cannabisnews.com: What Have Our Feds Been Smokin'?





What Have Our Feds Been Smokin'?
Posted by FoM on August 28, 2001 at 11:54:22 PT
By Billie Stanton, Denver Post Columnist
Source: Denver Post
The long-running battle against medical marijuana makes me want to smoke two joints and go lie down. Alas, I don't smoke the stuff. But plenty of people who do, purely for recreation, aren't about to stop just because it's against the law. Sadly, those most often deterred by the law - or forced to break it - are people who truly need marijuana to alleviate horrendous suffering. New drug czar Asa Hutchinson showed extraordinary ignorance last month when he said medical marijuana is harmful and rife with "many potential dangers." He also insisted the scientific community doesn't support the drug's medical use. 
Au contraire, Asa. Use of medical marijuana is supported not only by the scientific and medical communities, but also by a former administrative law judge of the Drug Enforcement Administration who spent two years studying such use. The U.S. Department of Justice had referred the matter to Judge Francis L. Young, who released his findings in September 1988: Medical marijuana has "accepted medical use" for treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea, spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis and other conditions, and hyperparathyroidism. Young also found that a person would have to smoke 20,000 to 40,000 marijuana cigarettes to induce death. By contrast, just 40 aspirin can kill a person, and aspirin does kill hundreds every year. Yet the DEA administrator rejected Young's findings, saying the oncological community doesn't consider marijuana acceptable for chemotherapy patients. Au contraire again, DEA. In a survey of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in 1990, more than 44 percent of respondents said they had recommended marijuana to at least one chemotherapy patient, and 48 percent said they would prescribe marijuana if it were legal. Even the conservative American Medical Association conceded in December 1997 that well-controlled studies suggest marijuana's possible efficacy with AIDS wasting syndrome, emesis induced by chemotherapy, MS, spinal cord injury, dystonia and neuropathic pain. The Institute of Medicine - asked by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to review the latest scientific evidence - reported in 1999 that remarkable consensus supports the potential of medical marijuana. Although the government has approved use of Marinol for cancer and AIDS patients, that capsule contains only THC and takes effect slowly with variable results. By contrast, smoking delivers a combination of drugs with rapid effect, the IOM found. However, because smoking causes lung cancer and other problems, the IOM recommends development of a rapid-onset delivery system such as an inhaler. Great Britain's House of Lords concluded in 1998 that doctors should immediately be allowed to prescribe cannabis for certain patients. And Canada enacted a law on July 30, allowing possession and production of pot to ease patients' suffering. Plenty of AIDS and cancer patients have found relief by eating marijuana-laden cookies, says U.S. District Judge John L. Kane Jr., who volunteered at two hospices in 1996 and 1997. One cancer patient who had dropped from 160 pounds to less than 100 started regaining weight and strength after munching the cookies. Although he ultimately died of cancer, at least he did so with dignity, Kane recalls. Other hospice residents found Marinol ineffective, though marijuana did help. Yet despite a vast array of scientific, medical and anecdotal evidence - despite even the IOM's assurance that medical marijuana wouldn't increase non-patient pot use - the U.S. government continues to equate medical marijuana with a back-door push to legalize drugs. Colorado officials exhibit the same paranoia. The June threat by Attorney General Ken Salazar and Gov. Bill Owens - that physicians who recommend medical marijuana risk federal prosecution - was underscored by a letter asking interim U.S. Attorney Richard Spriggs to "enforce federal law." (Spriggs retorted that if they don't like the state medical marijuana law approved by voters last year, they shouldn't look to federal authorities to solve their problem.) This threat didn't only infringe on doctors' First Amendment rights. It also was an inexcusable intrusion into medical care. Even the AMA has said discussion of such alternatives by physicians and patients shouldn't be subject to criminal sanctions. But this is what the U.S. government is doing on a grand scale - unjustifiably blocking effective medical care while ignoring even the scientific findings it commissioned. For a multitude of cancer, AIDS and other patients, the real criminal is the federal government - not the sufferer who needs to smoke two joints and go lie down. Billie Stanton is a member of The Denver Post editorial board.Source: Denver Post (CO)Author: Billie Stanton, Denver Post ColumnistPublished: Tuesday, August 28, 2001 Copyright: 2001 The Denver PostContact: letters denverpost.com Website: http://www.denverpost.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmMedical Pot Quagmirehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10696.shtmlDEA Chief Tough on Medical Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10677.shtml
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Comment #7 posted by steve1 on August 31, 2001 at 15:01:08 PT
the only danger is going to be my foot in his ass
The drug czar needs a good kick in the ass.
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Comment #6 posted by dddd on August 29, 2001 at 10:37:12 PT
....whutz next?
....OK,,,now imagine an open ,big sky Wyoming prairie scene with The Rockieson the horizon,,,,,A man on a horse is seen in the distances,,,,cut to close-upof galloping hoofs,,panning up to ruggedly handsome cowboy guys face,,as thehorse comes to a stop,,,,a deep Johnny Cash like voice says;"Bold,,,,,,,,Natural,,,,,and True...,"...the 'Marlboro Gum' logo appears at the bottom of the screen,asthe guy pops a piece into his mouth,,and starts chewin' and smilin'..... fade...backto "Americas Wildest Police Chases",on FOX,,,,with your host,,John Bunnell,,,,,;.."We start here in Montana!,,,Beaverhead County Sherriff are in pursuit of thiswhite pickup truck that refuses to pull over....A call on the license plate number reveals the driver is a drug offender,",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,blurry pictures of swerving cars ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"It's clears that this drugged out driver is heading for trouble,,,,this dopedup crackhead marijuana user is endangering other motorists on this joyride"........later on,,car pulls over,,,cops slam guy down on ground,and during closeup ofcops knee grinding mans face into the asphalt,,Bunnell sez;"This is one drug crazeddopehead that will be doing some thinking,,,for eight years".......ddddisorientateddddd
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Comment #5 posted by schmeff on August 29, 2001 at 10:02:50 PT
Splendidddd Link
Nicotine a dietary supplement? Looks like job security for busybody regulators.
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Comment #4 posted by dddd on August 29, 2001 at 08:06:00 PT
worth seeing
..This links to an article concerning non-smoked nicotine.Itbrings up some interesting items...ddddhttp://www.reason.com/sullum/082801.html
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Comment #3 posted by Auto on August 29, 2001 at 07:53:02 PT
What are they really afraid of?
Is prohibition really a political play to special interests?The pharaceuticals dont want it legal because they can compete evenly with Marijuana.The Cotton Industry cant compete, the lumber industry cant compete....So you and me suffer in the meantime. We are Criminals in the eyes of the feds...I work, pay taxes, contribute to my community and yet my medicine remains a political hot potatoe.Wait...this is all about jobs and job creation....if the DEA had nothing to do...there would be layoffs...No way would Bush let his buddies go without jobs. Lets start another war, double our prison population and tell everyone what a great job were doing....NOT!Time for a revolution. this country has become so very divided anyways...
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Comment #2 posted by The GCW on August 28, 2001 at 14:35:10 PT
Music
Every day, there is more and more music to hear. The wall is very much coming down. 
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Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on August 28, 2001 at 13:15:19 PT:
Good Job
For a change we have an accurate, helpful editorial. However, for most medical conditions, 1/2 of a joint will provide good symptomatic relief.
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