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Lothar121

Topic of the Day: Medical Marijuana
Ernestine Olsen | Asbury Park Press | 05/30/06

I read with interest the opposing views of the medical marijuana issue and was appalled by the arrogance and smugness of the anti-marijuana commentary written by David Evans of the Drug-Free Schools coalition. ("Medical marijuana support not backed by scientific studies,'" May 17.)

I am 70 years old, a registered nurse and have never taken an illegal drug. I do, however, know what pain is. I have seen many people suffer terribly, including my own son who died at 31 of colon cancer. He never had the desire to use an illegal substance and resisted anything he considered mind-altering. But if he had desired it for relief of pain, I would have fought like a tiger for him to get it.

I was stunned by the idiotic statement, "Marijuana is intoxicating so it's not surprising that sincere people report relief of their symptoms when they smoke it. They may be feeling better but may be getting worse due to the detrimental effects of it." I doubt anyone suffering pain and facing death cares about anything but getting relief. It is also ridiculous to state that people are making money selling marijuana to sick people. No one would have to go to an illegal supplier if it were allowed legally to be prescribed.

I also challenge the statement that proponents who argue the case for passage of the law to allow doctors to prescribe marijuana are basing their case on emotion rather than science. We are not a police state in which scientists and pharmaceutical companies rule our private lives. A caring society should allow ill people to use any course of treatment they wish.

Evans tells us to leave this to the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA makes errors, as evidenced by the recent lawsuits against drug manufacturers that had FDA approval.

Meanwhile, people are suffering with pain and are being denied the right to select their own course of treatment. For heaven's sake, let's show some mercy and let the patient, doctor and family make their own decisions.

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Buzzby

I'm surprised that this moron isn't up in arms over doctors' prescribing morphine for people in severe pain. It's intoxicating and doesn't cure anything. It "merely" relieves pain. We can't have that, now can we? I have no idea what the supposed "detrimental effects" of using marijuana for symptomatic relief might be, but the detrimental effects of opiates as a treatment for chronic conditions is well documented.


That's like asking the fox to guard the henhouse. The FDA/DEA/ONDCP/NIDA/Big Pharm consortium has consistently denied permission for even the best-qualified scientists to do controlled studies of the therapeutic effects of cannabis. Without the license and supply of legal marijuana, such research is impossible in this country. Foreign studies and less formal US studies have all supported the benefits of cannabis for many conditions.

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dedbr

Let the patient decide. Keep the doctor out of the equation.

The DEA have the doctor's afraid to do the right thing and the patients suffer because of it.

Medical MJ put's us under their thumb.

Is that what we want?


Somewhere in Ded Land....

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"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

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Buzzby

How many drugs have gone from being prescription-only to OTC? Why do you think it'll be any different with marijuana?

Lacking the funding to educate the public directly, the medical marijuana movement provides activists with a way of getting marijuana recognized as something with benefits, not just drawbacks. The general public acceptance of medical marijuana is a step on the way to ridding our culture of the irrational fear of cannabis that our governments have promoted.

dedbr

and the way their prescibed can be a nightmare for the patient and his family.

No one knows what the consequences of federal control of medical herb will be, because theres no way to initiate quality control over something that has so many strains and effects.

We are heading down a road that has too many locked gates.


Somewhere in Ded land....