cannabisnews.com: Seminar Examines Medical Marijuana





Seminar Examines Medical Marijuana
Posted by FoM on February 29, 2000 at 11:09:18 PT
By Thomas R. O'Donnell, Register Staff Writer
Source: Des Moines Register
The University of Iowa will be host to a conference in April designed to re-educate doctors and nurses about the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.Speakers at the National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics on April 7 and 8 include the organizer of a medical marijuana market in Los Angeles, the lead attorney in a class-action lawsuit seeking the use of marijuana for medical purposes, and two Iowans who have federal permission to treat their illnesses with the drug.
Literature about the conference points out that health-care professionals have no formal training in the therapeutic use of cannabis, as marijuana also is known, "despite its illegal use by tens of thousands of patients throughout the country.""The content and presenters have been chosen to provide the fundamental knowledge essential for clinicians to ensure safe and appropriate care of patients who may benefit from its use," the document says.The conference is being staged by the U of I College of Nursing and the College of Medicine, in cooperation with Patients Out of Time, a nonprofit group dedicated to education on medicinal marijuana.Nursing Dean Melanie Dreher said Al Byrne and Mary Lynn Mathre, the husband-and-wife founders of Patients Out of Time, approached her about a conference. Dreher has done extensive research on medical marijuana use."Other cultures have been using marijuana in a non-recreational atmosphere" for decades, she said.The program is designed to follow up on a report by the Institute of Medicine a year ago that said marijuana's active components have potential for treating some conditions.Bruce Upchurch, director of the Governor's Alliance on Substance Abuse, has his doubts about the real cause of those backing the medicinal use of cannabis."The medical marijuana movement in this country mostly is supported by people who have an agenda of getting marijuana legalized," said Upchurch, a former federal Drug Enforcement Administration officer. The movement has 'sucked in people who believe they're doing the right thing or who believe there's some use for this . . . to alleviate pain and suffering."Upchurch said if there is some therapeutic use for the chemicals in marijuana, "Research will find a way to deliver it other than smoking. We don't smoke our medicine in this country."Byrne, from his office in Virginia, said marijuana is "the most studied plant on earth."He charged that Upchurch doesn't know what he's talking about. Upchurch is "a cop. I don't think he's been to medical school," Byrne said.Upchurch said he's not opposed to the conference. He and Byrne also agreed on the need for more research.  Published: February 29, 2000Copyright © 2000, The Des Moines Register. Related Articles:National Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread4896.shtmlU. Iowa to Hold First Medical Pot Fest http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread4833.shtmlGroup of Iowa State U. Students Advocate MJ & Hemphttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread4582.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by observer on February 29, 2000 at 15:06:21 PT
People who have an Agenda...
> Bruce Upchurch, director of the Governor's Alliance on Substance Abuse, has his doubts about the real cause of those backing the medicinal use of cannabis.Oh let's see ... how should this be rewritten?Bruce Upchurch, director of the Governor's Alliance on Substance Abuse, a governmental organization with a vested interest in keeping marijuana illegal, spoke out against the notion of using a plant as medicine. Seeing a dark conspiracy behind medical marijuana research, Upchurch claims to have doubts about the "real" cause of those backing the medicinal use of cannabis. I think my version is much more accurate!> "The medical marijuana movement in this country mostly is supported by people who have an agenda of getting marijuana legalized," said Upchurch, a former federal Drug Enforcement Administration officer. The prison-industrial complex is mostly supported by people (like Upchurch) who have an agenda of keeping cannabis illegal. But that's a red herring to distract people from the real issues: whether or not this or that person "supports" it has nothing to do with whether or not cannabis is an effective treatment.> The movement has 'sucked in people who believe they're doing the right thing or who believe there's some use for this . . . to alleviate pain and suffering."Oh dear! This must mean that the government has more work to do, dictating to people how they should think. How is it, do you suppose, that the people still won't believe the way the government dictates, even after billions spent on government propaganda?> Upchurch said if there is some therapeutic use for the chemicals in marijuana, "Research will find a way to deliver it other than smoking. We don't smoke our medicine in this country."Ah yes, the DEA's imperial "We don't smoke our medicine". But since when did "we" look to political appointees with vested interests in the police-state to tell us which medicines to use, and how to use them? And since when do "we" throw sick people who use medicines "we" don't approve of, in jail? 
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Comment #1 posted by kaptinemo on February 29, 2000 at 12:34:53 PT
Insults to intelligence
Bruce Upchurch, director of the Governor's Alliance on Substance Abuse, has his doubts about the real cause of those backing the medicinal use of cannabis."The medical marijuana movement in this country mostly is supported by people who have an agenda of getting marijuana legalized," said Upchurch, a former federal Drug Enforcement Administration officer. The movement has 'sucked in people who believe they're doing the right thing or who believe there's some use for this . . . to alleviate pain and suffering."Please note: immediately after California and Arizona had passed their respective MMJ referendums into law, McCaffrey, Shalala and Reno were on the tube, saying in effect that the people of these States were stupidly hoodwinked by cleverly opportunistic MMJ advocates. This did not sit very well with the electorate of those States, and the political feedback courtesy of the media ensured that Barry and Company never tried it again. Apparently, Mr. Upchurch doesn't bother with learning from other people's mistakes; he's repeating one that bought the government a lawsuit that led to the IoM report. Upchurch said if there is some therapeutic use for the chemicals in marijuana, "Research will find a way to deliver it other than smoking. We don't smoke our medicine in this country." In the 19th century, it was a very common folk practice to smoke cannabis to relieve the symptoms of asthma. If ignorance is indeed bliss, Mr. Upchurch must be the happiest man in his State. 
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