Lots of people are negatively affected by marijuana, and we need to do something about it. I say this not to replay the arguments against legalized marijuana. My point is even though the price of oil has sunk, and state budgets are tight, this is no time to scrimp on drug education and treatment.
When legislators last held hearings on marijuana in 2006, they heard testimony that marijuana makes treating alcoholism more difficult. Many alcoholics consider marijuana a safe high, and using it can set back their treatment. People suffering from mental illness often self-medicate with marijuana, and that becomes easier now that it's legal.
Marijuana is associated with physical changes in the still-developing brains of young people, and with IQ loss and other cognitive difficulties that become most severe among teenagers who start using earliest, use it the most and continue through adulthood. School districts must educate children with factual and science-based programs, and the state should provide guidance and funding to do that. Scare tactics like "Reefer Madness" don't work.
As for marijuana and post-traumatic stress disorder, there's conflicting information on the internet. Many find temporary relief, but it appears that marijuana only addresses PTSD symptoms, and many doctors believe it prolongs recovery. Well-funded studies are only now starting. (The feds are finally starting to allow scientific studies of marijuana.) The bottom line is that no one should self-medicate with marijuana, or alcohol, or anything else, for a serious condition like mental illness or PTSD.
We also have to address marijuana use by people convicted of crimes under the influence of alcohol or drugs. There are hundreds who have been released on probation and parole on the condition they don't possess or consume controlled substances. This always included marijuana, because judges know alcohol, marijuana and other drugs just don't mix.
But are those conditions of probation still valid? After all, as of Feb. 24 it'll be the law of Alaska that "notwithstanding any other provision of law," using and possessing marijuana no longer is to be punished. Within days of the election, I was told by a judge that a mentally ill defendant on probation had already come into court asking to be able to use marijuana because the ballot measure had passed.
The Legislature must not leave any doubt that marijuana is still a controlled substance under existing or new conditions of probation and parole. However, legislation now being considered removes even hashish and concentrated THC from the list of controlled substances. This is a very bad idea. Regulations on retail marijuana outlets should prohibit selling to probationers or parolees, and it should be illegal for anyone to knowingly give it to them.
But it's not only the Legislature's responsibility to keep marijuana away from those vulnerable to the drug. We all have to do our part. If you know alcoholics, or young people, or persons with mental illness or PTSD, who are using marijuana, urge them to stop and get professional medical advice.
Dean Guaneli worked for the Alaska Attorney General's Office from 1976-2006. He drafted Alaska's medical marijuana law in 1999, and nonmedical marijuana law in 2006. He is retired in Juneau.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com.