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Health care providers have been notably absent from the conversation about the medical marijuana amendment on the ballot Nov. 4.
Maybe that's because attorney John Morgan has drowned out all other voices.
But one physician who has been outspoken on the issue is Allen Weiss, the president and CEO of NCH Healthcare System in Naples. In an email message recently, Weiss says there are existing and safe alternatives to marijuana.
For example, Weiss says there are effective medications to treat glaucoma. He worries that elderly patients with glaucoma will suffer confusion or hallucinations if they consumer marijuana.
“In candor, I believe medical marijuana is a solution for a problem which does not exist,” Weiss writes. “I fear its general acceptance will bring more unforeseen problems for a nation already plagued with an epidemic of opioid overdoses and deaths.”
Legalizing marijuana for medical use will exacerbate addiction problems, Weiss argues.
“The costs associated with addiction in terms of loss of life, impairment of well-being, family disruption, societal malaise, economic ruin and general deterioration cannot be overstated,” Weiss writes. “The causes of addiction are complex, and adding easy access to medical marijuana will only exacerbate the problem.”
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