Arizona’s medical marijuana program will have stronger controls than other states, but some people will still exploit it to get the drug for recreational use, the state’s top health official said Wednesday.

“Is there a recreational component to the program? Absolutely, yes. Have we done everything we could to stretch our statutory authority to keep it as medical as possible? We have done that,” Will Humble, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Humble opposed the medical marijuana proposition, but once it passed, he said it was his job to execute the will of voters.

“Obviously there’s a conflict with the Controlled Substances Act at the federal level,” Humble added. “I’m certain at some point this will end up in front of the Supreme Court.”

He went on to belittle the effect medical marijuana will have, expressing his wish that the resources devoted to it would go to other health issues. “In medical marijuana, the payoff was not profound,” Humble said.

I’m sure the people who have chosen cannabis as a safer and more effective alternative to dangerous and addictive prescription drugs would disagree.

Beyond that is this notion that recreational users getting their hands on some legal medical marijuana will somehow lead to a collapse of the system, or worse. Even if 10,000 recreational users get it and only one “real” patient is helped, then it is worth it. It’s not like the recreational users are costing the state money; they pay the same taxes and fees as everyone else for the privilege of participating in the program.

It all goes back to the belief that marijuana is a drug that can be abused instead of a plant that should be used by adults with no consequences as long as they don’t infringe on the rights of someone else.

Source: http://cronkitenewsonline.com