cannabisnews.com: Clearing The Air on Medical Marijuana





Clearing The Air on Medical Marijuana
Posted by CN Staff on December 06, 2008 at 06:36:54 PT
Editorial
Source: South Bend Tribune
Michigan -- The Berrien County prosecutor is in a haze about Michigan's medical marijuana law.Weeks after voters passed the referendum establishing the program, the state has failed to effectively communicate rules in place or to seek input on details that still must be worked out.
That's not the best start for an initiative few law enforcement officials have backed.Sixty-three percent of Michigan voters on Nov. 4 made the state the 13th in nation, as well as the first in the Midwest, to legalize medical marijuana. The vote, of course, failed to end the measure's controversy.Supporters promote the drug as a humane treatment option for the pain and nausea that cancer or chronic disease patients suffer.Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Bill Schuette, who led an underfunded fight against it, argues Proposition 1 will make it easier for children and teenagers to obtain marijuana for recreational use.And, he fears patients will be easy prey for those who can't legally obtain the weed, escalating crime and violence.No research proves marijuana to be medically beneficial. Anecdotal evidence seems to show it relieves symptoms for some patients.The only argument that counts now, though, concerns where and how patients will be allowed to legally smoke pot in Michigan.The Medical Marijuana Law took effect Thursday, but the Michigan Department of Community Health has until April 4 to come up with the rules of operation.The MDCH calls for county health departments to issue registration cards to qualified patients and caregivers and maintain the list.The state says qualified patient must be certified in writing by physician as having a debilitating medical condition with symptoms which might be relieved by the drug.Authorized caregivers can assist with no more than five patients' medical use of the drug.Michigan's statute doesn't affect the federal ban, which makes marijuana possession illegal for any purpose. State officials concede though that federal marshals are too busy to pursue marijuana violations.The new state law doesn't provide a legal means of acquiring weed or seeds; it does not allow dispensaries.Nothing in Michigan's law condones driving or working under the influence of marijuana.But many questions remain for local police and prosecutors, not the least of which are how patients and their caregivers will acquire the weed and where patients can smoke it.The MDCH needs to invite local health and law enforcement representatives into the discussion. State and local officials should be clear on all the answers before the first patient lights up.Source: South Bend Tribune (IN)Published: December 6, 2008Copyright: 2008 South Bend TribuneContact: webmaster sbtinfo.comWebsite: http://www.southbendtribune.com/Related Articles:Michiganders Go To Clinic Seeking Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24355.shtmlMedical Pot Law Now in Effect Amid Questionshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24354.shtml
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Comment #29 posted by Storm Crow on December 09, 2008 at 06:28:01 PT
Close enough to viral! 
The site shut down because of an overload of traffic! I think someone said it is back up now! Pretty popular! Even my non-using sons told me about it (and thought it quite amusing!).
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Comment #28 posted by FoM on December 09, 2008 at 06:27:39 PT
State Starts Up Treatment Web Site
December 9, 2008The state launched its Medical Marijuana Program Web site Monday to coincide with the proposal that voters approved last month. The site is: http://www.michigan.gov/mmpA public hearing on proposed rules for the program is to be heldat 9 a.m. Jan. 5 in Lansing, in Conference Room A at the State Secondary Complex, General Office Building, 7150 Harris Drive. Public comments about the rules can be sent to the Department of Community Health, Bureau of Health Professions, Lansing, 48909-8170, attn: Desmond Mitchell, Departmental Analyst, or at dmitch michigan.gov, until 5 p.m. Jan. 9. Those who need special assistance should call 517-335-1341.http://www.freep.com/article/20081209/NEWS05/812090348/1007/NEWS
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Comment #27 posted by Hope on December 08, 2008 at 10:53:27 PT
Ripit Comment 25
Is that "viral" yet?
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Comment #26 posted by Hope on December 08, 2008 at 10:51:48 PT
OverwhelmSam Comment 24
:0)That's cute.I saw somewhere in some comments online, maybe at DailyKos a statement that was interesting to consider. I don't know if it's a quote or just someone's "slogan", but it was kind of cool."Hope: a Breeze in the Essence of Learning"Yes it was at Dailykos.http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/12/7/1202/57919/1/670196
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Comment #25 posted by ripit on December 07, 2008 at 08:29:56 PT
 count on kop=busters
up to 9730 as of 9:30 this mornin!
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Comment #24 posted by OverwhelmSam on December 07, 2008 at 05:33:36 PT
It's Hope Flavored
Hi Hope, I thought you might enjoy this, it's hope flavored.http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=3014
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Comment #23 posted by OverwhelmSam on December 07, 2008 at 04:29:01 PT
E_Johnson
I believe money is enough to make law enforcement too stubborn to learn, but the power to put people in jail is the thrill that makes learning irrelevant to them. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink even if it is dying of dehydration.
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Comment #22 posted by OverwhelmSam on December 07, 2008 at 04:23:20 PT
Hope
This represents a huge turn of events in regard to the enforcement of drug prohibition. I can guarantee you prosecutors and police are taking notice. Now if we could just set up the crooked judges who sign these warrants, we would be in good shape.
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Comment #21 posted by Hope on December 06, 2008 at 22:24:19 PT
Google hits now...
880
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Comment #20 posted by Hope on December 06, 2008 at 21:45:22 PT
Kop Busters
OverwhelmSam, I think it already has gone viral. Earlier this evening when I googled Kop-Busters I got four hundred and something hits. It's now at 830!
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on December 06, 2008 at 21:36:53 PT
This is from way back in May...
but I don't recall ever having seen it before.http://wweek.com/editorial/3427/10974/Six Minutes With BarackExcerpt: Would you stop the DEA's raids on Oregon medical marijuana growers?I would because I think our federal agents have better things to do, like catching criminals and preventing terrorism. The way I want to approach the issue of medical marijuana is to base it on science, and if there is sound science that supports the use of medical marijuana and if it is controlled and prescribed in a way that other medicine is prescribed, then it's something that I think we should consider.
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Comment #18 posted by E_Johnson on December 06, 2008 at 21:27:01 PT
You forgot one crucial detail OS
"You would think law enforcement is getting tired of the drug war by now, be they are too stubborn to learn."They're getting paid pretty well not to learn, and as long as they don't learn, they can keep their jobs.
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Comment #17 posted by OverwhelmSam on December 06, 2008 at 20:12:45 PT
It Might Go Viral
Here it is on FreeTurkey too.http://thefreeturkey.com/They have task forces to investigate and snare us, we should have task forces to investigate and snare them too. Law enforcement treats us like scum, we expose the real scum in our society. What's fair is fair. You would think law enforcement is getting tired of the drug war by now, be they are too stubborn to learn.
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Comment #16 posted by Hope on December 06, 2008 at 18:34:17 PT
After reading every one of the Chronicles
of Narnia I misspelled Aslan! I can't believe it... but I got a great image of him, even with it misspelled.Here's another.http://www.homeoffice.idv.tw/archives/image/Aslan.jpg
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Comment #15 posted by Hope on December 06, 2008 at 18:23:01 PT
This is wonderful. It really is.
Law enforcement better make sure they're doing everything right and legally or they'll be on Kop Busters.I absolutely love it.Thank you, Barry Cooper!I'm amazed that he thought of this and actually did it. I'm amazed that they pounced so quickly. The "mouse" they pounced on turned out to be Asland... or something like him.http://lorimoon.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/asland-roars.jpg 
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Comment #14 posted by Hope on December 06, 2008 at 18:11:46 PT
That's wonderful, I think, OverwhelmSam
I have more respect for Barry Cooper every day.Here's another.http://www.rawstory.com/news/2008/Excop_Barry_Cooper_launches_Kop_Busters_1206.htmlThis "show" needs to go prime time. Way to go, Barry Cooper. 
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Comment #13 posted by OverwhelmSam on December 06, 2008 at 16:18:20 PT
I'm Not Endorsing This Kind of Activity
However, the egg on the face of law enforcement is priceless.Ex-Cop rents house to grow Christmas Trees using grow lights, somehow police get "probable cause" for a search warrant, then have to explain where they got their information. Can you say, "Fabrication?"http://www.theagitator.com/2008/12/06/gotcha/
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Comment #12 posted by observer on December 06, 2008 at 12:42:40 PT
South Bend Tribune Editorial
No research proves marijuana to be medically beneficial.Nothing to back that assertion up. Of course, the editorial board of the South Bend Tribune is full of bunk here. Many many studies exist that prove cannabis is medically beneficial. 
Following are excerpts from numerous studies showing the medical efficacy of
marijuana and its active components, known as cannabinoids, for a wide array of medical
conditions, including cancer, HIV, multiple sclerosis, and glaucoma. Also included are
scientific findings refuting some long-held beliefs about potential health hazards posed
by marijuana use, most notably in relation to cancer and neurotoxicity
http://www.mpp.org/assets/pdfs/download-materials/Science-and-Studies.pdf No research proves marijuana to be medically beneficial.That was an unsigned editorial, too. The editorial board of the South Bend Tribune didn't clear the air so much as muddy the waters, again. Tim Harmon, Managing Editor tharmon sbtinfo.comTerrence Bland, Web Commentary Editor tbland sbtinfo.comGayle Dantzler, Editorial page Editor gdantzler sbtinfo.com (source: MAPInc media contact database)
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on December 06, 2008 at 10:54:26 PT
The Children
I get very tired of people using children as an excuse to punish people that are not children. Children need parental guidance but what about people who aren't involved with children? Won't adults ever be allowed to be adults?
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Comment #10 posted by E_Johnson on December 06, 2008 at 10:47:47 PT
FoM South Bend is like 99% Catholic
South Bend is the home of Notre Dame, a Catholic university.I think it's important to contact these editors and let them know that they seem to have committed the sin of sloth.Is marijuana prohibition really worth eternal damnation?
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on December 06, 2008 at 10:38:44 PT
EJ I Agree
So many writers are not up on things that are happening. I sometimes think they don't care or don't want to learn anything new.
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Comment #8 posted by E_Johnson on December 06, 2008 at 10:30:09 PT
Lazy journalists are a very big problem
I don't see any excuse for professional journalists to fail at finding information about medical marijuana research, since nowadays it only takes about five minutes on Google -- or about 5 seconds at NORML.org -- to find medical marijuana research.I hope people will call them out mightily for being lazy. That's what it is. Too lazy to spend five minutes on Google?That is taking sloth to a level where the Catholic Church was absolutely right to make it an official sin.
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on December 06, 2008 at 10:04:37 PT
charmed quark 
Obama is a in charge kinda man. Everything he did during the campaign came out in a positive way. He really seems to care what the people think. I never got that feeling with Bush.
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on December 06, 2008 at 09:54:30 PT
Mike
Thanks for posting the link. I don't read the comments and I forget to post it. Posting it in a comment is fine.
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Comment #5 posted by Mike on December 06, 2008 at 09:31:06 PT
Source link
Here's the source link for comments:http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081206/OPINION/812060268These articles do need to be properly linked, if for nothing else, for copyright reasons alone. Just copying and pasting articles is fine (although a bit antiquated) but then the credit and traffic needs to be credited directly to the author or source page.http://www.reddit.com/r/Marijuana/
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Comment #4 posted by ekim on December 06, 2008 at 09:17:54 PT
last night on dir tv ch 356 
The Rachel Madow show 9 pm At the end of the show she did a story on Prohibition being 75 years old.
She went on to mention Leap Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and its new web site wecandoitagain.com This was the first time i have heard Leap mentioned on any tv station.
http://leap.cc
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Comment #3 posted by E_Johnson on December 06, 2008 at 09:00:15 PT
Beseige these fools with research
There are no more excuses for lazy journalists. Let them have it with both barrels. Zero tolerance!Send them links and call them lazy and tell them this is why newspapers are dying in this country -- because journalists these days have become so stupid that they can't even find medical marijuana research on the Internet.
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Comment #2 posted by Storm Crow on December 06, 2008 at 08:32:39 PT
HUH?
"No research proves marijuana to be medically beneficial. Anecdotal evidence seems to show it relieves symptoms for some patients."I'm sorry, but that statement is PURE BS! If you wish to see the research that "proves marijuana to be beneficial", click the link! http://medicalmarijuanapatient.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65
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Comment #1 posted by charmed quark on December 06, 2008 at 08:04:03 PT
Obama's Drug Czar
I've been somewhat gloomy about Obama's Drug Czar choice ( unreformed drug warrior) and another cabinet choice who supported torture.But I realized something today - Obama is NOT George W Bush. Obvious to you guys, but not to me.What I mean is that George W is a lazy guy. He doesn't study the issues, read about them or want to deal with handling responses to issues other than in the broadest sense. He's basically hands off and let's his advisers have free range with little input from him. So the personality, politics, and leanings of his choices basically told you what they were going to do while "serving" George.Obama is almost the polar opposite. While not a micro-manager, he is highly involved with understanding and shaping responses to issues. His advisers and cabinet members will be acting under his directions.So it's Obama's opinions that matter, not the stale ideas of his chosen Drug Czar. He chooses people based on their abilities understand and manage complex operations, not their political opinions and tendencies. So his Drug Czar serves at the pleasure of the President and follows the President's directives or will soon be replaced ( another thing George W had trouble with - he refused to replace people no matter how bad their performance as long as they remained "loyal").At least I hope I'm right about this.So I guess I was wrong to be worried about the people he chooses.
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