By Rick J. Strassman, MD, University of British Columbia Victoria

Dr. Lundberg, Editor of JAMA Email: George_Lundberg@amaassn.org

Reprints: George D Lundberg, MD,
JAMA
515 N State St
Chicago, IL 60610

MARIJUANA

Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts: A Review of the Scientific Evidence, by Lynn Zimmer and John P. Morgan, 241 pp, paper, $12.95, ISBN 0-9641568-4-9, New York, NY, The Lindesmith Center, 1997.

"Most of us reading about marijuana use and effects usually seek the answer to two questions. One is "How good is marijuana?"—this is generally referred to as the "medical marijuana" debate. The other is "How bad is marijuana?"— the answer relates to the enormous toll, in both human and economic costs, of prosecuting and imprisoning hundreds of thousands of people for marijuana-related offenses. (Ed. note: Precisely!)

In reviewing the state of the art, Zimmer and Morgan provide an extraordinarily well-researched and passionately argued book on the biomedical and sociological issues raised in today’s debate about marijuana. In their desire to "set the record straight," however, they sometimes sacrifice even-handedness for impact.

My dictionary defines myth as either a story, presented as historical, dealing with supernatural traditions of a people, or a popular fable or folk tale. (Ed. note: Precisely!)

A fact, on the other hand, is defined as any statement strictly true, truth, reality. By using the words myth and fact, Zimmer and Morgan imply that moral, religious, and social factors contaminate "scientific" arguments against marijuana use. While there are cases in which this undoubtedly is true, the topic is not developed in depth. Rather, the authors almost challenge the reader to take sides. Their title begins this process by immediately forcing the reader into wondering, "Who’s telling the truth?" or, less helpfully, "Who’s lying?" (Ed. note: Precisely!)

Either side in a polarized context—the "drug warriors" or the "legalizers"—could have chosen the title. While Zimmer and Morgan do not explicitly recommend legalization of marijuana use, they clearly articulate an argument that the effects of marijuana are not as bad as political, scientific, and regulatory agents would have us believe. They also make an extremely strong case that the health consequences of marijuana use have been exaggerated and are less than those of alcohol and tobacco.

Zimmer and Morgan present "20 myths about marijuana." These include "marijuana has no medicinal value"; "marijuana policy in the Netherlands has been a failure"; "marijuana causes crime"; and "marijuana is more potent today than in the past." Each "myth" is followed by several quotations from social service, regulatory, research, or enforcement personnel who promote it. A brief "fact" summarizes the "truth" on the issue in question. The remaining five to 10 pages of each chapter review the literature on the topic.

This critique reinterprets the data upon which the myths are built, or presents data from additional studies contradicting those supporting the myth.

The 20 topics effectively capture the salient issues in the current policy debate about how to regulate and understand the effects of marijuana use.

The debate is not trivial, and much is at stake. The George Soros-funded Lindesmith Center, a drug policy research institute, published this book.

Ethan Nadelmann, director of the Lindesmith Center, reminds us in his introduction that more than 70 million Americans have tried marijuana, and more than 20 million have smoked it in the last year.

My somewhat muted reaction to this book is based on my feeling that a slight modification of the authors’ style would have appealed to, and perhaps affected, a larger number of readers undecided on the relative merits of the complex arguments raised by marijuana. A literature review and critique of this magnitude (68 pages of references), with a less inflammatory title, using a less pugnacious approach, might be easier to buy, read, and digest. Nevertheless, Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts raises issues and reviews the literature comprehensively and in a highly accessible manner.