Marijuana.com

Zilos

DOVER — Do you think states to be able to make it legal for people to smoke Marijuana for medicinal purposes, or should the federal government have the right to ban the drug?

We posed that question in our reader’s poll this week, and among the 260 people who responded, more than 85 percent said they were in favor of state control, while just under 14 percent said the federal government should be able to veto state laws.

Some responders, such as Liz of Rochester, said legalizing Marijuana makes sound fiscal sense.

"They should just legalize it like they did alcohol and put an age restriction on it. That will stop wasting all our precious dollars in legal fees, and will stop wasting all our courtroom time on small petty issues."

Rick Newman of Nottingham wrote in to say Marijuana should definitely be allowed for medicinal purposes.

"We use morphine, OxyContin, and many other more potent drugs for medical use. How can the feds stand in the way of Marijuana use if it is going to ease a patient’s suffering? This is a ridiculous debate fueled by the thought and body police among us."

On reader who claims to suffer from fibromyalgia, arthritis, and post traumatic stress disorder said it is an "outrage" that a healing plant put on Earth by God could be made illegal by a government.

"I use it for medicinal reasons and there is nothing that is as multifunctional in the world. I’m tired of worrying about the problems of trying to find it when I need it so badly. It helps me physically and mentally it helps me to relax.

"I will never understand why it is illegal when such a destructive thing as alcohol is legal. I have a pretty good feeling that half our government (representatives) are a bunch of drunks anyway!"

Robin, who favors state control of Marijuana for medicinal use, said the whole issue centers around money.

"Think about it ... it’s perfectly legal to take OxyContin, morphine, Demerol, and all those other hard core drugs which one could easily overdose on and which adversely affects the body... but Mother Nature’s painkiller Marijuana... safe, efficacious, and impossible to overdose on, is illegal.

"But hey...if it were to be legalized, just think what that would do to all those pharmaceutical companies who have the monopoly on pain-related drugs. It would be hugely detrimental to their profits, and we can’t have that now, can we?"

The controversy drew the attention of Robert Sharpe, a policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy in Washington, D.C., who had this to say:

"If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, Marijuana would be legal. Unlike alcohol, Marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco.

"Marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents. The first Marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican migration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association.

"Dire warnings that Marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best. White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched government bureaucracy began funding reefer madness propaganda.

"By raiding voter-approved medical Marijuana providers in California, the very same U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that claims illicit drug use funds terrorism is forcing cancer and AIDS patients into the hands of street dealers. Apparently Marijuana prohibition is more important than protecting the country from terrorism."

Conversely, some responders were adamantly opposed to legalizing Marijuana for any purpose.

"Of course you’re going to feel better smoking pot, no matter what the illness! I’m sure I’d feel a heck of a lot better smoking a joint when I have a stress headache. Sorry, I don’t think it’s a good idea for many reasons, the top one being abuse," said one reader.

Another described the whole controversy as "complete BS."

"Marijuana importation, growing, and use is against federal law. If there are really benefits for those in ‘pain,’ why can’t the pharmaceutical companies produce the pain-killing drug found in Marijuana smoke in the lab and process that into a pill that the patient can take.

"This is just a scam by the ‘high times’ crowd to incrementally legalize Marijuana."

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Puffer

Yes, the whole controversy is complete BS. But all the BS is coming from the government's side.

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Just say "know" to marijuana!

Peace4All

- "Marijuana importation, growing, and use is against federal law. If there are really benefits for those in ‘pain,’ why can’t the pharmaceutical companies produce the pain-killing drug found in Marijuana smoke in the lab and process that into a pill that the patient can take.

Drug companies have already tried that, and the product they produced is called Marinol. The only reason you don't hear more about it is because that it's effects are very limited.