cannabisnews.com: Cowards in Washington Ignore Pot's Benefits










  Cowards in Washington Ignore Pot's Benefits

Posted by CN Staff on December 01, 2004 at 09:30:09 PT
By Joe Conason  
Source: New York Observer 

No worse example exists of the moral cowardice of the federal government -- implicating all three branches -- than the continuing prohibition of marijuana for medical therapy. Despite copious evidence that pot has helped to ameliorate the lives of thousands of patients suffering from cancer and AIDS -- and despite burgeoning voter support for legal reform -- Washington officialdom persists in its lethal devotion to prohibition. Even when a blameless woman comes before them to plead for her life, the constituted authorities seem unable to think beyond a law, more than three decades old, that has long since been superseded by science and common sense.
On Nov. 29, Angel McClary Raich appeared at the U.S. Supreme Court with her attorneys to defend her right to grow cannabis for her own medical use. Tormented for most of her life by a horrifying catalogue of ailments, including uterine fibroids, scoliosis and an inoperable brain tumor, Ms. Raich nevertheless has survived while raising two children. The 39-year-old mother and her physicians attribute her ability to overcome seizures, nausea, wasting syndrome and severe pain to the almost continuous ingestion of natural marijuana in various forms. According to Ms. Raich, she resumed walking after three years in a wheelchair because of the relief afforded by that regimen. She now benefits from the assistance of two fellow Californians, identified only as her "caregivers," who annually cultivate about eight pounds of marijuana for her. Yet to the authorities, her worst offense is not using the forbidden herb, but actively fighting their attempts to prosecute her and others for the act of medicating themselves. That is how Ms. Raich ended up in the Supreme Court, two years after suing Attorney General John Ashcroft and Drug Enforcement Administration chief Asa Hutchinson. Seeking to assert the supremacy of federal law over the state referendum that legalized medical-marijuana use in 1996, those two worthies had ordered federal agents to raid California's cooperatives and private gardens in search of marijuana plants. Ms. Raich answered that aggressive enforcement with legal papers -- and eventually won an injunction against the raids in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. What is most remarkable about this problem is how impervious our politicians (and most of our judges) are to human compassion and scientific data. To enforce marijuana prohibition, they would willingly endanger the health and lives of innocent citizens -- and even cast aside principles they profess to hold deeply. Messrs. Ashcroft and Hutchinson are devout Christians of a fundamentalist stripe. Both claim to be "pro-life," but they see no contradiction in depriving Ms. Raich and many other patients of the substance that keeps them alive. Both claim to promote "family values," but they are determined to destroy any family with a member who needs this drug. Both would insist on "states' rights" as a cornerstone of constitutional law, but they won't allow any state to experiment with marijuana reform. Tellingly, the Justice Department hasn't even tried to argue that Ms. Raich doesn't need her daily tokes. The government position seems to be that her need to live doesn't matter as much as enforcing the Controlled Substances Act, passed by Congress in 1970. On this issue, there is a pervasive bipartisan blindness, epitomized by the Supreme Court justices during oral argument in Ashcroft v. Raich. More than once, they urged the Raich lawyers to petition Congress and the Food and Drug Administration to change marijuana's legal status so that it is more easily available for research and compassionate use. Work through the system, said the justices. Had the robed sages bothered to read the papers submitted to them, they might realize that the system doesn't work. Dedicated scientists and advocates have been pursuing legal remedies for many years, with little result. The prejudice against pot remains sufficiently powerful to thwart reform at the federal level. (In fact, cocaine and heroin are treated with greater latitude.) Few in Congress possess the courage to demand change, while the F.D.A. and other federal agencies actively obstruct crucial research that is instead proceeding in other countries. Years ago, the government's own scientists urged that the United States make marijuana more widely available to both patients and researchers. Democrats and Republicans alike callously ignored that plea. In a society that still promotes alcohol and tobacco, as well as many narcotics and pharmaceuticals with severe side effects, the draconian regulation of marijuana is both illogical and cruel. That is why Americans across red and blue states from Arizona to Maine have voted repeatedly to reform those laws for the sake of the seriously ill. In law, the validity of those state reforms will depend on an interpretation of the Constitution's commerce clause. Before the Supreme Court rules on Ashcroft v. Raich next year, however, Congress and the Bush administration ought to consider the damage that an inhumane, outdated and stupid statute does to respect for the law and to the reputation of law enforcement. Joe Conason writes for the New York Observer and Salon.com, and is the author of Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth.Sidebar: The government position seems to be that Ms. Raich's need to live doesn't matter as much as enforcing the Controlled Substances Act, passed by Congress in 1970. Note: War on Drugs? Or war on common sense?Source: New York Observer, The (NY)Author: Joe Conason Published: December 1, 2004Copyright: 2004 The New York ObserverContact: comments observer.comWebsite: http://www.observer.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Raich vs. Ashcroft http://www.angeljustice.org/Angel Raich v. Ashcroft Newshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/raich.htmPrescription Pot is Priorityhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19937.shtmlHigh Court High Anxietyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19935.shtml

Home    Comment    Email    Register    Recent Comments    Help





Comment #24 posted by afterburner on December 06, 2004 at 18:34:11 PT
Follow the Money
Cannabis and schizophrenia 02 Dec, 2004 http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/4078.html
"Cannabis use unlikely to be a cause of schizophrenia" 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #23 posted by afterburner on December 02, 2004 at 06:23:21 PT
RE Comment #3 by Craiig: psychosis story 
This Maastricht University study (Cannabis doubles risk of psychosis for some smokers
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1383449_1,00.html ) is not a double-blind study (the kind that the prohibitionists are so known to demand of those they disparagingly call "legalizers"). This study is anecdotal evidence based on self-reporting (the kind the prohibitionists dismiss when used by "legalizers"). The GCW has the right idea: set and setting have everything to do with whether mental effects experienced are creativity or paranoia, "heaven or hell" (Aldous Huxley).BTW, this reefer "madness" view is as old as psychedelic research. Early researchers proposed two different terms: psychedelic (mind-manifesting) or psychomimetic (mimicking psychosis). Guess which term was favored by the prohibitionists? --Background Information About Psychedelic Drugs http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dondeg/backpsyc.htmFor more on the in-depth motivations underlying the prohibitionist position and the herbal position and drug law reform responses, listen to David Malmo-Levines recent speech from Hamilton's Community Forum. David Malmo Levine:
Pot-TV, Running Time: 22 min, 
Date Entered: 29 Nov 2004, {Cannabis hero David Malmo Levine at the Hamilton Community Forum, Nov 20th 2004 and his speech on his favourite subject, marijuana and contests mistruths about it! Videography by G Karma.} 
http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-3265.html
[ Post Comment ]

 


Comment #22 posted by FoM on December 01, 2004 at 16:15:15 PT

Is It Black or White?
We admire a good musician or an artist or a computer programmer to name a few. They probably are compulsive and obsessive but that's what gives them their ability to focus and it helps them to become really good at what they do. It's all in how you see it.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #21 posted by dr slider on December 01, 2004 at 16:06:30 PT:

cuckoo's nest
Take an objective look at the state of our Crazyworld and answer me this. How could anyone that is judged sane, by this world, actually be so?

[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #20 posted by lombar on December 01, 2004 at 15:06:56 PT

maybe the 'insane' are really the sane...
Delusions are active in the limbic region of the brain, where dreams likely occur. It is the blurring of the lines between the imagined and the real. Since we are steadily fed a diet of fear (more now than ever) this plays on the mind. If one dwells upon something, especially when emotional, it 'sticks' in the mind. If we are constantly threatened with jail, gun-toting, bella-clava wearing thugs beating down our doors and dragging us into the street or maybee shooting us because we have a tv remote in our hands, is it a big surprise that people who maybe borderline psychotic/schizophrenic grasp these images and imagine themselves being the target? I fear a total police state because of a plant, is that paranoia? It is not the effect of the plant but the climate of fear that is created. The bottom line is that I believe that schizophrenics who do not recognize that their fear and paranoia is caused by imagining the potential consequence of cannabis use and not the effect of the cannabis itself. Delusions can seem more real than reality. Now I am sure there are people who should not use cannabis or alcohol but to declare war on them is the evil that precipitates greater mental health problems. I have to agree with the GCW on this one. Perhaps another thing that contributes to increased mental health problems is being taught what is right and virtuous and then seeing in the world that the dishonest and non-virtuous are rewarded. We are taught that killing and violence are wrong yet tv is full of it, and the ultimate reality show is war. We are taught that hard work can get you what you want in life yet the reality is that it can barely allow you to pay the bills. We are taught that honesty is the best policy but our leaders lie to us constantly. There so many instances of double standards and double-thinking that is no wonder there is so much mental illness and drug abuse. I know a few people who have a very narrow view of the world, completly taken in by the war on terror and an avid Bush supporters yet Bush and his cronies would see them in prison for YEARS because they enjoy cannabis. It is ignorance...TV says so it must be true...The 2-D images often conflict with reality but the lazy mind grasps the comfort of the unreality, it is easier than thinking.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #19 posted by FoM on December 01, 2004 at 12:18:18 PT

On The Lighter Side
Joints For Justice!News Released: December 01, 2004(PRLEAP.COM) ShakeItUpBaby.com has announced a new campaign called “Joints for Justice.” The goal is to foster awareness of the Supreme Court's decision to review medical marijuana laws as passed by the States.The High Court’s timing has taken an interesting twist now that Chief Justice Rehnquist is undergoing chemotherapy for thyroid cancer. Finally, someone with a real need for this therapy will actually have a vote on its future. Justice Rehnquist’s illness presents a once in a lifetime opportunity. If his own condition is helped by medical marijuana, he might influence others on the court to follow his lead and lift the federal ban. Since the Food and Drug Administration is the only legal dispenser of marijuana in the country, ShakeItUpBaby.com is urging everyone to sign a petition urging FDA Director Lester Crawford to provide the Chief Justice one marijuana joint for his health and well-being, as well as for personal research on this vital subject. The petition is at: http://www.ShakeItUpBaby.com/ The Chief Justice has spent the last month undergoing chemotherapy. He is, no doubt, suffering from nausea and loss of appetite, the symptoms that marijuana alleviates. We feel that his personal recovery may be enhanced by the use of medical marijuana thus providing compelling evidence as to its benefit. We also feel the resulting press coverage will further shed light on the medical necessity of marijuana.This is not a joke. The National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, which was funded by the White House, declares marijuana to be one of the “safest therapeutically active substances known. No one has ever died from an overdose, and marijuana has a wide variety of therapeutic applications, including chronic pain, AIDs, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis.” Yet your sick neighbors are not getting the medicine they need. Join us as together we make a stand. http://www.prleap.com/pr_2429.html
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #18 posted by FoM on December 01, 2004 at 12:11:19 PT

Craiig
I'm not sure I understand what you mean but we have covered plenty of news on this topic. I did a search and came up with some articles.http://www.cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=Psychosis
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #17 posted by Craiig on December 01, 2004 at 12:06:27 PT

FoM
I hear what you're saying, but if one criticises biasism against cannabis, yiz cannit dee the exact opposite.Because it can help bring on mental illness to those they class as 'vunerable' then it's still a good arguement for legalisation ie. it's more out in the open and those vunerable will be easier to recognise and assist, should they want the help required.I remember a rag with the story about how someone overdosed on cannabis after smoking 1,000 joints. Rediculous!
[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #16 posted by FoM on December 01, 2004 at 12:03:51 PT

The Responsible Use of Alcohol (Cannabis)
You should be able to substitute the two substances. If Cannabis was legal you could do this.Say you're going to a Christmas Party and you know that alcohol will be there. You decide what you will wear, if you should bring a covered dish and who might be at the party. You think about what you would like to talk about and most important you think about how much you should drink. That is responsible drug use and Cannabis shouldn't be excluded for this scenerio.
[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #15 posted by dr slider on December 01, 2004 at 12:02:14 PT:

Thought Police
We must be careful of any effort by politicians to determine the "mental health" status of the people. Considering what the Bush cabal would have us believe, the war on terra is going swimmingly well, we've found Saddam's hidden nukes and proof he did 9/11, Election '04 was a mandate for theocracy, medcan will destroy society (ok that may be true), et al. Can those of us that "know" different not be "dignosed" with some delusional disorder? How about those of us who see much more in this world than meets the eye?People slow down in mood and deed during the winter? Its not natural to live of and in this world? Guess not, its called seasonal adjustment DISORDER. How sad. Do you attribute any notion of "real" to things you see and hear that don't fit with the govmt's version of reality? Bust out the heavy psycotropics this guy's a SCHIZOPHRENIC! Do you feel you would imperil your true work if you "played the game" and accepted that credit cards, shopping, and booze is the true path? Amotivational SYNDROME! Get this boy some endocannabinoid inhibitors, Quick!Freedom Initiative indeed.

[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #14 posted by BigDawg on December 01, 2004 at 11:55:50 PT

GCW
Agreed!That is one of my pet peeves about prohibition. It CREATES anti-social behavior among other things.If you will get into trouble when caught with herb... you tend to begin to act accordingly. Which means hiding, lying, avoiding, etc.IMHO, more people suffer from poor mental health due to the stresses of prohibition... than suffer poor mental health because they shouldn't partake in the first place.
[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #13 posted by FoM on December 01, 2004 at 11:35:17 PT

The GCW 
I agree with you too! 
[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #12 posted by The GCW on December 01, 2004 at 11:30:31 PT

Yes, I can relate.
Yes, I can relate.Cannabis may not be for everybody... and bad for some??? OK. Yes.But what I'm talking about is that, setting, has a part in this, in that government has created a setting that sets up for mental health problems, in itself.Prohibition creates some of the potential for mental health problems.Very tweaked stuff happens when a government consistanly lies to its citizens.
 
Things that do not happen when We love one another.
[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #11 posted by ekim on December 01, 2004 at 11:30:05 PT

State University of NY at New Paltz SSDP NORML 
 http://leap.cc/events/
Dec 1 04 State University of NY at New Paltz 08:00 PM Peter Christ New Paltz New York USA 
 The SSDP NORML Chapter at State University of NY at New Paltz welcomes Board Member Peter Christ for a critique of the movie "Busted". Dec 2 04 Queen City Rotary Club 07:30 AM Jack Cole Manchester New Hampshire USA 
 The Queen City Rotary Club welcomes Executive Director Jack Cole for breakfast and discussion of the failure of drug prohibition. Dec 15 04 Ardmore Rotary 12:00 PM Howard Wooldridge Ardmore Oklahoma USA 
 The Ardmore Rotary lunches with Board Member Howard Wooldridge to discuss issues related to the failure of drug prohibition. 

http://www.leap.cc/events
[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #10 posted by FoM on December 01, 2004 at 11:20:08 PT

BigDawg 
I do agree and totally understand. Some people would get paranoid. It's the complex nature of each one of us. Everyone needs to know themselves.
[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #9 posted by BigDawg on December 01, 2004 at 11:11:41 PT

FOM
You pegged it.My g/f does not partake of the Herb. She almost never drinks... and rarely more than one glass of anything.Why?Because she is one of those hyper-sensitve people. She does not respond well to any intoxicants. She knows this and acts accordingly. I do not ask her to partake either, as I too am aware of the situation.SOME people just don't respond well to certain drugs. Everybody is different to one degree or another.
[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #8 posted by FoM on December 01, 2004 at 11:05:58 PT

CNN: Walters on Medical Marijuana
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0411/30/ltm.06.html

[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #7 posted by FoM on December 01, 2004 at 11:01:10 PT

The GCW 
I know what you mean but haven't you ever met someone that shouldn't use any substance? I have. I've actually met people who seemed like they were on a drug but they weren't. 
[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #6 posted by The GCW on December 01, 2004 at 10:55:59 PT

What if We turn the table around???
Is there a test to see if cannabis use contributes to mental health problems, that might not exist if government did not tell citizens (brainwash etc.) that cannabis will fry Your brain, give males breasts, cause cancer, remove God in Your life, cause mental health problems, create reasons for removing children from their home, make users terrorists etc. etc.???When people find out cannabis is not nearly as harmful as government has demanded, it takes a lot of work to remove the guilt and damage that has already been indoctrinated.That might not be a part of the test.Government by brainwashing creates a program that people follow with out thinking about it.What if the government spent 80 years telling its citizens that cannabis would make You smart, create love, compassion, help with illness, help YOu know God, artistic, creative, instill leadership, help end wars, etc.It may pave the way for progress instead of mental health problems.
[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #5 posted by dididadadidit on December 01, 2004 at 10:46:49 PT

Supremes on MMJ: Don't We Wish!
Repigs and Dems have engaged in a 30 some year dance around the issue of marijuana, with each side bidding on who can out stupid each other in showing off their “tough on crime” credentials. The result has been a disaster of a drug war, filling the criminal justice system with non violent drug offenders. This, in large part has been driven by racial overtones, getting the blacks off the voting roles (why the Dems have gutted a portion of their base by outstupiding all these years being a mystery to me, but possibly because they felt they couldn’t afford to look soft on crime next to the Repig they run against).
On the medical front, the Dems are finally starting to embrace this no lose proposition where polls consistently show 60 to 80% support, and where red state Montana, although voting for Busch, also became the 10th (or 11th) state to approve medical marijuana (MMJ) by voter initiative this election cycle, clearly not buying in to all the Busch moral values BS. Each of the past 2 summers have seen an amendment in the House to the justice department funding bill which if passed would have denied funding to the DEA jackbooted thugs for the purpose of screwing with medical users, their doctors and providers in states which have allowed legal usage by their state laws. In a total lack of “compassion” the Repigs have been unable to find double digit percentage support for this “states rights” concept, while the Dems have favored the amendment by about 2 to 1 both years. It seems the Repig support for states rights is only in play if the state is looking to expand the death penalty, keep undesirables from voting, or in some other way, screw people over. If the state is trying to end some form of discrimination or expand individual rights within their state, then the federal nanny calls the shots and states rights be damned.Lest we forget, in a fascist nation, the corporations are in tight with the government, and big pharma is no exception (witness the 539 billion (advertised as 397 billion to keep it under 400 billion to get enough Repig support to pass the House) senior drug support bill). It will be pointed out that there are legal alternatives to marijuana, MARINOL being the synthetic THC drug of choice. There are 3 problems with MARINOL. If one is throwing up sick it’s a bitch keeping the capsules down, whereas smoking goes around that problem. Eating MARINOL poses dosage difficulties, whereas smoking goes around that problem. MARINOL can easily cost about a thousand dollars a month, whereas smoking goes around that problem, in that a twenty dollar a month bump in the electric bill can grow enough MMJ to more than equal the mg of THC (real for the homegrown, synthetic for the MARINOL) found in big pharmas preference. A ratio of 50 to 1 in favor of taxpayer subsidized big pharma obtains. Speaking of corporats in league with the government, we cannot forget the vast prison-industrial complex (check the stock price history of Corrections Corp of America and Cornell (up a bunch) against popular averages (down, especially the Nasdaq) since Busch’s appointment in December 2000).Here is hoping the supremes do the right thing, but I’ll not be holding my breath.Cheers? 
[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #4 posted by FoM on December 01, 2004 at 10:25:11 PT

Craiig
These stories always come out when we are getting good news. I archived the one article from the BBC but I doubt I will pay attention to anymore of them. It's just trying to make Cannabis bad. Some people shouldn't use any substance and that we know. 
[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #3 posted by Craiig on December 01, 2004 at 10:19:20 PT

this story is doing the rounds again..
Cannabis doubles risk of psychosis for some smokersCannabis use once or twice a week almost doubles the risk of suffering psychotic symptoms in later life, a study has found. 
 
More frequent use further increased the risk of symptoms such as hallucinations, hearing voices and paranoid thoughts. People with a family history of psychosis or mental illness were at the greatest risk of all.The latest research, published in BMJ.com backs up earlier studies that have linked cannabis to schizophrenia, delusions and other mental illness.Professor Jim van Os and a team at the Maastricht University in the Netherlands studied 2,437 young people aged 14 to 24, asking them subtle questions to determine whether they were vulnerable to psychosis.After four years they were questioned again and asked about their use of cannabis.Professor van Os said: "The results showed in the group without vulnerability there was a small increase in risk of psychosis."But this risk was four times bigger in those who had a vulnerability for psychosis. This is a group that is particularly susceptible."He said that among those who were not predisposed to psychosis and did not use cannabis, 15 per cent suffered some psychotic symptoms. But 21 per cent of those who had ever used cannabis suffered such symptoms. But the difference was most striking in those who were already vulnerable to psychotic symptoms. In this group, 26 per cent of those who did not use cannabis suffered symptoms, but for those who used cannabis it increased to 51 per cent. "There is a public health message here because it is going to be difficult to tell the whole population to stop using cannabis," he said."But it may be better to say that if you have a family history of mental instability you are particularly at risk of the negative effects of cannabis use."One possible explanation of the findings might be that people who are prone to psychosis are more likely to experiment with cannabis, perhaps in order to combat the symptoms. But the team eliminated this by finding that a predisposition to psychosis did not significantly predict cannabis use during the four years.Cannabis was downgraded from a class B to class C drug in the UK in January, meaning that in most cases those found carrying the drug will not be arrested.Last week figures showed that two in five 15-year-olds in the UK have tried cannabis - more than anywhere else in Europe.The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction also showed that about one in 10 in this age group had smoked pot at least 40 times in the last year.Professor Robin Murray, from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London, said since the late 80s and early 90s doctors had begun to see a link between patients suffering psychotic symptoms and the use of cannabis. 
 
"The initial view first of all was that these poor souls were suffering hallucinations and other symptoms and if a few puffs of marijuana helped them why shouldn’t we let them smoke" he said."In retrospect this is rather like an alcoholic feeling bad in the morning but thinking they know what the right medicine is and having another drink." Martin Barnes, chief executive of DrugScope, said that the new research underlined the potentially serious health risks of cannabis use, particularly for young people."Frequent use, a predisposition to mental health problems, and starting at an early age, all increase the risk of adverse affects on mental health" he said.Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of the mental health charity SANE, said: "Britain’s position as the cannabis capital of Europe could have hidden and disturbing consequences."The evidence is mounting that cannabis can be the trigger to lifelong mental illness such as schizophrenia, and we know that for some already suffering it exacerbates symptoms such as delusions and paranoia."We need to make these risks known, clamp down on drug dealing in such places as playgrounds and hospital wards, and change perceptions of cannabis from being a recreational relaxant to a dangerous substance for those who are vulnerable."http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1383449_2,00.html
[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #2 posted by The GCW on December 01, 2004 at 09:58:17 PT

Media is working for Us.
This cat is out of that big bag.
[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #1 posted by global_warming on December 01, 2004 at 09:56:16 PT

Well written
"Had the robed sages bothered to read the papers submitted to them, they might realize that the system doesn't work. Dedicated scientists and advocates have been pursuing legal remedies for many years, with little result. The prejudice against pot remains sufficiently powerful to thwart reform at the federal level. (In fact, cocaine and heroin are treated with greater latitude.) Few in Congress possess the courage to demand change, while the F.D.A. and other federal agencies actively obstruct crucial research that is instead proceeding in other countries. Years ago, the government's own scientists urged that the United States make marijuana more widely available to both patients and researchers. Democrats and Republicans alike callously ignored that plea."This is why the Supreme Justices need to act to break this logjam, for while the Congress is playing with their thumbs there are real people out there really suffering.
[ Post Comment ]







  Post Comment