Dr. Miriam Adelson, who specializes in treatment for drug addiction and abuse, warned on Sunday that cannabis usage can be harmful and should not be legalized.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Adelson School of Medicine at Ariel University, she took the opportunity to share her extensive knowledge on the dangers of the drug as a researcher and medical professional.
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"Unfortunately, Western society is forgiving when it comes to the use of cannabis, often without this being a defined policy," she said, adding that "while cannabis may help in coping with multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and more conditions, research is at its infancy, and so is the research into whether such usage poses the risk of addiction." She then stressed that "cannabis can be addictive, and we must keep this in mind."
According to Adelson, the lenient approach toward the recreational use of cannabis, by treating it as a soft drug, is "very troubling."
Adelson further expressed hope that the recreational use of cannabis would not be legalized in Israel. "Cannabis is a gateway drug for hard drugs. Normalizing cannabis in our society and letting normative adults use it freely would result in the drug trickling fast to minors – a particularly vulnerable group – because the human brain is only fully developed at the age of 21 or even 25," she said.
Adelson went on to present studies showing that IQ levels of children who had begun using cannabis were between six to eight points lower than those who had not. "It is clear – this drug makes our teens, our future generations, less smart … Israel has been blessed with human capital and amazing teenagers who have shown great talent in a variety of fields, with accomplishments on the world stage; we must not undermine this by legitimizing cannabis."
Adelson was born in pre-state Israel during the British Mandate and grew up in Haifa.
She served in the IDF as a medical officer and completed a bachelor of science in microbiology and genetics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before pursuing her medical studies at Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine. She graduated with an MD magna cum laude.
Adelson specialized in internal and emergency medicine. She served as the head physician in each of these areas at the Rokach (Hadassah) Hospital in Tel Aviv.
Since 1986, she has been devoting her time to the research and treatment of drug abuse as well as the biology of addiction, establishing drug clinics in Las Vegas and Tel Aviv.
In 1991, she married businessman and philanthropist Sheldon Adelson. Over the years, the two have contributed greatly to educational programs as well as Jewish organizations around the world.
The couple opened their first drug abuse clinic in Tel Aviv in 1993. Dr. Adelson helped develop a methadone program for teen addicts and has co-authored numerous research papers on methadone treatment.
Dr. Miriam Adelson is the publisher of Israel Hayom. The Adelson family owns the company that is the primary shareholder in Israel Hayom.
