One of Bierson’s strongest supporting claims is of the physical harms of
marijuana. He argues that Heath's tests of the monkey's brain seemed to show conclusive
evidence of brain damage; however, he fails to mention that the tests were later
discredited: the monkeys were given extremely high doses, doses exponentially higher
than that of the average recreational or medical marijuana user, and the test’s sample size
was too small. More current studies of people who are heavy marijuana smokers show
no evidence of brain damage; in addition, the American Medical Association has
officially endorsed the decriminalization of marijuana. I find this to be quite a bit more
compelling than an outdated and poorly executed test. His claims of damage to both the
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reproductive system and the immune system are again based on invalid experiments of
nearly lethal doses administered to mice and other animals, not humans. Moreover,
several studies of the effects of marijuana on the human reproductive and immune
systems have failed to demonstrate adverse effects.