cannabisnews.com: Pain Relief with Legal Pot
Pain Relief with Legal Pot
Posted by CN Staff on October 08, 2004 at 13:35:06 PT
By Jaymee R. Cuti, The Portland Observer
Source: Portland Observer
Madeline Martinez smokes marijuana everyday. She medicates herself with about an ounce of green buds each week, which she grows herself.She is a 54-year-old grandmother, a retired peace officer from a women's prison in California and a sufferer of chronic pain. Martinez has a degenerative disk and joint disease.
She says of all the drugs prescribed to her, marijuana keeps her quality of life high, without the nasty stomach irritation brought on by opiates prescribed by her doctor. Martinez is lucky, she says, because her medicine is protected under the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act of 1998, but since joining to program allowing her to grow and possess the drug legally, she says her fight is not over. On Nov. 2, voters will face Measure 33, a new medical marijuana initiative, which would create licensed and regulated non-profit dispensaries to sell medical cannabis to qualified patients. The measure would also increase a patient's possession limit to six pounds of marijuana per year, and up to one pound at a given time."The biggest problem is keeping the garden growing," she said. "Once you get the card that says you qualify as a patient, you're on your own." Martinez said she could kill ferns in her garden just by looking at them before she became an expert grower of her marijuana, nearing the legal limit with five flowering plants and eight in a vegetative stage.She has converted her basement into a grow space, using strong, expensive lighting and special soil to keep her crop healthy. One of her greatest fears is growing a crop that gets infested with insects or mold, or does not produce cannabis buds at all."I am afraid. If we don't get our medicine, what are we going to do? That's why Measure 33 is so important," she said. John Sajo, executive director of Voter Power, is advocating for Martinez's cause, and that of 10,000 other Oregonians who are registered under the state's medical marijuana program. His group along with the political action committee Life With Dignity, is working to pass Measure 33."A lot of people think we passed medical marijuana and it's working fine, but literally thousands of patients in the program are struggling to get their medicine," Sajo said.Financially self-sustaining dispensaries proposed by Measure 33 would carry marijuana for medicine in various forms, including baked goods, candies and oils, which are said to be safer than smoke inhalation. Stormy Ray, a poster child of the original medical marijuana initiative in 1998, is among those who have purchased arguments against the measure in the Oregon Voter's Pamphlet.Ray, 48, suffers from multiple sclerosis. She and others worry the measure will make the federal government's war against the medical use of marijuana even more aggressive."There is an ongoing struggle between states that have medical marijuana laws and the federal government," admits Sojo.Other opponents of Measure 33 call the initiative a thinly veiled effort toward legalizing marijuana for all.But Sajo says it will remain a felony to buy or sell marijuana under the proposal."I personally am a supporter of legalization, and I hope we get to vote for that someday," he said.The measure is endorsed by Pacific Green Party, the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon and the local Freedom Socialist Party."We think it's important that medical marijuana be more readily available to those who are medicinally in that kind of need," said party organizer Jordana Sardo. "Frankly, we are in favor of decriminalizing or legalizing drugs in general because we feel it's really important that the profit motive be taken out of the whole drug trade."For Martinez, she says the current state of the law leaves her with few options."I'm in support of Measure 33 because when my crop fails, I have no place to go for this medicine. My other option is to be on really strong pain medication and I choose not to. I choose a quality of life that allows me to enjoy my grandchildren, my pets and my family life," she said. Source: Portland Observer, The (OR)Author: Jaymee R. Cuti, The Portland ObserverPublished: October 6, 2004Copyright: 2004 The Portland ObserverContact: news portlandobserver.comWebsite: http://www.portlandobserver.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Stormy Ray Foundationhttp://www.stormyray.org/Voter Power Foundation http://www.voterpower.org/Measure Calls for Marijuana Dispensarieshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19592.shtmlMedical Marijuana Program Changes Go Too Far http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19566.shtmlMarijuana Initiative Revisits Notions About Lawhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19550.shtmlYes on 33: MMJ from a Patients Perspectivehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19427.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help
Comment #22 posted by goneposthole on October 10, 2004 at 06:24:45 PT
oops; that's 300 grow-ops
to supply medical marijuana for 10,000 patients. I was off by a factor of three.One grow-op to supply 33 patients, not 100 patients, or 300 * 33 or 34 ounces per month per grow-op equals 9900 - 10200 ounces."... I choose a quality of life that allows me to enjoy my grandchildren, my pets and my family life,"- Madeline MartinezI won't argue with her.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #21 posted by FoM on October 09, 2004 at 08:49:06 PT
Mayan This is For You
http://www.newshounds.us/2004/10/09/postdebate_2_polls.php
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #20 posted by FoM on October 09, 2004 at 08:20:16 PT
mayan
When I posted the early results I did that because early votes are those who really care and are on top of the polls. Fox is for Bush. If you ever get to see OUTFOXED it explains their motives. OUTFOXED still is a big seller on Amazon.com even though it was released in March I think.I'll tell you why this election means so much to me and why I care. I feel very guilty from the last election. I wanted Gore to win and only because I thought he was better then Bush. I didn't really care and never registered to vote and we know what happened. I think about how we wouldn't have invaded Iraq if Gore had won. Then I think about our young men and women they have been killed in Iraq and I feel terrible. Don't let Fox bother you. If Kerry becomes our next president Fox will have to find things wrong with Kerry to keep the spin going. When news or people lose credibility it's very hard to make people believe them ever again and that's what Fox has done to themselves.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #19 posted by goneposthole on October 09, 2004 at 05:52:21 PT
go for it
"I am afraid. If we don't get our medicine, what are we going to do? That's why Measure 33 is so important,"- Madeline MartinezAbout Madeline Martinez: "She is a 54-year-old grandmother, a retired peace officer from a women's prison in California and a sufferer of chronic pain. Martinez has a degenerative disk and joint disease."It goes on to say that there are 10 000 Oregonians that have some form of illness and are patients that qualify to use medical marijuana.You also need medical marijuana. Ten thousand ounces per month is how much you need. Seventy-five hundred pounds per year, that is. One hundred grow-ops producing approximately two and one-eighth pounds per month. One grow-op could provide medical marijuana for every one hundred patients. At three thousand dollars per pound, medical marijuana is a valuable commodity. Seventy-five hundred pounds would have a value of twenty-two and one-half million dollars. Think of it as a third of a truck load.It is important for the federal government to regulate the industry, instead of doing all it can to destroy it. In spite of all of the government's efforts, cannabis keeps slogging along.If the government won't change, cannabis will do the change for them. A change will do them good.The debates are bread and circus. All bunkum and bosh
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #18 posted by mayan on October 09, 2004 at 04:48:29 PT
More Polls...
Here's another page with many,many links to online pools...http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1006413
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #17 posted by mayan on October 09, 2004 at 04:20:26 PT
FOX Poll Rigged?
All of a sudden Bush is winning the FOX News poll. The AOL Poll is close too so get votin'!Here's a cool site that has links that make it easy to get to many of the online polls...Political Strategy - Art of War:
http://www.politicalstrategy.org/archives/000516.php
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #16 posted by E_Johnson on October 09, 2004 at 00:01:43 PT
This is what I thought
The law is supposed to conform to the Constitution and not the other way around.But whatever.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #15 posted by FoM on October 08, 2004 at 21:15:02 PT
siege
That's how I took it too.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #14 posted by siege on October 08, 2004 at 21:00:00 PT
Constitution
I think what he was trying to say is to interpret the Constitution as it is written not what some one thinks it is or wants it to be.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #13 posted by FoM on October 08, 2004 at 20:50:53 PT
Yes EJ
I agree but do they all the time? I don't know. I'm not a lawyer and I know I sure don't think like a lawyer. I see things from my convictions. Maybe that's why I'm not a Lawyer. I'm only kidding. We had a good friend who was also our Lawyer. He restored faith to me about Lawyers. He was the first to rattle off Lawyer jokes.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #12 posted by E_Johnson on October 08, 2004 at 20:46:42 PT
I'm not sure but I think...
Justices are supposed to interpret the Constitution according to the Constitution.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #11 posted by FoM on October 08, 2004 at 20:34:47 PT
Not Sure
I think he meant that the Constitution has been abused and misued and wants it to be interrupted properly. I'm not good about this so it's just a guess.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #10 posted by E_Johnson on October 08, 2004 at 20:32:00 PT
OT I do not understand what he means here
Kerry said that if he had to pick a Supreme Court justice, "I want to make sure we have judges who interpret the Constitution of the United States according to the law." Ummmmmmmm??????????????????????????????This sounds so dumb, I can't believe Bush didn't say it.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #9 posted by FoM on October 08, 2004 at 20:28:26 PT
Nuevo Mexican
It was a good debate. They were really making it clear how opposite they are. Bush complained about Kerry being a liberal democrat and I think that's a good thing. Someone who thinks in a liberal manner isn't as prone to push their views on those they are appointed to govern. That's the way I see the term liberal.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #8 posted by Nuevo Mexican on October 08, 2004 at 20:22:12 PT
Here's some more email addys for polls!
Thanks FOM! I saw that! Awesome!The same heavily in favor of Kerry numbers show up in all the polls, please partake! Tommorrow the Freepers and Repugs will be voting, don't expect the media to publish the results on TV, but it will help dampen their faux enthusiasm for the SHOUTER/Whiner!CBS: http://www.cbsnews.com/
CNN: http://www.cnn.com/
Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/
MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/
Wall Street Journal: http://www.wsj.com/
Akron Beacon-Journal: http://www.ohio.com/
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: http://www.ajc.com/
Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/
Los Angeles Times: http://www.latimes.com/
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/
Orlando Sentinel: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/
Philadelphia Inquirer: http://www.philly.com/
South Florida Sun-Sentinel: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/ And be sure to check the websites of your local newspapers and TV stations
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #7 posted by FoM on October 08, 2004 at 19:56:35 PT
Early CNN Poll Results
Who won the second presidential debate?
President Bush -- 16% -- 4949 votes
John Kerry -- 83% -- 26448 votes Evenly matched -- 1% -- 450 votes Total: 31847 votes http://www.cnn.com/
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #6 posted by FoM on October 08, 2004 at 19:53:53 PT
Early Fox News Poll Results
Who won Friday night's presidential debate? a. President Bush -- (30%) -- 4,328
b. Senator Kerry -- (70%) -- 10,301
c. I did not watch -- (0%) -- 52
d. None of the above -- (0%) -- 31
14,712 total votes http://www.foxnews.com/
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #5 posted by FoM on October 08, 2004 at 19:46:58 PT
Early Results of MSNBC Poll
Who won the debate? Current Results:* 115399 responses
Pres. Bush -- 21% Sen. Kerry -- 79% http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #4 posted by dr slider on October 08, 2004 at 19:38:48 PT:
off topic
Its a draw
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #3 posted by AgaetisByrjun on October 08, 2004 at 18:38:20 PT
Line from the debate
George Bush, about importing prescription drugs from Canada:"When a drug comes in from Canada, I wanna make sure it cures ya, not kills ya!"Ironic as hell considering the "BC Bud" hystrionics.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #2 posted by Universer on October 08, 2004 at 17:33:13 PT
Zilch
"How many John Ashcrofts do you want?"Zero!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #1 posted by E_Johnson on October 08, 2004 at 14:08:06 PT
Drug task force ordered to open books
Police chiefs in legal setback
Judge rules police chiefs' narcotics task for ce is violating Brown Act
By Gary Scott
Staff WriterThursday, October 07, 2004 - LOS ANGELES -- The police chiefs of Los Angeles County have been violating the state's open-meeting law for the last 13 years by holding policy meetings for a countywide narcotics task force behind closed doors, a Superior Court judge ruled Thursday.Judge Dzintra Janavs ordered the governing board of L.A. Impact to open its meetings and its books to the public, saying the agency must operate according to the same rules as cities and counties throughout the state.First Amendment activist Richard McKee, who filed the lawsuit, hailed the ruling as a "substantial' victory for those who believe the public has the right to know how and why public funds are being spent."I don't want to say anything bad about L.A. Impact, but at the same time there is always the possibility for the misuse of public funds,' said McKee, a professor at Pasadena City College. "There has got to be oversight.'Since L.A. Impact was founded in 1991, it has taken in about $78 million in asset-forfeiture money. Most of the money is distributed back to the member cities, but a portion is kept to pay for operating expenses.Thursday's ruling could have repercussions throughout the state by forcing more than 40 similarly constituted crime task force agencies to begin holding public meetings.Last week, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer weighed in on L.A. Impact's behalf, arguing the task force was not subject to the Ralph M. Brown Act, which governs public meetings.Lockyer's office partners with 42 task forces, including L.A. Impact.Richard Kreisler, attorney for L.A. Impact, argued vehemently that existing California law gives police chiefs authority to utilize department resources to combat crime as they see fit, and the task force was formed under that authority.McKee claimed the task force was a public agency because it was created under the authority of the various city councils in the county.Kreisler disagreed, saying L.A. Impact was established by the L.A. County Police Chiefs Association, a private organization.L.A. Impact is governed by a 10-member executive council. Member police chiefs serve on the council on a rotating basis."This entire ruling was a very close call, a very unique situation,' Kreisler said, adding, "Day to day operations will go on as effectively as they always have' at L.A. Impact.Before handing down her ruling, Janavs said the issues in the case were complex and opined that the state Legislature needed to better clarify how public meeting law applies to agencies that deal with such sensitive issues as law enforcement.The ruling does not take effect for 60 days, during which time the L.A. Impact board will decide whether to appeal.McKee said he would welcome that decision since it could set a precedent that would open the books of dozens of similar task forces that collect millions in asset forfeiture money every year.Asset-forfeiture laws played a key role in the formation of task force groups like L.A. Impact, which was established in 1991 by the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs Association.Kreisler said the task force allowed police departments to pool resources to conduct major investigations, and avoid working at cross-purposes."The police chiefs decided to build a better mouse-trap,' Kreisler said.Since L.A. Impact was founded, the group has made more than 3,700 arrests, seized more than 70,000 pounds of cocaine and taken 387 illegal guns off the streets.L.A. Impact first came into McKee's cross-hairs after Claremont reporter Christopher Bray discovered the group was expanding its mission to investigate domestic terrorism complaints.While task force officials say the group has not pursued the initiative, McKee and Bray, who joined the lawsuit, said the mere possibility that such investigations would take place demanded public oversight."When all of a sudden you have these local agencies involved in terrorism investigations there has to be some oversight there,' McKee said. "How many John Ashcrofts do you want?'
[ Post Comment ]
Post Comment