cannabisnews.com: Topeka Doctor Concerned with Medical Marijuana Law





Topeka Doctor Concerned with Medical Marijuana Law
Posted by FoM on November 29, 2000 at 14:23:39 PT
By Steve Fry, The Capital-Journal
Source: Topeka Capital-Journal 
A Topeka doctor opposed to marijuana use is happy the U.S. Supreme Court will examine the question of marijuana being used as medicine but worries what the court's ruling will be.Dr. Eric A Voth, an internal medicine and addictions medicine specialist, said he's concerned the justices potentially could rule in the "wrong direction," validating "cannabis clubs" and allowing ballot initiatives to continue in which voters decide whether the medical use of marijuana should be allowed.
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether marijuana can be provided to patients due to "medical necessity" even though federal law bars its distribution.The justices will hear the Clinton administration's effort to block a California group from providing the drug to seriously ill patients for pain and nausea relief. In that case, the Oakland, Calif., Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative contends that for some patients, marijuana is the only medicine that effectively relieves their pain or symptoms, including nausea in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and weight loss in HIV-positive patients.Federal government attorneys said a lower court's ruling that allowed the cooperative to distribute marijuana threatens the government's ability to enforce federal drug laws.Voth agrees, saying federal drug laws are being circumvented by the medical use of marijuana. Voth is chairman of the Institute on Global Drug Policy, an international anti-drug think tank.California, Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado have medical-marijuana laws in place or approved by voters.The ballot initiatives in which some voters have approved medical use of pot has "subverted" the whole federal Food and Drug Administration process of testing the efficacy and safety of a proposed drug, Voth said."They've created medicine by popular vote, which is a scary process," Voth said, adding the initiatives also are creating a legal defense for marijuana possession in court cases.The initiatives are funded by what Voth calls the "marijuana legalization lobby," and "you have the public being sold a real bill of goods here. The marijuana legalization lobby is taking advantage of sick patients to further their cause."In a pure cannabinoid state, Voth thinks there may be some legitimate uses for marijuana to treat nausea and to enhance appetite. And the most active ingredient in marijuana is available in a synthetic pill form.However, Voth is opposed from a medical standpoint to taking the drug by smoking because it damages the respiratory system, there are impurities that can be consumed and there isn't a reliable way to measure the amount of drug ingested by smoking.From a social standpoint, Voth objects to the medical use of marijuana by smoking because its blurs the issue in the public's view, giving a softer social attitude toward the drug and encouraging legalization of pot for general consumption by the public.In most states that have legalized medical use of marijuana, there's virtually no control on how a doctor decides who receives the drug and no measure of the strength of the drug or whether it contains impurities, Voth said.Steve Fry can be reached at (785) 295-1206 or  sfry cjonline.comSource: Topeka Capital-Journal (KS)Author: Steve Fry, The Capital-JournalPublished: Wednesday, November 29, 2000Copyright: 2000 The Topeka Capital-JournalAddress: 616 S.E. Jefferson, Topeka, Kansas 66607Contact: letters cjonline.comWebsite: http://cjonline.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Oakland Cannabis Buyer's Cooperativehttp://www.rxcbc.org/Oakland Marijuana Case Goes to US Supreme Court http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7800.shtmlU.S. Justices To Weigh Medical Marijuana Laws http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7797.shtmlSupreme Court To Decide Medical Marijuana Case http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7784.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #14 posted by Dan Hillman on November 30, 2000 at 14:04:44 PT
Wanna get under Voth's skin?
Go sign the online petition to exonerate/free Todd McCormick.----From: "Ann" Subject: Petitions for a Presidential Pardon for Todd McCormickDate: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 04:17:42 -0500 The following sites are hosting online petitions forthe release/pardon of Todd McCormick. Please check out the pages linked below and sign thepetitions. Forward this message as you feelappropriate. My deepest thanks...Ann McCormick http://www.ethical-business.com/petitions.asp?pet_id=48#sigs http://www.actionize.com/view.php?action=3986 http://www.actionize.com/view.php?action=3891
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Comment #13 posted by Dan B on November 30, 2000 at 12:41:35 PT:
Thanks, Observer.
I appreciate the thoughtful research that goes into your comments, and the comments posted here are no exception. Because I am busy studying unrelated information for my dissertation, I haven't had much time to read up on current (or past) drug policy related literature. Your comments help to keep me (and I suspect many others) well-informed on this issue when other life concerns keep us from devoting full attention to it.One day, I'll sift through all of your old posts and make a list of the many books you have quoted. Then, I'll read them all.Thanks.Dan B
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Comment #12 posted by observer on November 30, 2000 at 09:48:52 PT
FDA, Prescription Laws, Prohibitionism
schmeff writes:the FDA has, like any "good German", kowtowed to the WOsD notion that the ignorant public can't be trusted to make their own decisions about medicinal herbs and/or alternative therapies. Yes. Much of the grief here comes from accepting fundamental principles in (what is presented as) limited instances and special cases. Soon, the principles are applied to others areas to steal ever more freedoms. This is the pattern.The fundamental problem in this case is that in the 20th century, well meaning (or worse) people decided that "the government" should lock people up who use powerful and effective medicines without paying a doctor first. Of course, little was said about the actual jailing part while much was made over people who took the wrong medicine or dosage. But that was (and is) simply rhetoric designed for public consumption, to justify the naked force of the state in prohibiting citizens from using certain medicines they were previously free to use.''Morally, you have a right to buy any drug (or anything else) you wish, as long as you can find a willing seller and as long as you have the money to make the purchase. A "right" means: you may act without seeking the permission of others. A law requiring that you get a prescription in order to purchase a drug is a violation of your rights, since you must seek permission from the legally designated controller (your physician) of the drug before making the purchase. . . .``Those whose minds have been infected by statism will cry: "If drugs aren’t prescribed, some people will misuse them and suffer, even die, as a consequence."  Well, it is true some will misuse these drugs and some will suffer serious consequences, including death, as a result of being foolish enough to use a drug without checking with their physician. But the point is this: in a free society, you are responsible for your actions and you must pay for the consequences, for better or for worse, of those actions. ''Rx: REPEAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG LAWS by Fulton Huxtable http://www.fatalblindness.com/FREEDOM001002.htm#ISSUES``... there was the problem of pharmacists selling drugs without a doctor's prescription. This was denounced as "therapeutic nihilism" and the American Pharmaceutical Association, controlled by the AMA, tried to stamp out this low-cost, in-demand practice. In nearly every state, the AMA secured laws that made it illegal for patients to seek treatment from a pharmacist. But still common were pharmacists who refilled prescriptions at customer request. The AMA lobbied to make this illegal, too, but most state legislatures wouldn't go along with this because of constituent pressure. The AMA got its way through the federal government, of course.``By the end of the Progressive Era, the AMA had triumphed over all of its competitors. Through the use of government power, it had come to control education, licensure, treatment, and price. . . ''Subsidizing Sickness: Medicine and the State by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/sickness.html  
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Comment #11 posted by schmeff on November 30, 2000 at 09:15:53 PT:
FDA - gatekeeper to the temple of your body
The ballot initiatives in which some voters have approved medical use of pot has "subverted" the whole federal Food and Drug Administration process of testing the efficacy and safety of a proposed drug, Voth said.Question: If the job of the FDA is to test the efficacy and safety of a proposed drug, why was this not done years ago when marijuana was actually "proposed" as a drug (i.e. when it was made a "controlled substance")?Marijuana only became a "drug" when Prohibitionists arbitrarily decided to call it one: propaganda by semantics. By any scientific or objective definition, that which Dr. Voth calls "crude marijuana" (again, biased semantics) is an herb. As a general rule, the FDA does not take any position, pro or con, on the efficacy of natural herbs or herbal substances.I say "as a general rule" with some caution. It seems that in recent years the FDA has, like any "good German", kowtowed to the WOsD notion that the ignorant public can't be trusted to make their own decisions about medicinal herbs and/or alternative therapies. Witness the move afoot to put tobacco under the FDA's jurisdiction, and the not so recent rulings on ephedra sp. Will we see coffee and Pepsi distributed under the kontrol of the FDA?
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Comment #10 posted by michael on November 30, 2000 at 08:48:23 PT:
Am one.
I as a med-mar patient who can't take even an aspirin, am in this battle all the way. As much as med-mar DOES decrease the pain from my disability, I like to get high too. As a specie, we all do. We always have. We always will. I think we have to be up front enough to say that ALCOHOL, marajuana, downers, uppers,etc, also bring a high. To not address this issue is a form of disinformation in the way of omission. We must take the high road, with full discussion. I know we can't expect candor from the anti's, but I do expect it from the anti-anti's.  
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Comment #9 posted by Batman on November 29, 2000 at 20:38:35 PT:
You are wrong.
Your wrong. Look at your facts and know that you made them up. To think they were actually printed is sad.30 to 60 percent....such a huge margin it's sad. And if those users weren't using marijuana how many would be on alcohol. The London Times had an article... marijuana actually makes you a better more cautsious driver.It is a PROVEN FACT MARIJUANA IS NOT ADDICTIVE.Why do you have to keep crying about it anyway??? If you don't do it leave those that do alone.Plus you are a moron.
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Comment #8 posted by MikeEEEEE on November 29, 2000 at 20:01:47 PT
addictions medicine specialist
An addictions medicine specialist has a vested interest in labeling people with an addiction.
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Comment #7 posted by nl5x on November 29, 2000 at 18:03:37 PT
more-on Eric A. Voth
Compassion, YES!Crude, Dangerous Drugs, NO!By Eric A. Voth, M.D., FACPChairmanThe International Drug Strategy InstituteOf Drug Watch InternationalIt is a great stretch of the imagination to consider marijuana or other street drugs safe and effective enough to be called medicines. Crude marijuana is unreliable in its absorption, and the dose delivered is unpredictable. The major active ingredient, THC, is already available as an oral prescribable medication (Marinol), and the delivery route can be reformulated as a suppository or inhaler. Numerous safe and effective medications preclude the need for marijuana or THC. Suggesting that marijuana be smoked as a medicine would be like proposing tobacco use for anxiety and weight control or smoking the foxglove plant to treat heart failure. Regular marijuana use causes changes in memory, coordination, and concentration. Its use is associated with trauma and 30 to 60 percent of non-alcohol DUI offenses. Chronic use, such as that necessary for glaucoma treatment, multiple sclerosis, or chronic pain, is associated with respiratory damage, and higher levels of carbon monoxide and tar than tobacco use. It is associated with head and neck cancers, bronchitis, chronic cough, abnormalities in lung immunity, and precancerous changes. It has been recently shown that marijuana causes difficulty with "executive" functioning (a form of prioritization of problems) and persistent memory defects, even after marijuana use ceased. Marijuana is addictive.Numerous contaminants have been identified in marijuana smoke, making use by immunosuppressed cancer or AIDS patients very risky. Marijuana decreases both male and female sex hormones. The effects on the unborn include decreased birth weight and length, neurologic irritability, and birth defects. Recent evidence has demonstrated behavioral abnormalities, learning difficulties, and sleep disturbances in three to four year olds after exposure during pregnancy. Several authoritative medical groups have struck down the notion that crude marijuana is an acceptable medicine. The National Institutes of Health reviewed the issue and determined that crude marijuana adds nothing to currently available medicine and creates increased risk to patients. The American Medical Association determined that smoking was not an appropriate route of administration for a medicine. A study of 1,500 oncologists demonstrated that only one percent had recommended crude marijuana more than five times per year to patients. Most recently, the Institute of Medicine determined that any research on the use of smoked THC medically should take place under tight research protocols, and as a last resort, when all other interventions have failed. An inescapable fact is that the "medical marijuana" movement is driven by those who seek to legalize marijuana for their own use or profit. Unfortunately, they have recruited well meaning but poorly informed supporters for their cause. The voters of several states were sold a bill of goods advancing marijuana as a "compassionate" medicine. Voters were used as pawns in a game of legalization, financed to the tune of several million dollars by individuals or organizations seeking the legalization of marijuana and other illegal drugs. We must have compassion for the sick and suffering, and we must offer them reliable and quality medicine, not crude substances that threaten their well-being. Crude marijuana is not medicine. Reprinted with permission from Drug Watch World News, Winter 1999
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Comment #6 posted by dddd on November 29, 2000 at 17:19:21 PT
Scary?
 They've created a police state,which is is way scaryer than any popular vote. If Dr. Voth wants a real scare,he should look in a mirror....dddd
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Comment #5 posted by Frank on November 29, 2000 at 17:17:20 PT
Doctor or Fugitive form the State Hospital?
This doctor sounds like a fugitive from the state hospital. He is entitled to his opinion; however, his is a crusader hell bent on making patients suffer without Marijuana. Marinol doesn’t work as well as the natural product and it is very costly. Can you imagine a doctor like this treating someone for pain? Or a doctor refusing to reduce suffering and comfort the dying? I hope this doctor stays in Kansas where he can "Do no harm" and leave the sick and dying alone. Marijuana saves lives every day doctor.
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Comment #4 posted by freedom fighter on November 29, 2000 at 16:32:57 PT
Reefer Madness Award
is given to this VOTH. This thing is a pure racist! Who is taking advantge of sick people? This thing!
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Comment #3 posted by observer on November 29, 2000 at 16:09:55 PT
Prohibitionist Voth Accidently Forgets Jail, Again
"They've created medicine by popular vote, which is a scary process," Voth saidA favorite prohibitionist falsehood. These initiatives do not a) create a medicine (cannabis is one of man's documentably oldest medicines), and b) specify that cannabis is better or worse, etc. than other medicines: these "popular votes" simply disallow the jailing of some people for using cannabis.  Switching the issue from that of prison to "medicine by popular vote" etc. is a distraction, a diversion, an attempted red-herring to make you forget the prison part, which is the fundamental point of these initiatives. For more on medical uses of cannabis, see: http://www.rxmarihuana.com etc.
search net for drug-warrior Eric Voth
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 29, 2000 at 14:53:49 PT
I wonder
Arthritis Today has an article in their magazine but not on the web. Marijuana as MedicineWe uncover the surprising ways in which marijuana may be an effective pain reliever and anti-inflammatory. Hear what experts on both sides of the issue have to say. By Judith Horstman http://www.arthritis.org/ReadArthritisToday/2000_archives/toc_2000_11_12.aspWhat about this article? Marijuana In Asthma Studyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7749.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by Frank S. World on November 29, 2000 at 14:36:35 PT
What about your Hippocratic oath, Dr. Voth?
"They've created medicine by popular vote, which is a scary process," Voth saidWhat is scary is a man so committed to his prohibitionist ideology that he scoffs at not only the democratic process this country was founded on, but also apparently thinks that arresting and jailing the sick and dying is good medicine.What a crackpot! 
Rx Cannabis Now!
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