cannabisnews.com: Few Complaints About Medical Pot Few Complaints About Medical Pot Posted by CN Staff on April 18, 2004 at 09:00:45 PT By Gabriel Baird -- Bee Staff Writer Source: Sacramento Bee Following Elk Grove's recent passage of restrictions on medicinal marijuana dispensaries, Roseville police say so far the area's first such shop hasn't caused their city to go to pot.That's not to say that all smokers of legal dope have behaved like model citizens since Richard Marino opened Capitol Compassionate Care there in January. While marijuana may ease, for instance, cancer patients' pain or increase their appetite, it doesn't help anyone's nerves to spot drivers smoking while behind the wheel. "We have had at least two complaints of motorists driving down streets smoking bongs or pipes," said Dee Dee Gunther, who analyzes crime statistics for the Roseville Police Department.Police have arrested for driving under the influence a few stoned motorists who said they got their marijuana from Marino's dispensary."People might like to know that even if you have a prescription for medical marijuana, you can't use it while driving," Gunther said.Other than these relatively few offenders, however, Roseville police say they have had no trouble from Compassionate Care.But since the shop has been open only a few months, it is too soon to give any hard statistics on its impact on the community, Gunther said.Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/complaints.htmSource: Sacramento Bee (CA)Author: Gabriel Baird -- Bee Staff WriterPublished: Sunday, April 18, 2004 Copyright: 2004 The Sacramento BeeContact: opinion sacbee.comWebsite: http://www.sacbee.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Medicinal Cannabis Research Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/research.htmReefer Resource - The Unionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18368.shtmlThe Pot Shop - Roseville Press-Tribune http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18294.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #5 posted by Dankhank on April 18, 2004 at 13:10:23 PT ltr to sacbee I sent this to elkgrove sacbee.com and letters lawton-constitution.comElk Grove City Councilmembers should be ashamed to be impeding medical help to those who need it. The rabid fear of increased crime is not used to deny sites for Walgreen's or any other pharmacy dispensing Narcotics. The aforementioned stores use common sense security measures taken by any business with an inventory of value and portability. Drug-testing employees is another impediment to operation. Will employess be able to posess a Medical Cannabis permit and will they be permitted to medicate duing work? Shoud Medical Cannabis users not apply for any job in that clinic? Elk Grove, it's time to face reality. People need Canabis. Government of the people , by the people, FOR THE PEOPLE. Resist [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Dankhank on April 18, 2004 at 11:15:47 PT: Here, too ........ Please add an address to your emails to include :letters lawton-constitution.comThis is my local paper that is owned by the same bunch as the Sacbee. We regularly see Sacbee editorials in our SW OK town regarding the drug war. I always try to educate the folks here, but would appreciate ya'll letting them know we are a force out here, not just my lone voice.Thanks to all who fight Resist ... [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by E_Johnson on April 18, 2004 at 11:10:08 PT Everyone arrested for driving on pot Needs to start putting the science before the system.Demand a jury trial and put the science before the jury.NORML needs to stop being so politically correct on this issue, too.If it's true that we're not a hazard on the road, then we need to stand up for what's true. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by E_Johnson on April 18, 2004 at 11:05:32 PT Dear editors, please pay attention to science Dear editors,If you are truly responsible as journalists, then you should inform your readers about the science on marijuana and driving. Not the government position -- the actual science that was done by highway safety experts.As we have already learned from the federal position that marijuana is medically useless, not everything the government tells us about pot is true. If we want the truth we have to go directly to the scientists and users themselves.Here is what the scientists said in 2001 in Australia:http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1849/a09.htmlNO PROOF CANNABIS PUT DRIVERS AT RISKStudies had found it impossible to prove cannabis adversely affected driving, an Adelaide University researcher said yesterday.Professor Jack Maclean, director of the road accident research unit, said, while there was no doubt alcohol affected driving adversely, that was not the case with marijuana."It has been impossible to prove marijuana affects driving adversely," he told the Australian Driver Fatigue Conference in Sydney."There is no doubt marijuana affects performance but it may be it affects it in a favourable way by reducing risk-taking."Professor Maclean said a study of blood samples taken by SA hospitals from people injured in road accidents found marijuana was the second most common drug, after alcohol, in the bloodstream.Those with marijuana in their blood, however, were at fault in less than half of the accidents."Alcohol was by far the most common drug and 80 per cent of those with alcohol on board were judged to be responsible ( for accidents )," he said."The next most common drug, but much less, was marijuana and about 48 per cent of the people with marijuana were judged to have been responsible for their crash."He said the lack of proof that marijuana was detrimental to driving was not because of a lack of effort by researchers."I can say that there are some quite distinguished researchers who are going through incredible contortions to try and prove that marijuana has to be a problem," he said.Professor Maclean said some researchers also found the risk of crashing while driving at the speed limit in a metropolitan area actually decreased if a driver had been drinking but was under the 0.05 blood alcohol limit."Perhaps for some people one or two glasses of alcohol may steady them down," he said.As speed and alcohol concentration rose, however, the risk of accidents rose exponentially. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on April 18, 2004 at 09:13:43 PT What Are Your Thoughts on Medicinal Marijuana? Sunday, April 18, 2004Please e-mail your thoughts to elkgrove sacbee.com or mail them to The Sacramento Bee, Elk Grove Bureau, 9281 Office Park Circle, Suite 100, Elk Grove, CA 95758. Include your telephone number and the city in which you live.Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/medical/story/8930914p-9857172c.html [ Post Comment ] Post Comment