Society frequently medicalizes tough social problems. In Ireland when I was a new graduate the conservative government gave doctors the power of the condom. Doctors and doctors alone were allowed decide if you got condoms and if you didn't and then only for bona fide contraceptive purposes. If you weren't married forget it. No condoms for you. I kid you not. As a single man back then I could decide if you were allowed get condoms and how many but I wasn't allowed use them. Utterly absurd. Of course I never prescribed condoms. I'm a doctor not the morality police. And besides there were lots of clinics that sold condoms to any and all. Thankfully this ridiculous law didn't last long. I bet you're smiling. Such nonsense could never happen here. Right? Wrong!
In California you want to get high on marijuana you must have a doctor's permission. You have to have a prescription as the government in all its wisdom has decided that marijuana can only be used for bona fide medicinal purposes. Does anyone with half a brain really believe that all the pot smoking around us is done for bona fide medicinal reasons? Last week the California Medical Association (CMA) stated the obvious. They pooh poohed the medicinal effects of marijuana and came out for its legalisation. They reckon the consequence of legalization will be way less than the price we're paying now. They're not advocating a free for all, however, they want it treated and regulated like alcohol. And I agree on all counts. Who smokes marijuana is not a doctor's business. It's a personal decision not a medical decision. Time to end the charade.
Finally, a couple of disclaimers. I'm not a member of the CMA and I have never smoked, do not smoke and have no desire to smoke dope. I do, however, make up for it with chocolate and red wine. To each their own.
