Activity 7

UF Panel on the Legalization of Marijuana 
The panel offered insight into the legalization of marijuana. Both sides offered imperative points that could be used to either support or refute the legalization of the popular drug. Yet, in my opinion after watching the panel and evaluating each side's viewpoint and arguments, I personally felt the anti-legalization of weed argument especially points made by Bertha Madras was the most substantial argument with valid points and accreditation.
Bertha Madras, professor at Harvard Medical School and former White House Office of Drug Control employee, made excellent points regarding the anti-legalization of marijuana. There is insufficient medical evidence that proves legitimate medical usage/benefits of marijuana by the FDA (the agency which this country has relied upon for the safety and regulation of drugs).
According to Madras' argument in the panel, there is no sufficient medical usage of marijuana and it poses a threat of addiction. In addition, the point was made that marijuana does in fact serve as an intoxicant that impairs cognitive skills. Another important health reason discussed was there is no known safe dosage of marijuana. In terms of policy, the anti-legalization side addressed the lack of medical use, safety, and possible addiction in their argument, supporting the scheduling of marijuana as a schedule 1 drug.
The legalization side of the debate made excellent claims as well. Medical use of marijuana was sated to not have harmful effects but instead help with pain and increase appetite among sickly patients. In addition, the impairment of cognitive skills argument was disputed by Carl Hart of Columbia University. Another interesting and valid point made by Hart regarding policies was that most of the research done on marijuana has been a product of the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Hart uses this claim to portray this research as being bias in the favor of anti-marijuana.
Another point made supporting the decriminalization of marijuana was that although not making it legal, decriminalizing marijuana would be no different than allowing harmful drugs such as tobacco and alcohol to be on the market. It is a grey area between legalizing marijuana and demonizing and criminalizing the drug.