cannabisnews.com: The Grass is Greener... In a Doctor's Office





The Grass is Greener... In a Doctor's Office
Posted by CN Staff on December 05, 2005 at 19:45:02 PT
Editorial
Source: Knight News
New York -- Currently in New York as well as around the country there are laws that make possession of marijuana a crime. Recently though, there has been a movement in certain states to enact medical marijuana legislation, recognizing that marijuana has some benefits for people suffering from diseases. Marijuana is often considered a "gateway" drug, one that can lead to using many more harmful drugs. However, there has never been a known case of someone dying from smoking marijuana. Even more, there has been a significant amount of studies that point to marijuana in limited uses being beneficial for certain diseases.
These studies point out, correctly, that marijuana can be used to alleviate ailments in people suffering from AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, and multiple sclerosis. In 1988, the Drug Enforcement Administration's top administrative law judge, Francis Young, said a ban on medical marijuana was "arbitrary and capricious," describing marijuana as "the safest therapeutically active substance known to man." While a few states have passed legislation allowing for medicinal marijuana, there is no such legislation in New York. Instead, there are the Rockefeller laws, a series of laws enacted in 1973 that impose mandatory minimum sentencing for people who possess even the slightest bit of marijuana. Those who have marijuana face arrest, seizure of assets, incarceration, and other criminal sanctions. In New York State, 30,000 people a year are indicted for drug felonies, receiving 15 years to life if they have only four ounces of marijuana. This becomes a drain on society, putting members of the population into prisons for years where they contribute nothing to society and taxpayers are forced to pay the cost.Lastly, legalizing marijuana would allow the government to regulate its use. Because it's a crime, people are forced to go underground to acquire it. Drug dealers make a huge profit from the sale and the government never sees any of the money. Regulating marijuana would decrease the price and the money made from marijuana could be used to help pay for other medical costs.Around the country, states like California, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska, Washington, and Oregon have all passed legislation allowing for medicinal marijuana by doctor's recommendation. It is only when the government stops its futile war on drugs and legalizes marijuana that people will find marijuana to be beneficial for society. Source: Knight News (Queens College, NY Edu)Published: December 05, 2005Copyright: 2005 Knight NewsWebsite: http://www.qcknightnews.com/Contact: http://qcknightnews.com/home/lettertotheeditor/Related Articles:Marijuana: A Pointless But Ending Warhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21326.shtmlHave an Open Mind on Failing Drug Lawshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21320.shtmlMarijuana Laws Need To Go Up in Smokehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21304.shtml
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Comment #9 posted by unkat27 on December 07, 2005 at 20:35:37 PT
jared3602
Yes, they take everything, not just the money. That's why I call them vultures. They pick the bones of the dead after they kill them (or render them defenseless).
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Comment #8 posted by jared3602 on December 07, 2005 at 10:26:48 PT
unkat27
They make more then just money from the busts. They have the power to take everything connected to the bust. That means they take your house, cars, boats, etc. EVERYTHING. 
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Comment #7 posted by unkat27 on December 06, 2005 at 19:03:40 PT
DEA are Vultures
"Drug dealers make a huge profit from the sale and the government never sees any of the money."Nonsense. Every time a government-based drug-enforcement department makes a bust it takes all the money and channels it into a secure account which it uses for whatever it likes, including private enterprise. This is why they will spend time tracking dealers and letting them sell their drugs before they make the bust. They claim it is because they want to catch the big dealers, but the whole truth is because the bigger the dealer, the bigger the bust, and the bigger the take in $$$. Fact is, the DEA profits off of drug busts, collecting multiple millions every year. If marijuana were legalized, they would not profit from it as they do now; those multiple millions could vanish. The war on drugs is for the benefit of these vultures, not for the American people or the youth. Keeping children safe is just the best excuse they have for insuring they keep raking in all that easy money, and it also gives them free reign in the destruction of peoples lives, which they have made into a selective process (political).
Mad Krow: Truth Suppressed by Big Government and the Mainstream
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on December 06, 2005 at 14:03:56 PT
jared3602
Thank you for the article correction. In Ohio it is a $100 fine for under 100 grams. Our state is really tolerant about possession. If you ask someone if they would get in serious trouble for having an ounce of pot in Ohio they would look at you funny. I'm serious.
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Comment #5 posted by jared3602 on December 06, 2005 at 13:48:57 PT
correction
I live in NY and he is only particially right on this matter. The law states if you have 25grams or less of cannabis you only get a fine of $100. Not to bad but atleast it is better then getting caught in NJ.
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Comment #4 posted by whig on December 06, 2005 at 11:07:17 PT
Jim
 These laws were made by man, and are impermanent. They will change, because they are not "real" in that aspect. They are merely part of the "norm" of an outdated societal norm. At least, in my opinion. Not just in your opinion, but in the deepest reality. Laws are not made by men, laws are part of the fabric of the universe. Man-made laws are an oxymoron.There is no time. We are here now.
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Comment #3 posted by Jim Lunsford on December 06, 2005 at 04:07:29 PT
Above the Influence
I actually like those commercials. That saying, "If we allow others to choose for us,....", really is cool. I, and I alone, choose to injest Cannabis. No one has control over me in this decision. For I am "above the influence" of prohibition.There is an underlying theme in mystical spiritualism of training the mind to "see the perfection that is already there." In short, the world exists as it does, to each of us, because of how we view it. We create this world view, and we have the power to change it. In Buddhism, the idea is that anything that is real is unchanging. Everything of this world is changing though. Always. There is no sense of permanence in this world. It is only through seeing through the veil of our perceptions of reality that we can experience the "one-ness" of this reality. It is a varient of the "In this world, but not of it" theme of Christianity.These laws were made by man, and are impermanent. They will change, because they are not "real" in that aspect. They are merely part of the "norm" of an outdated societal norm. At least, in my opinion.More and more of these headlines point to a growing perception of the population that Cannabis is perhaps not as "evil" as once thought. That the "norm" of this society is no longer sufficient to satisfy our societal needs. And the more this thought grows, the closer we come to the end of prohibition.Not everyone agrees that Cannabis is a beneficial plant. But, more and more people are beginning to see through this veil of illusion. Perhaps we should concentrate on helping guide others through this time, by doing exactly what we are doing now. Spreading the word. Without judgement, without anger, without fear.Simply having the faith of a mustard seed, just legalizing it, and moving on, would be all that it takes for our society to do just that; move on. Simply say legalize it, and then act accordingly. Hopefully, with compassion for those who worry needlessly about their fears of the unknowable future. These would be those spirits we call, the "evil prohibishinists." They simply have a different set of perceptions of how society should work. Reaching out a compassionate hand to them, helping this group understand that Cannabis is no more evil than anything else in this world, that evil is only a thought, could truly help us through this time of change in our society. We are travelling at an incredible speed through this societal change. Our norms are being challenged through the power of instant communication in a global society at every turn. Yet, through it all, compassion can help guide all of us through it to a more compassionate way of life. A true spiritual revolution. I believe that the repeal of Cannabis prohibition is the most likely manner in which to realize such a revolution. Provided it is done in a truly compassionate manner. With judgement comes more of the same. Violence begets violence. If we choose to treat those who oppress us in the same manner as we have been treated, are we truly any better than the oppressors? Would we not become the oppressors? I pray for the repeal, but I pray for it to be one in which we simply repeal the laws and work along side each other for a "kinder, more gentler" world. If we throw the "antis" in jail, then how could this world be more compassionate? How would we be any different from them? It would be a shame to miss this wonderful opportunity to realize this revolution of compassion by turning Cannabis into the new "Big Oil."Cannabis will be legal. But, at what cost? Personally, I share Martin Luther King, Jr.'s vision of all of us holding hands together, regardless of skin color, regardless of our religious belief, regardless of how we choose to practise our faith, just regardless. All of us are in this life together, so "why can't we just get along?"Peace, JimRev Jim LunsfordFirst Cannabist ChurchFaith: Only needed when the waters or our perception of reality are muddied.
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Comment #2 posted by Toker00 on December 06, 2005 at 03:53:35 PT
We're bad, bad, bad, bad, bad,
WE'RE NATION WIDE!!!!Americans for Safe Access
For Immediate Release: December 5, 2005
--------------------------------
Time Magazine Touts Cannabis As ‘Legitimate Medical Trend’Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Studies for Alzheimer’s, Rheumatoid
Arthritis CitedPatient Advocacy Group Prepares to Sue HHS For Failure to Respond to
EvidenceOAKLAND – Today’s issue of Time magazine reports that new research on 
the
medical use of marijuana is one of the most significant medical 
developments
of 2005. This article comes just one week after the final deadline for
response to a legal challenge brought by a medical marijuana advocacy 
group
that asks the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to 
stop
claiming there is no medical use for marijuana.According to Time, “Research into the analgesic and anti-inflammatory
effects of cannabis continued to bolster the case for the medicinal use 
of
marijuana, making the ‘patient pot laws’ that have passed in 11 states 
seem
less like a social movement than a legitimate medical trend. One 
trial--the
first controlled study of its kind--showed that a medicine containing
cannabis extracts called Sativex not only lessened the pain of 
rheumatoid
arthritis but actually suppressed the disease. An earlier study 
published in
the Journal of Neuroscience showed that synthetic cannabinoids, the
chemicals in marijuana, can reduce inflammation in the brain and may 
protect
it from the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease.”Despite the widespread acceptance of scientific research like this, the
federal government continues to claim that there is no medical use for
marijuana. That claim is being challenged by Americans for Safe Access, 
an
Oakland-based medical marijuana advocacy group. HHS has yet to respond 
to
the medical marijuana group’s administrative appeal of HHS’s earlier 
denial
of its petition under the Data Quality Act, requesting the department
correct its statements that marijuana is not considered to have medical
value. As a result, Americans for Safe Access is preparing to sue HHS 
for
its failure to respond. The appeal has been pending since last May, 
even
though the department’s guidelines specify that it will respond to such
requests within 60 calendar days.“The government’s failure to meet its obligations under the DQA is a
violation of its own procedures,” said Steph Sherer, ASA’s executive
director. “HHS should not be standing in the way of medical advances.”The Administrative Procedure Act allows judicial review to compel 
agency
action when such action is “unreasonably” delayed. If Americans for 
Safe
Access prevails in its petition, the Department of Health and Human 
Services
will have to change its published information on medical marijuana and
publicly admit that marijuana is now effectively used for medical 
treatment,
clearing the way for medical reclassification that would allow doctors 
to
prescribe it to their patients nationwide.The United Kingdom reclassified marijuana from class B to class C in 
2004,
meaning they have determined marijuana has a low risk of addiction and 
few
long-term health hazards. After one year, the government's Advisory 
Council
on the Misuse of Drugs affirmed the reclassification. Despite concerns 
that
reducing criminal penalties would increase use, the number of people 
using
cannabis has fallen by more than 1% in the first full year after 
possession
of the drug was made a less serious offense, and the UK has reportedly
freed-up police resources to fight hard drugs such as heroin and 
cocaine.I guess if you whip the public over the head long enough with the truth, change is inevitable. I read the article in Time and it took a second for the realization that a major media had just published an HONEST article about CANNABIS. Nice picture of a pot leaf, too.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
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Comment #1 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on December 06, 2005 at 03:05:18 PT
Memetic pollution
I just saw the drug czar's latest TV spot. It's a small child sitting alone in a school cafeteria singing, "Baa baa black sheep, have you any E? Yes, sir, yes, sir, first hit's free". And of course it ends "Ask your kids what they know about drugs." Apart from my usual wave of nausea upon seeing this type of taxpayer-funded tripe, I got to thinking. Sure, anyone above the age of ten is going to go, "Huh?" and throw it in their mental trashcan. But since it's a play on the old song, I wonder if any young, impressionable children who don't know what the commercial's trying to do might start thinking these are the real words, without knowing what they mean? The ad is obviously designed to try to stick that song in your brain. The more I watch the ONDCP's "anti" drug ads, the more I wonder if they don't serve, in part, as a tool to hype the illegal drug market. First hit's free? What a bargain! I'll be sure to ask about that if I ever try E! "I know it's usually $10 a hit, but the drug czar says... and I really want to try it, because maybe I'll finally get this stupid sheep song out of my head."
Definition of "meme"
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