Part III - Alcohol and Marijuana Use: Are They on Ethical Par?

In this post I want to discuss marijuana's use as a medicinal drug.  

I’m inclined to think that many purported medical justifications for marijuana are often a trojan-horse for its recreational use.  I ask my readers to use the Hedonator thought-experiment to probe their intentions in their use of marijuana, and if it reveals that they use it in pursuit of a high, then its use is illicit.  

I have a general skepticism of drugs meant to deal with mental or spiritual problems.  While I think they can be justified in certain extreme situations, I think this justification should only come after prolonged counseling and other attempted solutions.  Depression is, generally, a perception of a sorrow, and sorrows are the result of some bad-state-of-affair in life, such as loneliness.  Before resorting to a drug, I think we should first attempt to solve the extra-mental cause of the sorrow (if there is one).

It also seems to me that other drugs for mental health are probably going to be healthier and more effective than marijuana.  This is an empirical point and requires empirical support.  However, given that these other drugs do not provide a high, proportionality would demand their use over that of marijuana.  

As for the use of marijuana as an analgesic, a similar point can be made as that of the last paragraph.  If there are other analgesics that do not produce a high, they should be used instead.  But, if on consideration and in light of medical consultation, marijuana is chosen as the best and most effective analgesic with the least bad consequences, its use can be justified.  But the high that it produces cannot be chosen or intended or else its use is illicit.  Of course other issues can also direct the choice over which analgesic to use, whether marijuana or some other type:  effectiveness in treating pain, risk of addiction, withdrawal symptoms, other potential health concerns, and so on.

If the intoxication is being used as a means or an end to dealing with an illness then R-PDE prohibits its use.  If the intoxication of weed is a separate mechanism from its medicinal benefits then it’s medicinal use could be justified on R-PDE.

One more note:  Marijuana addiction and withdrawal is a real problem, and many marijuana users who withdraw for a few days experience a number of negative symptoms, including restlessness, depressed mood, and stomach pain.  These negative effects should be factored into the proportionality criterion when calculating the benefits of marijuana use over other drugs.  Moreover, some users report that “only marijuana” can solve these withdrawal symptoms. But they’re wrong.  Time will solve the problems as well.  But other medications can be used so as to lessen the withdrawal symptoms.

This is essay is merely meant to be a suggestive sketch.