18 May 2001 Doctors For Life (DFL) applauds the American High Court's decision to strike down the use of marijuana The decision by the American Supreme Court supports the evidence that DFL presented to the Constitutional Court of South Africa in the case of Garreth Prince v President of the Law Society of the Cape of Good Hope. Some witnesses who testified before the American Supreme Court also testified on behalf of DFL in the South African court case. They represent the leading authorities across the world on marijuana. The evidence demonstrates clearly that marijuana is harmful to both the individual and society. Firstly, there is no empirical proof that marijuana as medicine can compete with already existing medicines on the market for the treatment of various diseases. Secondly, in most cases, the detrimental effects of marijuana far outweigh any beneficial effects. DFL hopes that the Constitutional Court, currently in session, will heed the evidence. Marijuana is dangerous: 1 marijuana cigarette contains the amount of tar in 4 tobacco cigarettes; the amount of carbon monoxide in 5 tobacco cigarettes; and does the damage of 10 tobacco cigarettes with respect to the airways. We can therefore not see how the state, after clamping down on tobacco advertising, can legalise/decriminalise the use of marijuana. Marijuana slows down reaction time, impairs co-ordination and decreases the attention span of drivers. Marijuana smoking in pregnant women has been linked to low birth weight infants and premature birth. Infants whose mothers regularly use marijuana duringpregnancy are born severely affected by marijuana and have a suppressed immune system. Among elementary school-age children, those who had been exposed in utero to marijuana were more likely to have attention and cognitive problems. Marijuana impairs the short-term memory of users. It has also been proved that regular users of marijuana develop tolerance requiring ever larger doses to achieve the same "high" DFL is an organisation of about 800 doctors, specialists and professors of medicine from different medical faculties across South Africa. For Further Information Contact: Dr Albu van Eeden Tel:+27 (31) 764-0443 office hours. mail@dfl.org.za |
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