cannabisnews.com: Specter Would 'Absolutely' Use Medical Marijuana





Specter Would 'Absolutely' Use Medical Marijuana
Posted by CN Staff on June 18, 2008 at 06:34:30 PT
By Bradley Vasoli, The Bulletin
Source: Evening Bulletin
Pennsylvania -- U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) reportedly asserted that he would "absolutely" use medical marijuana to mitigate the effects of his cancer if Pennsylvania allowed it and if his doctor issued a prescription. Mr. Specter had mentioned possibly sponsoring legislation years ago, after first learning of his ailment, to legalize marijuana for medical purposes.
He is reported to have also added that while he would use the substance if it were legalized, he did not endorse violating current law.Federal law prohibits the prescription of the drug for medical purposes in any jurisdiction, although a few states have undertaken referenda to lift their own restrictions. The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) maintains that these ballot measures are illegal because they circumvent the federal drug approval process overseen by the Food and Drug Administration."Our view is that medicines that are made available to people who are sick and who are suffering should all undergo rigorous study to make sure that they're safe and effective," Rafael Lemaitre, spokesman for the ONDCP, told The Bulletin, adding that the effort to legalize medical marijuana "basically inserts politics in place of science."Mr. Lemaitre said that medicines already exist in the marketplace to treat the eating difficulties and other effects of cancer and other diseases. Marinol, for example, contains THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the active ingredient in marijuana and is legally permitted.He said that all of the ballot initiative campaigns have received their most crucial support and funding from groups who desire to legalize marijuana entirely."This is a campaign being mounted by political lobbying groups in Washington, D.C.," Mr. Lemaitre said.Source: Evening Bulletin, The (Philadelphia, PA)Author: Bradley Vasoli, The BulletinPublished: June 18, 2008Copyright: 2008 The Evening BulletinContact: publisher thebulletin.usWebsite: http://www.thebulletin.usCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #42 posted by fight_4_freedom on June 24, 2008 at 08:44:53 PT:
Hope
Thank you so very much. I appreciate your thoughts and prayers. They need all the help they can get.I'm glad to hear your Mother is still going strong. To hear that gives me a lot of hope.And I do believe that they will be alright. These people are the most positive, loving people you will ever meet. When my Father was dying of brain tumors when I was young, they were always there for me and my family. They are truly loving and caring people and I do have faith they will come out of this on top.Thank you for caring Hope.Budsnax, I am extremely sorry to hear about your Mother. God Bless her soul. I feel your pain. My father dealt with brain tumors for 6 long, painful years before he passed. When I found out about that 1974 study I just about lost it. It lit a fire inside of me that will not burn out. I am determined to seek and spread the truth to all. And nothing will stop me.I received a copy of the DVD version of "Run From the Cure" at Hash Bash this year. If I had a DVD burner I would send it out to each and every one of you. It's a sad fact that this doesn't get any attention. They should be doing so much research in this area. But by them completely ignoring this plant and it's potential benefits, I know for a fact they do not want an easy cure, or a cure at all for that matter. It's a disgusting thought to think that people care more about making money than saving lives.We must not give up this fight.Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.We will prevail. And the TRUTH will set us free.ONE LOVE
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Comment #41 posted by BUDSNAXZ on June 23, 2008 at 21:58:02 PT
Hope
Thank you for your kind sentiment.If people actually saw the evidence I referenced in my first comment # 38, and watched those videos, they would know it is true that the Government and/or the real people behind the curtain that actually pull the strings. have been sitting on the cure. Greed and power corrupt so completely and without mercy. It just sickens me.Peace AllMac 
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Comment #40 posted by Hope on June 23, 2008 at 07:21:07 PT
Mac
I'm so sad to hear that you've lost your mother. Like you, I have a terrible suspicion that if they had a cure, especially a simple cure, that they wouldn't allow it to be be easily accessed if it didn't make an outrageous fortune for someone.I've been trying to tell myself that death is an inevitable part of living, and it is, and that it should be faced from a standpoint of strength, but it's so hard, still. There is so much suffering and sorrow in the world. I cannot understand those who think they are doing something righteous by adding to that pain and sorrow.
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Comment #39 posted by FoM on June 23, 2008 at 05:03:08 PT
George Carlin RIP
He really made me laugh many times.
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Comment #38 posted by BUDSNAXZ on June 23, 2008 at 02:33:14 PT
 Fight 4 Freedom and Hope 
Fight 4 Freedom,I'm sorry to hear of your friends plight. I just stood by my mothers bedside while she passed away from lung cancer in October. What makes me more angry than anything, is that the Government and the Drug companies have been sitting on the cure for cancer (Cannabis) for years. This is from an article from an article by Raymond Cushing, AlterNet May 31, 2000 titled "Pot Shrinks Tumors; US Government Knew this already in '74""The term medical marijuana took on dramatic new meaning in February when researchers in Madrid announced they had destroyed incurable brain cancer tumors in rats by injecting them with THC, the active ingredient in cannabis.
The Madrid study marks only the second time that THC has been administered to tumor-bearing animals; the first was a Virginia investigation 26 years ago. In both studies, the THC shrank or destroyed tumors in a majority of the test subjects.
Most Americans don't know anything about the Madrid discovery. Virtually no U.S. newspapers carried the story, which ran only once on the AP and news wires, on Feb. 29.
The ominous part is that this isn't the first time scientists have discovered that THC shrinks tumors. In 1974 researchers at the Medical College of Virginia, who had been funded by the National Institute of Health to find evidence that marijuana damages the immune system, found instead that THC slowed the growth of three kinds of cancer in mice -- lung and breast cancer, and a virus-induced leukemia.
The DEA quickly shut down the Virginia study and all further cannabis/tumor research, according to Jack Herer, who reports on the events in his book, "The Emperor Wears No Clothes." In 1976 President Gerald Ford put an end to all public cannabis research and granted exclusive research rights to major pharmaceutical companies." And even more recently, I read a comment in here about some Canadian folks that have successfully cured people with terminal cancer using concentrated cannabis oil. They have cured a wide range of differing cancers and the Government/Medical Community didn't want to hear about it when presented with the facts. Here is the URL to the site where you can watch 7 short YouTube videos documenting this:http://www.youtube.com/chrychek It is unconscionable that people would rather profit off peoples suffering and death over releasing the truth and saving people. It seams cancer is big business and the Drug Companies cannot patent something that folks could grow in their back yards so they would rather let folks die than letting the truth be told. 
Besides that, how could the Government explain to the people that they have been sitting on the cure for decades and chose to keep it from us because of what they are being paid by all the different lobbyists from many industries that stood to loose their asses if Cannabis and Hemp became legal. I'm at a loss for words over how perverted this situation is. I hope that this "Running from the Cure" website will get sent to everyone in here's friends, relatives, and any people needing relief. The word about this needs to be spread far and wide.Peace AllMac
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Comment #37 posted by Hope on June 22, 2008 at 17:12:07 PT
Fight 4 Freedom
I had to rush to make that last post just as I was leaving for the hospital yesterday. Your friend and his family have been on my mind very much. I am praying for them. That's so horrible that so much cancer has struck your friend's family. People are being cured of cancers a lot more these days than they used to be. My mother has been in remission from a malignant cancer for about thirty years now. It is possible that they will be ok. Very possible.It seems there are more people of all ages getting more cancer than ever. It's very alarming and just dreadful that one family has so much of it. In thinking about them and what they are going through, and being at the hospital so much and seeing so much sickness and disease, I have to wonder too, if all the money that had been spent on prohibiting a substance like cannabis had been spent instead on finding a cure for cancer... all cancer... we might have had a sure, all around cure by now. Billions and billions and billions of tax dollars have been wasted on persecuting cannabis users. When will we stop wasting that money, and it's such an egregious waste, and use it for something beneficial to everyone? Soon. Very soon, I hope.I hope and pray your friend and his family can be cured. 
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Comment #36 posted by Hope on June 21, 2008 at 12:58:42 PT
You got it, Fight 4 Freedom.
"So please, if you could all put Jeremy and his family in your prayers, I'd be very grateful."
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Comment #35 posted by FoM on June 20, 2008 at 19:51:55 PT
fight_4_freedom 
I can understand why you feel the way you do. 
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Comment #34 posted by fight_4_freedom on June 20, 2008 at 19:40:30 PT:
It really is FoM
My mom used to run an in-home day care and she watched him and his sister basically from the time they were born up until they were 11 or 12. So that's like my little brother right there. I changed my phone number recently and he was unable to get a hold of me when it first happened.Then a week or 2 ago at work I came across this flier for their benefit dinner. I was in complete shock. I teared up right there on the spot. So I'm going to put up a jar for donations for them at my work. And hopefully he gets a chance to get away with me in paradise this summer to do some much needed bonding.The only other thing we can do is hope, pray, and cherish the time we still have together. This has been a major wake up call for me.
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Comment #33 posted by FoM on June 20, 2008 at 19:19:26 PT
fight_4_freedom 
That's really sad. 
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Comment #32 posted by fight_4_freedom on June 20, 2008 at 19:11:01 PT:
Here's an article about the family that
I just mentioned previously. Just so happens it was printed today in my local paper. Hopefully Jeremy can come out to Cali with me this summer. He needs a vacation.http://www.mlive.com/bctimes
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Comment #31 posted by ripit on June 18, 2008 at 18:45:50 PT:
paul armentano 
the king of america(if we had one!) should knight you!in my eyes you are a war hero.
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Comment #30 posted by fight_4_freedom on June 18, 2008 at 18:44:16 PT:
Mykey B
I'm going to hold you to that :) And thank you for the invitation. I would be honored to take a tour. If I did stop through it would be sometime in late august. I'm trying to work something out where my friend who's currently going through chemo would be able to come out with me for a couple weeks. He was just diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer and he's only 18 years old. And to make matters worse, his mother was just diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and his dad is already dealing with stage 4 testicular cancer. It's an unbelievably sad situation. Even worse yet, while he was just recently getting his first chemo treatments, his grandfather passed away. So as soon as he got back he had to attend the funeral. So we talked about him going out there this summer with me for a couple of weeks to try and take his mind off of things as well as have a ton of fun in the meantime. So please, if you could all put Jeremy and his family in your prayers, I'd be very grateful.BTW that summer camp looks like an excellent way to give back. I hope you have a wonderful time.God Bless
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Comment #29 posted by fight_4_freedom on June 18, 2008 at 18:23:53 PT:
Paul
Because he was cowardly and backed down from the debate, they should have at least mentioned the fact that he wouldn't debate you right on the air. He is the one putting out all these false claims therefore he should do all that is asked of him to defend his ridiculous claims.I hope one day you'll get your chance to shine against him one on one. But you did do a wonderful job representing NORML and the whole Cannabis Movement today.So once again, thank you.
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Comment #28 posted by FoM on June 18, 2008 at 18:21:10 PT
Paul
It's hard to debate when you know your opponent is right.
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Comment #27 posted by paul armentano on June 18, 2008 at 17:57:28 PT
No debating Walters
The producer requested he and I come on together in a debate format but the Drug Czar refused.
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Comment #26 posted by Storm Crow on June 18, 2008 at 17:24:12 PT
I don't care for him either, BUT
If a bill for MMJ came up in his state, and the "good" senator urged his constituents to at least think about voting "Yes", it could mean another MMJ state. I could deal with that! One more sane state! That would make 13 rebellious states- has a familiar ring to it, doesn't it.  Cannabis is meant for healing- it doesn't matter if they are saints or SOBs. Everyone should be allowed to see for themselves if cannabis can work for them! 
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on June 18, 2008 at 16:23:12 PT
Paul
I have been doing CNews for such a long time that it's hard to impress me but you really impressed me. Thank you.
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on June 18, 2008 at 16:12:23 PT
A Question
Why did he say that people are going to the hospital in big numbers for marijuana?
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on June 18, 2008 at 16:11:18 PT
Me Too
I'm listening to it now and the Drug Czar is on.
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Comment #22 posted by RevRayGreen on June 18, 2008 at 16:03:18 PT
listening now Paul
great job thanks for the link, tell Drew next time debate Walters.
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on June 18, 2008 at 15:44:31 PT
Paul
Thank you. I will be able to listen to it soon. 
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Comment #20 posted by paul armentano on June 18, 2008 at 15:29:53 PT
You can listen to the show here
Our podcaster archived it here:http://audio.norml.org/John%20Walters%20and%20Paul%20Armentano%20on%20Dr.%20Drew.mp3
 
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on June 18, 2008 at 15:11:51 PT
mykeyb420
Thank you for the link. I really appreciate it.
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Comment #18 posted by mykeyb420 on June 18, 2008 at 14:26:42 PT
link for camp
www.sunburstprojects.org
http://www.sunburstprojects.org
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on June 18, 2008 at 14:25:41 PT
fight_4_freedom 
Thank you. I'm sure we will be able to hear it soon. 
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Comment #16 posted by mykeyb420 on June 18, 2008 at 14:24:25 PT
freedom
you are welcome to the club anytime. (194 Church st X Market st)
 I am leaving for summer camp
(a camp for kids with aids/hiv)
 July 1 and the club will re-open on August 1. 
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Comment #15 posted by Hope on June 18, 2008 at 14:18:51 PT
Didnt' get to hear it...
But I'm sure Paul did more than well by us. Thank you, Paul. You are a wonderful representative of the truth.I hope we'll get to hear all of this in a recording or at least a transcript. 
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Comment #14 posted by paul armentano on June 18, 2008 at 13:19:15 PT
Thanks for listening...
I wasn't able to pick up the live audio stream so I never heard Walters' comments from the segment before me. I kept waiting for the host to say something like: "Our previous guest said XXXXXX, how do you respond," but he never did. Instead, he seemed to want to engage in a rational, very non 'talk radio' discussion about the issue -- which is refreshing. The producer has already said I'm welcome back anytime, so I'd judge the appearance a success, even if I'm disappointed I wasn't able to give a point by point rebuttal of the Drug Czar's crapola. 
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Comment #13 posted by fight_4_freedom on June 18, 2008 at 13:16:23 PT:
FoM
When they went to commercials during the show I heard nothing but silence. So maybe you tuned in during a break and that's why it wasn't playing. I'm sure you should be able to hear the whole interview later on though.Everything was very well said by Paul. He did a magnificent job.
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Comment #12 posted by fight_4_freedom on June 18, 2008 at 13:13:39 PT:
MykeyB
It's too bad you are so far from my sister's house. She lives out in San Marcos near San Diego and I'll be out there for a couple of weeks this August. Maybe I'll take a day out to come up and visit the Bay Area. I'm sure it would be worth it.
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Comment #11 posted by mykeyb420 on June 18, 2008 at 13:00:12 PT
great show paul
we listened to it here at the pot club in SF.
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on June 18, 2008 at 12:58:50 PT
fight_4_freedom 
I checked but it wasn't on. Maybe I should have let it play a little longer. Maybe it will be available later.
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Comment #9 posted by fight_4_freedom on June 18, 2008 at 12:48:07 PT:
Thanks for speaking out for us Paul
I missed the first part but I did get to hear a good 5-10 minutes of it. The truth has been spoken. Job well done!
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on June 18, 2008 at 11:48:37 PT
Paul
Thank you. I will do my best to check in and listen.
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Comment #7 posted by fight_4_freedom on June 18, 2008 at 10:46:18 PT:
Don't let up one bit
Show him no mercy.
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Comment #6 posted by fight_4_freedom on June 18, 2008 at 10:43:25 PT:
I'll most definitely be tuning in to this one.
Thanks for everything you do Paul!
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Comment #5 posted by paul armentano on June 18, 2008 at 10:23:45 PT
John Walters and Me on the radio today!
C-News folks,I’ll be appearing live this afternoon on the Dr. Drew (Pinsky) Live nationally syndicated radio show to discuss this issue further. (Dr. Drew recently hosted Celebrity Rehab on VH-1.) I will be appearing at 12:35pm pst (3:35pm est), just minutes after Drug Czar John Walters, who no doubt will claim that supposedly ‘potent pot’ supposedly causes brain damage, depression, addiction and every other malady known to man.To stream the show live, click:http://www.1260.am To find a local radio affiliate in your area, clickhttp://westwoodone.com/drdrew
http://www.1260.am 
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Comment #4 posted by Sam Adams on June 18, 2008 at 09:36:44 PT
Specter
Isn't it ironic - the same name of the evil organization from James Bond. Nobody in New England likes him because of his endless whinings and baseless accusations of cheating against the New England Patriots.IMO he's a walking advertisement for Term Limits. We have 300 million people in the US now, can't we find any new Senators after 12 years? They're like vegetables left in the sun, too long and the rot (corruption) starts.But then Arlen is just the usual Republican - do as I say, not as I do.
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Comment #3 posted by Had Enough on June 18, 2008 at 09:29:18 PT
Should have added this too
This is found on the bottom of the page…How does it get on your computer?Most useful cookies will be installed when you first log in to a service. However, the type used by the NSA are invisible to the user and are hidden on a web page and installed on any machine that visits it.http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2005/dec/30/newmedia.usnews
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Comment #2 posted by Had Enough on June 18, 2008 at 09:09:46 PT
Arlen Specter
First it was the magic bullet theory…Then this just a few years ago. Haven’t heard much about it…I kinda thought we would hear some kinda ‘Magical Invisable Cookie’ story…“The chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, Arlen Specter, confirmed this week that he intends to conduct hearings into President Bush's secret order in 2002 authorising the NSA to conduct email and telephone surveillance of US citizens without a court warrant. The hearings are expected to get under way next month."There likely will be a national debate about whether the president really has the kind of power he's been using," Mr Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, told reporters.In a posting on his googlewatch.org website a privacy activist, Daniel Brandt, says he discovered that the NSA was using tracking devices when he logged on to the agency website on Christmas Day. He found the site was using two persistent cookies that would not expire until 2035, well beyond the life of most computers.”And…“US government agencies have been barred from using persistent cookies since 2000 because of privacy concerns. The regulations were imposed after disclosures that the White House drug policy office had been using cookies to monitor visitors to its anti-drug advertisements.”Click to See…US intelligence service bugged website visitors despite banhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2005/dec/30/newmedia.usnews
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Comment #1 posted by JohnO on June 18, 2008 at 08:09:14 PT:
He's a senator.... that means what? 
That means that as long as he's been in the senate he has stood idly by watching the war against Americans with dispassion. What makes a statement at this late date make anyone think anything will really change? He must be looking for some funding from George Soros for some other nefarious activity he has in mind. He certainly has not introduced any bills that would indicate he is against drug prosecutions. I don't believe him, this is the man who authored the magic bullet theory an behalf of Gerald Ford for the Warren commission, he's a liar. 
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