cannabisnews.com: Drug Czar: Medical Marijuana is a Ploy





Drug Czar: Medical Marijuana is a Ploy
Posted by CN Staff on August 15, 2003 at 07:09:51 PT
By William McCall, The Associated Press
Source: Associated Press
Portland — Drug czar John Walters said Thursday that medical marijuana is being used as a political ploy to support efforts to legalize marijuana in a state where it already poses the most serious drug abuse problem for teenagers.Walters said that about 25 percent of the teens in the Portland metro area who report drug abuse problems say they are dependent on marijuana, compared with 15 percent who report alcohol abuse.
Their parents are part of the baby boom generation, which considers marijuana a soft drug that poses only a minor problem compared to hard drugs such as heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine, he said.But marijuana remains the biggest abuse problem in the nation, especially for teens and young adults, Walters said.“The greatest enemy in this area is cynicism,” Walters said.The director of National Drug Control Policy, a job that has acquired the nickname “drug czar,” was visiting Portland on a tour of the 25 largest U.S. cities to promote state and local drug enforcement and abuse prevention efforts.Walters said most of the abuse problems are concentrated in those 25 cities, so the Bush administration is trying to focus funding on local efforts to deal with those problems, including treatment and rehabilitation programs.But he had harsh words for medical-marijuana advocates in Oregon, accusing them of playing into the hands of legalization advocates seeking to decriminalize all marijuana use.“What’s really going on is that sick and dying people are being used as a political prop to legalize marijuana,” Walters said.But a spokesman for the Stormy Ray Foundation, backers of the Oregon medical marijuana law, said the law is aimed only at helping a small number of people who are suffering from serious disease and do not respond well with conventional treatment.“The effort to legalize marijuana for medical purposes in the state of Oregon has not involved pursuit of wholesale legalization,” spokesman Duane Raley said. “I would say that John Walters is uninformed, or he’s promoting his own message, contrary to the facts.”Oregon is one of nine states, including Washington and California, that allow limited use of marijuana for medical purposes under the direction of a doctor.Raley noted that Oregon’s law differs from California’s by restricting marijuana cultivation to the patients who use it. The state Department of Human Services simply processes applications and monitors marijuana prescriptions by doctors.“The state is not placed in the position of being a provider of medical marijuana to the patient, and we think that’s a good thing,” Raley said.The foundation said there were 4,473 patients registered for treatment in Oregon as of May, with 747 applications pending.Walters said the Bush administration is spending millions of dollars on research to find out whether any ingredients in marijuana have some medical benefit and can be turned into prescription drugs.He said many prescription drugs are based on the ingredients in heroin, cocaine and other illegal drugs, but drugs derived from those substances are controlled by doctors and have shown true medical benefits after decades of research and clinical experience.“It’s not about feeling better; it’s about what is ethical and efficacious medical practice,” Walters said. “Smoking marijuana has not met that standard.”The Bush administration has asked the Supreme Court to decide whether the government can strip a doctor’s license to prescribe drugs if medical marijuana is prescribed. The administration has appealed a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that blocked the federal government from punishing doctors who prescribe medical marijuana.Walters was joined by some of the top law enforcement leaders in the city, including U.S. Attorney Michael Mosman, Portland police Chief Mark Kroeker and Multnomah County Sheriff Bernie Giusto.Source: Associated PressAuthor: William McCall, The Associated PressPublished: August 15, 2003Copyright: 2003 Associated Press Related Articles & Web Sites:SOMM-NEThttp://www.somm-net.org/Stormy Ray Foundationhttp://www.stormyray.org/Feds Could Face 'Rebellion' Over States' Rightshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17069.shtmlPatients Defend Medical Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17028.shtmlMedical Marijuana Connection Growing http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14706.shtml
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Comment #12 posted by aocp on August 17, 2003 at 02:29:43 PT
The Truth
“It’s not about feeling better; it’s about what is ethical and efficacious medical practice,” Walters said. “Smoking marijuana has not met that standard.”"Ethical and efficacious medical practice," my a**. It's only "ethical" to keep sick and dying people from "what makes them feel better" in upside-down bizarro waltersworld. If the bud makes them feel "better," it is achieving it's goal of making the patient feel better and is therefore "efficacious."You see, mr. almighty prick drug czar, we stoners can see through your semi-big words to get to the filth hidden within your heart. Since cannabis use has not one fatality linked to itself, i'd say making the user "feel better" is the worst thing it could do. As for the other benefits, why don't you ask the seven remaining federal MMJ patients, you pompous jackass. I'd like to punch this guy, too. [probably on with impunity, though ... :)]
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Comment #11 posted by afterburner on August 15, 2003 at 21:55:23 PT:
Right You Are, Bud
I think what Johnny Boy meant was that heroin is derived from opium poppies and cocaine is derived from coca leaves. Only trouble with his thesis: heroin is Schedule One and "has no medical value." Cocaine is Schedule Two and "has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States." So is he saying that cannabis is like poppies or like coca? Either way he's showing his "ignorance." Poppy is a narcotic; coca is a stimulant; cannabis is a mild psychedelic. The poor guy is so confused and desperate that he can't even keep his story straight. Have a good sleep, John. You'll need it.ego transcendence follows ego destruction, there's a whole generation with a new explanation, people in motion, people in motion.
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Comment #10 posted by Schnauzberry on August 15, 2003 at 11:43:34 PT:
walters is so stupid
if walters is so gawd damn concerned about drug abuse he should be raiding pharmacys, with such drugs as perkiset,oxicoten,codene,viciden, erc... that people become dependant on, and sometimes die everyday, and now hes acusing sick and dying people that just wanna smoke their herb to not feel the pain are a political ploy?!!?! this just makes me sick, iam glad to live in portland and be a stoner.and i wanna punch this drug czar in the face
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Comment #9 posted by BGreen on August 15, 2003 at 11:11:28 PT
Walters LIED Again and Here Is The Proof
"He said many prescription drugs are based on the ingredients in heroin, cocaine and other illegal drugs, but drugs derived from those substances are controlled by doctors and have shown true medical benefits after decades of research and clinical experience."Oh, yeah? A substance DERIVED from cocaine? Well, let's look at the Roxane laboratories, Inc. website for the truth.July 18, 2003 Roxane Laboratories, Inc. Page 2*COCAINE HYDROCHLORIDE Topical
Solution (Schedule II)4% 5 x 4mL Glass Bottle 8163-03
1 x 10mL Multi-Dose
Glass Bottle 3154-40
10% 5 x 4mL Glass Bottle 8164-03
1 x 10mL Multi-Dose
Glass Bottle 3155-40This "derivative" of cocaine is the real deal, walters, you lying piece of czar scum. As far as I know Cocaine is the only drug derived from the coca plant. According to some doctors I've talked to there is no better topical anesthetic for nasal surgery.The Rev. Bud Green
ROXANE LABORATORIES, INC.
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Comment #8 posted by E_Johnson on August 15, 2003 at 08:46:43 PT
Walters is right about one thing
Yes, the greatest enemy is cynicism.And how cynical does one have to be as a Christian to tell parents that it is morally acceptable to break God's commandment against bearing false witness, in order to scare their kids away from pot?Repent your cynical sins, John Walters, because God watches you too. 
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Comment #7 posted by E_Johnson on August 15, 2003 at 08:36:37 PT
The happy news of today -- George Schultz
Anti-prohibitionist George Schultz reportedly joined the Arnold campaign today. I remember him during Iran-Contra. He was so enraged over the Ollie Ops that his face turned bright red and he even cried on national TV. How embarassing could that have been for a man like him? I got the impression that he was even more outraged than I was over the excesses of the Reagan administration. In the middle of that giant sordid mess, it was nice to see there was at least one committed public servant capable of expressing outrage over the insult done to the ideals of public service in a free and open society.Does anyone know whether the Arnold camp has come out with a drug policy?With George Schultz on board, this could get interesting.
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Comment #6 posted by kaptinemo on August 15, 2003 at 08:30:49 PT:
I went back and re-read his malarky
*Walters said the Bush administration is spending millions of dollars on research to find out whether any ingredients in marijuana have some medical benefit and can be turned into prescription drugs.*At the risk of seeming boring, I'd like to repeat an earlier statement I made in another comment:*It was the DEA which categorized cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug, not any panel of doctors or legislators. 
And it is the DEA, not any health related organization, which has the final say-so on dispensing the legally grown (and completely inferior) cannabis provided by the University of Mississippi for research purposes. Just ask those physicians like Doctors Abrams and Russo how hard it is to get the Feds to break loose with any of their ditchweed if you want to prove how beneficial cannabis can be. If the study isn't done with the specific intent of proving deleterious effects, the DEA doesn't want to hear from you.Barely literate Fed agents...whose paychecks are dependent upon the maintenence of a lie...making medical decisions as to the welfare of American citizens. Last I heard, it was against the law to practice medicine without a license.*Uncle only funds research he wants to prove his theses. Anything else that provides just a sniff of how beneficial RAW CANNABIS is automatically gets short shrift, as Big Pharma's buddies in the legislatures and the bureaucracy will move Heaven and Earth to prevent the word from getting out. Walters is once again pandering to the demi-conscious, the vast horde of 'Mur-kins' that believes the Reader's Digest is the epitome of journalism and government officials don't lie. But his pandering is for the benefit of his big-shot Republican friends who stand to make a literal killing with over-priced cannabis infusions when they (miraculously!) show potential...as *patented medicines*.Is it that cannabists can see very clearly, or that government officials are purposely wearing blinders? They can't be THAT stupid, to think we're all fooled by their sophomoric plots.
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Comment #5 posted by 13th step on August 15, 2003 at 08:17:51 PT
kaptinemo
In the epilogue:
"For example, a woman who works at the World Bank reports that she prepared two policy options for her boss who, after a quick review, declared option A clearly preferable. The woman spent a restless night going over the matter and by daylight had concluded the opposite: option B was better. She cautiously told her boss of her concerns and he promptly responded that, okay, they would follow option B. But you were so certain about option A, she said. Oh that, he explained, was just something he had learned at the Harvard Business School: to always be decisive."Always be decisive.
Regardless of whether you have taken the time to fully evaluate both sides of the issue.What is the term ? "Singularity of vision" ?
Something like that.Thanks for the link, kapt!
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Comment #4 posted by goneposthole on August 15, 2003 at 07:56:13 PT
a lost highway
Mr. Walters continues to drive down that road. Quit driving. The guy never stops beating his head against the wall, poor soul."Each year prescription drugs injure 1.5 million people so severely they require hospitalization and 100,000 die, making prescription drugs a leading cause of death in the United States. Around 1400 employees work for the FDA whose main duties relate to approving new drugs. Yet, there are only 52 full time employees who monitor the safety of all the drugs currently on the market. This includes approximately 5,000 brand name, generic and over-the counter drugs."http://www.startthehealing.com/warninglist.htmlNo need to wonder where the cynicism originates. Better to be a stoic than a cynic, Mr. Walters. Have a nice day.
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Comment #3 posted by kaptinemo on August 15, 2003 at 07:53:11 PT:
13th Step, here's a partial answer
It's a bit simplistic, but given what we've seen, it makes sense:THE AUTISTIC CONFEDERACY by Sam Smith
http://prorev.com/autistic.htmfrom the article:"Asperger's Syndrome, also known as Asperger's Disorder or Autistic Psychopathy, is a Pervasive Developmental Disorder characterized by severe and sustained impairment in social interaction, development of restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities. These characteristics result in clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. In contrast to Autistic disorder (Autism), there are no clinically significant delays in language or cognition or self help skills or in adaptive behavior, other than social interaction. Prevalence is limited but it appears to be more common in males . . . Adults with Asperger's have trouble with empathy and modulation of social interaction - the disorder follows a continuous course and is usually lifelong . . . "...Nothing so well describes the monocular mania over "free markets" and related clichés that has characterized the thoughts and words of our elite since the days of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. What better description of our typical political or media leader than: "Has an average or above average intelligence. Has highly developed language skills. Lacks social interaction skills. Exhibits inappropriate behavioral response to social situations. Lacks understanding of humor or irony . . ."In short, they are highly intelligent but excessively narrow-minded individuals with anal predispositions to always be proven 'right' because their egos are dependent upon that certainty as being demonstrable 'proof' they should be listened to as fonts of wisdom.
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Comment #2 posted by Jose Melendez on August 15, 2003 at 07:38:30 PT
Reschedule or Retire
In light of Bayer AG's agreement with GW Pharmaceuticals, the argument that marijuana has no medicinal benefit is obviously false.Drug war is treason.
Arrest Prohibition
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Comment #1 posted by 13th step on August 15, 2003 at 07:35:02 PT
Aww geez..
“The greatest enemy in this area is cynicism,” Walters said.No , the greatest enemy in the US (& the world for that matter) is ignorance fueled by disinformation & propagandistic lies.The results of GW pharm alone should be enough, I know a few people who I've told that Bayer bought up Sativex have completely changed their minds about medical cannabis.
(You know, it's ok if it has a trademark!)
There are some people who cannot change their minds, even in the face of irrefutable evidence to the contrary.
Why is that? Why do some personality types have to always be "right" on an issue, when many issues have nothing to do with right and wrong, they are more grey area.I know, it's Walters' job ; he's afraid if cannabis were legal, if medical cannabis were legal, then he'd not get paid as much.
At many of my former jobs, if you reached certain 'goals', then you got bonus pay. I wonder how much Johnny Pee gets for just sheer numbers of busts?
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