Response to BMJ Editorial – May 2018

This is a response from Pamela McColl by email to the then BMJ editor-in-chief Dr Fiona Godlee to the article Drugs should be legalised, regulated and taxed

Dear Dr. Godlee

Every nation state, representing billions of individuals, on this planet opposes your view on the legalization of all drugs- aside from Uruguay who has in small measures legalized marijuana – with the misguided and pot using Prime Minister of Canada setting his own country up for the same fall sometime in 2018.

Nations who support the UN drug conventions and The Rights of the Child Treaty, spend on drug prevention and education, have the lowest rates in the world. Those who dabble in Sorosian drug ideology loose out and pay the price with populations suffering the impact of these harmful substances.

I have one simple question for you in light of your decision to focus on legal aspects of harm versus a serious consideration of health harms. Those who say the worst consequences of using marijuana are the penalties that can be imposed by the legal system is factually incorrect – unless the death penalty is included which I do not agree with nor does the United Nations and the drug preventions.

FACT: The legal ramifications are vastly over-rated including incarceration compared to the damage to an individual that can follow use.

Would you as a parent prefer to have your young adult child receive a ticket or intervention involving government agencies or law enforcement or even spend a couple of days in jail or would you prefer to see these drugs legalized –  providing greater access, acceptability and normalization, and promotion by an addiction-for-profit industry ?

You need to compare the consequences of the use of marijuana that can be imposed on an individual with the risks of harm to body, and brain, including testicular cancer, a 7x fold increased risk of suicide, and significant increased risk of death by driving drugged – something 50% of users admit to doing ?

Is being charged with simple possession and serving a day or two in jail or being placed on probation or a handed a ticket in your view as harsh an experience and detrimental to an individual as living through a marijuana induced psychotic break from reality that may or not excite violence towards yourself or others?

Health rules the day and if the judicial penalties need to be addressed so be it – that is no reason to legalize a drug that is so dangerous to human health. There is every reason to educate the public on the vast array of marijuana harms and the harms other illicit substances pose.

Health Canada has this to say about the use of marijuana for any reason – including a medical reason. This information is being ignored by the Canadian government. We are about to repeat the thalidomide mistake once again, and all because a group of rogue bureaucrats and unenlightened politicians rule this day.

When the product should not be used

Cannabis should not be used if you:

      • are under the age of 25
      • are allergic to any cannabinoid or to smoke
      • have serious liver, kidney, heart or lung disease
      • have a personal or family history of serious mental disorders such as schizophrenia, psychosis, depression, or bipolar disorder
      • are pregnant, are planning to get pregnant, or are breast-feeding
      • are a man who wishes to start a family
      • have a history of alcohol or drug abuse or substance dependence

Talk to your health care practitioner if you have any of these conditions. There may be other conditions where this product should not be used, but which are unknown due to limited scientific information.

Pamela McColl

http://www.preventdontpromote.org /;

Vancouver BC Canada

Source: Email from Pamela McColl May 2018

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