Medical Marijuana's Moment

Wavels

Well-Known Member
I thought this was worthy of sharing...
Wavels

:joint:


Medical Marijuana's Moment


Rob Kampia

Rob Kampia is executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C.

On March 14, New Mexico's state legislature assured that New Mexico will become the 12th state to allow seriously ill patients to use medical marijuana without fear of arrest. It also proved that the medical marijuana movement—based on science, compassion and plain common sense—is now unstoppable.

The New Mexico bill isn't law yet, but there isn't much left that could stop it. Not only did it pass both houses of the legislature by solid margins (the vote in the state Senate was an astonishing 32-3), Gov. Bill Richardson is a longtime supporter, so his signature—which could come any day now—is assured.

Indeed, the most noteworthy aspect of the bill's passage may be how little controversy there was. Medical marijuana legislation was supported by a broad coalition that included the New Mexico Public Health Association and the New Mexico Nurses Association.

The governor, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, hailed passage of the measure with a statement saying, "This bill will provide much-needed relief for New Mexicans suffering from debilitating diseases while including the proper safeguards to prevent abuse.” He called medical marijuana "a humane option for New Mexicans who endure some of the most painful diseases imaginable.”

What politicians have finally learned is that medical marijuana is one of those issues where science, compassion and good politics all come together.

On the scientific front, new data arrive almost daily. Just last month, a study in the journal Neurology demonstrated that marijuana is capable of safely relieving a type of debilitating nerve pain that causes great misery to thousands suffering from AIDS.

Not long before that, a University of California study linked medical marijuana to success in treating the potentially deadly hepatitis C virus (HCV): The drugs used to treat HCV are so unpleasant—causing nausea and other noxious side effects—that many patients fail to complete their drug regimens. But marijuana relieves these side effects, and in this study that led to more patients successfully completing treatment. Most importantly, it led to three times as many successfully ridding themselves of the deadly virus.

Medical marijuana relieves suffering in a number of situations where there is no effective, legal treatment. Multiple sclerosis patients, for example, commonly suffer a kind of nerve pain similar to what the AIDS patients in the Neurology study endured; again there are no legal drugs that are consistently safe and effective. TV talk show host Montel Williams has spoken eloquently of how marijuana relieves the intense pain his MS causes him every day, and science is increasingly backing up such anecdotal evidence.

Support for medical marijuana is growing on all fronts. Medical groups like the American Public Health Association and American Nurses Association are being joined by religious denominations like the United Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church (USA), plus a variety of others, from Consumer Reports magazine to the Gray Panthers.

The American public, too, is solidly behind medical marijuana. An October 2005 Gallup poll found that 78 percent of voters supported allowing physicians to prescribe marijuana to reduce pain and suffering. Politicians are learning that supporting medical marijuana doesn't cost them support—it gains them votes.

At this point, the only real opposition is coming from the federal government, still stuck in 1937 and ignoring science in favor of a rigid, ideological opposition to medical marijuana. In late February the White House drug czar's office put out yet another "fact sheet" claiming there is no evidence that marijuana is a useful medicine, simply ignoring the recent research that proves otherwise.

But, as New Mexico's legislature has just proved, hardly anyone is listening to the White House on this issue anymore. Science, compassion and common sense are winning the day, and it's about time.
TomPaine.com - Medical Marijuana's Moment
 

TillthedayiDIE420

Well-Known Member
Hoora! Hoora! for Marijuana Good thread man keep it up!

I hope the Federal government stops this insanity... there dilberate attempt to banish marijuana to keep billionars billionars is pathetic, they should fuck off and realize they are wrong and Marijuana is a Wonder drug.
AlterNet: DrugReporter: Marijuana Gains Wonder Drug Status

Here are some other faq's The Marijuana Conspiracy - The Real Reason Hemp is Illegal | Alternative News Network

The Real Reason Hemp is Illegal

TruthBox - The Marijuana Conspiracy - The Real Reason Hemp is Illegal

Go Marijuana!
 

Wavels

Well-Known Member
Thanks Victor!
Hehehe, Fred Thompson?....hahaha!

I think the title of article and thread says it all...


Medical Marijuana's Moment

Now is the time for the apolitical among us to become involved in the struggle for the liberation of the precious herb!
 

CannaBoss

Well-Known Member
great post!
pretty soon it will be a majority of states that have approved the measure
the assholes in DC will have to submit.
 
F

FallenHero

Guest
Yes... indeed, and i'm a happy resident of another state, which is working dearly on it. Said to maybe #13.

There are statments in here that anger me though, and i shall underline them for you


[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Daily News [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] OAKS' BILL WOULD ALLOW MARIJUANA FOR MEDICAL USES
by Sharahn D. Boykin, Capital News Service, (Source:Baltimore Messenger)
[/FONT] writeNewsItems();[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]14 Mar 2007
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Maryland
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Before her arrest three years ago, the first thing Leslie Miller did when she woke up each morning was reach for her bong and take four or five tokes of marijuana.

She wasn't trying to get high, but simply to make it through the day without the back spasms and debilitating headaches that she said have tormented her since a serious car accident nearly 20 years ago.

"You don't get high," Miller said of her use of the drug, "and at the same time you feel better because you're not taking a narcotic."

The 49-year-old Chestertown mother of two was in Annapolis this week to support legislation introduced by a north Baltmore-area legislator that would make Maryland the 12th state to allow patients to use marijuana for medicinal purposes.

The bill, sponsored by Del. Nathaniel T. Oaks, would allow patients who qualify to grow marijuana legally.

"I'm here because I feel for people that need this treatment," Oaks told members of the House Judiciary Committee.

Miller is hoping such a law will spare others from having the arrest and conviction on drug charges she carries on her record. Because she is on probation from those charges, Miller said she no longer uses marijuana.

Although medical opinion is divided on whether the chemical ingredients in marijuana actually have therapeutic or medicinal value, the federal government has no doubts. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved marijuana for medical uses, and the White House has opposed legislation that would allow it. In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government can still ban possession of the drug in states that have eliminated sanctions for its use.

"This is poor public policy, poor law and poor science," Dr. Bertha Madras, deputy director for demand eduction in the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said in an interview.

Under state law, people who use the drug medicinally can be arrested, prosecuted for possession of marijuana or paraphernalia, or fined up to $100.

Should the legislation pass, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene would issue picture identification cards to patients who qualify to use medical marijuana.

The proposal also exempts caregivers from arrests, penalties and disciplinary action.

"This is recognizing the beneficial use of marijuana and the fact that some people need it," said Sen. Lisa A. Gladden. "We understand what the federal government is saying, but we also recognize the federal government is not going to spend any energy on a person who has six little plants."

The proposed bill would allow people to grow up to 12 marijuana plants and own 2.5 ounces of "usable marijuana." State police say each marijuana plant yields a pound or two of loose marijuana. (russ0r: lol, how many of us get these yields? rofl)

Opponents of the proposal argue that there's a lack of evidence that the drug has therapeutic effects and are concerned about potential abuse.
(RUSS0R: BULLSHIT LOOK HOW MUCH EVIDENCE THERE IT, WHAT THE HELL?)

"The bill is so open-ended that it is hazardous to people," Madras said. "Many people suffer from lower back pain and aches from joints. You realize how open to abuse that can be for the public."

Such a policy could result in a number of people telling their doctor that nothing else works, just to get the drug, Madras said.
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