cannabisnews.com: Scarborough and Montel Discuss Medical Marijuana 





Scarborough and Montel Discuss Medical Marijuana 
Posted by CN Staff on June 16, 2005 at 09:17:16 PT
Transcript: June 15, 2005
Source: MSNBC
The debate over medical marijuana continues to rage today. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly not to legalize medical marijuana, 264-161. It was a big setback for proponents of medical marijuana. One of the most influential proponents of medical marijuana is talk show host Montel Williams. Joe Scarborough talked to him about the issue and asked him why he needs medical marijuana so badly.
Williams: I happen to use it from neuralgic pain from M.S. I, along with a lot of other people who have diseases like this, fibromyalgia and other kind of illnesses, suffer from a strange form of pain that just is persistent and doesn't go away. There are several different kinds of pain medications that are out there and are available. I have been written prescriptions for all of them. And it's the reason why the drug manufacturers make over 190 different drugs for different pain things, because they know that less than 25 percent of the people can be affected by any individual drug. So, medicinal marijuana won't work for everybody, but it works for me. Scarborough: You know, I would be skeptical, but for the fact, last fall, I had about as severe back pain, I think, as possible. And your story sounded so much like mine.I would wake up in the middle of the night. I would have shooting nerve pains down both my legs. I would be screaming at the top of my lungs. I was on 1,000 different narcotic type of drugs. Nothing touched it. Now, luckily, for me, Bextra did, which, of course, is now illegal. It's an anti-inflammatory. But you know what? You literally could have shot heroin into my arm. Williams: That's right.  Scarborough: You could have shot Valium into my leg. It wouldn't have touched this pain. And, unless you go through that, I mean, people just can't relate to it. Tell me how marijuana, tell me how that affects this pain, how it touches this pain, where all these other pharmaceutical drugs just don't do it?  Williams: Well, I think what we need to understand is, let's talk about marijuana itself. Up until 1937, marijuana was a legal drug all over the world. It was used. And several U.S. pharmaceutical corporations made prescription medications that you could get from a pharmacy before 1937 with marijuana in it. Currently, right this second, for the last 25 years, our government has been distributing marijuana to -- it was 12, now seven people who are stricken with various forms of pain and other forms of illnesses. They have been distributing this for 25 years through a program at the University of Mississippi, where we grow it. It goes and distributed once a month, I think the 17th of every single month, distributed under a USDA stamp of approval, 50 marijuana cigarettes to people, who they have been using and testing for over 25 years.  Scarborough: Let's talk about you specifically. What does marijuana do for you at night before you go to bed that helps ease that pain, helps -- helps to take away what you're going through?  Williams: The same thing -- the same thing that a person who might take Vicodin or OxyContin. For me -- and I'll tell you something. I could take six OxyContin and get the same relief. But then I'm just going to drool in the corner and possibly urinate on myself this evening. I could take seven or eight or nine or 10 or 11, 12, 13 or 14 Vicodin, OK? I have taken up to four at a time at the same time together to get the same kind of pain relief. It's -- believe me, see, what people -- the misconception is that there are a lot people sitting around smoking a joint. Marijuana can be eaten. It can be drank in a liquid form. I utilize it and eat it the same way as I would take a pill about an hour and a half before I go to bed. And then it gives me about four or five hours of relief while I sleep.If I wake up in the middle of night and it kicks back him, I can take another pill or I can take another piece of a cookie and go right back to sleep. And it's the same thing as if somebody else took any other any opium-based drug that they sell or get from a pharmacy.Look, I have a doctor right now who can write me a prescription for morphine, OxyContin. And guess what, Joe? I can get a prescription of cocaine that's given to me from the pharmacy right down the street, because it's a schedule two drug. If we think our doctors are smart enough to prescribe cocaine, morphine, other barbiturates and amphetamines, why is that same doctor not smart enough to be able to prescribe marijuana, if he thinks it works? It is the most ridiculous thing on the planet that we have something else that is available. And believe me, it doesn't work for everybody. There are probably only 25 percent of people out there who suffer from the type of pain that I have, suffer from, that medicinal marijuana will work for. But why not make it available to those that it will work for under a doctor's supervision? That's where the ignorance in this is all about.And if our government has been sending it out for 25 years, spending taxpayer dollars, investigating this drug's efficacy at the University of Mississippi for 25 years, and they haven't figured it out yet, then, first off, anybody involved in the program should be fired. And, secondly, we ought to be able to sue the federal government, because we can say that, after 25 years, if you have not figured that this works, how could you have been poisoning people if you didn't think it works?And we know it works. The argument is so ridiculous. That's the reason why the Supreme Court had to decide this time on an interstate commerce ruling. And the lead justice even said that this is an issue that should be brought before Congress and the will of the people will be heard. Look, 70 percent of the people polled in America today will tell you that, if their child, their mother, father, sister, brother was laying in a hospital in pain and the only drug available to relieve that pain was medicinal marijuana, they would all agree to give it to their child. I don't understand what the problem is.  Scarborough: All right. Montel Williams, thanks a lot for being with us. Williams: Thank you.  Scarborough:  Obviously, this debate is going to be raging in Washington for some time. We appreciate you being here tonight. We hope you will come back with a follow-up discussion on this topic. And know that our thoughts and prayers are with you. Watch 'Scarborough Country' each weeknight at 10 p.m. ET on MSNBC.Complete Title: Transcript: Scarborough and Montel Discuss Medical Marijuana Source: MSNBC (US Web)Program: Scarborough CountryAir Date: June 15, 2005Copyright: 2005 MSNBCContact: letters msnbc.comWebsite: http://msnbc.com/news/URL: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8241829/Related Articles & Web Site:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmHouse Snuffs Out Medical Marijuana Provision http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20865.shtmlMedical Marijuana Advocates Implore Congress http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20627.shtml
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Comment #9 posted by jose melendez on June 17, 2005 at 16:46:01 PT
rethink, repeal, refresh, restore
Re: heroes . . .
 from: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n974/a04.html?397 "It is obvious a great deal of police funding is spent dealing with people who routinely consume too much alcohol. While no one in their right mind would want to reinstate alcohol prohibition, marijuana prohibition is denying people who react badly to alcohol a safer alternative." Gary Storck Madison NORML 
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Comment #8 posted by afterburner on June 16, 2005 at 21:02:49 PT
'Why don't news producers care about that?' 
Managed news. Bread and circuses. Corporate-controlled media serve the interests of the corporations, and truth is not useful to corporate manipulators. For those of you who take the question seriously, welcome to the truth zone. Cannabis news and its contributors are dedicated to offering an alternative. Let the re-think begin.
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Comment #7 posted by Max Flowers on June 16, 2005 at 19:20:55 PT
Well, #2 perhaps
...behind Dennis Peron?
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Comment #6 posted by Max Flowers on June 16, 2005 at 19:20:05 PT
Hear hear...
Agreed, Montel is the patron saint of medical cannabis.
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Comment #5 posted by SoberStoner on June 16, 2005 at 17:45:09 PT
Max,
I totally agree with you, but lets not diminish the importance of this topic even being discussed so openly.This is exactly the sort of publicity we need. We all wish that prohibition would end tomorrow, but the simple truth is that it wont barring some radical event. We've been wearing down the lies for so long now and educated ourselves to the point where we instinctively know that if given that chance to be heard, we can defeat nearly every arguement against cannabis. Now we need airtime like this to get it to the masses. Montel is quickly becoming our best and most widely recognized spokesperson. This is a good thing, now we just need more of it:)
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on June 16, 2005 at 14:59:48 PT
Taylor
We heard Scarborough say that too. I wish it would have been put in the transcript.
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Comment #3 posted by Taylor121 on June 16, 2005 at 14:57:27 PT
What Isn't In The Transcript
You can watch the video of Montel here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8241829/This is not in the transcipt, but at the very end when he cuts of Montel, he says:Scarborough:
"You know what , I've always been against medical marijuana, but he actually moved me on this issue on that interview."
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Comment #2 posted by siege on June 16, 2005 at 12:10:28 PT
heart surgery
Well I have had to take 13 pills 2 times aday for a time now and in the last 2 mo I'm down to 3 pills aday and smoke marijuana once every other day to stay right. And fell a lot better then before, with all the pills, and get a good nights sleep with it now. I guess they can call me an old pot head, cause I be 66 years young this year, and fell about 40...and work with 40 years olds building house's. so let them on the hill put that in there pipe and smoke IT. have had open heart surgery and the Dr. said I'm doing real good off the pills and don't beleive it, that marijuana is doing the JOB of the pills.Art.
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Comment #1 posted by Max Flowers on June 16, 2005 at 10:24:49 PT
Much more time needed
Great to see this on MSNBC, but I sure wish that they would give these discussions more than the one minute or whatever the above conversation took. A subject like this (or any other really) takes more time than that to discuss intelligently. I get so frustrated with this quick sound bite media culture we have... they always try to stuff an important discussion into a super short period of a minute or two, just so that they can hurry up and get to the next B.S. Michael Jackson trial update or whatever relatively unimportant story they have. Priority in the media should be given to POLICY issues, not "entertainment news." That is, if the story involves public policy, or law, like the medical cannabis issue for example, much more time should be given to that. If the Michael Jackson trial or the search for some poor murdered child gets 15 minutes in a given hour, then medical cannabis should get 45 minutes, because it's much, much, MUCH more important. That's not to diminsh the importance of a single child, but we're talking about the fate of one person versus policy that affects the fate of MILLIONS.Why don't news producers care about that?
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