cannabisnews.com: Just an Excuse for Peddling Pot 





Just an Excuse for Peddling Pot 
Posted by FoM on June 25, 2000 at 10:02:49 PT
Opinion By Gene Amole
Source: RockyMountainNews
He asked me if I could get him some marijuana. Me? Marijuana? I was a child of the 1940s. We didn't know anything about marijuana. All we did was suck up chocolate shakes at the Pik-a-Rib and listen to Glenn Miller play Moonlight Serenade on the radio. The Three Ps (passion, protest and pot) didn't come into play until the 1960s.But my friend was dying from liver cancer. He had heard marijuana might give him some relief from his chemotherapy discomfort. 
We had been friends for many years. He gave me my first job in radio, and so I told him I would see what I could do.A guy in the newsroom, our "Peck's Bad Boy" at the time, said he would get me some of the good stuff for $20 and deliver it the next day to us at the Golden Ox restaurant where my friend and I had lunch every week or so. The Ox was a hangout for upper echelon city officials, of which my friend was one. On that particular day, many of them were also lunching at the Ox and joined us at our table.I had assumed my newsroom pal would discreetly slip me an envelope of the stuff and leave. No. What he did was dump the marijuana out on the table and instruct us on how to comb out the seeds and how to roll the joint in cigarette paper.I looked around the table, and these high city officials were looking around the room at everything but the pot. Their faces were ashen. They flat out didn't know what to do. Neither did I, so I just sat there, feeling the eyes of everyone in the room.Finally, the city brass got up and left after excusing themselves, leaving my friend and me with a pile of pot in the middle of the table and everyone else in the room staring at us.The next time we met I asked him whether the marijuana had given him some relief from his pain. "No," he said, "It didn't help me at all. I am for anything that works, but marijuana didn't work for me."All this came up because of a ballot initiative that would legalize the sale of marijuana for medical use. I asked my doctor about it, and she said there is no precise way of measuring it. "And besides," she said, "the same stuff is now available in prescription medication."I think the ballot proposal is just a backdoor way of peddling pot. If folks want marijuana for recreational use, let's vote on that, not just disguising it as medically approved.Physicians are wary of prescribing marijuana because smoking it may put patients at a greater risk of lung cancer than smoking tobacco. A study at the University of California indicates that smoking just three joints is as dangerous as smoking a whole pack of unfiltered cigarettes.The tetrahydrocannibnol (THC) in marijuana that makes smokers high also promotes the growth of tumors and reduces the body's ability to fight off infection through its immune suppressors. There is a lot more tar in marijuana smoke than there is in tobacco smoke.If that isn't enough to scare the daylights out of you, a person's risk of a heart attack is five times greater in the first hour after smoking just one marijuana cigarette.Gene Amole's column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.E-mail: gamole aol.comPublished: June 25, 2000 © Copyright, Denver Publishing Co.Marijuana and MedicineAssessing the Science BaseReport of the Institute of Medicinehttp://drugsense.org/iom_report/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archives:http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #13 posted by MillerTime on June 27, 2000 at 15:00:03 PT:
Cancer Patient
This guy really doesn't know what he is talking about. I had hodgkin's disease and had to go through Chemo and radiation. I puked every hour until I started smoking weed that my friends brought me. After that I did puke again until I fell asleep and my high and ran out. So I firmly believe that marijuana should be used for cancer patients. If they don't legalize it they should atleast make THC pills for people like me.
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Comment #12 posted by freedom fighter on June 26, 2000 at 05:39:29 PT
response from the author..
My information came from the New England Journal of Medicin. As I said, if we are going to legalize marijuana, let's go the whole way, not just for "medical" purposes.g.
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Comment #11 posted by Rainbow on June 25, 2000 at 19:45:45 PT
Twenty Dollars
Folks There is a problem with this article. Gene says 20 dollars and they pour MMJ on the table? Either he did not really do the deal or he got hemp instead and probably a headache.This aryicle had to come from someone who does not know ( the author) or the real dummies in the INDCP.Why did the city officials sit there and not call the police? Is someone protecting someone, No the story is a fake and it is convincing people who are gullible and not able to research that MMJ is a rouse. CheersRainbow
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Comment #10 posted by Harvey Pendrake on June 25, 2000 at 18:40:24 PT
Come on...
Despite this man's negative opinion, you have to give him credit for going out of his way to supply his friend with MJ, knowing he was breaking the law. I'm assuming this story is true, of course.About 1/3 of his story is devoted to describing the embarassment of have the office dim-bulb drop a bag of weed on a table in a public place. Yet the author seems oblivious to the fact that the entire scene could have been avoided if the stuff wasn't illegal.Also, his sick friend didn't get relief from his chemo symptoms, so the author concludes that medical MJ is a fraud perpetrated by sneaky potheads. It's unfortunate that MJ didn't help in this case, but his logic is terribly flawed. For example, Tylenol has never worked as a headache or pain medicine for me, but I understand that is DOES work for some people, so I'm in favor of keeping it legal. Get it?And finally, he carts out the old "the same stuff is now available in prescription medication" line. Okay, fine, but please explain how a chemo patient who is experiencing extreme nausea and vomiting is supposed to swallow his or her Marinol pill, let alone keep it down long enough to take effect? And what about those patients that get no relief from the prescription pill, but do get relief from the natural, smoked form?The more I re-read this guy's op-ep piece, the more I think it's a load of bull. 
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Comment #9 posted by CongressmanSuet on June 25, 2000 at 18:35:40 PT:
Freedom Fighter, that was excellent...
quite eloquent. This is what we need...get involved in your own way. I write these idiots when I see a discernable e-mail address. As of now, I believe its still safe to write mail that gives your opinion on these matters, and we should take advantage of it before it disapears.
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Comment #8 posted by Frank on June 25, 2000 at 14:52:10 PT
in need?
They say cannabis shows promise in treating the agitation of Alzheimer's disease. Perhaps Mr. Amole should be employing it!
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on June 25, 2000 at 14:17:58 PT
Very Good!
freedom fighter that was so good! I hope it get's published. If it doesn't he will read it and it will make him think! If everyone lit just one little candle what a bright world this would be and you just lit one!Peace, FoM!
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Comment #6 posted by freedom fighter on June 25, 2000 at 13:57:21 PT
Comments and Critiques are welcome
Just want to send him something, he is a writer in my town.He is about 60 years old now so hence his writings does reflect his age. :) Perhaps, it can be changed. Please check this out and tell me what you think. Bear with this writer as English is his second language.:) Gene said,(Physicians are wary of prescribing marijuana because smoking it may put patients at a greater risk of lung cancer than smoking tobacco. A study at the University of California indicates that smoking just three joints is as dangerous as smoking a whole pack of unfiltered cigarettes. The tetrahydrocannibnol (THC) in marijuana that makes smokers high also promotes the growth of tumors and reduces the body's ability to fight off infection through its immune suppressors. There is a lot more tar in marijuana smoke than there is in tobacco smoke.)Gene,If it was true, why are not the old hippies dying in the hospitals all over the country? Beside, there is a way to burn the thc without inhaling the tars. There are more to the plant than just smoking. One can eat, drink, and consume the cannabis plant and live well. If your friend had said that it helped him, would you change your thinking? If it was true that marijuana reduces the body's ability to fight off infection through its immune suppressors, then how come people with AIDS are using the marijuana and do not die off so quickly? How come we have other researchers claiming that THC "REDUCES" tumors?Gene, you put too much faith in your doctors. Did you know that 120,000 people died in America hospitals due to doctor's "errors"? As you may know, US government grows pot and give it to 8 Americans for over a decade now and it is interesting to know that these people have not succumb to lung cancer yet.Finally, we know tobacco is deadly and bad for people but we do not put these people to prisons. Nor do we put people who grow tobacco in prisons. Education is the key because now people smoke tobacco less. I should know that tobacco is far more addictive than marijuana or any other hard drugs. I have met heroin addicts who quit and said cigarettes are the worse! These addicts who quitted heroin used cannabis to help their withdrawals. Physicians are wary because our government told them that if they even discuss about it with their patients, their licensed will be revoked! But on the other hand, our government will reward those who give bad research results on marijuana. Our government have ceased all research except for the few "elite" for many years. Eat ten raw potatoes and I will probably die from it. Eat, drink, consume, and smoke all you want from a cannabis\hemp\marijuana, you will not die. After all, your friend did not die from smoking it. It just did not work for him as it would for others. And just think about this for a moment, your sick friend could have been caught and sent to jail. Oh, I know that in Denver, we would give him a ticket but there are people who are put to prisons for LIFE for having a joint or a roach. We have our own Isiah Mena, a man who was killed by policemen because they thought they had the right address. It is happening all over the country all in the name of Marijuana.Sir, I do not know if you will publish this, but I just want you to know that it was never about recreational or medical use of this plant. Sir, I have you know that it is never my business what you do. As long you do not cause harm to others. We, as a society are judged by how we treat our sick citizens of our country. Are we, as decent Americans going to continue denying sick dying people their rights to do what they want? Are we going to say that we have to have these laws to protect the children when each year we hear children still do it? Do we want to keep building prisons? We are building one prison each week in America.These ballots that you mentioned in the article are about taking back our rights to decide what we want to do with our bodies and minds. And in fact, it does apply to you. Our dear Senators are trying to pass "Aint-Meth Bill", if you were careful to follow what is going on there, you would find yourself in trouble. Just by printing your article, our government can put you to prison for 10 years.I admire your work. Thank you for your time.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on June 25, 2000 at 13:28:32 PT
Know Our Enemies!
Thanks CongressmanSuet,We need to know our enemy. That's it! I have two isps do you believe that! One is going though. Peace, FoM!
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Comment #4 posted by CongressmanSuet on June 25, 2000 at 13:19:02 PT:
Dont feel so alone Military Guy,
I think Greenfox is so p''''d he is planning on setting up an arsenal in his living room and inviting the Nazis in for a drink! I hate this drivel from close minded dinosaurs as much as you do, but hey, we are better for having heard it,KNOW THY ENEMY, find his weakness, and then destroy him.FoM, I appreciate you posting the good with the bad, a balanced exchange, something we are not allowed in our discussions with the powers that be. Thanks, and please, dont ever forget to pay your ISP bill on a timely basis!
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Comment #3 posted by Thomas on June 25, 2000 at 11:39:20 PT
Undercover Work
It wouldn't surprise me a bit if opinion letters of this type offering anecdotal evidence contrary to to what genuine anecdotal evidence suggests, are manufactured in some back room at the ONDCP and distributed to the media as the genuine article. I think they know anecdotal evidence is convincing and are getting on the bandwagon.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on June 25, 2000 at 11:25:02 PT
Me Too!
No Problem military officer guy ! I'm really sick of these articles. I sometimes stop and ask myself if I should post an article like this and then say to myself yes because we need to hear what they are saying. I sometimes really have to step back from articles. This is another one of them.Peace, FoM!
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Comment #1 posted by military officer guy on June 25, 2000 at 11:09:24 PT
what a f$%&ing dumb ass....!
i can't stand these people...it is really starting to get on my last nerve...what a bunch of stupid f %ks...sorry, i luv this page, but i can't stand some of the people that write articles...MoG has expressed his views...i'm just very very angry...sorry for the vent FoM...
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