cannabisnews.com: Our Right To Be Free from Pain





Our Right To Be Free from Pain
Posted by CN Staff on December 02, 2004 at 12:01:10 PT
By Daniel Abrahamson
Source: Houston Chronicle
Angel Raich was confined to a wheelchair and unable to even hug her daughter when a nurse mentioned a medication that she had never considered. Raich, who suffers from multiple debilitating conditions, including an inoperable brain tumor, scoliosis and fibromyalgia, had tried 30 medicines, none of which had helped alleviate her pain. Raich, 39, who calls herself a proper conservative mom, had never smoked marijuana in her life, and was taken aback at the nurse's suggestion that she try medical cannabis. But nothing else was working, so Raich finally relented and tried it. Raich can now walk, hold down food and play with her family. She credits the medicine with saving her life.
In the U.S. Supreme Court this week, oral arguments were heard regarding Raich's right to use her medicine without fear of federal prosecution or arrest. The case, Raich v. Ashcroft, was brought by her and another seriously ill California patient, Diane Monson, who seek to prevent federal law enforcement officials from seizing their herbal medicine and arresting them for violating federal drug laws.Raich uses medical marijuana in California, one of the 10 states that have enacted laws in the past eight years permitting seriously ill patients to use medical marijuana to relieve their suffering per their physician's recommendation. These laws were passed against the vocal opposition of the federal government.The Supreme Court's decision could have many different implications. Should the court rule in the Raich patients' favor, their victory may dramatically redraw the lines of federal police powers and further empower states and their individual citizens — to pursue policies and engage in a wide array of conduct free from federal government interference.Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/befree.htmSource: Houston Chronicle (TX)Author: Daniel AbrahamsonPublished: December 01, 2004Copyright: 2004 Houston Chronicle Website: http://www.chron.com/Contact: viewpoints chron.comRelated Articles & Web Site:Angel Raich v. Ashcroft Newshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/raich.htmSupreme Court Looks at Medical Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19952.shtmlMed Marijuana Case Tests Limits of Federalismhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19951.shtmlTesting The Limits of Big Governmenthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19949.shtml
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on December 02, 2004 at 18:41:26 PT
Sukoi
I see so many articles and when I see one like this one I feel sick almost. It's like they go around and around and never see that life doesn't just revolve around their opinion. 
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Comment #18 posted by afterburner on December 02, 2004 at 18:21:01 PT
Will Draconian Driving Laws Prevent Stupidity?
"totaled her mother's car while driving and trying to get high."That might cause a lapse of attention, what with lighting the bong and all. Sort of like those people who shave in the car or put on makeup in the car.
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Comment #17 posted by Sukoi on December 02, 2004 at 18:14:21 PT
FoM
I hated that article but one must remember that many positives can come from negative things and that's mostly what I see here at CNews - the people here are indeed an excellent lot!!!
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on December 02, 2004 at 18:02:33 PT
Sukoi
Thank You! Here it is now!All I can think of is indigestion, Pepto Bismol! LOL!http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread19957.shtml
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Comment #15 posted by Sukoi on December 02, 2004 at 17:57:40 PT
Ha, Ha, Ha !!!
Thanks FoM, you are the "bestest" moderator ever!!!
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on December 02, 2004 at 17:51:06 PT
Sukoi 
OK I'll post it because you asked so nicely! But then dear sir I will run and hide! LOL!I'm just kidding I'll peek.
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Comment #13 posted by Sukoi on December 02, 2004 at 17:28:45 PT
FoM
I agree with you but I (personally) think that it should be posted and I think that for one reason only: piss people off enough and they will write to the editor and hopefully he/she will most likely listen. That article is extreme IMHO and the people here are the perfect ones to counteract that extremeism! Criticism to articles like these could change some minds and I can't think of anywhere were one could find greater writers on this subject than right here at CNews (correct me if I'm wrong)!!! 
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on December 02, 2004 at 17:17:06 PT
Sukoi 
I read the article and he is one of those right wing weird people. They only think of how they see something and don't even try to understand that this earth doesn't just belong to his kind. He's entitled to how he thinks but so are we. This planet has complex people with complex ideas and no one should be discriminated against in a free society.
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Comment #11 posted by Sukoi on December 02, 2004 at 17:08:00 PT
Hope
I agree but I must say that I don't know too much about Patrick Henry. This guy is still a MORON IMHO!!!
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on December 02, 2004 at 17:03:33 PT
Sukoi, Comment 8
Gary Aldrich was an FBI agent for 26 years. His idea of "Liberty" likely has something to do with getting more liberties for government agents like himself to curtail the common man's liberty. He's a "company man"...and the "company" doesn't want just anyone to have liberty...and for heaven's sake, certainly not the liberty to choose his own medicine or intoxicant.He considers people like us "scum" and not worthy of liberty. To his mind, I suspect, only people like him have a right to "liberty" and make choices for himself. He would likely despise anyone who disagrees with him as stupid or conspiring to usurp his control over their lives.He seems an arrogant creep to me.His article makes me think he would be someone more likely to have been in on the hanging of Patrick Henry rather than supporting the rebel that he was.
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on December 02, 2004 at 15:26:24 PT
ekim
Bless You Heart. I wish I could believe that something good could come out of the Bush Administration. I will not be governed by his kind. I'm very angry inside still since the election. I have never disliked a president like I dislike him. I want a blue state president. We need a blue state president. I am so bummed out because I live in a red state. I'd move if I could. I hope you are right though.
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Comment #8 posted by Sukoi on December 02, 2004 at 15:24:33 PT
"Medical Pot-heads"
Interestingly, the author of the following article (if you want to call it that) is actually the President and Founder of the Patrick Henry Center for Individual Liberty http://www.patrickhenrycenter.org/ - what a friggin hippocrite!!! Medical Pot-headshttp://www.townhall.com/columnists/garyaldrich/ga20041130.shtmlAnd this is not about cannabis but is extremely relevant to our cause:U.S. Supreme Court Puts Hold on Hallucinogenic Tea in N.M. Churchhttp://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/aptea12-02-04.htm
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Comment #7 posted by ekim on December 02, 2004 at 15:01:35 PT
here is hoping we will have a real Farmer
President Bush nominated Mike Johanns to serve as agriculture secretary. two term Gov of Neb. grew up on a dairy farm that his kid now runs. is said to be in favor of Ethanol and Biodiesel. to day it was reported that the soy bean --leaf rust that has been blown in from South Am. will break many a farmer, because of added cost of herbicide. one wonders just what kind of Farmer Mike Johanns is, as he said that he wants to lead the U.S. in to the 21st century of agriculture. As China is making Billions from Hemp cloths and paper.
 Lets hope that his son that is running the farm now sees the writing on the wall, with Canada growing Hemp right across the boarder. 
http://www.leap.cc/events
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Comment #6 posted by Hope on December 02, 2004 at 14:49:43 PT
Spying on Religious, Protest Groups
ACLU Says FBI Spying on Religious, Protest Groupshttp://reuters.myway.com/article/20041202/2004-12-02T174833Z_01_N02642626_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-SECURITY-ACLU-DC.html
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Comment #5 posted by dr slider on December 02, 2004 at 13:55:35 PT:
psy-ops nothing more
"The study aimed to answer a question that has been unsettling psychiatrists for some time. People with psychosis, whose symptoms include hallucinations, paranoia, hearing voices, and a persecution complex, are more likely than not to have a marijuanna habit."hallucination: the apparent perception of sights, sounds etc. that are not actually present.paranoia: a mental disorder characterized by delusions, as of grandeur or, esp., persecution.So right off the bat they describe two things as four. Double your delusion I guess.Anybody that believes that professionals of the dubious "science" of the mind are in some way superior in their ability to determine what is "actually there" is delusional indeed. Does an awareness of, and response to, over six decades of persecution mean I have a "persecution complex"? These charlatans would have said that the residents of Auschwitz in '44 had "persecution complexes"! As far as delusions of grandeur. If one humbly acknowledges that the Christ lives within. How is that delusional?How could anyone considered sane, by this world, actually be so?
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Comment #4 posted by Druid on December 02, 2004 at 13:07:12 PT
Driving under the influence....
 
One woman who used to smoke marijuana says she once totaled her mother's car while driving and trying to get high.
So? It probably was the same thing as applying makeup while driving or talking on the phone while driving or trying to eat while driving or reprimanding the children while driving or .....Being distracted while driving is not the same as driving under the influence.Cannabis/Driving StudiesAustralia: No Proof Cannabis Put Drivers At Risk (2001) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1849/a09.htmlUK: Cannabis May Make You A Safer Driver (2000) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1161/a02.htmlUniversity Of Toronto Study Shows Marijuana Not A Factor In Driving Accidents (1999) http://www.sciencedaily.com/release...90325110700.htmAustralia: Cannabis Crash Risk Less: Study (1998) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98/n945/a08.htmlAustralia: Study Goes to Pot (1998) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98/n947/a06.htmlFrom the Canadian Senate Committee report ---"Cannabis alone, particularly in low doses, has little impact on the skills involved in automobile driving." (Page 19)http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/...e/summary-e.pdfand here are a couple more linksResearcher Studies Effects of Pot on Driving
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9860.shtmlMarijuana use and driving
Hindrik W.J. Robbe
Institute for Human Psychopharmacology, University of Limburg,
P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
http://mojo.calyx.net/~olsen/HEMP/IHA/iha01206.htmlNo Increased Risk For Drivers Exposed To Cannabis, Study SaysMay 13, 2004 - Tilburg, The NetherlandsTilburg, The Netherlands: Drivers who test positive for marijuana in their urine do not experience elevated risks for having a motor vehicle accident, according to case-control data to be published in the July issue of the journal Accident Analysis & Prevention.Researchers at the St. Elisabeth Hospital in the Netherlands estimated the association between drug use and motor vehicle accidents by conducting a prospective observational case-controlled study. Cases were drivers involved in road crashes requiring hospitalization. Controls were drivers recruited at random while driving on public roads.Authors found that drivers' risk for road trauma significantly increased with the use of benzodiazepines and alcohol. Increased risks, although not statistically significant, were also assessed for drivers using amphetamines, cocaine, or opiates."No increased risk for road trauma was found for drivers exposed to cannabis," authors concluded.Previous reviews have found similar results, noting that drivers with trace amounts of cannabinoids in the blood and/or urine are typically no more likely than drug-free drivers to be culpable in road crashes. By contrast, recent use of cannabis (i.e., within the past 1-3 hours), particularly in higher doses, may elevate a driver's risk for injury compared to drug-free drivers, according to recently published epidemiological data.For more information, please contact either Paul Armentano or Allen St. Pierre of the NORML Foundation at (202) 483-5500. Copies of the study, entitled "Psychoactive substance use and the risk of motor vehicle accidents," will appear in the July 2004 issue of Accident Analysis & Prevention.DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6073
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Comment #3 posted by lombar on December 02, 2004 at 13:05:03 PT
this junk science is getting media time
The same old guff implying that correlation can predict causation. There is no reason to believe this stuff. The timing is suspect and the content is the same old reefer madness. Cannabis use is not the only variable but as usual it is being toted as the 'cause' of some mental illnesses. There is no way to know what the people in the study did over the period in question. Many of them could have done other drugs, enviromental pollution is just as likely a cause...unless they all lived in boxes to remove other causative factors, one cannot make the conclusions that this study claims. Refuting the BS is a full time job. The fellow quoted at the end of the article has the right idea: "Robin Murray, professor of psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, London, said there were still many unanswered questions, such as: "If half the world smokes cannabis, why aren't they all psychotic?" "Because sir there is no proof that cannabis causes mental illness. However, people who are prejudiced against cannabis by the many years of propaganda, and others who make fortunes treating/jailing/arresting cannabis users, will tell any lie to maintain prohibition. This is established and only ignorance on the part of the public lets people like John Walters get away with his constant lies.CANNABIS LINKED TO MENTAL ILLNESS RISKSome young people who smoke cannabis are at real risk of developing psychotic mental illness, according to a major study announced yesterday.The new survey of 2,500 young people aged 14 to 24 will be discussed at the start of an international conference today on cannabis and mental health convened by the Institute of Psychiatry in London.It shows that regular cannabis smoking increased the risk of developing psychosis by 6% over four years.But there was a substantially greater impact on young people who had already been identified by psychiatrists as having the potential to become psychotic. Regular cannabis smoking raised their risk of developing psychotic mental illness by 25%.The study aimed to answer a question that has been unsettling psychiatrists for some time. People with psychosis, whose symptoms include hallucinations, paranoia, hearing voices and a persecution complex, are more likely than not to have a marijuana habit. http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1716/a05.html?397
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on December 02, 2004 at 12:56:32 PT
New Medical Marijuana Web Site
http://www.lamedicalmarijuana.com/
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on December 02, 2004 at 12:39:08 PT
News Brief from The Associated Press
Drug Czar Launches Awareness Campaign To Fight Driving Under The Influence of Marijuana 
 
 December 2, 2004WASHINGTON -- The government hopes to win a battle against drugs and make the highways safer in a single effort.Federal drug czar John Walters is launching a new campaign to keep teens from smoking pot and then getting behind the wheel.According to surveys, teen-agers think smoking marijuana doesn't affect their ability to drive. But government experts say the illegal drug can impair drivers just as much as drinking alcohol.One woman who used to smoke marijuana says she once totaled her mother's car while driving and trying to get high.Officials say they don't have concrete statistics on the number of crashes caused by marijuana use, but they feel certain that lives are at stake. And they say parents must be just as aware of the problem as their young drivers.Copyright 2004 Associated Presshttp://www.kwqc.com/Global/story.asp?S=2641487
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