cannabisnews.com: High Level of Tolerance is Needed










  High Level of Tolerance is Needed

Posted by CN Staff on November 16, 2005 at 19:37:47 PT
By Will Reyes & Maggie Ownbey 
Source: LA Valley Star  

Calif. -- People with terminal and debilitating diseases face more than just the pain from their conditions. The push for a ban on medicinal marijuana, coupled with the negative connotations associated with its use, cause ill people in many states to suffer unnecessary hardships. Imagine a hard working, responsible adult living with a painful disease like cancer or multiple sclerosis being told by the government that access to the medicine that helps them cope with their ailment is being denied.
It doesn't seem like the American way. Nevertheless, it's the reality being pushed forward by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the California Narcotics Officers' Association and others who refuse to acknowledge the benefits of medicinal marijuana.The opposition cites the risks of addiction and expresses concern about side effects like impaired motor coordination and concentration. Many legal prescription drugs are far more addictive and have lethal side effects but remain available. Is it right to refuse a patient a valid medicine just because it might lead to addiction? I guess we're going to have to outlaw big money prescription drugs. Shouldn't alcohol, caffeine and nicotine also be banned under those criteria? They're all known to be addictive. Someone warn Starbucks about the wrath of the DEA. This is not about advocating that teens be allowed to smoke after school. It is about people who are suffering considerable pain from a terminal illness and wanting relief, some with little time to live The American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Public Health Association and other medical organizations support marijuana use under the supervision of a qualified physician. Talk show host Montel Williams suffers from multiple sclerosis and is an advocate of medicinal marijuana use. Williams said he has used prescription drugs such as Vicodin, Percocet and OxyContin, yet has only found relief through marijuana. "It works for some of us who have neurological pain," he said in an interview with Deborah Norville. "Doctors in several states have prescribed it for me."Williams is able to remain productive, yet could face jail time.California is one of 11 states that have passed laws permitting marijuana use by patients with a doctor's approval, but a recent United States Supreme Court ruling states that doctors can be blocked from prescribing it and that federal anti-drug laws supercede state laws on the subject, leaving doctors open to prosecution. The ruling was supported by the DEA, which has been staging raids since 2001 and arresting patients with conditions ranging from chronic back pain to brain cancer. That's right, critically ill patients are being arrested. It's time for us to stop these injustices and find some sympathy. Thousands of ill Americans deserve that right. Note: Terminally ill patients shouldn't be denied pain relief.Complete Title: One Way or Another: High Level of Tolerance is NeededOne Way or Another: Sending The Wrong Smoke SignalsMedicinal marijuana causes more harm than good.By Maggie OwnbeyWhen does medicine become poison? Even if it does not necessarily cure the illness, medicine gives a better quality of life to someone who is chronically ill. The risks associated with smoking marijuana outweigh the possible medical benefits. The Drug Enforcement Administration reported that a person who smokes "five joints a week may be taking in as many cancer-causing chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes every day." It is strange that a society which condemns smoking so vehemently should be so eager to allow seriously ill people to smoke a drug known to cause serious health defects. Smoking a marijuana cigarette every other day for a year caused the white blood count to be 39 percent lower than normal according to a study done by Columbia University. White blood cells are an integral part of the human immune system. They protect us from viruses and other foreign bodies that may cause diseases. If marijuana is prescribed to critically ill people, including AIDS patients, it would harm an immune system that is already compromised. It would leave the patient at even greater risk for serious illnesses.The legalization of medical marijuana is unnecessary. The Food and Drug Administration has approved medicines that are made of THC, the chemical that studies have found to relieve nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy and assists with loss of appetite in AIDS patients. It is available in a pill called Marinol. This is a much safer way to receive the benefits of marijuana without having to suffer the consequences of smoking the drug.Smoking marijuana is harmful to a person's health. Sandra Bennett, the director of the Northwest Center for Health and Safety, said that only 66 of the 483 chemicals found in marijuana have a medicinal value, whereas the rest of the chemicals present could be detrimental to a patient's health. Bennett said that smoking marijuana will not necessarily give the person the same benefits taking the medication would. "Smoking marijuana is clearly harmful, especially in people with chronic conditions, and is not an ideal drug delivery system," according to a 1999 Institute of Medicine report. "Plants are of uncertain composition, which renders their effects equally uncertain, so they constitute an undesirable medication."Marijuana is an addictive drug. In 1999, more than 200,000 Americans received substance abuse treatment for marijuana abuse and dependence according to the DEA. If a doctor prescribes marijuana to their patient, the patient self-medicates so there is no way to regulate what happens once a doctor prescribes the drug. Isn't the point of medicine to prolong life, not to cut it short? Although marijuana may have certain medicinal properties, it is not an appropriate substance to be prescribed to patients.Source: LA Valley Star (CA)Author: Will Reyes & Maggie OwnbeyPublished: November 16, 2005Copyright 2005 Valley StarWebsite: http://www.lavalleystar.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml

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Comment #10 posted by boballen1313 on November 19, 2005 at 19:13:44 PT:
I LIKES MY COFFEE AND I LIKES MY TEA
How's about letting my doctor make the prescriptions and the DEA can figure out how to obtain retirement? The last man i want telling me my options is a hardnosed porker with a bloody badge! After all the tests and pain... TELL THE DEA TO GET STUFFED! We need good doctors and less BAD cops!!!DO I HEAR AN AMEN BROTHER?
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Comment #9 posted by runderwo on November 17, 2005 at 17:22:42 PT
the second one
It's funny that while she rails on marijuana while touting the synthetic version, the dissonance of "marijuana reduces white blood cells" and "somehow Marinol/Sativex does not" never occurs to her.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on November 17, 2005 at 08:21:32 PT
Siege 
Thank you for the poll results.
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on November 17, 2005 at 07:37:09 PT
Potpal
My sister has done over 600 Weddings and she is a friend of the family but I don't know her. She is a professional golfer and I guess is on tv now and then. My sister is 71 and still has such a zeal for life. I am not into Weddings because so many marriages fail. I believe in love and commitment but not big hoopla Weddings. I'm definitely different then my sister. LOL!
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Comment #6 posted by siege on November 17, 2005 at 06:28:19 PT
Valley Star Poll
Should medicinal marijuana be legalized?Yes, it eases suffering. 38%No, it's not necessary.  2%Yes, but only for the critically ill. 2%No,keep it illegal and outlaw all forms of medication too.7%Yes, marijuana should be legal for everyone. 51%
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Comment #5 posted by potpal on November 17, 2005 at 04:09:51 PT
fom
Very good. Is the bride your niece? Just attended the wedding of my nephew this past Friday in PA. Weddings leave me wanting often times. I really didn't get more than a sentence or two in with anyone. The activity and muzzic and noise and zoom its over. Anyway, much better than getting together to say goodbye to someone. Funny how every one that wonders away and goes outside today is doing so to smoke tobacco! Shame really. Was much different back when we were fab.Anyway, a pal recently took a collection of still photos and somehow animated them much like Ken Burns does in his documentaries. Like zooming in and moving left to right or right to left etc. The pictures were of a close gang of friends we shared in the early 70s. He added a sound track, music of the times and the result of his efforts blew me away! Talk about nostalgia.Sow every seed.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on November 16, 2005 at 23:39:33 PT
Siege
Thank you. I have many hours in trying to do this video and I am really happy with the results. It's far from perfect but she is a beautiful bride and I love Unchained Melodies and that's why I used it. I know my sister will be happy when she opens her e-mail in the morning and finds it there.
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Comment #3 posted by siege on November 16, 2005 at 23:32:53 PT
FoM
Every nice FoM like the music also.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 16, 2005 at 23:22:55 PT
Just a Note
I was finally able to upload the video but it cut out the end but most of it is there. It was fun and challenging to try to put a video together with effects and music. If you want to see the video just click the link.
Wedding Video Clip
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on November 16, 2005 at 19:41:21 PT

A Medical Marijuana Poll
This is a link to one of the two articles that I posted. 
I couldn't find any contact information but at least they have a poll.http://www.lavalleystar.com/media/paper295/news/2005/11/16/Opinion/One-Way.Or.Another.Sending.The.Wrong.Smoke.Signals-1058588.shtml
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