DEA to legalize marijuana!
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voluptuary_manque
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Or someone having an unsubstantiated rant?
RoyceConnors
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All the DEA is doing is giving Pharma's a chance to be 'dealers' in a lucrative market. They know the income that marijuana can make and can't bring themselves to admit the entire campain to stamp out Marijuana has been a total waste of taxpayors time and money.
They know if the plant itself is legalized, the prisons would be almost empty and lawsuits filed up the wazoo for wrongful imprisonment. The best they could do is offer a full pardon and let this injustice slide into the annuls of history.
Maybe as a form of compensation, they could release all the smokers and let them work in the new industry as growers and processors. Use the 100's of billions spent on combating the plant and users and hand it out in small business loans.
Within 5 years, the economy would thrive and unemployment would be down in no time. The biggest irony, is that Americans can do everything with Hemp, but grow it. How much sense does that make? It has to be imported from everywhere else at a higher cost, making products costlier than they need to be.
All I can say in a positive sense, is that it's moving in the right direction.
They know if the plant itself is legalized, the prisons would be almost empty and lawsuits filed up the wazoo for wrongful imprisonment. The best they could do is offer a full pardon and let this injustice slide into the annuls of history.
Maybe as a form of compensation, they could release all the smokers and let them work in the new industry as growers and processors. Use the 100's of billions spent on combating the plant and users and hand it out in small business loans.
Within 5 years, the economy would thrive and unemployment would be down in no time. The biggest irony, is that Americans can do everything with Hemp, but grow it. How much sense does that make? It has to be imported from everywhere else at a higher cost, making products costlier than they need to be.
All I can say in a positive sense, is that it's moving in the right direction.
Stella_Omega
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Good post, Royce.
stephen55
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If you follow the link in the OP and then follow the link in that story about THC can help cancer patients regain their appetites, you come to this story.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/22/ingredient-in-cannabis-restores-taste-for-cancer-patients/#
THC -- delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive chemical in cannabis, is a very interesting and useful chemical. It is an effective anti-nauseant for patients receiving chemotherapy and in AIDS patients, where it does increase appetite. It also is effective in reducing intra-ocular pressure in glaucoma.
It has been used to reduce chronic pain. THC has also been found to relieve certain symptoms of multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injuries. It has been used as an antispasmodic in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. The list of medical conditions that have been found to be helped by THC seems to grow day by day.
The pharmacology of THC is well understood. What isn't well understood is why patients in medical studies given capsules containing specific doses of THC, purified from cannabis tend to report good results, while patients who have prescriptions that allow them to purchase medical marijuana, seldom report any benefit from capsules of medical grade THC and insist that they only get any benefit from smoking the good stuff.
It's kind of like a problem that existed a few decades ago with a pain relieving medication called Talwin. (Pentazocine and ASA (aspirin)) Pentazocine is a synthetic narcotic.
Talwin came in two forms. One had pentazocine and the ASA mixed in the tablet. The other had a core of pure pentazocine surrounded by the ASA. The druggie types would separate the pure pentazocine from the ASA, and inject the pure narcotic.
Needless to say, when they came around the office asking for Talwin, the druggies would insist that only the tablet that worked for them was the one with the extractable pentazocine. I'm not sure how this was handled in the US but in Canada, the form with the extractable pentazocine was banned.
Let's just say that for working docs, deciding who needs the narcotics versus those who want the narcotics is a never ending process. I'll predict that the same will continue with regards to medical marijuana and/or THC.
That said, let me pass on a bit of advice I got from a doc who specialized in treating narcotic addicts.
When working in your office or in the Emergency room, when faced with a new patient who asks for narcotics, no matter what the story, if you refuse 100% of the time, you will be correct 99% of the time.
Like all docs, I would occasionally buy into a story and give a script for narcotics to a new patient, usually seen in Emerg. This was usually followed, about two weeks later, with a letter from my Provincial College of Physicians and Surgeons that went something like this...
Dear Doctor, re: patient so and so. You have been identified as the twentieth physician to prescribe (insert name of narcotic drug) to this patient in the past month.
Loose translation...you got conned, you moron.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/22/ingredient-in-cannabis-restores-taste-for-cancer-patients/#
THC -- delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive chemical in cannabis, is a very interesting and useful chemical. It is an effective anti-nauseant for patients receiving chemotherapy and in AIDS patients, where it does increase appetite. It also is effective in reducing intra-ocular pressure in glaucoma.
It has been used to reduce chronic pain. THC has also been found to relieve certain symptoms of multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injuries. It has been used as an antispasmodic in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. The list of medical conditions that have been found to be helped by THC seems to grow day by day.
The pharmacology of THC is well understood. What isn't well understood is why patients in medical studies given capsules containing specific doses of THC, purified from cannabis tend to report good results, while patients who have prescriptions that allow them to purchase medical marijuana, seldom report any benefit from capsules of medical grade THC and insist that they only get any benefit from smoking the good stuff.
It's kind of like a problem that existed a few decades ago with a pain relieving medication called Talwin. (Pentazocine and ASA (aspirin)) Pentazocine is a synthetic narcotic.
Talwin came in two forms. One had pentazocine and the ASA mixed in the tablet. The other had a core of pure pentazocine surrounded by the ASA. The druggie types would separate the pure pentazocine from the ASA, and inject the pure narcotic.
Needless to say, when they came around the office asking for Talwin, the druggies would insist that only the tablet that worked for them was the one with the extractable pentazocine. I'm not sure how this was handled in the US but in Canada, the form with the extractable pentazocine was banned.
Let's just say that for working docs, deciding who needs the narcotics versus those who want the narcotics is a never ending process. I'll predict that the same will continue with regards to medical marijuana and/or THC.
That said, let me pass on a bit of advice I got from a doc who specialized in treating narcotic addicts.
When working in your office or in the Emergency room, when faced with a new patient who asks for narcotics, no matter what the story, if you refuse 100% of the time, you will be correct 99% of the time.
Like all docs, I would occasionally buy into a story and give a script for narcotics to a new patient, usually seen in Emerg. This was usually followed, about two weeks later, with a letter from my Provincial College of Physicians and Surgeons that went something like this...
Dear Doctor, re: patient so and so. You have been identified as the twentieth physician to prescribe (insert name of narcotic drug) to this patient in the past month.
Loose translation...you got conned, you moron.
TE999
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Hah! I'm guessin' it's either A) Photoshop or B) Elephantiasis. I've seen pictures of guys with balls as big as cantaloupes and women with yard long tits thanks to that disease. They were quite popular in sideshows.
RoyceConnors
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I have been authorized by my Doc to use medical Marijuana for my Rheumatoid arthritis. The reason he agreed, was because I asked him point blank if there were any meds I could take that didn't have side effects.
He never hesitated a second and said there's no such creature. EVERY pill, from aspirin up, has side effects. Marijuana has little to none that could be called a detrimental effect to it.
Since the Canadian Gov't legalized medical use, they have been trying to grow two strains to supply patients with it. After their second attempt, one strain was too strong (like that's a bad thing, lol) and the other might as well be hemp, it was so weak.
I was asked how well it worked for me and I had to say it was a Godsend. I use a topical ointment and a small bowlful (!/2 gram) and the pain subsides in minutes to a 'livable' level of pain. I'll do 3-4 bowls during a bad day and none on others. I like that I am still able to function at full capacity at my work.
So any synthetic derivative of THC is never going to work the same as the natural product, because it's more than just the THC that works. It's only one of hundreds of components of the plant, that in combination with each other, do what patients need it to do.
My Doc has now authorized 8 more patients to use it since I was. He is actively doing his own research to see how effective it is on ailments he treats in his patients.
The latest research is being done on Alzheimers and Parkinson's patients and results are coming back very positive in nature.
He never hesitated a second and said there's no such creature. EVERY pill, from aspirin up, has side effects. Marijuana has little to none that could be called a detrimental effect to it.
Since the Canadian Gov't legalized medical use, they have been trying to grow two strains to supply patients with it. After their second attempt, one strain was too strong (like that's a bad thing, lol) and the other might as well be hemp, it was so weak.
I was asked how well it worked for me and I had to say it was a Godsend. I use a topical ointment and a small bowlful (!/2 gram) and the pain subsides in minutes to a 'livable' level of pain. I'll do 3-4 bowls during a bad day and none on others. I like that I am still able to function at full capacity at my work.
So any synthetic derivative of THC is never going to work the same as the natural product, because it's more than just the THC that works. It's only one of hundreds of components of the plant, that in combination with each other, do what patients need it to do.
My Doc has now authorized 8 more patients to use it since I was. He is actively doing his own research to see how effective it is on ailments he treats in his patients.
The latest research is being done on Alzheimers and Parkinson's patients and results are coming back very positive in nature.
voluptuary_manque
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Hah! I'm guessin' it's either A) Photoshop or B) Elephantiasis. I've seen pictures of guys with balls as big as cantaloupes and women with yard long tits thanks to that disease. They were quite popular in sideshows.
I'd bet for photoshopping, too. The largest recorded phallus is 13.5" and that's erect. I don't think that guy is under 15" and he's flaccid.
JackLuis
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There was no 'story' attached to the photo.
The poor afflicted boy was later condemned to deliver pizza's.
3113
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I look at him and want to feed "it" a peanut. Here Jumbo.....
stephen55
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Royce, I know that medical marijuana is of great benefit to many patients, for many conditions. And yes, THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is but one of many cannabinol compounds in marijuana. Seeing as how there are now a whole boatload of different strains of marijuana, all with varying amounts of the various different cannabinols, it's not surprising that those who use the stuff, for whatever reason, have their favorite varietals.
I'm not going to get into the various side effects of marijuana. They do exist and like any other substance under consideration as a medication, it's all a question of risk versus benefit. You describe the benefit for you as being a godsend. I'm not going to disagree, nor should I.
My concern about medical marijuana has nothing to do with it's clinical benefits or any possible adverse effects. It is about the ease with which the current situation, particularly in California, can be misused and even abused. I suspect that the majority of docs carefully consider each patient's situation and apply standard medical judgment to the decision as to whether a patient should be using medical marijuana.
That said, there are "dope docs" just like there are "narc docs" and before that, there were "benzo docs" and "barbi docs". Many years ago, I think it was in British Columbia, there was a licensed doc with a prescription pad who sat at a desk in the corner of his brother's pharmacy. A steady parade of people would come in, get a script for a one day supply of methadone, the brother would dispense it and they both were making a fortuna. It took the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the College of Pharmacists nine months to get past the brother's lawyers and get the operation shut down.
It's sad, but whenever you have legitimate medical uses for medications that are also popular recreational drugs, there are going to be problems. Unfortunately, there are always going to be docs who put a quick buck ahead of a patient's best interests.
I'm not going to get into the various side effects of marijuana. They do exist and like any other substance under consideration as a medication, it's all a question of risk versus benefit. You describe the benefit for you as being a godsend. I'm not going to disagree, nor should I.
My concern about medical marijuana has nothing to do with it's clinical benefits or any possible adverse effects. It is about the ease with which the current situation, particularly in California, can be misused and even abused. I suspect that the majority of docs carefully consider each patient's situation and apply standard medical judgment to the decision as to whether a patient should be using medical marijuana.
That said, there are "dope docs" just like there are "narc docs" and before that, there were "benzo docs" and "barbi docs". Many years ago, I think it was in British Columbia, there was a licensed doc with a prescription pad who sat at a desk in the corner of his brother's pharmacy. A steady parade of people would come in, get a script for a one day supply of methadone, the brother would dispense it and they both were making a fortuna. It took the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the College of Pharmacists nine months to get past the brother's lawyers and get the operation shut down.
It's sad, but whenever you have legitimate medical uses for medications that are also popular recreational drugs, there are going to be problems. Unfortunately, there are always going to be docs who put a quick buck ahead of a patient's best interests.
AllardChardon
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First of all, ingesting marijuana is completely different than smoking it and must be dealt with under different guidelines. When a person ingests marijuana brownies or other edibles, the effect not only kills pain but relaxes one like a Valium and often induces sleep. It is not recommended for driving a car unless one is very used to the effects. Once, I ate so many of my own peanut butter bonbons variety ( extra strong because they are uncooked), that the room spun like I was drunk and I could not walk very well. On the other hand, I can smoke all day and never feel those effects, instead just a delightful attitude change and a sense of contented relaxation.
Second, the doctors that recommend medicinal MJ in CA have to be certified to do so, pay a large fee and receive a stamp for embossing the real recommendation. They go through undue harassment and unneeded stress and deserve to be exalted as true medical pioneers in their field. The people who desire to be recommended must first get an okay from their personal physician and then convince the MJ doctor that the reason they want to be recommended is justified. I know from experience with my 18 year old son, who uses it for a spasdic duodunem, which makes it impossible for him to eat in the morning due to extreme nausea.
Second, the doctors that recommend medicinal MJ in CA have to be certified to do so, pay a large fee and receive a stamp for embossing the real recommendation. They go through undue harassment and unneeded stress and deserve to be exalted as true medical pioneers in their field. The people who desire to be recommended must first get an okay from their personal physician and then convince the MJ doctor that the reason they want to be recommended is justified. I know from experience with my 18 year old son, who uses it for a spasdic duodunem, which makes it impossible for him to eat in the morning due to extreme nausea.
RoyceConnors
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The problem with any drug or herb that alters one's state of being, is that money gets to be an issue. Regulation has caused it to go underground into the hands of criminals who have no conscience and only a desire to make as many bucks as they can, before they are caught and we put an end to it.
Now we try to make things "legal" and put it in the hands of other criminals who have no conscience and only out to make as much money as they can before we catch them and put an end to it.
Money is the only problem legalizing ALL drugs. Who is handing it out is the other.
Doctors should be just as informed about Marijuana and Hashish, as they are about prescription drugs. Understanding what ailments a person has that can be treated by it, should be made between the Dr. and patient. Marijuana isn't lethal, until ridiculous amounts are taken, nor is it a hallucinegen. Patients aren't given all the choices, because drug companies want us to believe they are the way to go. The advertizements clearly state the risks if you take them, yet suicide, organ damage, and overdose aren't enough to deter people from flirting with death, because they aren't given an alternative.
As you are Canadian, Stephen, you know all about our controls on liquor, wine and beer. In Ont. the LCBO, (Liquor Control Board of Ontario), regulates the distilling and brewing of domestic products as well as imported ones as well. This same process would work for recreational use of drugs as well. No one will stop recreational use of drugs of any kind. Putting safeguards on quality and strength, like booze, would go along way towards people dying from poisoned drugs. Let the drug companies have that market and regulate it strictly, but let a good portion go towards the public coffers, out of the profits.
If you were a rec. user, would you want to take something made that you know is safe, to a certain extent, or take something made by a highschool drop out who's trying to make something in his basement?
Gov'ts are abusing our tax dollars enforcing laws that the majority of citizens disagree with. How many families have members in prison for 25 to life for being caught the third time smoking or possessing a small amount of pot? So spending $150,000 per yr. per inmate makes sense?
When do the masses collectively get their shit together and say stop, enough already? It's not working this way, let's try something else. Don't get all pissy because your way failed, let's try doing this instead, sorry about your luck. It's the beliefs of the few, imposing their will on the many and the money grubbers supporting them as they line their pockets.
Now we try to make things "legal" and put it in the hands of other criminals who have no conscience and only out to make as much money as they can before we catch them and put an end to it.
Money is the only problem legalizing ALL drugs. Who is handing it out is the other.
Doctors should be just as informed about Marijuana and Hashish, as they are about prescription drugs. Understanding what ailments a person has that can be treated by it, should be made between the Dr. and patient. Marijuana isn't lethal, until ridiculous amounts are taken, nor is it a hallucinegen. Patients aren't given all the choices, because drug companies want us to believe they are the way to go. The advertizements clearly state the risks if you take them, yet suicide, organ damage, and overdose aren't enough to deter people from flirting with death, because they aren't given an alternative.
As you are Canadian, Stephen, you know all about our controls on liquor, wine and beer. In Ont. the LCBO, (Liquor Control Board of Ontario), regulates the distilling and brewing of domestic products as well as imported ones as well. This same process would work for recreational use of drugs as well. No one will stop recreational use of drugs of any kind. Putting safeguards on quality and strength, like booze, would go along way towards people dying from poisoned drugs. Let the drug companies have that market and regulate it strictly, but let a good portion go towards the public coffers, out of the profits.
If you were a rec. user, would you want to take something made that you know is safe, to a certain extent, or take something made by a highschool drop out who's trying to make something in his basement?
Gov'ts are abusing our tax dollars enforcing laws that the majority of citizens disagree with. How many families have members in prison for 25 to life for being caught the third time smoking or possessing a small amount of pot? So spending $150,000 per yr. per inmate makes sense?
When do the masses collectively get their shit together and say stop, enough already? It's not working this way, let's try something else. Don't get all pissy because your way failed, let's try doing this instead, sorry about your luck. It's the beliefs of the few, imposing their will on the many and the money grubbers supporting them as they line their pockets.
stephen55
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Personally, I believe that marijuana should be completely decriminalized and I've held that view for decades. Without getting into potential adverse effects on long term users, I'm firmly of the opinion that the harm to society because of having it criminalized far exceeds any harm to society because of it's use. I think it's time to end the prohibition on marijuana and let people grow it or buy it at the pot store, and paying taxes on it, just like on cigarettes and alcohol.
Just think about this. If Sir Walter Raleigh had had brought back marijuana from the New World, instead of tobacco, you'd be buying joints out of a vending machine and some people would be scurrying around trying to score some tobacco.
Just think about this. If Sir Walter Raleigh had had brought back marijuana from the New World, instead of tobacco, you'd be buying joints out of a vending machine and some people would be scurrying around trying to score some tobacco.
voluptuary_manque
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Exactly. The answer to 'vice' is not prohibition but control.
RoyceConnors
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My thoughts on it VM. I've seen the current way work and havent seen one good thing about it.
Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll. Let them be free.
AllardChardon
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One good thing about being a medicinal marijuana grower in California is that it removes the money aspect from the medicinal benefit. I grow what I need for a year's supply and often have enough to give some away for free, because it is not illegal to give it away, only to sell or possess it. Your basic Catch 22.
