Sorry Ms. Raich, the drug war is more important than your life

[JuanCarlos]

Really? I've seen much more alcohol abuse. Almost lost my alcoholic brother, have lost friends to drunk drivers, almost lost my mother to one. I've seen some cannabis abuse, but nothing which compares to the impact alcohol has had on my life. It's not even close.

Beat me to it. I almost suspect he has some sort of retort planned for this, because this was just such an obvious response. We'll see.

When all else fails throw in some conspiracy theory. That usually works for a little while. No one denies drug companies make big money from drugs. DUHHH they are businesses. They are in business to sell drugs. It wouldn't be much of a business if they gave their goods away.

Nobody is asking them to give their goods away. They're afraid of losing their business because something they didn't invent and which can be grown in my backyard might just be as effective as what they're offering at an extremely high price. When all else fails make the competition illegal, I suppose.

And the side effects most common? The craving for snackfood, the urge to watch a lot of re-runs on TV, and excessive use of the word Dude!

I now want to see medical marijuana made legal and a legitimate market created if only to see these side effects listed on the packaging.

 

[invention_45]

I read the story of how we got Prohibition II.

And some of you think jury nullification is dishonest?

 

[Redworm]

hey I don't know if anyone's mentioned in this but marijuana can be used in ways other than smoking. when you cook with it or vaporize it all side effects associated with smoking are gone.

 

[JR47]

I've seen some cannabis abuse, but nothing which compares to the impact alcohol has had on my life. It's not even close.

Couldn't be because the legal setting makes users a lot more secretive, and careful of the settings they use it in, could it?

They're afraid of losing their business because something they didn't invent and which can be grown in my backyard might just be as effective as what they're offering at an extremely high price. When all else fails make the competition illegal, I suppose.

The drug companies made MJ illegal? Care to venture out to provide a little proof of that? I, for one, would like to see that. Until then, though, it's all your opinion, right?

As for profits from the drug being prescribed for medical uses, who are you kidding? What idiot thinks that people with serious pain issues, or Type II Glaucoma, will be willing, or capable, of growing and processing marijuana? If they are that seriously compromised, they will buy it. The drug companies have the funding to obtain FDA approval, and the tech base to selectively grow marijuana for the strongest medical properties.

Even then, we're talking about specific properties for the ill. The local weed, grown by anyone, will not likely meet that criterion, and may not enable the user to obtain relief. Not only that, but there have been a number of cases where the plants were laced with PCP, Arsenic, and horse tranquilizers. Want to bet that an instance of that wouldn't exactly help the sufferers?

Publius, where in that wandering diatribe did you get the idea that the AMA supported medical Marihuana? This is the quote, from 1937!!

The other piece of medical testimony came from a man named Dr. William C. Woodward. Dr. Woodward was both a lawyer and a doctor and he was Chief Counsel to the American Medical Association. Dr. Woodward came to testify at the behest of the American Medical Association saying, and I quote, "The American Medical Association knows of no evidence that marihuana is a dangerous drug."

That would hardly constitute either support, or political pressure upon the AMA.

Rangefinder, the clinical trials conducted today have, due to the huge impact of lawyers, become quite involved in minutia. In a trial of 5000 people, ANY sympton that cannot be PROVEN to have come from another cause with 100% reliability, is listed as a POSSIBLE side-effect. Some trials are even larger. Some are considerably smaller. That means that many of these side-effects are suspect, they can't be positively ruled-out, so they are included. Many never occur after the trials. The object is to avoid the traps of past medicines, like Thalidomide. Nothing can give you 100% assurance.

Invention45, I mentioned the advantage of Heroin in the case of Terminal patients. While the other analgesics tend to muffle the patient, Heroin allows the person to remain pain-free and lucid. I'm much more in favor of the use of Heroin in Hospice settings than this eerily-fuzzy discussion of Medical MJ.

 

[Redworm]

As for profits from the drug being prescribed for medical uses, who are you kidding? What idiot thinks that people with serious pain issues, or Type II Glaucoma, will be willing, or capable, of growing and processing marijuana?

If you can grow a simple tomato plant or even keep a houseplant alive and healthy you can grow marijuana.

 

[DonR101395]

Really? I've seen much more alcohol abuse. Almost lost my alcoholic brother, have lost friends to drunk drivers, almost lost my mother to one. I've seen some cannabis abuse, but nothing which compares to the impact alcohol has had on my life. It's not even close.

I wasn't aware that alcohol was considered a medicine. I thought we were talking about medical treatments.

Beat me to it. I almost suspect he has some sort of retort planned for this, because this was just such an obvious response. We'll see.

See above response.

Nobody is asking them to give their goods away. They're afraid of losing their business because something they didn't invent and which can be grown in my backyard might just be as effective as what they're offering at an extremely high price. When all else fails make the competition illegal, I suppose.

Do you honestly think that if MM were allowed by the federal government that it would not be regulated and controlled by the FDA? The same FDA that regulates all other medication.
The last time I looked I don't remember the drug companies being a part of the legislative branch.

I now want to see medical marijuana made legal and a legitimate market created if only to see these side effects listed on the packaging.

As soon as the FDA begins to regulate it that is what you will see. As well as the higher prices the drug companies charge.
Growing your own will still be illegal IMO.

hey I don't know if anyone's mentioned in this but marijuana can be used in ways other than smoking. when you cook with it or vaporize it all side effects associated with smoking are gone.

Eating it also takes twice as long as smoking to enter your system. Sorry Grandma you have to wait two hours for pain relief.

 

[Playboypenguin]

Gee, PP, it would appear that your nap last night at the Holiday Inn Express left you a little woozy, or were you implementing a study on Medical Marijuana by yourself? Please explain where that senseless quote came from?

That quote was not from my post. Either you are mistaken or someone else has the intials PP.

 

[JR47]

If you can grow a simple tomato plant or even keep a houseplant alive and healthy you can grow marijuana.

Why, thank you. You obviously have little experience with the debilitating effects of chronic pain, or Glaucoma. Many of those people DON'T have that ability, or energy. But, we wouldn't want to admit that, would we?

You are correct, and it's fixed. My apologies, sir.

 

[Playboypenguin]

Do you honestly think that if MM were allowed by the federal government that it would not be regulated and controlled by the FDA? The same FDA that regulates all other medication.

The FDA would have a very hard time doing so. If marijuana was illegalized then there would be no raids or searches to find it since there would not be the oppotunity for grand photo ops that police and oliticians ove so much.

It would also be hard for them to regulate a naturally occuring plant. Much like how they have little control over the herbal medicine industry.

 

[Playboypenguin]

Could you deliver any proof about the AMA's direction? If not, please state it as opinion.

Ummm...did you read the Mayo report we are all referring to and that was posted by Don?
it clearly states in the study that...

Marijuana was listed by the U.S. Pharmacopeia, the organization that sets quality standards for approved drugs in the United States, until the 1940s, when political pressure against marijuana's recreational use triggered its removal.

 

[DonR101395]

The FDA would have a very hard time doing so. If marijuana was illegalized then there would be no raids or searches to find it since there would not be the oppotunity for grand photo ops that police and oliticians ove so much.

It would also be hard for them to regulate a naturally occuring plant. Much like how they have little control over the herbal medicine industry.

Back to partial quotes I see.
I also said

As soon as the FDA begins to regulate it that is what you will see. As well as the higher prices the drug companies charge.
Growing your own will still be illegal IMO.

 

[Playboypenguin]

what I have seen is marijuana abused far more than any other drug grown or manufactured.

Really...then I guess you are completely unaware that prescription drug abuse accounts for the majority of drug abuse and drug related deaths in the country? That in 2002, 6.2 million Americans were current abusers of prescription drugs. That emergency room visits resulting from narcotic pain relievers abuse have increased 163 percent since 1995. That while use of most illegal drugs has dropped since the 1980's the abuse of perscription drugs has skyrocketed?

I guess sometimes one persons narrow perspective is not really a good indicator of the actual reality of a given situation.

 

[Redworm]

Eating it also takes twice as long as smoking to enter your system. Sorry Grandma you have to wait two hours for pain relief.

Not exactly. First of all if your idea that it took "twice as long" was accurate then it would still take less than ten minutes because smoking pot usually comes with onset times of less than five minutes. That being said, the thc is released based on your rate of digestion. Of course since stomachs are first come, first serve then you're going to wait a bit longer if you're not taking it on an empty stomach. The effects may take longer to start and have a more gradual increase in intensity but the effects last longer as well.

Now, can I ask what your point was? What's wrong with an MS patient having a pot brownie after dinner because they know it'll help reduce the pain of getting into bed two hours later?

Also, vaporization is still the best and safest method. No ill effects of smoking, stronger effects, less plant material used and vaporizers can be purchased cheaply and legally.

 

[Redworm]

Why, thank you. You obviously have little experience with the debilitating effects of chronic pain, or Glaucoma. Many of those people DON'T have that ability, or energy. But, we wouldn't want to admit that, would we?

You are correct, and it's fixed. My apologies, sir.

Simply pointing out that growing marijuana is no more difficult than growing most other common plants. Perhaps the glaucoma patient has a family member that can water the ganja plant along with the rose bushes and chrysanthemums.

 

[DonR101395]

Really...then I guess you are completely unaware that prescription drug abuse accounts for the majority of drug abuse and drug related deaths in the country? That in 2002, 6.2 million Americans were current abusers of prescription drugs. That emergency room visits resulting from narcotic pain relievers abuse have increased 163 percent since 1995. That while use of most illegal drugs has dropped since the 1980's the abuse of perscription drugs has skyrocketed?

Now every legal drug is bad and only marijuana is good
Why cause it comes fromda earf?
You're comparing every legal drug that is abused against a single illegal drug; of course the stats will be stacked in the favor of marijuana when you do that.
I can post skewed data also, but it serves no purpose other than to muddy the waters more.
But, I'll give it a go.

Marijuana is the Nation's most commonly used illicit drug. More than 83 million Americans (37 percent) age 12 and older have tried marijuana at least once, according to the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA).

83 million marijuana abusers in 2001.

 

[Redworm]

Users, not abusers. Those are people that have tried it "at least once".

 

[Playboypenguin]

I can post skewed data also, but it serves no purpose other than to muddy the waters more.

How was the data skewed? It was directly from Bush's press statement regarding the abuse of prescription drugs. Is it skewed because you don't agree with it?

83 million marijuana abusers in 2001.

People saying "tried it at least once" in a survey means everyone of those people are "abusing" marijuana???? Even if everyone of them was being honest that is like saying that 85%-95% of Americans are alcoholics because they have drank alcohol. The statistics I posted dealt specifically with "drug abusers" not just everyone that has every "used" a prescription drug.

That statement borders on dishonest and is definately into the absurd range. You are saying that nearly a 3rd of all Americans are abusing marijuana.

Now every legal drug is bad and only marijuana is good

No, I am saying it is no worse than prescription drugs. I also saying that the reasons it is illegal are purely political and that it is a drug that is beneficial, inexpensive and readily available to even the poorest of ill people. Guess you missed the point.

 

[Edward429451]

The drug companies made MJ illegal? Care to venture out to provide a little proof of that? I, for one, would like to see that. Until then, though, it's all your opinion, right?

Not necessarily. I was reading stuff along thos lines before the advent of the internet. I don't have a source, but I've heard that for a long time.

The last time I looked I don't remember the drug companies being a part of the legislative branch.

Not officially! But Pharmeceuticals are the single biggest industry on earth. If you think they're not there behind the scenes and have not influenced legislation then you're being obtuse.

 

[publius42]

Publius, where in that wandering diatribe did you get the idea that the AMA supported medical Marihuana? This is the quote, from 1937!!

The doctor didn't get much of a chance to express an opinion, did he?

What's amazing is what the Congressmen then said to him. Immediately upon his saying, and I quote again, "The American Medical Association knows of no evidence that marihuana is a dangerous drug.", one of the Congressmen said, "Doctor, if you can't say something good about what we are trying to do, why don't you go home?"

That's an exact quote. The next Congressman said, "Doctor, if you haven't got something better to say than that, we are sick of hearing you."

Do you honestly think that if MM were allowed by the federal government that it would not be regulated and controlled by the FDA? The same FDA that regulates all other medication.

Tobacco is not a drug that the FDA regulates.

 

[Playboypenguin]

Tobacco is not a drug that the FDA regulates.

The FDA regulates the commercial production and sale of alcohol and tabacco. Not the possession or use. It is still legal to produce either for personal use.

In fact additional laws are required to enforce anything beyond production and sales. Such as "possession by a minor", "contributing to the delinquencies of a minor" and other laws.