|
|
| Fighting for The Right To Miracle Marijuana |
|
Posted by CN Staff on November 13, 2004 at 08:04:40 PT By Carol Mithers Source: Los Angeles Times 
Angel Raich found a 'miracle' in medical marijuana. Now she's asking the Supreme Court to uphold her right to smoke it.Angel Raich flicks a butane lighter at the bowl of a small glass pipe, inhales deeply, then, in deference to a guest, blows the pungent smoke out the window of the sitting room in her three-story Oakland home. "Without cannabis, I would not survive," she says. The room is pale blue and filled with ceramic angels. Beside the lavender couch on which Raich sits, a table holds 11 small glass jars of medical-quality marijuana—strains that growers have named Juicy Fruit and Haze. Alas, her favorite, Romulen, "which is really strong," is all used up. Raich, 39 years old, 5 feet, 4 inches tall, just 100 pounds, with skin the color and translucence of skim milk, is smoking with her physician's blessing. According to the doctor, she suffers from a staggering array of ailments, including chronic severe pain (from scoliosis, temporomandibular joint dysfunction and endometriosis), nausea, life-threatening weight loss, seizures, fibromyalgia and an inoperable brain tumor. "I hurt—every second of every day," she says. "I wouldn't wish my body on my worst enemy." The lighter flares again. Marijuana doesn't get Raich high—it hasn't in a long time—and it doesn't kill her pain, but it blunts it, loosens her muscles and joints and gives her some appetite. She goes through some 9 pounds of the drug a year. She smokes or vaporizes about every two hours, and eats marijuana-laced food. She also massages herself with cannabis oils and balms. In her words, she is "medicating," in accordance with California's Proposition 215, which passed in 1996 and allows marijuana use if recommended by a doctor. According to federal law, however, she's committing a crime. The U.S. government doesn't recognize any legitimate use of marijuana, so it remains a Schedule I drug, along with heroin and Ecstasy. This clash of laws, for eight years the cause of much friction between California and federal authorities, will now be resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court—because Raich forced the issue. In October 2002, Raich, two growers who supply her with marijuana free of charge, and Diane Monson, another medical cannabis patient, filed suit against U.S. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft and Asa Hutchinson, then head of the Drug Enforcement Administration. They asked for a court injunction to stop federal government arrests and prosecutions of those who grow, possess or use marijuana for medical reasons. They lost in District Court, but the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision in December 2003, ruling that states could adopt medical marijuana laws if the drug wasn't sold, transported across state lines or used for nonmedicinal purposes. The federal government then filed its appeal, and the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. Oral arguments are scheduled for Nov. 29. The court's decision will have national implications. California was the first state to allow the medical use of marijuana, but Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon and Washington now have similar laws. California likely has the most medical cannabis patients—surprisingly, no one keeps official records, but estimates run from 30,000 to 100,000—as well as an organized and angry pro-cannabis movement. The result has been an ongoing fight that has included busts of patients and pot "dispensaries," and sometimes bizarre law enforcement clashes. An August 2002 raid on Monson's Butte County, Calif., home, for instance, featured a three-hour standoff between DEA agents, who wanted to destroy six marijuana plants, and the county district attorney, who ordered local deputies to protect the weed, at gunpoint if necessary. Ultimately he was overruled by the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, D.C., and agents chopped down the plants with axes while Monson stood nearby reading aloud the complete text of Proposition 215. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/miracle.htm Source: Los Angeles Times (CA) Related Articles & Web Sites: Raich vs. Ashcroft Angel Raich v. Ashcroft News State Backs Medical Pot Case Before Court Key Medical Pot Case To Be Heard Supreme Court Will Hear Medical Marijuana Case Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
 |
| Comment #25 posted by afterburner on December 08, 2004 at 00:15:02 PT |
| "Why can't we all just get abong?" --another web site, John Tyler "That's the one thing that makes CNews so special to me. People really try hard to get along even if we don't think the same on every issue. That's the only way change can happen." --FoM "Power has to be shared: that is the key to survival." --Trance Gemini, "Pieces of Eight," Andromeda [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #24 posted by Hope on December 07, 2004 at 19:57:12 PT |
| Excellent letter. I hope it get's ink. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #23 posted by Hope on December 07, 2004 at 19:56:04 PT |
| I read that sickening article, too. That "perfume" Pete fantasizes about was actually on the market about thirty years ago. I still have a bottle that I kept for a conversation piece. It was made by Jovan and was called simply "Grass". It was a mixture of musk and cannabis scent. Dumb me didn't have a clue what sort of "grass" that "Grass" was until I got suspected of smoking in the bathroom at work because of it. The supervisor announced that "Someone has been smoking marijuana in the restroom and it better not happen again or someone was going to lose their job at the very least." I was one of the last people in there before the comment was made and it all started to come together for me. The picture with the display of perfume showed a woman swirling through a meadow of grass. Paying closer nasal attention, it became apparent that the perfume wasn't based on the scent of “that kind” of "grass" though. I discussed it with my supervisor and she smelled the perfume and did think it was the scent that lingered in the little room after my visit there. Aaarrgghhh...did I feel stupid...still liked the perfume though...but never wore it to work again. Jovan hasn't made it in years that I know of. They had several natural musks scented, as I remember, with "sky", "water", and "grass". It definitely had the scent of "that" kind of grass and not the kind of grass pictured in the sales blurb. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #22 posted by Hope on December 07, 2004 at 19:33:06 PT |
| You really got me for a minute there! You're words lay exactly right on the page. I was alarmed for a moment and was thinking..."Max...", and the next line and next word...bong...made me laugh out loud. I had to read that to my husband and share some of the responses you got. That was a really good one. Thanks for the laugh. And yes...we are indeed angry. Very angry. Righteous anger doesn't often get much notice. I'm glad someone finally mentioned it in print. Angry, indignant, peaceful, and steadfast... even in the face of their power, intimidation, persecution, and wrath. I'm so glad to know you all are here, to be able to know you a little and to stand among you. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #21 posted by observer on December 07, 2004 at 18:28:49 PT |
| That was exactly what I was looking for AOLBites, I'm glad you can use that! This page http://drugpolicycentral.com/dpcgi/cnews2rss.pl (html) explains the way the feeds work. One feed http://www.drugpolicycentral.com/dpcgi/cnews2rss.pl?xml=1 is like the home page http://cannabisnews.com , another feed http://www.drugpolicycentral.com/dpcgi/cnews2rss.pl?latest=1 is like the http://cannabisnews.com/newcomments.shtml page and so on. What is RSS? from www.newsmonster.org/glossary.html : RSS is an acronym for Rich Site Summary (a.k.a. "Really Simple Syndication"), an XML format for distributing news headlines on the Web, also known as syndication. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #20 posted by FoM on December 05, 2004 at 09:33:56 PT |
| Reading The Smoke Signals on Medical Marijuana Use
The U.S. Supreme Court case Ashcroft vs. Raich is an important one in the effort to help America's young people understand that smoked marijuana is not medicine ("The Plaintiff," by Carol Mithers, Nov. 14). Although the drug legalizers have successfully convinced a vast number of Americans that marijuana is good, parents and grandparents who have watched their children fall prey to this myth will tell you otherwise. There are currently 182,000 young people in treatment for marijuana-related problems. The drive to legalize marijuana is not in our best interest. Children are America's most precious natural resource. We should not allow that resource to go up in a puff of smoke. Joyce Nalepka President Drug-Free Kids: America's Challenge Silver Spring, Md. * After reading Mithers' article, my wife and I are furious with the federal government, particularly John Ashcroft and all of the right-wing moralists who line up against individual rights and needs. That Angel Raich and others like her should suffer because marijuana use is viewed as increasing drug trafficking and decreasing "the incentives for research and development into new legitimate drugs" is saying that unless there is a corporate profit, pain should be endured. The FDA does not approve organic health products, yet many use them, swear by them and benefit from them. Patrick O'Brien San Juan Capistrano * The statement of Rep. Mark E. Souder, "If proponents of 'medical' marijuana truly believed that smoking the drug was safe and effective, they would have submitted their data to the FDA," is simply false. For the FDA to approve marijuana as a prescription medicine, the sponsoring company would have to do clinical trials using quality-controlled marijuana obtained from the same source that would provide it for sale should approval be granted. Federal rules make that impossible. Clinical research on marijuana must be done using marijuana obtained from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a notoriously low-quality crop that is not available for commercial sale. Bruce Mirken Director of Communications Marijuana Policy Project Washington, D.C. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #19 posted by FoM on November 14, 2004 at 14:56:21 PT |
| I'm glad that is what you were looking for. I'm sure in time I will understand it I just don't right now. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #18 posted by AOLBites on November 14, 2004 at 14:38:17 PT |
| That was exactly what I was looking for .. . RSS allows you to use a news aggregator such as any of these http://tinyurl.com/nv0p my.yahoo.com is what i use every day for stock stuff so i tossed it into that [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #17 posted by FoM on November 14, 2004 at 08:06:02 PT |
| I've seen that before too. That's the one thing that makes CNews so special to me. People really try hard to get along even if we don't think the same on every issue. That's the only way change can happen. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #16 posted by John Tyler on November 14, 2004 at 07:10:14 PT |
| Why can't we all just get abong? I saw that on another web site. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #15 posted by FoM on November 13, 2004 at 20:38:02 PT |
| I don't know if this is what you are interested in. observer posted this link but I don't know what it means. I guess I'm kinda low tech. http://www.drugpolicycentral.com/dpcgi/cnews2rss.pl?xml=1 [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #14 posted by AOLBites on November 13, 2004 at 20:27:02 PT |
| on the subject of features... a RSS feed would be nice as well as the edit page =) oh, and Max Flowers Please hold me at bongpoint as well =P [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #13 posted by Patrick on November 13, 2004 at 12:34:56 PT |
| Angry?
You bet. Personally it has been 25+ years since I discovered this phony 80 year old prohibition of cannabis. My hats off to my senior peers who have tolerated it longer than I. We live in a country inherently based on freedom and democracy yet we watch and rally against the millions of lives and dollars that continue to be wasted in a feeble attempt to prevent you, me, and others from either self-medication or recreation with a God given herb? I’d say angry is putting it pretty damn mildly. How else are we supposed to feel? Depressed with nothing but anxiety so that perhaps we’ll spend our money on pharmaceuticals with harmful side effects on vital organs? I’m a little less angry knowing that Asscroft is outta here! But still, prohibition is prohibition and 80 years of this idiocy is enough already. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #12 posted by FoM on November 13, 2004 at 11:52:01 PT |
| Thank you. I did read that article. Very sad that things have gone this way in our country. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #11 posted by Sukoi on November 13, 2004 at 11:47:19 PT |
| From New York Newsday[Security guard] Tomika Thomas told police she smelled marijuana when she spotted the 16-year-old boy standing alone under a tree outside Booker T. Washington High School when other students were in class or the cafeteria. Thomas said she approached the student and tried to detain him, but he became aggressive, pushed her, then reached under his shirt. "She thought he was reaching for a weapon. She drew and fired one time, striking him in the foot," Sgt. Paul Accardo said. Police found no drugs or weapons on the boy, who ran away after being shot and was caught by a second security guard. I like what Pete Guither had to say about it: http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/2004/11/13.html#a640 Yep. She smelled marijuana.I'm not excusing the boy's alleged aggression, but this all started because she thought she smelled marijuana? Is this to be the norm in our society now? If so, I want no part of it, and I call for some bright chemist out there to develop a THC-free Pot Purfume and Cologne. I'll wear it proudly. And if I get hassled by a security guard or attacked by one of Lisa Madigan's dogs, I'll be happy that I am contributing to the demise of the prohibitionist's sniff, and that some day in the future, we will no longer have security guards shooting 16-year-olds because of a supposed odor. Any bright chemists here at CNews? [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #10 posted by Max Flowers on November 13, 2004 at 10:37:29 PT |
| That LTE was great. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #9 posted by goneposthole on November 13, 2004 at 09:57:38 PT |
| chronic severe pain nausea life-threatening weight loss seizures fibromyalgia an inoperable brain tumor Besides that, she's a criminal. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #8 posted by E_Johnson on November 13, 2004 at 09:51:15 PT |
| Dear editors, The reason why Carol Mithers believes that "scientific examination of these competing claims has failed to issue the definitive blessing or curse both sides would like" is because her scientific reference is five years out of date. The IOM report no longer represents definitive cannabinoid science. It was completed in 1999. That was five years ago. Cannabinoid science has made rapid progress since then. But the LA Times has sadly failed at communicating that progress to the public. Cancer researchers in Europe have discovered that the active ingredients in pot can kill or shrink nine different types of cancerous tumors. THC makes cancer cells commit suicide, and THC prevents tumors from creating new blood vessels to feed themselves. THC is now being studied as an actual treatment for cancer, not just for the toxic side effects of chemotherapy. The Society of Neuroscience took the official position last month that the active ingredients in marijuana are neuroprotective and are able to actually halt the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, not just treat their painful symptoms. The Israeli Army is currently conducting clinical trials of marijuana extracts on Israeli soldiers afflicted with PTSD. That is but a small sampling of recent scientific news concerning the medicinal use of marijuana. News is supposed to be new. Are you ever going to tell your readers what is new in cannabinoid science? Or are you going to keep running to the same old 1999 IOM report every time you write a story like this? Your readers deserve much better. Most of them voted for this law. They deserve to see just how marvelously their instincts as voters are being validated by science. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #7 posted by AlvinCool on November 13, 2004 at 09:19:55 PT |
| I type my responses or LTE's here, then cut and paste to a word processor. At that point I run my spell checker and view it then cut and paste it back. By doing it this way I'm good to go on any message site [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #6 posted by FoM on November 13, 2004 at 09:19:43 PT |
| LOL! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #5 posted by Max Flowers on November 13, 2004 at 09:16:59 PT |
| I'm holding you at bongpoint... are ya scared? :-) [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by FoM on November 13, 2004 at 09:05:26 PT |
| I liked what you said about looking down the barrel of a 4 foot bong. That was funny and it also shows how non violent we are. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by FoM on November 13, 2004 at 09:03:16 PT |
| Maybe if people ask Matt Elrod he might make an edit feature. I wish we had one too. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by Max Flowers on November 13, 2004 at 08:59:52 PT |
| "Helath" is good too, but I meant "health" Boy I wish this site had the edit functionality... [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by Max Flowers on November 13, 2004 at 08:57:46 PT |
| - California likely has the most medical cannabis patients—surprisingly, no one keeps official records, but estimates run from 30,000 to 100,000—as well as an organized and angry pro-cannabis movement. - That's right, we're organized and angry! Just TRY and stop us!! You'll be looking down the barrel of a 4-foot bong. But seriously, we're angry as anyone would be when their rights to helath and freedom are infringed. Just as angry as members of the other culture would be if we tried to take their beer and cigarettes away and lock them up for having them. [ Post Comment ] |
| Post Comment |  |
 |  |