FACTS TO CONSIDER WHEN LABELING MARIJUANA A MEDICINE VIA BILLS OR AMENDMENTS Legalizing medicine via popular vote does not magical make it a standardized, tested, disease specific drug with guidelines for usage. Throughout the years there have been multiple studies in a controlled environment using marijuana as a medicine. However the fact remains that in most cases marijuana does not meet the benchmarks to produce a standardized medication with disease specific application. As a medicine or recreational use it is unpredictable and far too variable even within the same crop.In 1985 a Rx drug Marinol was approved and several other canibasis-based valid medications followed. There is no arguing that regulating alcohol and prescription drugs is more than challenging. Abuse often leads to addiction complications, family problems, illegal activities, police records, fatal car crashes ... and now society has decided to legalize a drug that can be grown in backyards and expects to establish regulatory guidelines. Does this seem possible? Hardly! Legalization or marijuana whether under the guise of a medicine or for straight out recreation always produces an increase in youth and overall usage (which is what the marijuana industry (produces and dealers desire), highway crashes, addiction, unemployment, homeless, crime, other drug use, insurance costs, pot shops lining streets ... . and a decreases the perception of harm... NOT SAFE FOR OUR CHILDREN & NOT SAFE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. Risks and consequences outweigh any potential or perceived benefits Smoking is not healthy... also consider second hand smoke Medical Associations- No medical association supports legalization via popular vote or legislative bills. This is circumventing the guidelines for safety, testing, standard of care for use. Prescription cannabis-based medicines have existed since 1985 and are not typically the first line of treatment because other medications have proven to be better. If marijuana were a 'miracle' drug wouldn't the pharmaceutical companies be researching it and putting millions of dollars into the production? Alcohol and Prescription Medications- REGULATED DRUGS- take the lives of victims of addiction and many innocent people plus affect family & friends who often never recover. Do you think legalizing a drug that can be grown in someone's backyard can be regulated? Driving Impaired- Difficulty staying in traffic lane, slower reaction times, difficult judging distances, slower decision making, reduced peripheral vision (tunnel vision) reduced coordination. You don't have to use marijuana to be a victim on our roadways. Marijuana is an hallucinant when mixed with other drugs the effects are expediential. Determining level of impairment for marijuana users is complex. Do we really need another mind-altering drug legalized given our country's problem with alcohol the second leading cause of preventable deaths. What do you think our society would be like if 52% of the population smoked pot? (The same percentage of people who drink alcohol.) Who is the driving force behind this legalization? NOT DOCTORS, NOT MEDICAL ASSOCIATIONS, NOT RESEARCH, NOT THE FDA, NOT LAW ENFORCEMENT.... Organizations that want to legalize all drugs, drug dealers, some personal injury attorneys, scam artists posing as entrepreneurs, and misinformed people being persuaded by preying on emotions and false hope.