cannabisnews.com: Californians Must Look at Science of Marijuana
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Californians Must Look at Science of Marijuana
Posted by CN Staff on August 21, 2010 at 05:02:41 PT
By Timmen Cermak
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
California -- Like so many political debates in our society, the argument over Proposition 19, the initiative to legalize marijuana in California, is portrayed as good vs. evil, black vs. white, us vs. them - while nobody is looking objectively at the medical science of marijuana. If research does enter the debate, each side touts the scientific bits that bolster its arguments and then ignores the rest.The California Society of Addiction Medicine is in a unique position: We take no position on Prop. 19, but we wish Californians would look at the research before they make up their minds on how to vote.
We are the doctors who specialize in the treatment of drug abuse; we work every day with people addicted to drugs, including alcohol. We are a diverse group of doctors committed to combining science and compassion to treat our patients, support their families and educate public policy makers.Less than one-third of the Society of Addiction Medicine's 400 physician members believe prison deters substance abuse. Most believe addiction can be remedied more effectively by the universal availability of treatment. When, according to the FBI, nearly half - 750,000 - of all drug arrests in 2008 in the United States were for marijuana possession, not sales or trafficking, we risk inflicting more harm on society than benefit. Prop. 19 does offer a way out of these ineffective drug policies.However, two-thirds of our members believe legalizing marijuana would increase addiction and increase marijuana's availability to adolescents and children. A recent Rand Corp. study estimates that Prop. 19 would produce a 58 percent increase in annual marijuana consumption in California, raising the number of individuals meeting clinical criteria for marijuana abuse or dependence by 305,000, to a total of 830,000.The question of legalizing marijuana creates a conflict between protecting civil liberties and promoting public health, between desire and prudence, between current de facto legalization in cannabis clubs and revenue-generating retail marijuana sales. Snipped Complete Article: http://drugsense.org/url/SYhokDxNSource: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Author: Timmen CermakPublished: Saturday, August 21, 2010Copyright: 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Contact: letters sfchronicle.comWebsite: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/ CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #9 posted by GentleGiant on August 24, 2010 at 05:54:35 PT:
And these guys call themselves, Doctors?
It really bugs me to see that here we have these docs in an important position and they don't even know their a**hole from a hole in the ground. Looks like they haven't looked outside the 'DEA's' talking points. If they had actually researched, looking for their answers, their conclusions would have been quite different. Beside, irritability, is that suppose to be some kind of withdrawal symtom on the level of heroin?
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Comment #8 posted by Canis420 on August 21, 2010 at 23:16:29 PT:
Stormcrow
Fuckin A! Sorry for the profanity but wtf...
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Comment #7 posted by Storm Crow on August 21, 2010 at 22:13:29 PT
Kapt,
I totally agree with you. The prevalence of bowel disease is another good indicator of CB deficiencies. Ask a group of women "How many of you have a touch of IBS?" and half the audience will raise their hands! Failure to thrive in infants, Alzheimer's in the elderly, cancer, bowel disorders- it's all tied up with the deficiencies we experience in our diet!And CBD! Talk about something that is overlooked and under-appreciated! CBD can prevent prion damage (Mad Cow Disease), kills MRSA on contact, slows (kills?) several cancers and SO much more- and it can't get you "high", it just calms you, at the most! I can foresee CBD sprays being used in hospitals, schools and prisons, places where MRSA and "being upset" are common.When this all comes out, there's going to be a LOT of explaining to do! And I have no doubt that heads will roll! On the most basic levels, we are literally being deprived of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" by prohibition. Isn't that a bit of a high price for using a safe herbal medicine?
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Comment #6 posted by kaptinemo on August 21, 2010 at 16:15:35 PT:
Storm Crow, it looks like you've vindicated me
As you've pointed out, there may be individuals (I would posit there are, and I may be one) born with (for want of a better word) genetically 'defective' CBD receptors. In which case, in such individuals, we are not witnessing addictive behavior but attempts to correct a severe imbalance. Chronic depression may in fact be a manifestation of this critical imbalance. Treating said depression with cannabis (as I have) could be a form of instinctual self-medication.I would also posit that a modern diet lacking in the sort of components inherent in cannabis (thanks to prohibition), and not just the psychoactive ones, has caused in certain individuals a predisposition for vulnerability to various immunodeficiency diseases...such as cancer. At least three generations ago, cancer struck one in 5 of the population. Diets that included cananbis products were common then. But now? It's a coin-toss as to whether you'll get cancer in your lifetime. IMHO, two generations have been subjected to what amounts to a cruel experiment, and the results of said experiment may be the huge increase in cancer in the general population - due in no small part to the lack of those dietary cannabis components (such as linoleic acids).If this is indeed the case, then cannabis prohibition constitutes not only an offense to the ideas of freedom and liberty, but a crime against humanity. For by denying it to the general population, and thus causing an increase in the incidence of life-threatening diseases, proponents of drug prohibition may some day be accused of genocide.
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Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on August 21, 2010 at 09:40:21 PT
treatment nazis on parade
what a surprise, more greed on display.
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Comment #4 posted by Canis420 on August 21, 2010 at 09:27:16 PT:
Addiction
I have some pretty severe insomnia when I withhold cannabis...is this not a physical symptom?
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Comment #3 posted by ekim on August 21, 2010 at 08:46:16 PT
how many of the 375k were for matabolites
When, according to the FBI, nearly half - 750,000 - of all drug arrests in 2008 in the United States were for marijuana possession, not sales or trafficking, we risk inflicting more harm on society than benefit. Prop. 19 does offer a way out of these ineffective drug policieshttp://michiganmedicalmarijuana.org/topic/22496-driving-while-medicated-and-the-impact-of-feezel-the-recent-michigan-supreme-court-case/page__pid__197128#entry197128The court held that evidence of the metabolite left in the human body when the psychoactive component of marijuana breaks down is not the same as evidence of the psychoactive component itself
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Comment #2 posted by Storm Crow on August 21, 2010 at 08:32:16 PT
Kapt,
I'm not too sure about cannabis not being physically addictive in SOME individuals, in a sense. There have been mice bred with damaged or absent CB receptors. They look and act normal but have subtle physical problems that frequently leads to earlier death and higher than normal death rates. Mice and man have a lot in common- enough so, that mice are used to model what drugs may do in man. Genetic defects that appear in mice, also frequently appear in man. I propose that those CB defective mice may have their human counterparts. People who need phytocannabinoids to augment or supplement their defective physical systems- much like type 1 diabetics need insulin!(Read Dr. Ethan Russo's "Endocannabinoid Deficiency Theory", if you haven't already)These people would suffer physically when their cannabinoid medicine is withdrawn. Various physiological processes would be thrown back into their pre-cannabis, defective state, leaving the patients feeling comparatively "bad", in other words suffering from a withdrawal from cannabis.But, for most of us, having a normal CB system, "there ain't no such animal" as cannabis addiction! And this recent article, written by a FORMER drug counselor with over 20 years of experience, gives the other side of the "treating marijuana addiction" story- as "easy money" for the taking!http://mensnewsdaily.com/2010/08/08/when-your-kid-smokes-pot/
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Comment #1 posted by kaptinemo on August 21, 2010 at 05:44:21 PT:
Children, can you say, "Conflict of interest"
Suuuuure you can!The 'California Society of Addiction Medicine' had best review its' understanding of the word 'addiction'. If any 'marijuana addiction' exists, it's purely psychological...as just about any researcher who doesn't have a monetary stake in promoting otherwise (significant look in the CSAM's direction) will tell you.And this is the telling point: "Prop. 19 erroneously states that marijuana "is not physically addictive." This myth has been scientifically proven to be untrue." No evidence is provided to substantiate this claim, no links, etc. No, we're supposed to 'trust' them...again, trust those whose bias in favor of continued prohibition is painfully obvious. And that bias is fueled by what? Money, of course.Some more mendacity: "Physicians see many people who seek help in quitting marijuana." Again, no numbers given. No hint as to whether that 'treatment' is court-mandated. Does this smell rotten to you, yet?Again and again and again, follow the money. How much of their funding does the CSAM's members receive from court-mandated 'treatment' for cannabis? "Inquiring minds want to know!"
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