Will on Weed*

George Will has an odd column about medicinal marijuana and the debate over legalization, built on a handful of unsupported assertions. For instance:

In 2000, Colorado legalized medical marijuana. Since Justice's decision, the average age of the 400 persons a day seeking "prescriptions" at Colorado's multiplying medical marijuana dispensaries has fallen precipitously.

According to whom? A concrete stat would be nice there. Later:

Customers -- this, not patients, is what most really are -- tell doctors at the dispensaries that they suffer from insomnia, anxiety, headaches, premenstrual syndrome, "chronic pain," whatever, and pay nominal fees for "prescriptions." Most really just want to smoke pot.

Again, according to whom? It's logical that there is some of that, but I can't imagine that more than tiny fraction of Colorado's pot-smokers take advantage of the government's medical marijuana program. I have to think that for most, it's a lot easier to continue buying from the same people from whom they've bought for years, without getting the government involved.

Later:

Colorado ranks sixth in the nation in identity theft, two-thirds of which is driven by the state's $1.4 billion annual methamphetamine addiction.

What does that mean? It could be a really interesting factotum were it unpacked a bit, but there's no further explanation.

Following up on that:

He is loath to see complete legalization of marijuana at a moment when new methods of cultivation are producing plants in which the active ingredient, THC, is "seven, eight times as concentrated" as it used to be.

Jack Shafer demonstrated the silliness of the time-tested government panic about super-potent marijuana several years ago. As one might guess, just as a martini fan won't go beverage for beverage with a beer drinker, the weed may be stronger, but people smoke less of it.

*Of course I mean that the estimable columnist was writing about marijuana, not indulging in its use.