cannabisnews.com: Let Sufferers Inhale Let Sufferers Inhale Posted by FoM on December 10, 2000 at 08:48:51 PT Editorial Source: Palm Beach Post The Supreme Court can inject some needed compassion into a contentious case from California involving the medical use of marijuana.Californians voted in 1996 to legalize marijuana for medical use. Voters in eight other states have adopted similar policies allowing seriously ill patients, with a doctor's recommendation, to possess and use the drug to relieve pain and nausea. The Oakland Buyers' Cooperative, which the city of Oakland started, provides marijuana for medical purposes. So do dozens of similar cooperatives. The Clinton administration's Office of Drug Control Policy calls these initiatives backdoor routes to legalizing marijuana. Three years ago, the government asked a federal court to close down the Oakland cooperative. U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer granted the injunction. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, however, said Judge Breyer should have modified the injunction to consider "medical necessity."Judge Breyer then issued a new order, saying the cooperative could supply marijuana to people whose doctors say they need it. The government asked for a stay of the ruling. The Supreme Court granted it and this week agreed to hear the case.The government has tried regularly to keep people from using marijuana for medical needs. In 1997, drug czar Barry McCaffrey told doctors they could lose their license to prescribe all drugs if they prescribed marijuana. The respected New England Journal of Medicine called that "foolish" and suggested making marijuana a Schedule 2 drug like morphine, also potentially addictive but medically useful. Doctors then could prescribe it without fear.The administration wouldn't budge but did agree to spend $1 million to study the drug's medical potential. The research showed that cannabinoids, the active ingredients in marijuana, did seem to be useful in treating pain, nausea and the severe weight loss that comes with AIDS. National Institute of Medicine experts found no evidence that giving the drug to seriously ill people would increase casual use. But since smoking can lead to lung cancer, they recommended developing inhalers and other methods of delivering the drug.The Supreme Court will decide whether medical necessity justifies distributing marijuana in violation of federal law. The answer should be yes. Until doctors have better ways to alleviate severe suffering, they should be able to prescribe marijuana and people should be able to buy it. Source: Palm Beach Post (FL)Published: December 4, 2000Copyright: 2000, The Palm Beach PostAddress: P.O. Box 24700, West Palm Beach, FL 33416-4700Fax: (561) 820-4728Website: http://www.gopbi.com/Forum: http://www.gopbi.com/community/forums/Feedback: http://www.gopbi.com/partners/pbpost/info/mail.htmlRelated Articles & Web Site:Oakland Cannabis Buyer's Cooperativehttp://www.rxcbc.org/Why Won't Government Let Us Use Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7925.shtmlMedical Marijuana Fight Goes To The Supreme Court http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7865.shtmlIs Marijuana Really Medicine? http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7705.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by FoM on December 10, 2000 at 11:55:49 PT June! Hi defenderoffreeworld,It must be ruled on by June. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by defenderoffreeworld on December 10, 2000 at 11:44:19 PT: when will the supreme court give its ruling? maybe someone might be able to answer that for me. i strongly believe the ruling will be favorable, especially due to all the lastest research that have proven, beyond a reasonable doubt, that cannabis is a great pain reliever for the people who are ill. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: