Guard Against Characterizing Marijuana as OK |
Posted by FoM on March 11, 2002 at 18:53:52 PT By Dennis Bueckert, Canadian Press Source: Canadian Press The president of the Canadian Medical Association says he fears the government policy of allowing medical marijuana use may also encourage recreational use, which he strongly opposes. "We have to be very careful that it's not going to end up being thought that this is a normal societal behaviour to smoke marijuana," Henry Haddad told a Senate committee Monday. Still, the medical association has long been in favour of decriminalizing simple possession, and Haddad supplied a new argument, saying a criminal conviction damages health. "Each year thousands of teens and adults receive criminal records for possession. To the degree that having a criminal record limits or handicaps employment prospects, the impact on health status is profound." Arguing against recreational use, Haddad said marijuana damages the lungs, can be addictive in about five per cent of users, is associated with lower school marks and may result in lost life opportunities. Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, chairman of the committee studying the use of illegal drugs, said a third of medical students have tried marijuana, and asked Haddad if they had failed in their lives. Medical practitioners have the same problems as the rest of the population, Haddad countered. He said decriminalization must be tied to a national drug strategy that promotes awareness, prevention and treatment as well as research and monitoring. He also argued that demand for medical marijuana to help dying patients reflects the poor job Canada does providing palliative care. Marijuana is never requested by dying patients in his home town of Sherbrooke, Que., he said The reason, he suggested, is that staff at Sherbrooke provide good palliative care for terminal patients, something he believes is lacking in many communities. "I ask (medical staff) has a single patient requested marijuana. No. Because the palliative care is done well. I think it's important to look at the whole context in which marijuana is offered." "What we do badly in this country is care at the end of life, what is called compassionate care. Experts who know this area say it's done well in only 10 to 15 per cent of cases." Complete Title: Guard Against Characterizing Recreational Marijuana Use as OK, CMA Head Urges Source: Canadian Press (Canada Wire) Related Articles & Web Sites: Canadian Links Medical Marijuana Information Links A Couple of Tokes To Ease The Pain Suffering Few Who Legally Possess Marijuana Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
Comment #13 posted by FoM on March 12, 2002 at 17:19:04 PT |
Backgrounder: Submission to the Special Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs http://www.cma.ca/staticContent/HTML/N0/l2/advocacy/news/2002/03-11a.pdf
A Public Health Perspective on Cannabis and Other Illegal Drugs (PDF) [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #12 posted by DdC on March 12, 2002 at 16:29:47 PT |
Cannabidiol doesn't have significant psychoactive effects. Of course, the obvious corollary to this is that if synthetic Dexanabinol can prevent brain damage, then organic marijuana does so as well. So the next time grandpa has a stroke, try and get him to take a few bong-hits before the ambulance arrives. Better yet, give him a hash brownie each evening before he has that stroke. You might just save his life.
Cannabis Blocks Irreversible Brain Damage http://www.marijuananews.com/marijuana_derivative_blocks_irre.htm Sci/Tech | Dope hope for stroke victims http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_126000/126181.stm Cannabis prevents brain damage http://www.marijuananews.com/cannabis_may_prevent_brain_damag.htm Only the potheads will survive...url posted below... Organic Cannabis/Tobacco vs Chemical Cigarettes The flavoring chemicals, known as alkenylbenzenes, are found in tobacco additives used to enhance the taste of cigarette smoke. Until now, no one knew how much of the compounds entered cigarette smoke... Cannabis is the best natural expectorant to clear the human lungs of smog, dust and the phlegm associated with tobacco use. More than 15 million Americans are affected by asthma. Smoking cannabis (the "raw drug" as the AMA called it) would be beneficial for 80% of them and add 30-a60 million person years in the aggregate of extended life to current asthmatics over presently legal toxic medicines such as the Theophylline prescribed to children. "Taking a hit of marijuana has been known to stop a full blown asthma attack." [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #11 posted by DdC on March 12, 2002 at 15:55:49 PT |
Its getting harder for the D.E.A.th worshippers to justify caging dying patients, so more stepping stone rhetoric... Now everyone is going to be running to get AIDs just to justify smoke pot, like the needle exchanges breading junkies. Right here in River City... Thats pot with a P and that don't rhime with W's Pharmaids, Booze and lordy lordy gholly jeepers next they'll want hemp food fuel and fiber!!! Preventing illness with cannabis anti bodiotics and anti-oxidents or reducing stress or as a white powder/booze alternative is against Company profits and taxes rendered! Damn heatherns! The PotHeads Will Survive Maintaining Dysfunction Stepping Off Hard Drugs With Cannabis Eat, drink, smoke and be happy [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #10 posted by Jose Melendez on March 12, 2002 at 14:32:55 PT:
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http://www.ccguide.org.uk/driving.html [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #9 posted by FoM on March 12, 2002 at 13:24:23 PT |
Cannabis Use Should Be Treated with Fine: Doctors http://www.canada.com/ottawa/news/story.asp?id=573D0FB0-5D39-4CBE-882B-464ED519B4B6
Related Article: [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #8 posted by FoM on March 12, 2002 at 13:15:13 PT |
Place Pot Possession Out of Code, CMA Urges http://www.canada.com/saskatoon/starphoenix/story.asp?id=B32A94B7-81ED-419D-BAD2-D8722FD44513 [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #7 posted by FoM on March 12, 2002 at 12:19:32 PT |
Decriminalize Pot Possession: Doctors http://www.canada.com/vancouver/news/story.asp?id=C4441363-3CF9-4BA1-A083-088245240D55 Related Article: [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #6 posted by SpaceCat on March 12, 2002 at 11:38:22 PT |
My Mom's a health care professional, and she talks about drug-rep functions like someone would describe the first-class Carnival Cruise they just took. Lavish banquets, tons of giveaways (including drugs!)free trips, alcohol, nights on the town, you name it. Bribery is an institutional practice among drug companies, they just call it high-touch marketing. All legal in America (and smart, too- they don't try to tell you what to prescribe, just make sure you get a warm, gooey, feeling when you think about their products). [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #5 posted by FoM on March 12, 2002 at 08:53:52 PT |
New Pot Laws Pushed
Source: Calgary Sun Canada's doctors yesterday urged the government to decriminalize minor pot possession -- and treat addiction as a disease, not a crime. And the heads of the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine also told a senate committee on illegal drug use that more has to be done to curb driving under the influence of marijuana. "If you have a limited amount of money and it goes to crime prevention, then the dollars don't go to the treatment that can help," said Calgary's Dr. Bill Campbell, president of the CSAM. "I don't think we're winning the war right now. We can deal with this problem by not treating it as a war." In their submission to the committee, Canada's doctors said criminal charges for minor marijuana possession can destroy people's employment chances and does nothing to address the disease of their addiction. Campbell said like alcoholics, a certain amount of the population's genes makes them susceptible to marijuana addiction once they've tried the drug. Related Article: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread12207.shtml#3 [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #4 posted by Jose Melendez on March 12, 2002 at 07:58:01 PT:
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From: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n442/a08.html?397 German prosecutors said yesterday that they suspected the British drugs company GlaxoSmithKline of paying bribes and perks to about 4,000 doctors. Hospital doctors had been given cash sums ranging from ( GM )50 to ( GM )25,000 ( UKP30 to UKP15,500 ) as well as Formula One and 1998 World Cup tickets in France, prosecutors said. [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #3 posted by FoM on March 12, 2002 at 07:14:06 PT |
Brief to Senate committee
Source: National Post Dr. Henry Haddad says the medical association supports a fine for simple possession or personal use of marijuana. Simple possession and personal use of marijuana should be removed from the Criminal Code and instead be punishable only by a fine, concludes a medical organization representing 52,000 doctors in Canada. In a brief to a special Senate committee on illegal drugs, the Canadian Medical Association added decriminalization of marijuana "must be done so with the recognition that cannabis is an addictive substance and that addiction is a disease." "The CMA believes that resources currently devoted to combatting simple marijuana possession through the criminal law could be diverted to public health strategies, particularly for youth," Dr. Henry Haddad, the association's president, told the panel. He said having a criminal record limits employment prospects, resulting in a profound impact on health status. "Use of a civil violation, such as a fine, is a potential alternative," he added. But he also said changes to the law affecting cannabis "must not promote normalization of its use, and must be tied to a national drug strategy that promotes awareness and prevention, and provides for comprehensive treatment." The strategy, to include a National Cannabis Cessation Program, should be developed by the federal government with the provinces, he said. It would highlight the potential harm of cannabis use, including risk to pregnancy and people with mental illness as well as chronic respiratory problems, slower reaction times and impaired motor co-ordination. It would also examine increased heart rates and dilated blood vessels, two symptoms of cardiac disease. The rate of cannabis offences has increased 34% since 1991, with cannabis possession rates generally steadily increasing, the CMA brief notes. About 86% of those charged with cannabis offences are younger than 25. Of the 66,500 drug incidents in Canada in 1997, more than 70%, or 47,908, were cannabis-related. Of those, more than two-thirds, or 32,682, were for possession. About 2,000 Canadians go to jail annually for possession of marijuana, the medical brief states. Dr. Haddad told the Senate committee the vast majority of financial resources are now dedicated to combating illegal drugs by law enforcement. "Government needs to re-balance this distribution and allocate a greater proportion of these resources to drug treatment, prevention and harm-reduction programs. Law enforcement activities should target the distribution and production of illegal drugs," he said. Snipped Complete Article: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/national/story.html?f=/stories/20020312/313181.html [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #2 posted by Jose Melendez on March 12, 2002 at 05:06:43 PT:
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From: http://justsaynotoaddicts.com/practicingalcoholics.html Alcoholics, who comprise only 10% of the U.S. population, are involved in as much as 80-90% of violent crime.
From:
Suicide is the ninth leading cause of death in the U.S., and the third leading cause among 15-24 year olds (Centers for Disease Control 1998). Alcohol is associated with a high percentage of suicides–between 18% and 66% of suicide victims have alcohol in their blood at the time of death (Roizen 1988; Welte et al. 1988, Collier et al. 1986, Berkelman et al. 1985).
From No Logic "It can be argued that there is no logic
to the current pattern of illegality. Some drugs (
The Failure Of Prohibition "There is overwhelming evidence to show
that the prohibition based policy in place in this
Members may wish to ask themselves whether
we have learned the lessons from alcohol
From "Scientific harassment by pharmaceutical companies: time to stop" - David Hailey comments in The Canadian Medical Association Journal, "The timely and accurate synthesis of clinical trial results and of other information on new drugs and new devices is essential to informed decision-making on the appropriate use of these products. However, 2 alarming trends are already impeding such assessments. First, the results of applied medical research -- which, increasingly, is being funded by the private sector -- are being released only selectively to the public. Findings that support manufacturers' claims are widely disseminated, while others may be withheld. Second, some companies appear to be ready to stifle scientific discussion by turning to the courts, seeking injunctions to prevent the release of reports or threatening researchers with legal action." Doesn't this same reasoning apply to the politically correct nonsense funded by the government? [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #1 posted by MikeEEEEE on March 11, 2002 at 21:55:07 PT |
Arguing against recreational use, Haddad said marijuana damages the lungs, can be addictive in about five per cent of users, is associated with lower school marks and may result in lost life opportunities. We could also change this to: Arguing against recreational use, Haddad said alcohol damages the liver, can be addictive in about five per cent of users, is associated with lower school marks and may result in lost life opportunities. [ Post Comment ] |
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