safest psychoactive drug but acknowledges its potential hazards, advocating for its legalization due to its controllable risks through regulation.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Pharmacology
💡Toxicology
💡Marijuana
💡Gateway Effect
💡Pulmonary Damage
💡Fetus
💡Immune System
💡Legalization
💡Regulation
💡Cancer
💡Vehicular Mayhem
Highlights
John Morgan is a retired professor of pharmacology with 28 years of experience teaching medical students about drugs.
He has a special interest in the pharmacology, toxicology, and regulation of marijuana.
In 1997, Morgan and colleague Glenn Zerem published the book 'Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts'.
The book has sold 40,000 copies in the US and is still relevant despite being over a decade old.
It challenges common misconceptions and myths about marijuana legalization and regulation.
The book covers topics like the gateway effect, pulmonary damage, and effects on pregnancy and the immune system.
Morgan believes marijuana is the safest of all psychoactive drugs, despite having some hazards.
He emphasizes that marijuana should not be used while driving, operating heavy machinery, or making important decisions.
Morgan argues that there is no solid evidence linking marijuana to cancer or chronic lung disease.
He states that marijuana is not a gateway drug, despite anecdotal claims to the contrary.
Morgan believes that even the potential dangers of marijuana make it better suited for regulation and control.
He advocates for the legalization of marijuana and other drugs, not because they are safe, but because they are dangerous and need proper regulation.
Morgan is open to changing his stance if new evidence shows marijuana is more dangerous than he previously believed.
He emphasizes the importance of basing opinions on scientific evidence rather than anecdotal stories.
The book aims to provide a balanced view of marijuana's effects and debunk myths surrounding its use.
Morgan's goal is to inform the public and policymakers about the true nature of marijuana and its potential risks and benefits.
The book serves as a valuable resource for understanding the complexities of marijuana's pharmacology and regulation.
Transcripts
miss john morgan i am now a retired
professor of pharmacology at the city
university of new york medical school i
spent 28 years teaching medical students
the good and the bad things that drugs
do
but it
for many of those years i was very
interested in the pharmacology and
toxicology and regulation of marijuana
and in 1997 with my colleague glenn
zemer she as the chief author we
published a book called marijuana myths
marijuana facts which is there are 40
000 copies available with this book in
the united states and it's still red
despite the fact that it's about 10
years old
we
spent all our effort in that book
talking about
common beliefs about marijuana the book
was called marijuana myths marijuana
facts and what we tried to do was take
on
the arguments that one hears very
frequently from people opposed to the
legalization regulation reform of
marijuana
we had a chapter on the so-called
gateway effect we had a chapter on the
pulmonary damage we had a chapter on
damage to the fetus damage to
anything to do with the pregnancy
process damage to the immune system etc
etc now
my opinion and maybe i'll talk some
about it although my goal is to say
something else is that marijuana is a
drug with some hazards
it would be strange if there were a drug
with no hazards because i don't know of
any drugs that have no hazards but of
all the psychoactive drugs that people
have taken
i think marijuana is by and large the
safest now this does not mean that one
can get high and expect to function the
way one does when one's normal as len
always used to say people should not
after smoking marijuana drive cars or
babies sit or enter into marital
contracts
so we believe that the drug is largely
safe and when i'm in debate or
discussion with people they're always
small facts that come up you don't
really know if there is no cancer caused
by marijuana although there are no
medical reports of any cancer caused by
marijuana
it does not appear by any criteria that
marijuana is a gateway drug but people
are always saying well i know someone
whose life was just fine and then at age
14 he began smoking marijuana and ended
up the heroin user
so i've actually come to the point
when the topic is marijuana toxicity and
i run through the things say i don't
believe it causes cancer i don't believe
it causes chronic lung disease i don't
think it's anywhere near as dangerous as
tobacco smoking i don't think it
contributes to
vehicular mayhem very much because
mineral marijuana smokers although
impaired somewhat generally slow down
and don't drive so badly there are many
many arguments to have but here's the
bottom line
if tomorrow
someone publishes a series of papers to
show that lynn and i were wrong that
marijuana is a much more dangerous drug
that it does occasionally cause cancer
that it does cause kids to flunk out of
school that it does harm the immune
system if tomorrow i'm convinced
that that is the truth as opposed to
what i've been saying for 28 years then
i will say two things i will say
i'm sorry
i'd like to apologize to you for
misinterpreting the science and all
those years and getting it wrong the
second thing i want to say to you is
that this is a better reason to legalize
marijuana than before in other words i
am a strong advocate of legalization of
marijuana and other drugs
not because they're safe but because
they're dangerous
we've focused a lot of attention on
marijuana because of its minimal dangers
but even
its dangers make
it better controllable by a system of
regulation
a system in which a retail market can
develop a system that removes the
criminality so i don't want to legalize
marijuana because it's safe i want to
legalize it because it's dangerous
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