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 Third, any mind-altering drug that produces euphoria
 can make a sick person think he feels better. Stories from
 patients who claim marijuana helps them may be the result of
 the mind-altering effects of the drug, not the results of
 improvements in their conditions_
 Fourth, long-time abusers of marijuana are not immune
 to illness. Many eventually get cancer_ glaucoma, MS and
 other diseases° People who become dependent on mind-
 altering drugs tend to rationalize "their behavior° They
 invent excuses: which they can come to believe, to justify
 their drug dependance. Stories of marijuana's benefits from
 sick people with a prior history of marijuana abuse may be
 based on rationalizations caused by drug dependence, not on
 any medical benefits caused by the drug. Robert Randall,
 for exampie_ admits under oath to becoming a regular
 marijuana user in 1968_ four years before he showed the
 first signs oft and was diagnosed as having, glaucomas
 Since then he has smoked marijuana 8 to l0 times every day.
 A century ago many Americans relied on stories to pick
 their medicines_ especially from snake oil salesmen. Thanks
 to scientific advances and to the passage of the Federal
 Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) in 1906, 21 U.S.C_ 301 e t
 _qo, we now rely on rigorous scientific proof to assure the
 safety and effectiveness of new drugs. Mere stories are not
 considered an acceptable way to judge whether dangerous
 drugs should be used as medicines.
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