cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Should Be Considered Medical Marijuana Should Be Considered Posted by CN Staff on February 09, 2005 at 21:49:57 PT Staff Editorial Source: Auburn Plainsman Alabama could join a growing number of states examining alternatives to traditional medications if a state legislator introduces a medical marijuana bill this session.Rep. Laura Hall, D- Madison, said she plans to announce on Feb. 17 that the Compassionate Use Act for Medical Marijuana will be part of her legislative agenda. The bill, still in draft form, will be similar to legislation passed in states like California, where marijuana use is legal when prescribed by a physician for patients with certain ailments. “It would have to be disease-specific,” Hall said. “We’re really a very conservative state. It would certainly not be anything outlandish.”A Mobile Register-University of South Alabama poll showed that 75 percent of 417 respondents supported the idea of medical marijuana if used under a doctor’s supervision.We hope state legislators are as open-minded about the issue as the Alabamians polled.The government-funded Institute of Medicine has acknowledged the benefits of THC (marijuana’s primary active ingredient), and it seems to be a viable alternative to highly addictive medications like hydrocodine and Oxycontin.Smoking marijuana does come with its own health risks (largely from the smoke itself), but so does every other medication known to man. A competent physician can determine if the risks are worthwhile. Legislators should leave the medicine to the doctors. Complete Title: Our View : Looking Elsewhere: Medical Marijuana Should Be ConsideredSource: Auburn Plainsman, The (AL Edu)Published: February 10, 2005Copyright: 2005 The Auburn PlainsmanContact: letters theplainsman.comWebsite: http://www.theplainsman.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #13 posted by solomatova on February 11, 2005 at 15:53:08 PT: Marijuana must be legalized The government should legalize marijuana for medical use.The use of Marihuana has become one of the hottest issues not only in America but in the whole world. The society was divided into two groups: the group of pros and the group of cons. Recently California and Arizona have passed the laws that allowed the use of cannabis. That law protected the patience or caregivers for growing or possessing cannabis if they have doctor’s recommendation. Doctors are protected for recommending cannabis as a medicine. Still other States think that it is illegal and dangerous that restrict many people from using it in order to prevent the feel of pain and spreading of different illnesses. In my opinion the use of marijuana must be legalized by the following contentions.1. Cannabis is not as addictive as other illegal drugs, and it physiological effects are less severe than tobacco or alcohol.There is nothing wrong with cannabis as long as it is not abused. In Switzerland marijuana was legalized after the research that proved the harm to health from marihuana is less than harm from smoking or drinking. Everyday people die from alcoholism; die from cancer of lungs that was caused by smoking and still these products are legal. Why? What is the difference if marijuana brings even less harm than these products? Most doctors believe that it is less addictive than tobacco or alcohol. It is harmless unless you abuse it. Even if you abuse caffeine, cigarettes, or even pizza, health problems are sure to follow. 2. Doctors should allowed to recommend marijuana if they think it will ease the sufferings of patients who are very ill.Keith Fordham 51 and his wife 49 smoked the illegal drug in order to combat pain they suffered from their illness. Mr. Fordman has a crumbling spine, asthma and emphysema and was on 15 pills a day. His wife has cancer and chronic arthritis. He claims “ the only way to get a sleep was to smoke the drug” “ this is the only thing that does not have any side effects. The one thing that helps we cannot have”. The use of marihuana eases the health problems. It helps with the symptoms of depression, whiplash back pain, tinnitus, scleroses, glaucoma, cancer and AIDS sufferings. It helps in the method of treatment drug addictive people. Marihuana can have a widespread use in medicine that can have many people who can not find any methods or other medicine how to combat the pain. 3. Marihuana will be a source of additional tax revenue and reduction of crime on the streets.An enormous amount of money is raised through government taxation of cigarettes and alcohol. The legalization of marihuana would create another item that could be taxed. It will be extra money for the government. This money will be extra for schools for police who will be fighting with a real crime. Moreover the legalization of marihuana will create competition for the drug dealers thus they can lose a part of their business. The cost of the legal marihuana will be cheaper than illegal marijuana. As far as we know many people in order to get drugs have to committee the crime to get money. The cheaper prices would reduce the crime on the streets because people don’t have to buy very expensive drug. Moreover with the legalization the Security Border, Police, FBI will be focused on more serious issues such as terrorism, harder drugs, murder, rape etc.4. The FDI and others could regulate the quality and safety of drugs.Many drug users get sick or die because of the poorly prepared products. And if the product was bought illegal there is no one to blame. By bringing marijuana into the legitimate business world, you can oversee production and regulate sales. 5.Drug busts often trap young people in a flawed system that turns them into lifelong.Imagine an impressionable teenager who is tired of earning min wage, who hates living in a poor ghetto area, who needs to save money for college. He is offered an opportunity to make some decent money simply caring some drugs across the street. He is busted, he is thrown in jail. He becomes a friend with other delinquents. When he gets out of the school his job and college prospects are slammed because of a felony record and disruption of school. If marihuana is legalized the possibility of young people involvement in the drug affair is less. As you see our society will get a lot of advantages from legalization of marijuana not only from the medical aspect but also from economical and social. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by afterburner on February 11, 2005 at 09:23:25 PT Simple Truth for the New Millennium "Legislators should leave the medicine to the doctors." See also: Dr. Mikuriya's Medicine [historical] http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/19/thread19768.shtmlTod Mikuriya, MD, former director of non-classified marijuana research for the National Institute of Mental Health Center for Narcotics and Drug Abuse Studies The same Tod Mikuriya was accused of writing marijuana recommendations for 7,500 of his patients without conducting sufficient medical examinations by the Medical Board of California, which has moved to revoke or suspend the doctor's license. Marijuana Doctor Facing Revocation of License [historical] http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread16847.shtmlTod Mikuriya, once director of NIMH Center for Narcotics and Drug Abuse Studies! Can anyone possibly see this Medical Board of California action as anything else than a political ploy?ego transcendence follows ego destruction, stop the lies, connect the dots, the truth will out! Tod Mikuriya http://mikuriya.com/index.htmlMedical Freedom Amendment for 2005; let us heed the words of Benjamin Rush, George Washington's personal doctor and a signer of the Declaration of Independence: "Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine will organize into an undercover dictatorship. To restrict the art of healing to one class of men and deny equal privileges to others will constitute the Bastille of medical science. All such laws are un-american and despotic and have no place in a republic. The Constitution of this republic should make special privilege for medical freedom as well as religious freedom."Medical Freedom Amendment for 2005, just to reinforce the medical prerogative of the states guaranteed by the 10th Amendment of the Bill of Rights.Inroads made by alternative health wing of integrative medicine:New book -- "Midlife Meltdown" --Dr. Janet PhD - womens health and nutrition http://www.drjanetphd.com/main.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by John Tyler on February 10, 2005 at 13:15:59 PT The people want it. Isn’t it odd that when polled the public usually votes for less restrictive cannabis laws every time, usually by a wide margin? I hope the politicians wake up and notice this. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by FoM on February 10, 2005 at 08:04:06 PT mayan Thank you! I didn't see your comment but I have it posted now.http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread20220.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by ekim on February 10, 2005 at 07:58:30 PT not just Med. farmers, educators, manufactures, Kapt i do feel that unions should be of utmost importance to the population. Now that the gop has it eyes on the five trillion in S.S. accounts. saying that their is not enough workers to pay in. And in the same breath the gop saying that outsourcing is good for USA Afterburner-- has it right on wall mart the only two stores to go union are in Canada and wallmart just closed one of those cause the people wanted more say in how they were treated. Sooner or later the dems must help the people recover from the loss of basic human rights. We must get back to the premis that we treat each other as how we act, and not reward those who take away human rights because someone thinks that what a person does in their own time is there business. Sen. Obama of IL. should start this public debate by backing the IL. Med.Cannabis law if he is a law maker of the people. http://www.leap.cc/events [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by mayan on February 10, 2005 at 07:49:16 PT Send A LTE Let's bombard The Southern!Submit a LTE...http://www.thesouthern.com/template.php?p=scripts/letter_to_editor.php [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by potpal on February 10, 2005 at 07:48:12 PT Spain progress for medpot... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4253787.stm [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by mayan on February 10, 2005 at 07:42:00 PT Expert??? Barthwell is at it again...EXPERT RAILS AGAINST MEDICAL MARIJUANA http://www.thesouthern.com/articles/2005/02/10/top/doc420b62bb79879545870583.txtTime for some more LTE's! [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by kaptinemo on February 10, 2005 at 07:03:28 PT: Unrelated: Blog Alert! Blog Alert! (I'm gonna have to start using that as a macro if this keeps up.)M. Simon's Power & Control http://powerandcontrol.blogspot.com/I like the way he thinks; another reform-minded trench-fighter not afraid to fire both barrels at hypocrisy and stupidity. Another one worth checking out, so says I. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by mayan on February 10, 2005 at 06:53:45 PT No Accountability Remember Veronica and Charity Bowers?A CIA cover-up? No one accountable on death of a missionary and her baby: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6940982/After four years the Justice Department suddenly drops the investigation. Surprise,Surprise! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by mayan on February 10, 2005 at 06:38:08 PT unrelated Ailing Catalans to try cannabis: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4253787.stmOn an unrelated note...Elmira, NY Elmira joins the four states,366 cities,towns and counties that have already passed resolutions,ordinances or ballot initiatives to protect the civil liberties of their 56,109,328 residents...RESOLUTION TO PRESERVE RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES IN ELMIRA: http://www.bordc.org/elmira-resElmira Becomes A Civil Liberties Safe Zone: http://www.weny.com/News-Local.asp?ARTICLE3864=39134Bill of Rights Defense Committee: http://www.bordc.org/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by mayan on February 10, 2005 at 04:34:33 PT Smokeless Smoking marijuana does come with its own health risks (largely from the smoke itself), but so does every other medication known to man. A competent physician can determine if the risks are worthwhile.Cannabis doesn't have to be smoked. As soon as the media picks up on that fact and stops regurgitating the government's propaganda it will go a long way toward freeing the weed! How can eating or vaporizing cannabis be bad? It can't!Here are a couple tid-bits... Defence in N.B. pot trial seizes on Ottawa's slow response to medical need: http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=canada_home&articleID=1841010Gran eats cannabis on Blair's doorstep: http://tinyurl.com/64r35THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...Montreal terrorist suspect testifies - Calls 9/11 world's biggest conspiracy: http://tinyurl.com/49a6g Popular Mechanics' Deceptive Hit Piece Against 9/11 Truth: http://911review.com/pm/markup/index.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by CorvallisEric on February 09, 2005 at 23:29:24 PT More about the poll http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/19/thread19135.shtml [ Post Comment ] Post Comment