Letter: Medical Marijuana: Compassionate Care? Or Taxpayer Nightmare?

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Dear Editor,

I appreciate your intent to help people via medical marijuana.

I have been following this effort for over five years, and also studying the unintended consequences that have occurred in other states. Legislators on both sides of the issue are united in their desire to help their constituents. Some want to help the small percentage of the population who have seen some positive results (i.e. epilepsy, MS, autism). Others want to protect the masses from the devastating consequences experienced in other states (increases in accidents, suicides, addiction and deaths, to name a few).

The focus of the bill should be on the small percentage of people mentioned.  The ‘elephant in the room’ is that this legislation (60 pages) requires ‘seed to sale’ that benefits the marijuana industry/ lobby.  It will cost the taxpayer tens of millions of dollars. (Newsflash: There is no shortage of marijuana in our country.  Also, the state doesn’t manufacture every drug that is prescribed, why should it start with marijuana?)

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In other states, the effects of “Big Marijuana (Big MJ)” have been far worse than ‘Big Tobacco.’ Once ‘Big MJ’ is in a state, it has proven impossible to get them out – or make changes to legislation!  Lawmakers in other states have had many regrets now that they have seen the ‘fallout’ from the legislation they voted for.  For example: Research has repeatedly proven that marijuana is NOT a safe alternative to drug overdoses … it leads to them!  It is still a ‘gateway drug.’ Please check out the research regarding lost and damaged lives.

This legislation portrays marijuana as a wonder drug that everyone must have!  Yet, it doesn’t ‘cure’ anyone of anything. The more people that have access, the more money the marijuana industry makes.  They don’t care about our children and families in South Carolina.  Normally a bill of this magnitude would take years to implement properly across state agencies, but the MJ industry wants it done quickly to keep them in control. They will provide the ‘consultants.’

This thick piece of MJ legislation has so many problems and ‘unknowns.’  It cannot be fixed, cannot be made safe and is ‘NOT the most conservative bill in the country’ because a senator advocate says so. In other states, most of the communities in the state ‘opted out.’ There is no workable ‘opt out’ process for any community in SC.  It permits smoking, inhaling and edibles.  How often do you go to a doctor for medicine and receive a recommendation that you smoke and eat attractive edibles, and without knowing the dosage of THC. Should a citizen trust the person in the dispensary-store, who had a couple of hours training and is wearing a lab coat, to pick out the right edible for them?

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The present legislation is not about helping a group of people, it is about a state-wide ‘seed to sale’ business subsidized by taxpayer money to help the marijuana industry get rich. Legislators are under a lot of pressure from the Marijuana Industry.  It has money and knows how to lobby very well. But that doesn’t change the devastation left behind in other states.  It’s easy to be a ‘bill sponsor’ but how many have actually read the 60 pages?

Perhaps the legislature should draft a new bill next year without any influence from the Marijuana Industry and simply talk to medical experts regarding what has been effective, so that we can help those that may benefit.

Given the results experienced in other states, I’m glad that the S.C. legislature didn’t ‘follow the crowd’ on this issue.  Sometimes waiting for results is what wise leadership is all about. So, let’s help those we can help, but protect those who could be seriously harmed.

Sincerely,

M.P. Sullivan
Johns Island, S.C.

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