Some in the community place too much emphasis on doctors’ opinions. As Big Show host Travis Coffman said, “Dr. Shieh and Dr. Akimoto are not researchers; they are great doctors. One delivers babies and the other is a pediatrician.”
A few years back I wrote in this newspaper that when I was 16, I thought I had cancer and started exhibiting symptoms of cancer, until I was actually given a clean bill of health. Then I started feeling better.
Medical researchers at Columbia University have discovered that the mind is more powerful than we were led to believe. If you believe you will get sick, you will get sick, and if you believe you will get better, you will get better. It has also been said that the science book of yesterday is the joke-book of today and I think that is absolutely true.
Relying on people’s advice whose field of expertise is not in that particular field is something policy makers should refrain from. Elected officials should, of course, value everyone’s opinions but not place higher value just because that individual is in an associated field. It is like relying on wealthy folks’ opinion on tax issues. Just because someone is at the top of the pyramid of wealth does not mean that their opinion should count for more or that they are above criticism. In fact, it could be argued that they are being disingenuous since they have more to lose if taxes rose.
Finally, on the issue of whether we can handle legal medicinal marijuana, I think that we would handle it no better and no worse than any other thing such as restricting alcohol and tobacco to under-age individuals.
There are two schools of thought here. The first is that some irresponsible parents/guardians will spoil it for the rest of us, in that they will encourage their kids to become potheads. The second is that kids today are growing up a lot faster than the kids of yesteryear so it is better that we talk about these issues upfront and deal with them instead of sneaking around the law. Both are valid arguments. We will always have the first with us so that is not going to change even if medicinal marijuana does not become law. The second is a new phenomenon and it bolsters the argument that medicinal marijuana should become law.
MATT PHILIPS
Mangilao, Guam
