cannabisnews.com: PRO: Pot Use in America Marijuana is Medicine 










  PRO: Pot Use in America Marijuana is Medicine 

Posted by CN Staff on September 01, 2002 at 08:31:26 PT
By Mitchell Earleywine 
Source: San Francisco Chronicle  

The majority of Americans support medical marijuana. Californians legalized it years ago. The prestigious New England Journal of Medicine endorses the medication, and calls federal policy against this treatment "misguided" and "inhumane." A safe, inexpensive medication that effectively relieves pain, nausea and muscle spasms while improving appetite makes a welcome addition to our pharmaceutical armament.
Meanwhile, as columnist Debra J. Saunders told us ("West takes on East in the drug war," July 28) federal drug czar John Walters still claims that medical research doesn't support marijuana as medicine. Nothing could be further from the truth. Medical marijuana began in 2737 B. C. The first evidence of marijuana's ability to enhance appetite goes back to 300 A.D. Centuries before there was a drug czar or a Proposition 215 or even a U.S. government, physicians knew that marijuana improved appetite. Dr. Richard Foltin of Columbia University confirmed that effect in 1988 when he found that men who smoked marijuana increased their intake of calories by 40 percent. Researchers across the nation want to provide more evidence to support medical marijuana, but they are blocked by bureaucratic hurdles. The National Institute of Drug Abuse, the sole legal source of marijuana for this work, has made obtaining the drug absurdly difficult. In short, medical marijuana does not have more research support because the government has squashed these investigations. But based on the faulty assumption that marijuana is not medicine, federal law enforcement officers have closed local cannabis clubs. This creates a dilemma for the chronically ill who need this medicine. They might try to grow their own, but the work is difficult. The marijuana plant requires diligent care, including appropriate temperatures, frequent watering and a fight against pests. Growers live in fear their plants will be stolen or they will be arrested. The task is too demanding for people who are sick. The chronically ill might try to buy marijuana on the underground market, but these purchases are also difficult. Few people have any idea where to buy pot safely. They may find themselves in dangerous settings, again living in fear of theft or arrest. Dependable sources may be hard to find. Dealers may hawk illicit drugs that would be of no help to the chronically ill. Each search for medicine could become anything from a draining waste of time to a life-threatening confrontation. Mitchell Earleywine is an associate professor in the department of psychology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and the author of "Understanding Marijuana" (Oxford University Press, 2002). Complete Title: Pot Use in America - PRO - Marijuana is MedicineSnipped:  Complete Article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/09/01/ED225131.DTL Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Author: Mitchell EarleywinePublished: Sunday, September 1, 2002Copyright: 2002 San Francisco Chronicle -  Page D - 5 Contact: letters sfchronicle.comWebsite: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/Related Articles:West Takes on East in the Drug War http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13561.shtmlDrug Czar Skirts S.F. Proposal to Grow Its Own http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13544.shtmlVoters To Decide On Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13523.shtml

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Comment #3 posted by SWAMPIE on September 01, 2002 at 20:15:59 PT

WALTERS IS AN IGNORANT-ANAL-RETENTIVE..........
 B-GREEN,our 13 cats love to sit by us when we smoke,as long as they only get the sidestream smoke,then they go eat and play until naptime!LOL!They love it when I play my guitar or the oold baby-grand!"WOW MAN!LOOK AT THE LIGHTS!"We all know so much more than"They"do,but how do we get"THEM"to try it so "THEY"will understand? SWAMPIE
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Comment #2 posted by BGreen on September 01, 2002 at 11:31:40 PT

Look at the biographical information
Walters isn't any more qualified to speak on this issue than my cat, who, I might add, agrees with me 100%.
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Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo MD on September 01, 2002 at 09:38:15 PT:

The Winner!
This opinion utilizes factual information without innuendo to indicate its validity. 
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