cannabisnews.com: Panel Hears Bill to Legalize Marijuana as Medicine





Panel Hears Bill to Legalize Marijuana as Medicine
Posted by FoM on March 06, 2001 at 07:31:19 PT
By Warren Hastings, Concord Bureau
Source: Union Leader
Proponents of legislation to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes are seeking to convince the House Health, Human Service and Elderly Affairs Committee that marijuana can be safely prescribed for alleviating pain or controlling painful side effects of other currently legal drugs such as interferon.  Yesterday the committee heard House Bill 721, which allows doctors to prescribe marijuana for treatment. 
 In the recent past, the Legislature has repeatedly defeated attempts to legalize the drug based on opposition from the New Hampshire Medical Society and law enforcement officials.  Opponents contend that no solid scientific evidence exists to support arguments that marijuana is useful for treating anything that can’t be dealt with by using already legal medicines.  The medical society continues to oppose legalization because it believes that marijuana is a dangerous drug, and that treatment of vomiting associated with chemotherapy can be controlled by using marinol, a legalized derivative of marijuana. Proponents argue that terminal cancer patients should be allowed to use marijuana to control severe pain.  Dr. John Dalco of the medical society told the committee that the use of marijuana as a pain killer or palliative is outweighed by such possible harmful side-effects as hypertension, particularly for elderly users, short-term memory loss, and dry eye that could lead to corneal damage.  Respiratory problems can also be heightened through marijuana use, Dalco said. Dalco and others also dispute claims that marijuana is useful for treating glaucoma.  However, one witness who declined to divulge his name because he has admitted to using the drug to combat pain associated with hepatitis C, spoke in favor or the bill. He said he found marijuana to be very helpful to him in controlling the painful effects of interferon, a virus-fighter used to control hepatitis.  Peter H. Giese, representing the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police, said the bill is another attempt to legalize marijuana in general and could lead to severe enforcement problems in the illicit production and sale of the drug. Source: Union Leader (NH) Author: Warren Hastings, Concord BureauPublished: March 6, 2001Copyright: The Union Leader Corp. 2000 Address: P.O. Box 9555 Manchester, NH 03108-9555 Contact: TheUL aol.com Website: http://www.theunionleader.com/ Related Article:HB721 Bill Would Legalize Medical Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8890.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by observer on March 06, 2001 at 09:03:57 PT
Another Hostile, Pro-Prison Piece
Authorities, officials and experts: "House ... Committee""New Hampshire Medical Society""law enforcement officials""solid scientific evidence""The medical society""Dr. . . . of the medical society""the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police"all sing in unison,"Legalize Marijuana as Medicine""to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes""legalize the drug""... society continues to oppose legalization""attempt to legalize marijuana in general"Again, the prohibitionist propagandist knows that (over the years) much opprobium has been attached to the word "legalization". Explicitly playing on those negative connotations, the operator knows to associate the word "legalize" with marijuana. Just like we see above. One could be forgiven for assuming this to be the propaganda technique of name calling? http://carmen.artsci.washington.edu/propaganda/name.htm Or perhaps more of a transfer or guilt by association technique? Transfer. This is a technique of projecting positive or negative qualities (praise or blame) of a person, entity, object, or value (an individual, group, organization, nation, patriotism, etc.) to another in order to make the second more acceptable or to discredit it. This technique is generally used to transfer blame from one member of a conflict to another. It evokes an emotional response which stimulates the target to identify with recognized authorities. . . . Insinuation ... Guilt by association: Guilt by association links a person, group, or idea to other persons, groups, or ideas repugnant to the target audience. [eg. "legalization -observer] The insinuation is that the connection is not mutual, accidental, or superficial.Propaganda Techniques, FM 33-1http://www.mcad.edu/classrooms/POLITPROP/palace/library/proptech.html Sometimes the writing will span several techniques.Again, also, note the form of this piece. "Appraisal or Argumentation Arguments are presented, EXACTLY IN THIS ORDER: First, the negative arguments, or against the thesis that is going to be upheld, and then the positive arguments, or favorable ones to our thesis, immediately adding proof or facts that sustain such arguments. . ."CIA Textbook on Psychological Operationshttp://www.tscm.com/CIA_PsyOps_Handbook.html et al.The pattern is repeated:``First, the negative arguments, or against the thesis that is going to be upheld ("arguments that marijuana is useful for treating anything that can’t be dealt with by using already legal medicines"), and then the positive arguments, or favorable ones to our thesis, (prohibitionist thesis: "society continues to oppose legalization because it believes that marijuana is a dangerous drug"). . .''And of course, as the "we don't make the law, we just enforce it" crowd explains as they make laws:``. . . Police, said the bill is another attempt to legalize marijuana in general and could lead to severe enforcement problems in the illicit production and sale of the drug.''So classic. [8.] Policy Options are Presented as Total Prohibition or Total AccessProhibitionists have always characterized themselves as being in a moral/religious battle against evil. This quality of the prohibitionist movements eliminated the option of compromise. The choice as they saw and presented it was total prohibition or total access to the hated drugs. It was not that other methods of controlling use did not exist or would not work; it was the idea that all usage was sinful and must be stopped. Like an ongoing morality play, this same issue gets played out-repeatedly today with a new cast of characters. As bills are introduced to lower criminal penalties for various illicit drugs, one can anticipate any number of legislators standing to attack reduced penalties as an invitation for use and a first step toward legalization of drug X.Themes in Chemical Prohibition, NIDA, 1979 http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/History/ticp.html  Also, note once again: absolutely NO mention of jail, prison, or incarceration, nada. Protection of patients from jail is the whole point of this bill, but the propagandist did not want to mention that indelicate detail.
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