Medicinal Marijuana

Have heard a radio science show on this debate, and in Canada we actually have government grown medical marijauna - apparently it is not good and the users have resorted to getting it through the regular sources. And they have had trouble trying to synthesize the ingredients. As to the bad things in smoking, I asusme that you would smoke fewer joints than you would cigarettes, so presumably even if MJ had more tar, nicotine etc, the average person would get less than if they smoked a pack a day. And if someone has cancer, and some MJ can make chemo more bearable, I think its the least we can do.

We use the bark of the willow tree to make aspirin(synthesized now) and we make many intoxicants for medicinal purposes(Morphine, cold syrups, a wide range). How is Marijauna different - they can all be used and abused.

James

The only cancer patient I know well in Pennsylvania says she asked her hematologist about mj and he sniffed and said there were better drugs available to control nausea. They did a good job, too, but they sure cost a bundle, a lot more that a few doobies. But what the hell, insurance covered the whole thing.

She checked with friends, and was advised that at a certain hospital in Buffalo, they commonly recommend mj to control nausea during chemo. From my personal experience, which was a long time ago and did not involve treatment for anything more nauseating than adolescence, smoking dope could make me very queasy if combined with enough beer.

I suppose if it works for you, it works, and if nothing else will, then you have to have it.

My best friend's father (also one of my dearest friends) is sufferng from HepC and HIV. He has been "okay" until recently where he has found himself hosiptalized for the last four weeks. At one point,he had 5 IV's (of various flavours) and wasn't breathing on his own, at this time he is lucid and talkative however he is staying in until he has gained some weight, physio test etc.

So this man who has been near and dear to me for 20 years is now suffering and it pains me too, having spent much time hospitalized during my life so far.

My point, he was one of the first hundred or so people in BC to receive permission of his doctor to use the Cannabis Club for medical marijuana.

The government isn't technically 'growing' weed for anyone,they are simply permitting a FEW VERY SMALL, grow operations to operate under controlled circumstances.

Here's the catch;

These grow operations are not allowed to exceed a specified size. They are not allowed to cross breed or create hybrid strains of marijuana. They are not allowed to purchase seeds! But they are allowed to grow and sell (at very high prices) substandard, low-grade marijuana to these few people in extreme conditions.

The grow operations have little to no government funding and are forced to operate as small, non-profit organizations. All in all, it is a farce, just like the so called legalization of small amounts of marijuana. Whereas they used to not persue conviction out of sheer futility, now they are able to write you expensive tickets and make some money.

Sorry to ramble but this is a subject that has had effects on people close to me.

OH YES, the TITLE!!!! I almost forgot, METH. Well the government provides LAKES of this yummy illicit drug for herion recovery patients to mix with orange juice to help with the shakes.

And oh yeah....sorry the little mouse that spins the wheel won't sleep, personal harm;

They say one marijuana joint equals five packs of cigarrettes, yet I have also heard that it equals one pack of cigarrettes. I think it would depend on the properties of the smoke itself. Some is very dry while hash for example would be VERY high in tar.

Here's what ONE article says:
[i]"Regular Marijuana smoking is linked to bronchitis and other chest problems, and possibly lung cancer.One to three marijuana joints a day can cause as much lung damage as smoking five times a many cigarettes.The way smokers inhale increases the effects on the lung."[/i]
http://tinyurl.com/6z2za

As a pill,THC does help increase appetite but it doesn't help with sickness. Marijuana, enables appetite (helps reduce weight loss issues) and also takes away the sickness due to radiation and other drugs.

Now lets think of the psychological apsects, firstly I can't people who have never smoked turning to it unless convinced and curious. People terminally ill find that it increases personal happiness and gives them a little more enjoyment in life than just being sick and feeling doomed. Lightens thier mood.

The argument that it leads to other drugs, well MOST people that do coke or herion will also smoke weed, but not everyone smoking weed turns to harder drugs. Weed is seen as the 'come down' drug for other hard drugs as it also relieves stomach pains, twitches etc.

As for Delbert's experimental youth, drinking is one thing, smoking weed is another. I have seen the mightiest drinkers, floored after smoking one joint.

In contrast, the weakest drinkers can be the heaviest smokers.

I don't have any friends that have been stoned and driven all over main street and wiped out a bus stop full of innocent bystanders. I think ANYONE will agree that alcohol is accountable for MANY times the number of deaths than marijuana ever has, IF marijuana has ever directly caused a single death in history that is. But the government would never make enough money off of marijuana because anyone can grow it at home. Most can't make a forty of good Scotch though so they are at the mercy of the liquor store (Government Liquor Distribution Branch in Canada).

Again, sorry for the length, lots to cover. :)

Here's some irony. Much Music is right now doing a half our segment interviewing many bands and asking about legalization of medical marijuana. I suppose it's all the 'buzz' these days.

Narrow-minded and shallow people are responsible for keeping marijuana illegal. Anyone who has ever (a) smoked it or (b) cooked and eaten it knows that it is a fairly innocuous drug whose effects can be "shaken off" with relative ease. You can't just "shake it off" after you've sucked down a twelve of beer or a pint of hard liquor! Use of pot does not lead one down an inevitable path to harder drugs.

I wish I had an answer that would make legalization palatable to the masses. I fear the fear-mongering anti-any-drug zealots have too big a head start on the NORMLs of the world.

To me the problem is society is trying to legislate and regulate marijuana usage as if it's a morals issue. It is no more a morals issue, imho anyway, than use of cigarettes, use of alcohol, or the way people over-eat sweets or drink too many sugary, caffeinated soft drinks.

The biggest mistake the US ever made was criminalizing possession and use of marijuana. Prohibition didn't work for alcohol, and it hasn't worked for marijuana. It (pot smoking and eating) is never going away, no matter how many laws are passed.

The biggest tragedy of the so-called drug war, again imho, is that people are in jail right now whose crime was possessing or using pot. Most of them would never harm a fly or dream of doing anything illegal once they got high - though they might grab the sandwich out of your hand and take a bite!

Legalize it, tax it, and stop putting people in jail for using it. Maybe the Dems could make that a platform plank in '08 when they pick someone to run against Dick Cheney for President.