cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Debate a Smoking Issue Medical Marijuana Debate a Smoking Issue Posted by CN Staff on October 27, 2004 at 08:21:11 PT By Ginny Merriam of the Missoulian Source: Missoulian How you feel about medical marijuana and the initiative to legalize it on the Montana ballot depends on where you sit.Scott Brodie looks at it from his job as sergeant of the Missoula Police Department's drug unit and his eight years of drug-related law enforcement. Legalizing the medical use of marijuana will contribute to crime, set a bad example for youths, open the door to use of other drugs, create more drug addiction, cost the taxpayers money for more law enforcement - and it's just plain not necessary, he said. "I'm just appalled that this thing could be this close to passing," he said in a recent interview. "I'm passionate about this. I'm just alarmed about what the poll numbers are showing."Paul Befumo looks at it as the spokesman of the Medical Marijuana Policy Project of Montana, based in Missoula. It's just ridiculous to put sick people in prison - or have them live in fear of that - for using a medicine that works, with the help of their doctors, he recently told the Missoulian Editorial Board."They don't belong in Deer Lodge," he said. "There's something wrong with us using police power on this.""It's a reasonable initiative," he said. "It's got a good purpose. It gives doctors back a tool they had for the first 150 years of our country."Brodie, in his role as detective sergeant with the multi-agency High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, recently wrote a six-page letter against Initiative 148 for Montana newspaper editorial pages on behalf of the Missoula Police Protective Association. The police union represents about 80 law enforcement officers in the rank of lieutenant and below.If voters approve it, the initiative would be a law-enforcement nightmare, he said.The initiative provides for approved medical marijuana users to carry a card authorizing that use. Forged cards will proliferate like forged driver's licenses, he said. Police time will be taken checking the veracity of cards, increasing the response time and decreasing the time left to spend on such things as homes that have been burglarized.The homes of medical marijuana users themselves will be the target of drug addicts who know they will find marijuana in their homes, Brodie said.That has not been true in the nine states that have legalized medical marijuana, said Befumo and Tom Daubert of Helena, a public relations specialist who is also working to promote the initiative. A study conducted by the federal General Accounting Office found that in the four states with the oldest medical marijuana laws - Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii and California - "medical marijuana laws have had little impact on their law enforcement activities for a variety of reasons."Most of the 37 law enforcement agencies interviewed said they routinely had very few or no encounters with registry cards. The researchers commented on the small number of patients who had registered and doctors who had prescribed medical marijuana.Oregon has had 8,000 medical marijuana users registered at one time, Befumo said. Considering the population difference, Montana would see many fewer."You might be looking at as many as a thousand people," he said. "It might be a lot less."In Montana, about 4,000 to 5,000 cases of cancer are diagnosed each year. Not all but some of those might get relief from nausea, vomiting, pain and lack of appetite, research says. Recent studies found that the cannabinoids in marijuana can inhibit the growth of cancer tumors.Research has established that marijuana has medical value. Its value is even corroborated in a 1999 report by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine, commissioned by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Its use is endorsed editorially by the New England Journal of Medicine and the British medical journal The Lancet Neruology, which called cannabis "the aspirin of the 21st century.""Medical marijuana is one of the things that's been shown to work," Befumo said.Yet Brodie, speaking for the police union, knows marijuana as a "gateway drug" that leads to other illegal drugs."Somebody doesn't just get up some day and say, 'I'm going to start using heroin,' " he said. "It starts with tobacco, alcohol and marijuana."We spend billions on the legal drugs tobacco and alcohol, he said."They're legal drugs," he said, "but the vast majority of our social and law enforcement problems are tied to them."The secondhand smoke of medical marijuana should be a concern, too, Brodie said. And he strongly disagrees with parents being allowed to administer it to their minor children."As ludicrous as it sounds," he writes in his letter to newspapers, "Initiative 148 does not limit a parent from using a doctor's recommendation to hook up a marijuana bong to the oxygen tent of a sick infant!"Just as ludicrous to supporters of the initiative is the notion that marijuana was attacked for political reasons in the United States in the 1930s after it was used medicinally for thousands of years.Its medical use is documented as early as 600 B.C. in Persia, among the writings of the ancient Greeks, in the sixth and seventh centuries in India and after its introduction in the West in 1839."The medicine you use should be between you, your doctor and God," said Daubert. "Not the federal government."Supporters of medical marijuana point to the case of eastern Montana farmer Larry Rathbun, who grew and used marijuana to quell his arthritis and keep his farm running, Befumo said. He was sentenced to 19 months in the Montana State Prison at Deer Lodge and came out in a wheelchair, he said.Missoula's recent medical marijuana case has also been cited in the initiative debate. Robin Prosser, a Missoula woman who suffers from an immunosuppressive disorder that's related to lupus, has found that smoking marijuana is the only thing that gives her relief from pain.Two years ago, Prosser fasted for more than a month in a public plea for the legalized use of medical marijuana. Last May, overcome by the strain and expense of obtaining the drug illegally on her small disability check and afraid of the pain when she couldn't get it, Prosser tried to kill herself with an overdose of prescription drugs.When one of her doctors contacted police for help, and they went to her apartment, they found marijuana residue and paraphernalia. She was charged with possession of dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia.Prosser could have gone to jail for a year. But Missoula defense attorney John E. Smith offered to represent Prosser pro bono, and prosecutors negotiated a deferred prosecution in late August. She will not be prosecuted if she is "law abiding" for nine months.Cases like this keep proponents of the initiative going, said Befumo, who watched his own father starve when he had cancer and no appetite.Brodie - and Gov. Judy Martz, too, who also opposes the initiative - say that people like Prosser should take the drug Marinol, which is a synthetic version of the active ingredient in marijuana. But many patients say it does not work for them, possibly because it is only one substance in the plant, and a combination of substances may be what helps people.Law enforcement officers have compassion for the sick, Brodie said. But he's suspicious of people who say they have to smoke marijuana to feel better."Of course," he said. "An alcoholic feels better when he takes a shot of whiskey.""Keeping something illegal is a deterrent," he said, "no matter what you say."Source: Missoulian (MT) Author: Ginny Merriam of the MissoulianPublished: Wednesday, October 27, 2004Copyright: 2004 Missoulian Contact: newsdesk missoulian.com Website http://www.missoulian.com/ Related Articles & Web Sites:Montana Careshttp://montanacares.org/Medical Marijuana Acthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19687.shtmlMarijuana Should Be in The Toolboxhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19664.shtmlTheir Lips are Movinghttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19643.shtmlVoting on Pot Issuehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19629.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #20 posted by afterburner on October 29, 2004 at 06:19:34 PT Hope and Others - Correction to Comment #18 "Cannabis was in the medical *pharmacopoeia or codex* (not coda) before it was demonized in 1937 by Harry Anslinger."I was searching for the right word, but I had to go to work, so I posted it with my best guess yesterday. "coda, noun. 1 Music. final additional passage of a piece or movement."codex, noun. 1 ancient manuscript text in book form. 2 collection of descriptions of drugs etc."pharmacopoeia, noun. 1 book, especially one officially published, containing a list of drugs with directions for use." --The Pocket Oxford DictionaryOf the three, pharmacopoeia is the most appropriate because of the official publication. Codex is a list of drugs, but no mention is made of the list being official. Coda is a musical term, just my musical hemisphere finding associations. The official listing of cannabis in pharmacopoeias pre-dates the official government propaganda that "marijuana [sic] is not medicine" or it's watered-down corollary "no medicine is smoked." Obviously, as has been pointed out so many times in so many different ways on this site: cannabis *is* medicine, as recognized by doctors, medical researchers, pharmacopoeias, and folk medicine. As to the smoking part, this is an over-generalization based on tobacco research, and so what? Vaporizers, tinctures, and baked goods can deliver the medical cannabis without the *assumed* damage of smoking. [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by Hope on October 28, 2004 at 14:04:09 PT Afterburner "Even alcohol (whiskey) was used medically as a pain-killer in amputations, before modern anaesthetics were invented. Cocaine was used as a local anaesthetic. Even methamphetamine was used medically for obesity. Heroin was a legal pain-killer. LSD, psilocybin, and ecstasy were used in psychotherapy. Mescaline in the form of peyote was and is used in life changing rituals (a form of religious psychotherapy). Cannabis was in the medical coda before it was demonized in 1937 by Harry Anslinger. Just because something makes you feel good doesn't mean it's not medicine. Doctors and other health care professionals should make these decisions, NOT federal bureaucrats." For a few seconds there I didn't realize when you started speaking and I thought..."Dang! This guy is starting to make sense...what's wrong with him?!" [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by afterburner on October 28, 2004 at 13:22:34 PT Most of the Illegal Drugs Were Used as Medicine ' Law enforcement officers have compassion for the sick, [Scott] Brodie said. But he's suspicious of people who say they have to smoke marijuana to feel better.' "Of course," he said. "An alcoholic feels better when he takes a shot of whiskey." 'Even alcohol (whiskey) was used medically as a pain-killer in amputations, before modern anaesthetics were invented. Cocaine was used as a local anaesthetic. Even methamphetamine was used medically for obesity. Heroin was a legal pain-killer. LSD, psilocybin, and ecstasy were used in psychotherapy. Mescaline in the form of peyote was and is used in life changing rituals (a form of religious psychotherapy). Cannabis was in the medical coda before it was demonized in 1937 by Harry Anslinger. Just because something makes you feel good doesn't mean it's not medicine. Doctors and other health care professionals should make these decisions, NOT federal bureaucrats. [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by JustGetnBy on October 27, 2004 at 18:48:41 PT Hope they don't promote you past your ability Mr Brodie is a perfect illustration of the "Peter Principle" in action. [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by FoM on October 27, 2004 at 12:46:55 PT Prozac I don't have a lot of experience with different drugs but I felt like I was going crazy while I was taking Prozac. I felt disconnected from my true emotions. I was very short tempered and stopped taking it after a few months. I don't know how Prozac helps people feel better but it sure didn't help me. [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by kaptinemo on October 27, 2004 at 12:40:43 PT: Thanks, Siege I have never trusted that stuff, after observing its' effects on people; now I have one less reason to trust it. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by FoM on October 27, 2004 at 12:26:29 PT BigDawg You're welcome. It looks like it worked now! [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by siege on October 27, 2004 at 12:18:54 PT THE NATION Antidepressant Use Early On Affects Mice The researchers gave daily doses of fluoxetine, better known by the brand name Prozac, to mice from four days after birth until their normal weaning age of 3 weeks — a period that roughly corresponds in humans to a fetus in the third trimester of pregnancy up to early childhood.http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-sci-antidepressant27oct27.story [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by Hope on October 27, 2004 at 12:02:33 PT The man has lost his moorings and the tide has changed. They've always been about hysteria and fear mongering...but there is a new pitch to the emotional level of their screaming. They are having a great deal of trouble keeping the wool pulled over the public's eyes. Of course, he may truly be victim of the chicken little complex...he may believe what he's saying...but I can't believe he does. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by BigDawg on October 27, 2004 at 11:37:03 PT Thanks FOM, I'll try again :) "Legalizing the medical use of marijuana will contribute to crime,"Ummm, if it is LEGAL, how exactly does it contribute to crime?"set a bad example for youths,"Taking drugs out of the black market and the associated violence is a BAD example? "open the door to use of other drugs,Huh? I thought the door was already open. By removing cannabis from the black market... cannabis is removed from the other illegal (and harder) drug market place."create more drug addiction,"If cannabis were more addictive than coffee... I would begin to worry. But it isn't... so I won't. You shouldn't either.cost the taxpayers money for more law enforcementI would like to know how it is that eliminating a law INCREASES the need for law enforcement budgets. Or is it implied that it is realatively cheap to catch a soft target cannabis user, and to drop that law would mean they would actually have to go afetr REAL criminals to fill the prisons... hence... more $$$$. - and it's just plain not necessary, he said.Yup, prohibition is just plain unnecessary. ;) [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Hope on October 27, 2004 at 10:47:58 PT Engineering Not just a cradle but an oxygen tent! Ignorant, hysterical, condescending fear mongering. Talk about "abnormal thinking". [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by kaptinemo on October 27, 2004 at 10:28:37 PT: Apologies for the misspellings Laughing too hard makes tears; hard to see through them. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by kaptinemo on October 27, 2004 at 10:25:29 PT: Hope sad it more succinctly than I could 'Ludicrous'. It's been said here before that the antis have run out of lies, and now have nothing to do but shriek their treadworn old ones over and over. But something else is also happening: having run out of lies they have, in essence, reduced themselves to saying things that CALL ATTENTION to just how silly and stupid cannabis prohibition is...by calling attention to just how silly and stupid its' purveyors sound when they get desperate. Hooking up a bong to a cradle? COME ON! (laughing hysterically) Talk about 'stretching'! Puh-leeeeease! Enough already! Yer killin' me! (hahahahehehheehe) Toooo much, guy! Tooo-ooo much! (hehehehehehe!) You wanna see some gin-yoo-wine Rube Goldberg machine, that's the one! (hehehehehehe) I'm an engineer, remember? Hell of a waste of resources and not terribly pracical. This just goes to show how truly scared they are to engage in something as silly-*ssed as making a statement like that. I supposed we'll soon hear the hoary old honker that cannabis makes men grow Pamela Anderson-class tah-tahs.Keep it up, guys, you're making this so easy I feel guilty of violating my own ethics in not taking advantage of the silly, foolish or stupid. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Hope on October 27, 2004 at 09:46:31 PT "no matter what you say." What we have here is a fearful child/man with a gun. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Hope on October 27, 2004 at 09:43:00 PT Yes...it does sound ludicrous. "As ludicrous as it sounds," he writes in his letter to newspapers, "Initiative 148 does not limit a parent from using a doctor's recommendation to hook up a marijuana bong to the oxygen tent of a sick infant!"He should have kept that "ludicrous" thought to himself.I guess he was having a lunatic ludicrous moment. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by kaptinemo on October 27, 2004 at 09:14:09 PT: That's right, Chief: The facts DON'T matter! "Keeping something illegal is a deterrent," (Chief Brodie) said, "no matter what you say."A-hem. Need it be pointed out that illegality has not been such a great deterrent? Not with 755K+ arrests for possessing an illegal weed?Sounds a lot like "My mind is made up; don't confuse me with the facts." Particularly when the implimentation of this would cause arrest numbers to drop, removing a prime excuse for police in being unable to chase down and catch violent criminals - 'paperwork'. As in the monkey-motion applied in the arrest process of cannabists. Remove that, and the public gets to see EXACTLY how much of police budgets have been padded by arresting cannabists, and will show that the police have not been as forthcoming about budgetary allocation of resources as they claim to need. The police know the inevitable question will be: Was the majority of taxpayer's money provided to police agencies wasted on arresting 'potheads' all this time? The obvious answer could prove devastating to police forces around the country, in that it will lead to budgetary reductions. THIS is what the police fear above all else.Not only that; instead of passive pot-smokers, the cop who's grown fat and sassy locking up largely inoffensive cannabists will instead be forced to deal with more crazed meth-makers. And tweakers are a whole 'nother breed, indeed. They tend to shoot back. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on October 27, 2004 at 09:00:18 PT Press Release from Science Daily Marijuana-Like Compounds May Aid Array Of Debiliatiing Conditions Ranging From Parkinson's Disease To Painhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/10/041027102621.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on October 27, 2004 at 08:55:09 PT BigDawg Sure I'll do that for you. 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