cannabisnews.com: Medical Use Not Warranted Medical Use Not Warranted Posted by FoM on August 27, 2000 at 23:13:03 PT By Bernie Diaz Source: Sun-Sentinel Contrary to Stephen Goldstein's Aug. 9 commentary, the Florida Legislature should not pass a law legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Among our government's chief responsibilities is to safeguard citizens from social ills. Although passed by voter referendum in seven states, there is virtually no credible medical organization or study willing to stake its reputation on the notion that pain relief for the conditions of glaucoma, AIDS or cancer victims is best delivered by the smoke inhalation of marijuana. Indeed, the promotion of smoked cannabis as medicine undermines the medical profession's very own Hippocratic oath to "do no harm" in the care of patients. The "landmark" 1999 Institute of Medicine report cited by Goldstein as proof of the medical community's support of medicinal marijuana is a simple case of "spin doctoring" from drug legalizers. Taken in proper context, the report's findings result in something far different from an endorsement of marijuana as therapy. The study's co-principal investigator, John Benson Jr., remarked at a press conference releasing the report, "Marijuana's medical effects are generally modest, and for most symptoms there are more effective medicines already available on the market." Benson later added, "We see little future in smoked marijuana as a medicine." The drug legalization community often fails to mention that the active ingredient in marijuana -- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -- has been available in oral form for pain relief therapy for some time, helping thousands with debilitating conditions and illnesses. Moreover, last month British researchers announced that they are close to developing cannabinoid-based drugs that relieve pain without the euphoric high associated with using marijuana. We support such research and efforts to deliver compassionate and effective pain relief. However, it will be interesting to see whether legalizers will support such non-high-inducing drug relief, or as is often suspected, support nothing less than freely accessible marijuana. What is the public interest in this issue? For one, medical marijuana legalization will in all likelihood lead to abuse of the law, as has already been well-documented in the Netherlands and has recently led to a local California city council initiative allowing residents to grow and use their own medical marijuana without a prescription. Quite logically, medical legalization and the cultural acceptance sure to follow -- perhaps resulting in eventual full-scale legalization -- will lead to increased drug abuse, obliterating the hard work in cutting drug consumption by half over the last 15 years. As we should all know by now, crime, violence, DUI incidents and workplace accidents go hand in hand with drug use. Legalization won't change the impact on such behavior; it will only increase the number of such incidents. Our common sense tells us so, as does the alarming fact that between 70 percent and 80 percent of violent and repeat criminals in prison committed their crimes while under the influence of illegal drugs. We call for all Floridians to join the Miami Coalition for a Safe and Drug-Free Community to oppose the legalization of illicit drugs like marijuana for medical purposes. Bernie Diaz is the director of communications for the not-for-profit Miami Coalition For a Safe and Drug-Free Community.Published: Aug. 27, 2000Source: Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel (FL)Copyright: 2000 Sun-Sentinel CompanyContact: letters sun-sentinel.com Feedback: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/services/letters_editor.htmWebsite: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/Forum: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/interact1.htmThe IOM Reporthttp://books.nap.edu/html/marimed/Florida Cannabis Action Networkhttp://www.jug-or-not.com/can/index.html Floridian's For Medical Rightshttp://www.medicalrights.org/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archives:http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #9 posted by Lehder on February 14, 2001 at 07:21:15 PT babe in the woods garrett, I wish you well, but you worry me. I was naive at your age too. But if you're already against legalization without having the information you need, and if you can't find any information for yourself on this board, then you are in danger of growing up to be a drug warrior.Just look around. Good Luck. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by garrett on February 14, 2001 at 07:14:10 PT: class project I am doind a class project about marijuana. we are having a lincoln-douglas debate about the legalization of marijuana and I am against it but we ar having a hard time getting good information to back up our opinions. please write back to me with a little bit of information on the subject as soon as possible. thanx, garrett [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by MMMM on August 29, 2000 at 14:22:25 PT Florida, of all places.... Florida should have been the first to stop prohibition because of the preponderance of older people who could greatly benefit from the use of MMJ. To withhold medicine from sick people is a most abominable crime. I'm ashamed to be a citizen of the U.S. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by dddd on August 29, 2000 at 01:43:00 PT yet another Wonder who signs this guys checks?Bernie Diaz is the director of communications for the not-for-profit Miami Coalition For a Safe and Drug-FreeCommunity. If it's "not-for-profit",,then what is it for????? Yes I'm sure Bernie is writing such articles out of the kindness of his heart.He's just doing it to help the children...But in order to help the children,he's gotta make the payment on the Lexus,so he can get to the "not-for-profit" office,,and he has to provide for his family in his lavish house,,but it's "not-for-profit",,so everything he has is exempt from taxes. I think there are thousands of "not-for-profit" outfits with people like Bernie running them,,,and I think most of them are far more notorious criminals of greed,and legally sanctioned thievery,,,,than even the most notorious marijuana smokers are........................dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Dan B on August 28, 2000 at 09:04:17 PT: My Humble Analysis ***"Among our government's chief responsibilities is to safeguard citizens from social ills."Bull. Show me in the Constitution anything that even remotely suggests that this is a role of our government. It is simply not there. In fact, there is plenty in the U. S. Constitution that speaks out against this load of excrement that the government is designed to "protect" us from ourselves because the framers of that document recognized that idiots like the author of the above article would seek to influence the government against its own citizens. ***"The drug legalization community often fails to mention that the active ingredient in marijuana -- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -- has been available in oral form for pain relief therapy for some time, helping thousands with debilitating conditions and illnesses."No, the "drug legalizatoin community" actually encourages people to understand that one of the many beneficial active ingredients in marijuana has been proven so safe and effective that it has a Schedule III classification. And the "drug legalization community" also points out that Marinol is not as effective as smoked marijuana in the treatment of nausea and appetite loss for cancer and AIDS patients. And the "drug legalization community" also does not hide the fact that the Abrams report concluded that marijuana is even safe for the debilitated immune systems of those suffering from AIDS."Moreover, last month British researchers announced that they are close to developing cannabinoid-based drugs that relieve pain without the euphoric high associated with using marijuana."I've said this before, and I'll more than likely have an opportunity to say it again: is euphoria a negative experience? Should we really read this garbage and then think, "Well, shiver me timbers! I sure hope they succeed in getting rid of that nasty feeling you get when everything seems right in the world." The author of the above article would be hard pressed to convince me that feeling great after using an efective medicine is a negative thing. I've taken far too many perfectly legal over-the-counter medications that made me feel terrible to buy that argument."...hard work in cutting drug consumption by half over the last 15 years."Anyone who believes this drivel about drug comsumption being cut "by half over the last 15 years" has never bothered to look at the statistic our own government provides. Drug use has increased enormously even since 1991. The data I have in front of me shows that the percentage of eighth graders having used an "illicit substance" over the past 30 days doubled between 1991 and 1999. For tenth graders, it more than doubled, shooting from 10% in 1991 to 22% in 1999. For twelfth graders, it also substantially increased (15% in 1991; 24% in 1999). These figures alone suggest that Bernie Diaz, like the proverbial ostrich, has his head firmly embedded in sand.(The above statistics can be found in Eric E. Sterling's brilliant article, "Friendly Fire: Rethinking the War on Drugs from a Quaker Perspective."***"As we should all know by now, crime, violence, DUI incidents and workplace accidents go hand in hand with drug use."Correlation does not equal causation, and aside from that, Diaz provides absolutely no evidence of this "hand-in-hand" relationship. I would argue that "crime, violence, DUI incidents and workplace accidents go hand in hand with" the nations failed war on drugs, which encourages police brutality, racial profiling, destruction of property, and ultimately addiction itself. (If a substance is illegal, one tends to buy it in greater quantities to (1) decrease the number of times you'll have to buy, thus decreasing the chances you will get caught, and (2) decrease the price you will have to pay, since most dealers will provide a better deal if you buy more product--at least that has been my experience. Buying in bulk increases the likelihood that one will have the drug on hand for extended periods of time, which facilitates overuse and leads to addiction).***"Our common sense tells us so, as does the alarming fact that between 70 percent and 80 percent of violent and repeat criminals in prison committed their crimes while under the influence of illegal drugs."Notice the clever insertion of the words "and repeat" in that sentence. Of course, Diaz fails to mention that drug addicts are likely to repeat their "offenses" because they are, by definition, addicted, and the prison system does nothing to help these people learn to live outside their addictions in the real world. He also fails to mention that because certain drugs are illegal, people who are already involved in illegal activities will have less of a reason to refrain from using drugs, given the fact that they are already "criminals." Thus, a criminal life might very well lead one to use illegal drugs, and not the other way around. Furthermore, most crimes committed by drug addicts are a direct result not of the drugs themselves, but of the war on drugs that escalates prices and creates organized crime.In short, this article is filled with lies and false logic, the purpose of both being to mislead the American public. And they call this journalism? [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by gfunk on August 28, 2000 at 09:01:11 PT Legal in California? As a resident of northern California, I can assure Mr. Diaz there is NO town in this state that allows "residents to grow and use their own medical marijuana without a prescription."If a majority of a population is in favor of an ordinance such as mmj, as is the case in seven states, does'nt that represent "cultural acceptance" already?Ignorance often travels faster than the truth. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Scott on August 28, 2000 at 08:24:06 PT: Barrys Goons are still at it Think this was a paid advertisement brought to you by the ONDCP? Never know these days. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by MMMM on August 28, 2000 at 00:41:07 PT B.S. Most murders involve alcohol (the LEGAL drug). This is a fact told to me by a non-smoking Yale Neurologist. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by test on August 27, 2000 at 23:46:00 PT test jjdddkdk test [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: