cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Effort Gone To Pot?





Medical Marijuana Effort Gone To Pot?
Posted by CN Staff on June 14, 2007 at 05:36:40 PT
By James T. Madore
Source: Newsday
Albany, NY -- Legalizing marijuana for medical use appeared yesterday to gain momentum with lawmakers and then lose it as the legislature's two houses disagreed over implementation. During a morning news conference, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Brunswick) said a colleague would introduce a legalization bill this week and predicted "the chances are better than not that it will go to the governor."
Four hours later, however, Bruno criticized a rival measure in the Assembly as unworkable because it's "too broad and we think it just lets too many things happen that may be inappropriate. ... We're going to do our own bill."There may not be time to reconcile the differences with only five working days left before the legislature adjourns for the year, and deals with a growing list of other unresolved issues, some with pressing deadlines.In the Assembly, debate on the marijuana legislation raged for two hours, with some lawmakers recounting stories of chronically ill people who smoked the drug for relief from pain and nausea. Others expressed concern that patients would run afoul of federal prohibitions against the sale and use of marijuana.The bill's sponsor, Assemb. Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan), acknowledged its flaws but urged New York to join 12 other states that have authorized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. The issue has been debated in the Capitol since 1997."It is, I think, as good as we can get given the current federal law. And I think considering the suffering that we are dealing with, it is the right way to go," Gottfried said, before his bill was adopted 92 to 52.Gottfried's legislation allows patients stricken with cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other severe illnesses to possess a small amount of marijuana for their use exclusively. They must be certified at least once a year by a doctor or licensed prescriber, and their identity would be known to the state Health Department.Patients would be required to carry a state-issued registration card and be limited to having no more than 12 marijuana plants and 2 1/2 ounces of usable product. The bill doesn't specify how patients would acquire the drug.Should New York legalize marijuana, it likely will face a legal challenge because the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that possession and use was illegal even for the gravely ill.In the Senate, Sen. Vincent Leibell III (R-Carmel) plans to introduce a bill that would permit physicians to prescribe marijuana in limited cases. "It would be monitored so that they [patients] wouldn't be ... passing it on to others who don't need it for medical purposes," said Bruno, who has supported legalization for several years.Gov. Eliot Spitzer, a former prosecutor, is a more recent convert. He opposed legalization a year ago in a gubernatorial primary debate. But earlier this week, he said, "I'm open to signing a bill if it is properly structured for appropriate use."Pot For Medical Use: A dozen states have legalized marijuana for medical use since 1996. They are:AlaskaCaliforniaColoradoHawaiiMaineMontanaNevadaNew MexicoOregonRhode IslandVermontWashington Source: The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Note: Senate leader nixes Assembly measure as too broad and plans to back alternative as adjournment looms.Source: Newsday (NY)Author: James T. MadorePublished: June 14, 2007Copyright: 2007 Newsday Inc.Contact: letters newsday.comWebsite: http://www.newsday.com/Related Articles & Web Site:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Legislators Grapple Over How to Legalize Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23071.shtmlDrive To Legalize Medical Marijuana Hits a Draghttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23070.shtml
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Comment #12 posted by whig on June 14, 2007 at 15:15:10 PT
How Tylenol works.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AM404This is an endogenous cannabinoid reuptake inhibitor, according to the article.
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Comment #11 posted by whig on June 14, 2007 at 15:11:01 PT
THCrack?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THC-O-acetate
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Comment #10 posted by goneposthole on June 14, 2007 at 09:28:43 PT
If you have the time
read this history of Al Capone:http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/capone/index_1.html
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Comment #9 posted by goneposthole on June 14, 2007 at 09:24:42 PT
Medicinal alcohol
During the height of Al Capone's reign of booze distribution, he was delivering 20,000 gallons of beer each day in and around Chicago. Maltsters were as busy as ever during alcohol prohibition.Cannabis growers are working night and day during Cannabis Prohibition in the 21st century. The demand never goes away.During Prohibition I, there were courts and judges and all sorts of legalese to prevent 'medicinal alcohol' from becoming legal.It's deja vu all over again. Move over, US gov, you're in the way again."... “Seldom has law been more flagrantly violated. Not only did Americans continue to manufacture, barter, and possess alcohol; they drank more of it” (Bowen, 154). The Americans that supported the law of prohibition argued that if drinking was not allowed, then Americans would drink less. Although the consumption of alcohol fell immediately after the beginning of prohibition, there was a subsequent increase after less than a year (see appendix i). After the start of prohibition, because manufacturing and importing alcohol were illegal, people needed to find ways to avoid being caught. Because beer had to be transported in large quantities, which became difficult, the price of beer went up and thus Americans began to drink less of it. Instead, they began to drink more hard liquor, which was more concentrated and easier to transport and thus less expensive. Because of prohibition, Americans began to drink more potent drinks and so became more drunk by drinking less. Another downfall of prohibition was that the illegally made products had no standards. Deaths from poisoned liquor rose from 1,064 in 1920 to 4,154 in 1925."http://www.geocities.com/Athens/troy/4399/Don't use drugs, especially the legal kind, use cannabis. It's better for you.
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Comment #8 posted by josephlacerenza on June 14, 2007 at 09:18:29 PT:
Prescription
I think you’re on to something. The only reason it would be mentioned as prescribed is to illicit a response, such as, "What the hell are those liberal doctors doing prescribing an illegal drug. Those damn Kevorkian’s!"
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Comment #7 posted by Hope on June 14, 2007 at 08:13:37 PT
Don't you just love it when the arrogant ignorant
try to dumb things down for what they seem to see as the ignorant masses?"Or maybe they just think more people will "get it" if they say "Prescription"...instead of "Recommendation.""Also, sometimes I think, I know I have, on occasion, gotten prescription, subscription and heaven knows what else mixed up and tangled together. So I guess we should be glad they aren't saying,"Subscription".And then again...maybe they use the word "prescription" hoping to cause a sensation or trouble making effect.
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Comment #6 posted by Hope on June 14, 2007 at 08:07:58 PT
Ooops.
That last post of mine should have been addressed to Josephlacerenza.Sorry.
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Comment #5 posted by Hope on June 14, 2007 at 08:06:26 PT
Prescription.
You're right. There is no "Prescription", that I'm aware of. It's all "Recommendation". People get excited...and rather ignorant, I think. Or maybe they just think more people will "get it" if they say "Prescription"...instead of "Recommendation."
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Comment #4 posted by josephlacerenza on June 14, 2007 at 07:41:00 PT:
What is this presciption thing?
I consider myself in the know when it comes to cannabis topics. I was under the impression that a doctor could not prescribe marijuana, but could recommend its use to help symptoms. In Oregon this was a point of great contention when drafting their Medical Marijuana law.
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Comment #3 posted by OverwhelmSam on June 14, 2007 at 07:06:31 PT
OT: No Market, No Drug Problem
This idiot is blaming the drug war failure on the illegal drug consumers. He couldn't be more wrong. The reason the war on drugs is being lost, is because drugs are not taxed and regulated by the government. The problem IS that there is a black market whcih will never go away until at least marijuana is legalizaed. After all, the black market is predicated on the back of the marijuana black market.http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n712/a01.html?999
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Comment #2 posted by potpal on June 14, 2007 at 05:59:37 PT
Lame Headline
Can't get much lamer. Good report though.It's the right thing to do.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on June 14, 2007 at 05:53:59 PT
Showtime Documentary Looks at Medical Marijuana
By Adam FinleyJune 13th 2007 It's often ignored in medical literature, but there are thousands of people who are unable to get high. These poor souls must live their day to day lives completely sober, and only a few who are able to get their hands on an herb known as "marijuana" can live the life they deserve: reading way too much into Mary Poppins and thinking a Twinkie dipped in ranch dressing is the best snack ever.But I kid the pot heads. More seriously, medical marijuana has had its supporters and detractors for many years, and a new feature-length doc from Showtime called In Pot We Trust will explore the issue by focusing on chronically ill patients who use the drug and obtain it through legal channels.Star Price (Penn and Teller: Bullshit) is producing the documentary. It will debut July 9 at 8:30 p.m. If you've seen the episode of Bullshit on marijuana, you know the fellas (and presumably Price) are all for legalization, especially for medical marijuana. It will be interesting to see how objective this documentary is. I've always been an advocate of any type of relief for sick people, but I'm always interested in hearing the other side of the argument, as well.Copyright: 2007, Weblogs, Inc. http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/06/13/showtime-documentary-looks-at-medical-marijuana/
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