Over the past few months, marijuana has found itself in the middle of the spotlight, with debates ringing far and wide calling for its legalization or otherwise. While this is going on, however, the illicit use of marijuana continues to thrive, and with it are side effects that could certainly have been avoided.

Marijuana debates have undoubtedly included arguments that relate to the substance’s “deadly” factor. We have posted features before that presented a comparison between how deadly marijuana use is to the community as opposed to excessive alcohol consumption, and we definitely see where advocates are coming from.

Still, as in anything, not all substances are for everybody. The recreational use of marijuana may have adverse effects on a certain rather delicate group of people — pregnant women.

The effect that marijuana use may have on pregnancy is discussed in a feature on drugfreehomes.org. While the mother herself may not find any noticeable differences to her physical state while using marijuana, or other drugs, studies would show that it is the one we do not see – the unborn child – that takes the brunt of adverse effects. The child, after all, is more sensitive than his or her mother, and it is the child who will suffer highly from the effects of marijuana use.

The active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, reportedly hinders neuron development. This can lead to the development of problems pertaining to basic cognitive skills such as memory retention in the child. Basically, marijuana use during pregnancy may have effects to the unborn child’s mental development, which will manifest themselves during the child’s formative years.

Last Friday, the state of California added marijuana smoke to the state’s official list of known carcinogens. Scientists have reportedly found that marijuana smoke shares the same harmful properties as that of tobacco smoke. The state is required by law to publish a list of chemicals that are known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. With the addition of marijuana smoke to the list, businesses such as dispensaries will be required to post warnings regarding marijuana smoke. The same does not hold true, however, for the plant itself.

Advocates of medical marijuana as well as those pushing for the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, however, are concerned that the addition of marijuana to the list might provide leverage to those who are opposed to the legalization of marijuana to push for further restriction of access to marijuana.

The labeling requirements are not set to take effect until June 19, 2010. Medical marijuana dispensaries with 10 employees or more will be required to either post a warning in the shop or put the warnings on the product itself. Those who will not abide by the labeling requirements may be fined as much $2,500 per day for each violation.

The designation was made by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. According to its chief deputy director Allan Hirsch, smoke from marijuana is a mixture of various chemicals, some of those already listed on the Prop. 65 list. A panel of scientists reportedly reviewed an “extensive body of research,” where links between marijuana smoke and cancer were found. Specifically mentioned in the report were head and neck cancers. The review did not include studies that indicate the various medical benefits of marijuana, which include the reduction of nausea and the restoration of appetite following chemotherapy as well as hampering the progress of glaucoma.

Just because other states have done it does not mean they should. This is one point that the Iowa Board of Pharmacy stressed as it once again rejected the petition of medical marijuana advocates to allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes in the state.

Last year, advocates took the state Board of Pharmacy to court when they refused to review the classification of marijuana. In April, Polk County District Court Judge Joel Novak ruled that the board should find out whether the evidence being presented by advocates was enough to support a finding that marijuana has accepted medical uses in the country and that it is safe for use under medical supervision.

Since marijuana is now legally being used in 13 US states as pain therapy for sufferers of AIDS, cancer and multiple sclerosis, among others, advocates in Iowa have asked the board to recommend the removal of marijuana from what is known as Schedule 1 classification, the criteria of which includes that a substance has no accepted use in medical treatments in the United States.

The board also cited in their decision, which was handed out Monday, that there was no sufficient scientific evidence to indicate that marijuana should indeed be used for medical purposes. The fact that other US states have already legalized its use does not constitute as scientific evidence.

It was DeeAnn Wedemeyer-Oleson, a member of the Iowa Board of Pharmacy, who likened the board decision to a well-known line that parents use with their children when confronted by the argument that “others are doing it” — the fact that others are doing it does not mean you should. So for now, Iowa citizens who hope to use marijuana therapy will have to wait.

Last week, the Arizona Daily Star conducted an online poll among its readers, inspired by the launch of an initiative campaign to legalize medical marijuana in Arizona.

A majority of the estimated 600 people who responded to the poll indicated that they were in favor of legalizing not just medical marijuana, but the use of marijuana for recreational purposes as well.

A significant 70% of readers who responded also indicated that they believed that the legalization of marijuana will lead to a significant decrease in marijuana-related illegal trafficking and the violence that it brings with it as a consequence.

While there were conflicting arguments raised when readers were asked the question: “What impacts, good or bad, do you foresee if marijuana is legalized or remains illegal?”, some comments indicate the belief that legalization will lead to a decrease in crime and the generation of more funds through marijuana tax revenues that can be used to fund health care and fight the hard drug trade.

It looks like the fight towards legalizing medical marijuana – which my home state of Washington legalized more than ten years ago – will have renewed vigor for the state of Ohio. One of its neighbors, Michigan, legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes late last year, and the results of a recent survey seem to indicate that its residents are in favor of following in the footsteps of their neighbor.

Julie Carr Smyth of the Chicago Tribune shares that a survey conducted by the University of Cincinnati found that a significant 73% of residents support allowing physicians to prescribe marijuana for medical purposes. Even when the survey is classified according to certain demographics such as age, race, religion and political party, the results still point to a majority who are in favor of legalization. The poll consisted of a phone survey that was taken from April 16 until April 27, with a 3 percentage point margin of error.

Even Ed Orlett, the state’s representative to the Drug Policy Alliance, an organization which advocates the relaxation of marijuana regulations throughout the country, expressed surprise over the results of the survey. According to Orett, Ohio’s politicians have a tendency to say that supporting legalization will hurt them politically – the recent poll results, however, indicate otherwise. This solidifies the supporters’ stand as they head back to the Statehouse with their petition.

Previous efforts have been less than encouraging, such as the rejection of a ballot proposal from 2002 that suggested drug treatment as opposed to jail time for non-violent first- and second- time drug offenders by 67% of voters. A bill that sought to legalize marijuana for medical purposes brought out only little debate and did not pan out in the committee’s last session, and its sponsor Tom Roberts, a Democrat from Dayton, has since left the Senate.

We will be watching how this effort towards legalization of medical marijuana fares in Ohio.

The world of sports experienced highs and lows this week, as two of its admired celebrities figure milestones in their respective careers.

First, the good news: Michael Phelps, record holder for the most number of Olympic gold medals after his historic 8 gold medal-win at the Beijing Olympics, is back in the pool. Early this year, Phelps was handed a three-month suspension by USA Swimming after a photo of him inhaling from a marijuana pipe surfaced on the tabloid News of the World.

His suspension ended Tuesday, but his experience led him to re-evaluate his chosen athletic path. His prowess in the pool has led to admiration and fame, but he probably wasn’t sure being in the public eye was worth it. A feature by Paul Newberry on the Seattle Times quoted Phelps as saying that he “wrote out the pros and cons of swimming and quitting”, but in the end, chose to return to swimming. He plans to stage his comeback via a meet in Charlotte, North Carolina, next week.

After a current poll that showed how a majority of Americans support the legalization and regularization of marijuana, maybe a recreational puff or two will no longer cause as big an issue like it did to Phelps.

The same good news does not hold true for Dodgers left fielder Manny Ramirez, though. The athlete began a 50-game suspension that will render him out of action until end of June; he will not be expected back until July 3rd. The suspension came after Ramirez tested positive for a banned substance.

Major League Baseball’s drug policy prohibits revealing the substance for which an athlete tested positive, but an article by Dave Sheinin on the Washington Post indicated that several media reports identified the substance as human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). It is a drug usually prescribed to treat infertility in women as well as in some men, but it is also allegedly used by steroid users to regulate the natural production of testosterone that is disrupted by the intake of steroids – which seem to suggest that Ramirez may have been doing the same, although there are no specific accusations made towards that end.

Ramirez has said in a statement that a doctor prescribed the drug for him for a “personal health issue”. Physician and influential steroids expert Gary Wadler commented on the Post that Ramirez could have applied for a therapeutic use exemption if he indeed had a legitimate medical reason to take the drug.

California is among the thirteen states in the U.S. that have legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes – the law was passed in 1996, allowing patients whose physician has approved the use of marijuana as therapy for various medical conditions to legally possess 8 ounces of usable marijuana as well as have 6 mature and 12 immature cannabis plants. The debate is not over for the state, however, as it is trying to resolve whether it should move past legalizing marijuana only for medical use.

The San Francisco Chronicle as well as a number of other online news sites reports that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger finds that now may be the best time to debate on the legalization of marijuana in general. This announcement came in the wake of the release of the results of a poll done by ABC News/Washington Post, where 46% of Americans indicated that they were in favor of legalizing small amounts of marijuana for recreational use. Meanwhile, a Field Poll indicated that 56% of California voters are in favor of the legalization and taxation of marijuana.

Schwarzenegger has reportedly been cautious about his answers; Reuters reports that when the Governor was asked about treating marijuana in the same way that alcohol is being treated now, he replied that it may not be time for such a move, but it is time to talk about its advantages and disadvantages. Schwarzenegger has reportedly admitted to smoking pot in the past.

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, a Democrat from San Francisco, has introduced a bill to the state legislature that, in essence, parallelizes the treatment of marijuana to that of alcohol – allowing adults aged 21 or older to purchase marijuana that is taxed accordingly. The proposal will potentially be able to generate up to $1.3 billion in revenue for the state.

Citizens of Arizona are putting marijuana legalization into their own hands – by starting an initiative for medical marijuana aimed at the 2010 ballot.

The Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project intends to file the initiative with the Secretary of State in a few weeks’ time. The group will then proceed with collecting signatures in support of the initiative. They will need at least 153,365 signatures by July 2010 in order to make the ballot.

The initiative is geared towards allowing seriously ill patients to use marijuana for medical purposes. With a doctor’s recommendation, patients can use marijuana to treat conditions such as nausea, loss of appetite, chronic pain and muscle spasms. Marijuana has been used in other states to help in pain management therapy for conditions such as cancer and HIV/AIDS.

This is actually the third attempt by Arizonans to put the medical marijuana measure to a vote. Voters passed the initiatives both times, first in 1996 then again in 1998, but problems came up on those two occasions. In 1996, a drafting error invalidated the vote; in 1998, the measure was overturned by the state legislature.

There might be more promise that this attempt will make it, though. Since 1998, Arizona law has been changed. The Legislature will be unable to overturn a measure that has been passed by voters. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder also announced a month ago that patients who are using medical marijuana in accordance with state laws will not face prosecution from the new federal government.

Arizona will be following in the footsteps of the 13 states that have already legalized medical marijuana. The Arizona initiative intends to establish dispensaries such as the ones that are operating in California, but these will strictly be operated by non-profit organizations that are regulated by the Arizona Department of Health Services. In addition, not all patients who are allowed to use medical marijuana will be allowed to grow their own. Only those who live more than 25 miles away from a dispensary will be allowed to do that.

We began the week by doing a feature on a call for debates discussing the issue of marijuana legalization in the United States made by the Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan and several former leaders in South America. This weekend, one such intellectual discourse will take place.

The University of Colorado will play host to cannabis experts – from both sides of the ongoing cannabis issue and from all over the country – as they participate in the National Marijuana Forum this weekend. The event was organized by students involved with the CU chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML-CU).

Local and national speakers will be discussing various aspects of marijuana and its legalization, and will include representatives from law enforcement, organizations advocating marijuana legalization, medicine, media, the scientific community and the youth.

The forum will start today, April 18, and will culminate with CU students and other users of marijuana at 4:20 PM on Monday, April 20 at the Norlin Quad of the University of Colorado in Boulder. A parallel event will be conducted at the Civic Center Park in Denver. April 20 – 4/20 – is significant for two reasons: it is International Cannabis Day, and “420” is the statute number in the California Legal Code banning possession of marijuana.

The NORML-CU website lists the panelists who will provide forum participants with valuable insights into the various current legal, scientific, environmental and social concerns that are being associated with marijuana.  Among them are Steven Bloom, former editor of High Times magazine, a publication that caters to users of recreational drugs; Kevin Booth, the producer and director of the documentary film “American Drug War”; Jason Lauve, a patient using medical marijuana therapy who is being prosecuted by Boulder County, and his lawyer Rob Corry; Tom Sloan, Commander of the Boulder Country Drug Task Force, and Alex Douglas, a junior Sociology major at CU and the director of NORML-CU.

Already, mixed reactions are being expressed regarding the activities planned for the weekend.

North Carolina might follow the steps of the 13 other states that have already legalized the use of medical marijuana. A lawmaker has proposed its legalization, and as in other states also in the process of discussing the possibility of legalization, the proposal has been received with mixed reactions.

The North Carolina Medical Marijuana Act was introduced by State Rep. Guilford Jones, who said that the bill will benefit the seriously ill. In the other states where the use of medical marijuana has been legalized, it is primarily applied as pain management therapy for those who are in advanced stages of pain-ridden diseases such as cancer and HIV/AIDS. In the proposed North Carolina bill, patients with chronic ailments will be allowed to do the same.

The bill spells out several guidelines, some of which are currently being followed by the 13 states where medical marijuana has been legalized. Marijuana is to be distributed and sourced from licensed dispensaries, and will only be administered to those who have been given written certification stating the need for medical marijuana therapy. Patients who qualify will be provided with a registry identification card, which they will have to keep with them at all times.

Those who are opposed to marijuana legalization, however, are quick to counter that there are enough pain relief medication out in the market, so they do not see the need for the use of a substance that has been stereotypically considered as a gateway to the abuse of other illegal substances, such as heroin or cocaine. A pain relief drug, Marinol, is a synthetic drug that reportedly has the same effect as marijuana – but none of the surrounding controversy. Because of this trait, the drug has been referred to as the pot pill.

Marinol, however, carries a rather hefty price tag – $900 for a month’s supply; so cost-wise, marijuana in its natural form will turn out to be more affordable for those who need it for medical purposes.