cannabisnews.com: Poll Boosts Push for Medical Marijuana in Ohio

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  Poll Boosts Push for Medical Marijuana in Ohio

Posted by CN Staff on May 11, 2009 at 14:48:38 PT
By Julie Carr Amyth, AP Statehouse Correspondent  
Source: Chicago Tribune  

Columbus, Ohio -- Supporters of the use of marijuana for medical purposes in Ohio are headed back to the Statehouse armed with two new pieces of ammunition: recent legalization in neighboring Michigan and poll results showing a majority of Ohioans would favor the same in their state.Ed Orlett, Ohio representative for the Drug Policy Alliance, said Monday that even he was surprised when last week's Ohio Poll out of the University of Cincinnati showed such strong support for legalizing medical marijuana.
"It adds legitimacy to it here in Ohio," Orlett said. "Politicians usually tell us, 'If I do this, I'm going to get killed politically.' Well, apparently not, if you look at this."The poll found 73 percent of residents favor allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana for medical reasons, including majorities in every demographic group from age, race and religion to political party. The survey was taken by phone from April 16 to April 27 and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.For the Drug Policy Alliance, which fights for relaxed regulations nationwide, the poll brings new momentum after a series of political defeats in the state.In 2002, for example, voters roundly rejected a ballot proposal that would have given nonviolent first- and second-time drug offenders a constitutional right to drug treatment over jail. The issue went down 67 percent to 33 percent.A bill legalizing medical cannabis, meanwhile, died in committee last session after little debate. Its sponsor, Dayton area Democrat Tom Roberts, has since left the Senate, but Orlett said he now plans to approach other senators about backing a similar proposal this session.In testimony last year, Richard Wyderski, a doctor and professor at Wright State University's Department of Medicine, said marijuana has been found to improve appetite and weight in cancer and Alzheimer's patients and decrease spasms in multiple sclerosis and spinal injury patients. He said it's being studied for possible benefits for epilepsy and brain injuries.But the drug also has adverse effects: It increases some people's risk of panic or anxiety attacks, carries a risk to the lungs and is unproven in its benefits in any number of medical areas, Wyderski said.In Michigan and 13 other states, policymakers or voters have decided the benefits outweigh the risks and legalized marijuana for medical use. Eight of those states -- California, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Maine, Colorado, Hawaii and Nevada -- started their programs between 1996 and 2000. The others -- Maryland, Montana, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Mexico and now Michigan -- began theirs in the past five years.In a 2005 study funded by the advocate Marijuana Policy Project, Jeffrey Miron, a visiting economics professor at Harvard University, found that only 0.024 percent of Ohio arrests involve marijuana sale or possession, yet $20 million was spent each year on enforcement, court proceedings and incarceration.The Office of National Drug Control Policy's 2008 Marijuana Source Book reported that marijuana accounted for 40 percent of drug arrests nationally -- but only 2.5 percent of inmates in state prisons across the nation are there for marijuana-only offenses.The report disputes the notion that marijuana can be legalized for medical use without creeping into the rest of the population. It cites federal statistics that show eight of the 10 states with the highest percentage of residents who used marijuana within the past month also were states with medical marijuana programs. Five of the 10 states with the highest percentage of new youth marijuana users also had medical marijuana programs in place.On the Net:Drug Policy Alliance: http://www.drugpolicy.orgHarvard Economic Impact Study: http://www.prohibitioncosts.org/mironreport.htmlMarijuana Source Book 2008: http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/statistics/Marijuana--2008.pdfSource: Chicago Tribune (IL)Author: Julie Carr Amyth, AP Statehouse Correspondent Published: May 11, 2009Copyright: 2009 Chicago Tribune CompanyContact: ctc-TribLetter Tribune.comWebsite: http://www.chicagotribune.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/KiXOON8CCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml

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Comment #14 posted by AdaptBones on May 13, 2009 at 14:54:26 PT:
Disgusting
Old school huh? Well I'll tell you what prohibs, you go ahead and stay "old school" and we will bring and show you the "new school" way that things will be done now. Oh and by the way, that "old school" you keep refering to, consider the building condemed and we will keep you posted about when that edifice will be torn down. Blessed be because you aren't going to like the "new school" that doesn't respond to your "terror". Blessed be prohibs because you'll wallow in your own hate before too long.
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Comment #13 posted by Hope on May 13, 2009 at 08:32:25 PT
Afterburner. The prohibs enlisted professional
fear mongers and paid them well, to design the campaign that instilled that unreasonable fear, anger, and hatred in people... in this country and world wide.Apparently, there's never enough unreasonable fear over various things stirred up to suit those who consider themselves the controllers of society and those of us that aren't them. They don't need controlling, leading, or guiding, of course. Just the rest of us. They know everything and are never wrong."It is American society's unreasonable fear of "drugs" and "druggies" that spawned this unrighteous hatred and unjust persecution OF OUR OWN PEOPLE!"Instilling fear to control another is a well known tactic of governments and historical kings, dictators, and warlords. Fear of the fear mongers is important to establish, too. As in our quasi-military enforcers that will pulverize you and everyone around you if they can... and often take great pains to spell out to you and repeat it often, what they're capable of doing to you and displaying their awesome, terrible, and vast power to punish you... the "Message"... you know.When natural gas was killing people left and right, even blowing up entire school buildings... with students and teachers, too, our government set out to work the "message"... that, yes... some things are dangerous... but we can learn to live with that danger and control it... because some things make life go easier and more profitable for some, like natural gas and of course, automobiles and trucks and such. If commerce is increased... it's important enough to risk and even lose a few lives, even among the "children". 
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Comment #12 posted by afterburner on May 13, 2009 at 07:04:27 PT
Hope #10 
{
I didn't think my fellow Americans would or could do something like the Nazi's did because I imagined, and believed in, some great societal character that existed among us. We couldn't or wouldn't do that, even if we didn't have great character, which I thought we, more or less, collectively, did,but, we wouldn't because of our knowledge and understanding of history and past mistakes. Then the "War on Drugs" came along. I know better now.
}Sad, but true.“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
Yoda quotes (Fictional character from George Lucas's Star Wars) http://thinkexist.com/quotation/fear_is_the_path_to_the_dark_side-fear_leads_to/255552.htmlIt is American society's unreasonable fear of "drugs" and "druggies" that spawned this unrighteous hatred and unjust persecution OF OUR OWN PEOPLE!
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Comment #11 posted by Hope on May 12, 2009 at 09:03:49 PT
Sam Adams Comment 6. So true!
"Those cops might as well have had "Pfizer" badges on their sleeves."
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on May 12, 2009 at 09:01:58 PT
Comment 2 Charmed Quark
"According to volunteers, the officers kicked down the doors a little after 6:00 pm last Saturday evening without a warrant for the second time in 2 days, claiming they needed to sweep the office to make sure there was nobody in the building with a weapon. They were unwilling to state any reasons for breaking in other than they were "investigating for crimes". They held everyone in the collective for over 4 hours while they attempted to obtain a search warrant."Oh, Lord. I can't help but think of Nazis, Stazi, Gestapo,Third Reich. Anne Frank was my childhood heroine and is still my favorite child hero. Their were many children like her that never left a trace of their existence. I was fascinated by the horror and history of the Holocaust and Hitler and his minions. I felt it was imperative to know about it, even as a child. I know more than I ever wanted to know... but I know I should know, about it. People get all shook up about Jason and Friday the Thirteenth. They ought to learn every thing they can about the Holocaust if they want horror. They ought to search the internet and images and see every documentary and movie ever made about it. Want terror? A lasting sense of fear and dread? A major production? Is death and torture what you want to see? The Holocaust has it all. Look into what hatred, racism, insanity, intolerance, and Adolf Hitler spawned in Germany in the nineteen thirties. It was the law. It was legal and it was all based on someone's idea of how human's ought to be and an excuse for destroying people that were different than them or disagreed with them. Before the War on Drugs, I used to think decent Americans would never treat their fellow man like those people in Germany treated their fellow man... most of whom were their fellow citizens and neighbors. I really, really believed that Americans knew better and would never, could never, do anything like that bunch of "Following orders" people in Germany did, and the citizens there that let it happen and even supported it. I didn't think my fellow Americans would or could do something like the Nazi's did because I imagined, and believed in, some great societal character that existed among us. We couldn't or wouldn't do that, even if we didn't have great character, which I thought we, more or less, collectively, did,but, we wouldn't because of our knowledge and understanding of history and past mistakes. Then the "War on Drugs" came along. I know better now. 
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Comment #9 posted by The GCW on May 11, 2009 at 21:58:14 PT
OLD SCHOOL (comment #2)
That says a lot about "old school." Had a Ford like that once. Got tired of it. Got rid of it. 
Makes Me dislike cops a lot. Bags of poop.Ignoid cops with no compassion, respect, gears, warm blood, sense of direction, working thought process... -0-My B.S. isn't going to help...I hope to read in the future how they get their town and everything responsible sued to the dickens.Sue them to the fullest extent of the law. -Till they expire.That WILL help. 
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on May 11, 2009 at 19:09:41 PT

ekim
I would have liked to have seen him but we watched The Rachel Maddow Show. Her program is really good. I didn't know he was on Larry King. I barely watch CNN anymore. It's MSNBC or a channel other then news these days.
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Comment #7 posted by ekim on May 11, 2009 at 18:48:25 PT

Jesse Ventura 
on Larry King now
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Comment #6 posted by Sam Adams on May 11, 2009 at 17:18:31 PT

raid
>>>Her husband Richard said she is on high doses of morphine and occasionally steroids. The combinations of pills leave her nauseous."Because of the cannabis, she can cut those pills (usage) in half," he said. "Which is kind of a blessing." There it is again - the familiar refrain that Big Pharma hates to hear. Patients love replacing most prescription meds with cannabis because of their nasty side effects. Those cops might as well have had "Pfizer" badges on their sleeves.At least the feds weren't involved here, that's good news. I see the usual list of stabbings, beatings, etc. on the Pomona newspaper site, I guess the cops are too busy for that stuff with evil cannabis on the loose.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on May 11, 2009 at 16:06:45 PT

charmed quark 
I'm sorry. I didn't mean the one you mentioned. It sounds like they don't want a center there. I can't tell one area from another in California except LA and San Francisco. It's a big state.
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Comment #4 posted by charmed quark on May 11, 2009 at 15:52:43 PT

not a lot of money
I doubt this collective was pulling in any money. As far as I can tell, they were a collective like WAMM, not a dispensary, and had only been open 7 days.They were also a pretty small collective. It sounds like the cops just don't want one there. I think it was the only place in Pomona - a small town east of LA ( not in the valley as I said before). My wife and I use to go there for the LA county fair to check out the livestock and to go to the rodeo. It had that "watch out for the small town police" feel.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on May 11, 2009 at 15:39:40 PT

charmed quark 
I really think they are going to start getting people who are making a lot of money in California. I remember feeling the same way a couple of months before Marc Emery was arrested. I hope this feeling isn't correct but I sure do have it.
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Comment #2 posted by charmed quark on May 11, 2009 at 15:28:20 PT

Pomona dispensary raid
http://www.dailybulletin.com/search/ci_12276053?IADID=Search-www.dailybulletin.com-www.dailybulletin.comA rather mild description of the raid by local police. Pomona is in the Valley outside of LA. Here's some eyewitness accounts:According to volunteers, the officers kicked down the doors a little after 6:00 pm last Saturday evening without a warrant for the second time in 2 days, claiming they needed to sweep the office to make sure there was nobody in the building with a weapon. They were unwilling to state any reasons for breaking in other than they were "investigating for crimes".  They held everyone in the collective for over 4 hours while they attempted to obtain a search warrant. During this time, Pomona Police officers threatened numerous patients at the collective, including the driver of a terminally ill cancer patient who had been filling out the proper paper work in the waiting room. The cancer patient, who appeared gravely ill, asked the police officers if he could get the help of the volunteers to pick up his medicine and go home. The officers responded by telling him to go to a real pharmacy and get a prescription from a real doctor. They then forced the cancer patient's driver to leave the parking lot and drive off or he would be arrested. The ill man, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy and required assistance of collective volunteers just to walk to the door, was left in the waiting room with no medicine and no ride home. When he asked the officers to provide him with a ride home they refused.The volunteers repeatedly asked officers to leave the premises until they could obtain a warrant. When asked to see a copy of a warrant, the officers claimed they didn't need one. Sergeant Leonard of Pomona PD said to a volunteer who had asked for a warrant, "You better be careful what you say to me son, because I am old school," which the volunteer took this as a threat of physical violence. Witnesses also claimed that officers stated they did not care about Proposition 215 or SB 420, repeating over and over that this was their turf, and that they were "old school."They laughed at other patients and told them to go to a hospital if they needed medicine.UGHHHHHHHH!
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 11, 2009 at 14:58:13 PT

Ohio
I never expect anything to happen in my state because it never does but it is nice to think it might happen. We have a Democrat as Governor now and we went Blue this past November so maybe the tide is turning for Ohio.
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