Marijuana and ‘ice’ are No. 1

Sen. Sisto K. Igisomar wants us, “We, the people” here to decide whether or not we want to allow the legalization of marijuana. Well, recreational marijuana is going on the ballot this November in three states—California, Maine, and Nevada. Dr. Matthew Springer, Ph.D., a professor of Medicine at University of California San Francisco Cardiology Division, said, to the effect, second-hand smoke is more dangerous in marijuana than cigarette.

Back in 1970, the U.S. government decided to compile all the drug laws into one called The Controlled Substance Act. If this law is still good, let’s review it. This federal law sets up five schedules according to their established medical use and the drugs potential for abuse. The potential for abuse is determined by a drug’s potential for causing physical and psychological dependence. Categorized drugs are called controlled substances and cannot be obtained legally without a physician prescription.

The Schedules: I—No accepted medical use and has high potential for abuse. Cannot be prescribed by a physician—heroin, marijuana, LSD, N-ethylamphetamine, etc., II—Have accepted medical use. May be prescribed by a physician with strict control—morphine, codeine, opium, cocaine, methodone, etc., III—Have accepted medical use and have medium potential for abuse-derivatives of barbituric acid, Doriden, Paregoric and any compound, etc., IV—Have accepted medical use and have low potential for abuse-Barbital, Phenobarbital, Librium, Valium, etc., V—Have accepted medical use and have the lowest potential for abuse-buprenorphine, etc. The difference between some Schedule V preparations and over-the-counter drugs are just the degree of concentration of the active ingredient.

So, Sen. Sisto K. Igisomar proposes to legalize marijuana. Has Sen. Igisomar ever tried it? Does he use it now? Have you, the constituent, ever tried it? I mean, use marijuana? How about “ice?” How do you feel when using it, or after using it? How do you feel about people in relation to your using marijuana? Or “ice” for that matter? Do you notice any change in attitude? Any change in how you look at people or things? Especially those you don’t like? Do you feel you just have to have a “crack” or “pot?” Does it force you to go get some money for the drug?

I don’t use “ice,” nor smoke cigarette or marijuana, but it’s quite interesting to listen to users. They talk about euphoria, painless period, utopian atmosphere, or just simply relief from physical problems and the excruciating pain.

My friend, who died a while back, used to tell me that at times when the excruciating pain comes on from his bypass, where his chest was sawed opened to enable the doctors to reach his heart area, he would cry, and the pain would drive him up the wall, almost losing his mind. He found out that taking “ice” would relieve him of that excruciating pain, and he would sink into euphoria. It was as if he was in a kind of floating numbness, everything was euphoric. His daily chest pain and his “ice” relief locked him on to that habit. And so, I asked if, in this kind of painful situation, was there judgment of criminality? My friend said that his medicine was not strong enough to relieve him of that chest pain which eats into his guts and bones, but “ice” was. He said that marijuana also helped, but the inhaling causes him to cough after.

So, now I look at Sen. Sixto K. Igisomar who is proposing to legalize marijuana, be it medicinal or recreational, and I ask myself, how much of that marijuana plant does he know, the chemistry and the physiological effect on the user? Is his mind lock on revenue and compassion or vote getting? Speaking of physiology, what is the effect on the inhaler when the smoke is inhaled? Where does the inhaled smoke go inside the body of the smoker, after the lungs and alvioli? And the psychology of using marijuana? How would the user feel moments later after the inhaling, and for how long the effect? What about his attitude while under the influence of marijuana and the period when the smoker is not using it. Does the user easily explode in temper like when the user doesn’t get the right answer? Has the user ever keep track of his/her attitude? Does the user’s character change? Can the user of marijuana and/or “ice” stop using them?

I’ve heard of people here and also in San Francisco, of marijuana users going deeper into drugs, like including “ice” and mainlining, etc. I remember Ozzie and Harriet’s Ricky Nelson on the plane crash while mainlining. Rumor, that’s all. No one saw him inject the needle into his vein. So, when San Francisco legalized the use of marijuana, I understand one could only use it within the city limit. I remember a news story of one user who was arrested by the FBI for smoking marijuana outside the city limit. I don’t know whether the law has changed regarding the use of marijuana outside the city limit.

So, if our Legislature legalizes the use of marijuana in the CNMI, would there be an explosion of planting marijuana? The price of one cigarette stub would drop. I understand from conversations with friends that one stub costs $10. If the “explosion” comes, it could go down to maybe $5 per stub. What would happen to our CNMI DEA? Would it be dismantled or reassigned? But then, what about legalizing “ice”? We are not a state of the Union. We are not the federal government. We are a kind of commonwealth who agreed to be in political union with the United States. We are unique. Everything not within the negotiated package of land lease, must be done through mutuality with the U.S. Congress only.

No U.S. agency could come, on its own, and declare itself owner of a land parcel without the mutual agreement of the U.S. Congress and us, the CNMI. If the issue is land, then we’ll go to court for the eminent domain issue. Subject U.S. agency must then get money from the U.S. Congress to pay us. So, no money, no pay. No pay, no come. It’s in the Covenant. See Article VIII, et seq. So, can the “FED” butt in and choke the legalization? It couldn’t in San Francisco. It’s federalism.

The idea of legalizing marijuana is up in the air here. I read in the newspaper that one Mr. Ambrose Bennett is an active advocate of legalization. Does he have the support of our people and youngsters? And Sen. Sisto Igisomar seems to be catering to Mr. Bennett’s presentation. Where is the pros and cons debate going to go? Can I say, either way we win? Smoke away from occupied buildings?

Well, we’ll see this November where Sen. Igisomar ends up.

Rudy M. Sablan
Garapan