Medicinal Marijuana

[jdurg]

Jdurg I think u are in favor of legalization for recreational use as well as medicinal? If so I agree, because having seen to many drunk people do to many stupid things like fall asleep on railroad trakcs which a drunk teen did this summer near my house (he was killed), alcohol is legal and causes over 1000 deaths every year in Canada. So why do we sell this non-medicinal state altering chemical to be consumed? People are attracted by altered states of conciousness and we have left it up to our government to decide and they mostly base their choice on popularity not fact, so wheather they sell u tobacco that kills u and helps nothing they wont let u have marijuana which might help u eat and have a more positive effect than alcohol but they would rather u get sclirosis and beat you wife in a drunk rage, I am not sayin all who drink will do or get these things but I drink and I know alcohol is more harmful than marijuana from experience.

 

 

As I've stated before, I'm kind of halfway in between on the recreational use. For medical purposes, I'm all for it. There may be far more medicinal benefits from marijuana than we know about, but as long as it's a Schedule 1 drug we will never know. For recreational use, that's kind of difficult. Both sides have VERY strong arguments. I'd say 'go for it' in terms of legalization, but sadly society today would just abuse it and add more problems. (You'd have people using it while driving, while taking care of kids, while hunting, etc. etc.) I just think that there would be many 'idiots' who would not be responsible with it and would cause a lot of problems for those of us who would be responsible. Marijuana does affect your memory. I smoked it like crazy when I was in college. During that time, my short term memory was very foggy. I had a lot of trouble remembering simple things and stuff I was 'learning' in class. Upon graduation, I quit smoking pot and my memory slowly came back. I'm now finally back to how it was before I started smoking pot. (And it's been a few years since I quit smoking it). I think that people could use it responsibly and not create any more problems, but the majority could not. With the problems alcohol is causing, is it really worth it to add more problems for the police force to deal with?

 

Now, if they were to legalize it for house-use only, and any public use would be just as illegal as it is now, then perhaps it could work. It would basically be like it is now, but if you are in your own home it would be fine. The police would still treat it the same as they do know, but they wouldn't be knocking down your door cuz they smell pot. That solution may be a valid one, but I still say that more thorough testing needs to be done by independent parties to get the truth on marijuana and its effects.

 

(When I smoked pot, I loved it. I enjoyed it far more than I enjoyed alcohol. While I kind of regret using it, I also don't regret a moment of it. It's kind of hard to explain. If I could choose between drinking alcohol or smoking pot, it would be smoking pot. But since I don't have a choice, to me a job and a career is more important than getting high).

[slickinfinit]

Yea I live in Canada its not legal but the police will rarely arrest someone for only personal use or possesion of canabis and some doctors do prescribe it but the proper research to make a safe means of delivery other than inhaling smoke then immediate production of medicines to help with numerous symptoms and THC and the other chemicals in the drugs compound do not have severe side-effects like other drugs being used now like morphine and codine.

[Drug addict]

 

and YES' date=' it should be allowed to be used as a genuine medicine, we use Opiates and derivatives of it regulary in hospitals and for patients not in hospital, and that stuff IS Addictive and HAS Killed!

 

so what`s the big deal?

 

[/quote']

 

exactly what I was going to say

 

As for weight loss in cancer (known as cachexia), it is far more complex than simply anorexia; though anorexia is present towards the end. Various different mediators are involved in cachexia, including cytokines (tumour necrosis factor-alpha, interluekin-1, -2 and -6) produced normally by the body, as well as tumour derived products such as proteolysis-inducing factor (causes muscle loss, exactly how is slowly being unravelled, but it involves the proteasome) and lipid mobilizing factor. Other processes are also involved, such as upregulation of uncoupling proteins leading to increased energy expenditure.

 

http://www.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/129/1/243S is a review of cachexia by Professor Michael Tisdale of Aston University.

 

Various trials have been carried out using eicosapentanoic acid (EPA), a polyunsaturated fatty acid, which show it to be effective in reversing the weight loss from cachexia, though truly effective treatment of cachexia will probably need to use more than one drug, one of which could well be an appetite stimulant, though they are not effective by their self.

[Callipygous]

i think maurijuana should be completely legalized and available anywhere without a presciption because:

 

1. it's not a bad drug

2. alcohol and tobacco are far worse for you in every aspect

3. it's fun

4. it's never killed anyone

5. the only reason it's against the law is to keep our prisons packed for the profit of a few dummies

6. the stuff you get from your drug dealer might be tainted with other crap' date=' legalizing it would make it safer.

7. only nimrods think otherwise, and are brainwashed to be that way

 

Yes, I smoke pot occasionally, and I don't give a damn if it's illegal or not.[/quote']

 

 

hahahaha.

 

wow.

 

1. it's not a bad drug

opinion

 

2. alcohol and tobacco are far worse for you in every aspect

wrong

 

3. it's fun

so is shooting streetlights

 

4. it's never killed anyone

wrong (everything has killed someone before. beestings have killed people)

 

5. the only reason it's against the law is to keep our prisons packed for the profit of a few dummies

remind me again... who profits from the prisons being full?

 

6. the stuff you get from your drug dealer might be tainted with other crap, legalizing it would make it safer.

absolutely right.

 

7. only nimrods think otherwise, and are brainwashed to be that way

no comment.

 

(pro legalization, btw)

[Guest webspinur]

One of the myths surrounding marijuana since 1937 is that it has no redeemable efficiency as a medicinal agent and that is just a bold lie. The government has known for over 25 years that this isn't true. There is a chronically ill man from Florida, Irvin Rosenfeld, who's been receiving canisters of pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes from the government every single month for 20 years. The government is providing it for people suffering from AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. The marijuana is grown in a government program at the University of Mississippi and was being shipped to 12 people, five of whom have passed away. This is the same government that claims marijuana doesn't work medicinally — yet has done a 25-year study and continues to deliver marijuana to these patients. The government obviously believes it has some benefit.

 

Information on the government’s medicinal marijuana above was taken directly from:

Transcript: Montel Williams on Medical Marijuana - http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18288.shtml

 

On a personal note, I myself have been a medicinal marijuana patient since '99 or so. I was introduced to it by an aids patient friend of mine in Oregon as I suffered from a great deal of nausea, pain, and have problems with loss of appetite due to IBS (a rather common ailment.) I stand by the medicinal use due to my own experiences. I can be badly nauseated and then smoke. Within 10 mins I am nausea-free. It works on my chronic daily pain as well as giving me the ability to eat, and to enjoy it no less. In Oregon, '99 - 2001, I had a state sponsored Medicinal MJ card that allowed me to grow up to 7 plants and use them for my medicinal needs. I stayed within all laws as it pertained to MJ, and have even been pulled over for speeding (yea, bad boy) and be given a ticket, while all the time a visible baggie of 1 oz was sitting on my passenger seat next to me. Yes the woman officer asked me about it and checked my card, but then she proceeded to ask me for information on the laws relating to medicinal MJ. In essence, I ended up educating this cop, lol. Was quite a novelty I must admit!

 

Unfortunately for me with need for medicinal MJ, life changes have moved me out of a legal state (and for that matter now, out of the country). But I now happily live in England with my wife (British Citizen aka ‘klanger’ on here). We just celebrated our 1st anniv. Living in England has put me back into the position of making the choice to break a law so that I can live a valuable, productive and relatively pain free, symptom free life. I struggle with the desire to be involved here in the UK to legalise medicinal MJ here and the fear of being caught and then fined/jailed and/or tossed from the UK when my VISA (due to being a spouse of a British Citizen) comes up for review at the end of a 2 year mark. It all sucks but we are planning on a move back to Southern Calif, where I am from. There I intend to start growing again and providing for myself. This will get rid of all the hassles of having to buy through a 'dealer'.

 

Back before moving here to England and after leaving Oregon in 2001, I lived in Pennsylvania. There I had been going to a Pain Clinic at the Pittsburgh hospital. I had ended up being referred there by my doctor with regard to my IBS problems. As the doctors there considered my IBS case to be quite severe, they tried me on a MARINOL prescription but I must admit, I didn't see near enough results from this like I do get in minutes from smoking or cooking and eating it. The other draw back to MARINOL is the fact that absolutely NO insurance company I can seem to find, including ‘Medical’ (I'm on SSDI), will pay for the MARINOL prescription. You are stuck paying the price of $250 for a 30 day supply of the pills!!! The pharmacist friend of mine at the time told me laughingly that I should just (stick to) smoking it as you can purchase alot for that price. I agreed but told him that my struggle to want to be legal bugs me enough to give it a try anyways, being willing to pay the price if I had found that it worked for me, I found out it didn't, which I've read is quite a common result actually.

 

Bottom line though, we claim to be a compassionate society, we should at least try to allow those of us suffering in pain to be pain-free and symptom (nausea, etc.) free.

 

some links for you on this:

 

Medical Marijuana Information Links

http://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htm

 

Montel Williams Pushes Pot -- for Medical Relief

http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18797.shtml

 

Patient Praises Marijuana

http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18540.shtml

[Kleptin]

I wish that medicinal marijuana would be replaced...it just doesn't seem right. I think other chemicals should be used instead.

[ecoli]

I wish that medicinal marijuana would be replaced...it just doesn't seem right. I think other chemicals should be used instead.

 

That seems like a very uninformed statement.

[Cloud]

There must be an alternative -

 

Medicinal marijuana also brings lots of unnecessary legal issues

[YT2095]

there`s no real reason that it should though.

 

consider Opiates, as mentioned they`re used regularly and legaly in hospitals, and yet "street" opiates are ilegal, now consider Digitalis (foxglove) you can buy and grow that with impunity all day long, and yet that ALSO is used in hospitals for heart conditions. Surely between both opposing poles there is a workable sollution to this for the case of Cannabis Sativa?

[Royston]

Marijuana does not do anything for your blood but give your brain the sense that u need to eat and in eating u fuel your own recovery.

 

It lowers your blood sugar levels, that's why you get the 'munchies'. It's why sometimes you can have dizzy spells (if you're using and your blood sugar levels are slightly down)...similar to what diabetes sufferers experience.

 

I think it should be used for medicinal purposes...it's clearly not as harmful as opiates or alkaloids used in hospitals for pain relief and recovery, and not physically addictive.

 

Making it legal for anyone would be rubbish, as already mentioned chemicals maybe added and government tax (just like cigarettes) plus it would lose the stigma...which adds to the fun, and culture of the substance.

[abeefaria]

If you are sick and MJ will make you feel better, then so be it.

[Daecon]

Making it legal for anyone would be rubbish, as already mentioned chemicals maybe added and government tax (just like cigarettes) plus it would lose the stigma...which adds to the fun, and culture of the substance.

Are the sort of drugs that you can only get on pescription from your GP, legal for everyone to buy as and when they want?

 

No? They why shouldn't it be the same kind of situation?

 

That's the one thing I've not known the government to be able to explain to (what I consider) proper satisfaction.

 

Surely it's not that hard a question to answer, is it? Yet the politician people seem to keep wanting to avoid giving a proper answer...

 

Not only is it annoying on an intellectual level, it's extremely frustrating on an "honesty" level too.

[Sholtzy]

I say, yes; for medical purposes ONLY. The talk about making it legal recreationally is ludicrous. That stuff messes you up bad, and people who smoke it recreationally are really gambling with not only their lives but also the lives of everyone around them. I have a roommate, who 5 years ago spent all the money she had set aside for her sons Christmas, on a boob job, and 2 #’s of pot. Another year, she actually retuned gifts to the store with only a couple days to until Christmas, for the money. An old friend of mine smoked pot until he started having seizures when he smoked it; it took him a large amount of times of that even happening for him to put the pipe down. An old best friend of mine, used to “wake-and-bake,” every morning before work. Now, no one in town will hire him except the place he works now…washing dishes, part-time. Not a good thing when you have a wife and 2 kids. I’ve seen tons of people cough blood, get in car accidents, fight, have seizures (2 different people), loose jobs, forget things that shouldn’t be. I’ve seen people start to scrounge for money to get more, in the mean time throwing people around them to the curb. That isn’t a good thing, when the family barely makes enough money to stay alive the way it is. I see some people saying, alcohol or tobacco is worse for you, so why no make it legal. That’s just dumb reasoning, that’s like that joke that goes around, when someone’s leg hurts because they tripped and fell or something, and you offer to help them by breaking a finger, that way they’re not feeling their leg. When your car needs a new fuel filter, and you run into a light pole at 35 mph, on the way to the mechanic, you don’t get out and say, “Oh, well, the 15 dollar fuel filter needed changed anyway.” So we flip that around and make drinking and smoking illegal. I remember learning of a time when the “big bad government,” did make drinking illegal. We wouldn’t have that though, we fought for that right to be given back. That’s the only way it’ll ever happen in this day and age. Only problem is, people who smoke the ganja, will never do that, because they’re to concerned with themselves and getting their next hit, to worry about the politics of making what they are doing legal. My opinion is on of experience. I smoke ganja for 4 years. A couple of buddies and I even sold huge amounts of the stuff for almost two years, before I got out of it. Completely. I’m not saying there aren’t responsible people out there. I’m just saying it does NOT matter that there are responsible people out there, when I’ve seen that the MAJORITY of people are trash. If they aren’t now, they will be if they aren’t careful. Saying we should make it legal for strict home use won’t do any good. Those people at the beginning of all this, that I gave specific examples of, are all people that are closet smokers, a lot of their own friends don’t know they “can’t put the pipe down.” Will, they guy with the crap job and 2 kids, his own wife has no clue he smokes it up…every morning. These people smoked strictly in their own homes, and it’s ruined – or IS ruining - their lives, and the lives of those around them. Like I said I used to smoke it and for quite some time, and I was responsible about it, but I know what kind of people the majority are like, or will be like with time. Alcohol and tobacco? If I could vote on it, I’d vote to make those illegal, as well. I go to the bar and kick back a few every couple of months, and I’m a smoker, a pack and a half a day for almost 10 years now. These things make (or made with the MJ) life better in certain ways, but it’s fatally dangerous to, to many people. I won’t stop partaking in my cigarettes and alcohol until the DO make it illegal, but should the chance come up to do so, I’m there. Call me a hypocrite if you like. I don’t quite practice what I preach; I see that. I just choose not to fight myself; in other words, it will be a lot easier to quit smoking when I don’t have a choice in the matter.

[Royston]

Yikes...that sounds like a scenario from Jerry Springer.

 

You're right the majority can't be sensible with such things, but statistcally I think alcohol is far worse...drunk driving, violent behaviour when people leave pubs, alcohol poisioning et.c hospitals in England wouldn't be struggling for beds if wasn't for the amount of cases they get through alcohol abuse. The UK is infamous for it's drinking culture.

 

It's down to each person though. I've never met anyone who has become dependant. Everyone blames the substance, if grass wasn't available then people would use something else, if you have an addictive personality then that's something to be treated psychologically. If your friend is wanting a boob job over making their child happy, then that's the kind of person that just want's, want's want's...that has nothing to do with smoking grass.

[Daecon]

You're right the majority can't be sensible with such things' date=' but statistcally I think alcohol is far worse...drunk driving, violent behaviour when people leave pubs, alcohol poisioning et.c hospitals in England wouldn't be struggling for beds if wasn't for the amount of cases they get through alcohol abuse. The UK is infamous for it's drinking culture.[/quote']

 

Just look at the posters they display on South Eastern Trains (supposedly to promote Kent):

 

"Beer. It's inspired some of Britain's best architecture."

 

If that dosn't make us sound like a nation of alcoholics, I dont know what does!

[jdurg]

The thing to remember is that you really can't tell if someone is a marijuana user just by looking at them. (Pretty much the same thing with most drugs out there). The only ones you remember are those who cannot handle it. Those who frequently use it but are still responsible citizens don't seem to be 'counted' when people look at the results. I've been absolutely stunned by some of the people I've met who habitually use marijuana. I NEVER would have expected them to be users until I saw them pull out the joint. I myself used to be a user of marijuana and can see all sides of the argument. (As a diabetic I found that pot was a safer alternative to me than alcohol. As for the blood sugar lowering, my BSL's never dropped while using weed. Perhaps it's because I have no active Islet cells in my pancreas so I cannot produce insulin). Marijuana has a lot of untapped uses in it which unfortuneately we'll never be able to fully examine. The US Government is kind of 'stuck' on the issue. If they come out and say 'yeah, the stuff can be useful', then they'll be admitting that they've lied for decades. If they say 'this stuff has no use whatsoever and should be made extinct', they'll be called hypocrites and liers as well since they have approved the drugs dronabinol and marinol which are made of Delta-9-THC. I honestly believe that before any decisions should be made NUMEROUS and lengthy clinical trials should happen.

 

As for the recreational use, I have only one idea that I could think of which would be a good one, but the enforcement would be a pain in the butt. Right now, you need a driver's license to drive a car, correct? Well, why not issue 'marijuana licenses' to people? Set an age for usage and have people apply to their state governments to get a license to smoke pot. Per the guidelines of the license, you would not be allowed to smoke pot while driving, nor would you be allowed to smoke pot while in a public area. It would simply give you the license to smoke pot while resting in your own home. If you committ a crime while using marijuana, that license is revoked and if you are caught using it again you will be treated just as if pot was illegal. If a cop raids your garden but you have a license to use marijuana, then you're in no trouble. If you don't have a license, then you get a court date. I think it would be very difficult to enforce this 'law', but it would be a way to give responsible people the right to use it, and irresponsible people would not be able to.

[Daecon]

Or they could just treat it the same as alcohol...

[latentheat]

I don't see why marijuana is schedule I honestly, and it has uses in medicine. It's a painkiller and an appitite stimulant.

 

We're kind of hypocrits when it comes to drugs. You don't know how many people I've heard absolutely WHORING over their vicodin/lortab/percocet prescription. They're like "I had surgery today and I got a vicodin prescription, I feel sooooo great right now" or something to that regard. Then they turn around and preach the evils of marijuana...come on. Marijuana is significantly less dangerous than alcohol to the body's organs, and in not addictive like opiates.

[jdurg]

It's a simple matter of saving face. If the DEA moves Marijuana down from Schedule 1, then all the propaganda and falsities they've been proclaiming for years will be proven as a pile of dung. The Government doesn't want to EVER admit that they were wrong, so they stubbornly leave it as Schedule 1.

[Drug addict]

The classification of Cannabis as a schedule 1 drug is ridiculous, but it is also arguable that schedule 1 should be scrapped althogether (if schedule 1 means "no medicinal use"). To say that a drug has no medicinal use is short sighted and narrow minded, and makes life very difficult if someone wants to do further research if evidence comes to light that it may have a medicinal use. I recently read an article about magic mushrooms being used to treat cluster headaches, which are frequently unresponsive to currently available medication. However, because hallucinogens are schedule 1, it will be difficult to investigate this further.

 

Why not redifine schecule 1 along the lines of "drugs which are not currently used medicinally"?

[Royston]

The classification of Cannabis as a schedule 1 drug is ridiculous' date=' but it is also arguable that schedule 1 should be scrapped althogether (if schedule 1 means "no medicinal use"). To say that a drug has no medicinal use is short sighted and narrow minded, and makes life very difficult if someone wants to do further research if evidence comes to light that it may have a medicinal use. I recently read an article about magic mushrooms being used to treat cluster headaches, which are frequently unresponsive to currently available medication. However, because hallucinogens are schedule 1, it will be difficult to investigate this further.

 

Why not redifine schecule 1 along the lines of "drugs which are not currently used medicinally"?[/quote']

 

Exactly...the research in these fields has expired...annoying, and it's guided still by a moral undertaking. Thats why we need more detailed analysis of certain conscious states before it's...it's...erm...too late.

[latentheat]

Why not redifine schecule 1 along the lines of "drugs which are not currently used medicinally"?

 

I agree. And right now, imo, there are several drugs in schedule 1 that shouldn't be there. The two that really stand out are cannabis and MDMA. MDMA had already help some people get over great trauma before it was made illegal. Everyone should watch the special report by Peter Jennings, "Ecstasy Rising". It was very brave of him to make that special, and it's a shame he died, he was a great reporter.

[Thomas Kirby]

Marijuana produces a lot of oil that is usable as diesel fuel. Any farmer anywhere can manufacture their own fuel using very simple equipment. Squeeze the seeds and filter out the solids. That is why the drug-like effects of marijuana are used as an excuse to ban it as a dangerous drug. Oil industry tycoons would absolutely hate to have to work for a living.

 

All I want from marijuna is its industrial uses. I haven't been able to stand being intoxicated by anything in twenty years anyway. The idea definitely appeals to me that if I had an acreage, I could grow this stuff, harvest the seeds, and use the oil to power my pickup truck, and for home heating in the winter.

 

Examining the reasons why marijuana is banned and why it is beneficial leads us off topic. Another benefit that I want from the oil, which is not intoxicating, is that it helps the arteries clean themselves. Any light vegetable oil does, but this is the oil that is the best at it. If it worked as well as Jack Herer claimed, it would reduce the income of the medical-industrial complex by billions. Not only would a lot fewer people be treated for heart attacks and strokes, they would also not have to use so many painkillers, beta blockers (mega expensive), or numerous other drugs and treatments that they are driven to by fear of pain and death. Heart attacks are hugely profitable for hospitals and they keep jacking up the price, but all of the accessories to cardiovascular disease are the real money machine.

 

Why even allow these people to dictate to us which substances we can use, anyway? It's not like they are anything but bullies, and don't let me rave on about that in this thread. Even if they think that I can't make my own decisions, they're not so good at it either, so they might as well leave me alone to go to hell in my own way. I feel like I gain a good measure of physical health by staying away from doctors, a good measure of mental health by staying away from shrinks, and a good measure of spiritual health by staying away from church.

[jdurg]

Thomas, you need to SERIOUSLY lay off of the conspiracy theory novels you've been reading. hehe. Not everything in existance is the result of some major conspiracy. A conspiracy takes far too much time and money for our government or any business to truly achieve.

[Thomas Kirby]

What, you think that what the government did to keep hemp off of American farms is some kind of secret?

 

There is a rhetorical question that one guy on an informercial used to ask, to give his real-estate scam an appearance of legitimacy: How many properties can you afford to buy when you have a negative cash flow? How many properties can you afford to buy when you have a positive cash flow? The prohibition of marijuana generates a very heavy positive cash flow for the U.S. government. They just make the taxpayers pay it. It also generates a very heavy positive cash flow for the oil industry and the pharmaceutical industry. Now where is your theory that this is too expensive?