MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

Abstract: As the Office of the Secretary within the Department of Transportation, we are responsible for preparing fact-based, current, unbiased legislature that regulates alcohol and illegal drug misuse in transportation systems. Marijuana, or cannabis, is an illegal drug that is gradually transitioning from a taboo to a promising medical treatment and a recreational pastime. Currently, cannabis is classified as a Schedule 1 substance (the same as LSD and heroin), and marijuana use is enforced and punished in the same legal fashion as dangerous drugs with no medical benefits, such as LSD or heroin. Recent research has shown that there are several significant active ingredients to cannabis, and they range widely in their effect on cognition and motor function. Additionally, marijuana has been growing in popularity as a treatment option for several debilitating diseases thanks to its affordability, effectiveness, and fewer number of side effects. Methods for quantifying THC levels in the blood have been shown to be unrelated to impairment. Current government regulation makes cannabis difficult for scientists to study and serves to hinder potential medical advancements. It is shocking that those most knowledgeable about marijuana and its cognitive, psychoactive, and medical effects are the marijuana farmers themselves. This review will provide important scientific background on marijuana research and legislation, as well as suggestions for modern, beneficial, enforceable policy.

WC: 218

Readers Profile: This hard-to-reach reader will be a government employee on the OST committee who has a strong, biased, personal vendetta against marijuana (deadbeat friends or family, reinforced stigma, etc.), and refuses to accept new data or any proposition apart from the absolute strictest.

Reader’s Response: I don’t know, despite all this research, I still think that there is insufficient evidence to definitively say whether or not marijuana impairs driving ability. As you mentioned, the real experts on marijuana are the illegal (up until very recently) growers themselves, and they are not scientists. Also, Obama recently stated that he thinks marijuana should be treated like cigarettes and alcohol, and that man smoked marijuana as a college kid, so he knows what he’s talking about. I know many people who smoke recreationally and are unable to function for the remainder of the day, and I would not trust any of them to drive during that time.

D, have you found literature on human variable response to the active ingredients in cannabis? Weight? Gender? Age?

How are states like CA, CO, and OR handling this situation now?

Do we have a literature from other countries to use as reference?

I have a MD state delegate who would like to read your document...ask me more.