Authorities thwart appearance of marijuana panelist
NE Phi Theta Kappa sponsors debates on medical legalization of grass
by Jason Albus, Reporter

   Fearing he would be arrested for possession of medically prescribed marijuana, a Vietnam War veteran declined to appear on NE Campus recently and participated in a debate on the drug over the telephone.
  George McMahon planned to present in person, but county officials threatened to arrest him for possession of marijuana provided to him legally by the U.S. government.
Marijuana grabbed the attention of more than 200 students last week during Head, Fed & Med: Views on Marijuana Legalization, a debate presented by Phi Theta Kappa.
   McMahon, a Vietnam War veteran, has federal approval for a medical marijuana prescription. The U.S. government sends him 300 marijuana cigarettes each month to fill the prescription. He faced arrest based on state and local laws against the possession of marijuana for any purpose.
Sgt. Tony Woolum, a panelist at the event, has been a TCC police officer for nine years.
   “Our job as police is to enforce the law,” he said. “Possession of a quarter of an ounce is a class B misdemeanor punishable by jail and fines.”
   Christopher Largen, an author on the panel, said the recognition of medical marijuana differs across government levels. Largen said McMahon would have ultimately been cleared of the charges but would have suffered physically while in jail.
   “When I met him, George suffered from back spasms and intense pain,” he said. “George was taking over 17 medications and had been unable to eat for so long that doctors had given him less than a day to live.”
   A fellow patient gave McMahon a marijuana cigarette, and in 15 minutes he was able to eat, Largen said. McMahon later petitioned the U.S. government to grant him access to legal marijuana. He is one of 35 Americans given legal marijuana by the U.S. government, according to Largen.
   Howard Woolridge, a retired police officer, was the third panelist.
   “Due to patient privacy rights, the government cannot provide information about an individual’s prescription or medical condition. There is no certificate or other identification to confirm the approval for patients such as McMahon,” he said.
   McMahon commented on his situation.
   “I cannot tell you how it feels to hide despite having federal protection. It is a horrible feeling … it’s only a plant,” he said.
   Dr. Bryon Adinoff, professor of drug abuse studies at Southwest Texas State University, was the fourth panelist. Adinoff said scientists first discovered chemical receptors for the active ingredients in marijuana in 1988. At this time, no studies have met the approval process of the FDA, he said.
   “There are risks to using marijuana,” Adinoff said, “It negatively affects the lungs and cardiovascular systems. Cigarettes and alcohol pose greater health concerns,” he said. “The harm from smoking marijuana is not a good argument to justify making it a crime.”
   Adinoff said more than 400,000 people die each year from smoking cigarettes and more than 100,000 die from alcohol. Zero deaths are attributed to marijuana, according to Adinoff. He said a fatal overdose on marijuana is almost impossible.
   Woolridge supports legalization.
   “Possession of personal amounts of marijuana should not be a crime. If a person is driving while high from pot, then he will be arrested for the crime of DUI,” he said.
  Woolridge said 44,000 people are arrested for possession of marijuana each year in Texas. He pointed out it costs taxpayers over $25,000 a year per prisoner in jail.    The time spent on arresting and investigating people for drugs could be spent on crimes like rape or murder, Woolridge said.
  “For every 15 cars we search for marijuana, we find only one in possession,” he said. “For every drug dealer we take off the streets, another dealer is right there to replace him.”
  Woolridge, a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, was a police officer for 15 years. He called the current drug environment the “aftermath of Prohibition” and the current campaign against drugs a “failed public policy.”
   When Woolridge asked the audience if anyone felt America was winning the war on drugs, the crowd was silent. Woolridge said this was the same way all crowds react to the question.
  “Drugs are cheaper, stronger and easier to buy than ever before. In 1980 it cost $125 for a gram of low quality cocaine,” he said. “Today it costs $40 for a gram of high quality cocaine. The war on drugs has had no effect on the availability of drugs.”
   Woolridge said proper legislation could positively affect taxpayers.
   “I do not want to pay for his jail if Rush Limbaugh is convicted of using illegal prescription drugs as his choice of pain-killer instead of Jack Daniels,” he said. “House Bill 2668 is a step toward reducing the taxpayer burden by sentencing people to rehab instead of jail for marijuana possession.”
   The panel said two major opponents to legalization of medical marijuana are the alcohol and pharmaceutical industries. Woolridge believes people would shift from alcohol to pot if it were legal. Adinoff said pharmaceutical companies could not patent natural resources like the marijuana plant. These organizations were said to fund major political action committees that lobby against medical marijuana.
   Yvonne Cook, NE government instructor, gave extra credit to her students if they attended and wrote a summary of the debate.
   “Students need to consider how the government spends our money,” she said. “The percentage of prisoners for marijuana possession is very high. Some say our deficits could be reduced by legalization and taxation of marijuana.”
   The Phi Tau chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa honors society will hold another debate over the legalization of marijuana in November. It will be the last of five fall satellite seminars presented on all four campuses.