cannabisnews.com: Don't Promote Pot Distribution Don't Promote Pot Distribution Posted by FoM on April 01, 2001 at 08:24:12 PT Deseret News Editorial Source: Deseret News Supporters of so-called "medical marijuana" have little to go on. They want the government to approve the drug despite a lack of any credible science and despite a lack of support from the Food and Drug Administration. Now they want the U.S. Supreme Court to put its stamp of approval on buyers' cooperatives that distribute the drug to people in need, arguing that a medical necessity ought to outweigh federal laws. Judging by their comments at a hearing this week, most of the justices don't appear to buy the arguments. We hope that's the case. Former federal drug czar Barry McCaffrey has called medical marijuana "Cheech and Chong medicine." That's an apt description. While we sympathize with people who are suffering with terminal illnesses and feel a joint is the best way to relieve pain, the buyers' cooperatives are excellent tools for distributing the drug for less noble causes, as well. Society has good reason to be concerned about that. So far, nine states have passed medical marijuana laws. Unfortunately, the court's ruling, expected sometime in June, will not negate this. The case at hand arose out of a Clinton administration lawsuit that specifically targets the buyers' clubs. If the court rules against those clubs, people in those states still would be free to grow and cultivate marijuana for their own use, but at least the distribution method, which has the ability to proliferate consumption, will be stopped. It may be true that marijuana plants contain chemicals with medicinal value, but credible science has yet to make that determination or to decide on the best method of delivery. We cannot imagine a state approving the distribution of any other drug that had not passed scrutiny. And we certainly cannot imagine any other drug — particularly one that was proven to cause harm to its users, as marijuana does — being legally distributed by anyone other than a competent physician. Marijuana is treated differently only because it has the support of a loyal and vocal group of recreational and habitual users whose ultimate aim is to be able to use their drug free from the fear of prosecution. We will grant them this: medical science ought to determine whether marijuana has any useful medicinal value, and then decide on an effective delivery method that keeps users as free as possible from the harmful side-effects. But the rush to legalize the smoking of marijuana and liberalize its distribution ought to be seen clearly for what it is. Source: Deseret News (UT) Author: Kersten Swinyard, Deseret News Staff WriterPublished: Sunday, April 01, 2001Copyright: 2001 Deseret News Publishing Corp. Contact: letters desnews.com Website: http://www.desnews.com/Fighting Cheech & Chong Medicinehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6533.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #11 posted by Firedog on April 02, 2001 at 23:49:53 PT A little perspective... * The Deseret News is owned by the Mormon Church.* Utah is arguably the most conservative states in the USA (Clinton finished third here in 1996).* Utah County (home of BYU, and conservative by Utah standards) has the highest per-capita number of prescriptions of Prozac in the USA.* Most Mormons don't have a *clue* what pot smells like. ;-)I wouldn't take anything printed in the editorial section of the Deseret News too seriously. This is about the most reactionary publication you can find.Unfortunately, I'm afraid that GWB and company have the same Puritanical ethic as the Mormons do.- Firedog [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by arcturus on April 01, 2001 at 23:47:41 PT: Here's mine... Dear Editor,Once again a writer, representing a newspaper, representing an ideology, has sidestepped the bottom line. Or perhaps she doesn't know what it is. The bottom line in the dialogue concerning any adult's right to consume marijuana how he or she chooses, is prison. Should we attempt to arrest and incarcerate all otherwise law-abiding adults who choose to ingest the products of the marijuana plant? This is the question. Talk, or write, about anything else and you're pointing a moral finger. With marijuana having been tried by 70 million Americans, (a larger percentage of the population than in the cannabis-tolerant Netherlands) any attempt of eliminating its use or imprisoning all its users will be in vain. Yes, the larger goal is freedom from prosecution for adult marijuana users. I understand that's quite a distance for a hardline prohibitionist like Ms. Swinyard to travel. Perhaps she can at least come so far as to not encourage putting sick people in jail. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Charlie on April 01, 2001 at 20:49:01 PT Polly want a cracker... Instead of mindlessly rehashing (pun intended) the antis tired, old and misguided line of propaganda Kersten may discover she has a mind of her own if she'd smoke a little pot! http://www.marijuana-uses.com/examples/default.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on April 01, 2001 at 20:11:31 PT Thank You How nice to click on this thread and see the stamina I have learned to admire so much in all the people who post here. Thanks Again! [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by MDG on April 01, 2001 at 20:05:22 PT I was just curious... ...if anyone has sent her a list of medically-used cannabis products, which were legally sold/prescribed/taken before the "Reefer Madness" crapola.I didn't have a list of them, otherwise I'd do it.observer?Mike... [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by kaptinemo on April 01, 2001 at 19:05:18 PT: Bravo, friends! (And my own .02 dollars) I am writing in response to K. Swinyard's editorial posturing regarding 'pot distribution'. As someone who has had the unenviable experience of having been the primary caregiver of a 79 year old handicapped woman stricken with mesothelioma, and underwent the equally painful chemo process, I would like to say this: The last I heard, ignorance was easily curable simply sticking one's nose in a book and reading. The Internet makes this task even more speedily accomplished. K. Swinyard decries a supposed paucity of scientific proof regarding the medicinal efficacy of cannabis. What would have been learned by a careful study of the entire matter is that the Federal government has done its' level best since 1979 to dissuade any research it could not control. And to fund only research that will 'prove' deleterious effects of cannabis...hence justifying the Feds continued prohibition of it. Hardly a hallmark of scientific objectivity. Swinyard lazily prefers to parrot official sources such as Mr. (Note, please: not 'Doctor') Barry McCaffrey, rather than explore the available literature. Literature such as the several studies (i.e. the 1999 Institute of Medicine's report, as well as the report by Doctor Donald Abrams delivered at the 13th Annual Int'l AIDS Conference at Durban South Africa, last year) which detail in no uncertain terms the medical efficacy of smoked cannabis. Most interesting to your readers - because it dispels much of the DrugWarrior propaganda - is that in the latter report, no harm was evinced to people with compromised immune systems by smoking cannabis. The obvious implication is that if no harm is experienced by sick people, then none is experienced by the healthy. I repeat, ignorance is easy to cure. But prejudice of the sort exhibited by DrugWarriors and their mouthpieces is another matter entirely. Because that often depends upon not looking at the facts. - as in "my mind is made up, don't confuse me..." with them. Swinyard should get the facts by digging for them rather than rely upon the less-than-disinterested sources of the Federal government; which has an enormous financial stake in maintaining the astronomically expensive failure that is the War on Drugs. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Jeaneous on April 01, 2001 at 15:51:17 PT: Mine I am writing to you in response to your article in the Deseret News, "Don't Promote Pot Distribution".As a medicinal patient I have to let you know that your views are off target. As a patient with fibromyalgia, gastric problems and a cancer survivor I had to write to let you know how wrong it is for you to try to stop me from being able to obtain my medication. My doctor's and I are the only one's that should have any say in my treatment. Not you, not the government, not politicians, nobody.I would suggest that you visit one of the medicinal co-ops before you judge. There you will find people in search of relief of their conditions, with their doctor's recommendation. I'm sure you wouldn't want me to interfere with how you and your doctor decide to treat you, so maybe you should rethink your stance. Or at least educate yourself on the actual medicinal uses of marijuana. It has been in use for 5000 years. There's plenty of information out there for you. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Dankhank on April 01, 2001 at 15:50:00 PT: Stupid Writer text of MY letter to Deseret News:Kersten Swinyard, Deseret News Staff Writer has had her/his/it's day in print and committed the most grevious of errors to befall any editorial writer. That error is to open the mouth/wordprocessor without some of the most important of data about the subject being adressed. Shame on Kersten for this most grevious sin of omission.Kersten has not heard of the Institute of Medicine's report? The report commissioned by the late Drug Czar was then repudiated because it didn't say what The Czar wanted to hear?Marijuana IS medicine with 5000 years of documented history of it's efficacy. Kersten probably doesn't know what efficacy means since Kersten has not heard of the IOM report.The Federal Government currently GIVES 200 marijuana cigarettes a month to eight individuals that use the marijuana to treat their MEDICAL AILMENTS. This has been going on since the seventies and is PROOF that the government knew that marijuana IS medicine, but has conveniently forgotten.Kersten needs some education about the subject which Kersten tried to weigh in on as a person we should listen to. Kersten is unmasked as another lackey of the prohibitionist crowd who are so afraid of one of the most BENEFICIAL plants on this planet.Go to "hbaca.freeyellow.com" and start to find some of the truth about the insane pogrom the federal government wages against it's mothers/fathers/sons/daughters/sisters/brothers/grandmas/grandpas/cousins/aunts/uncles/granddaughters/grandsons/ ... are you getting the picture yet?Kersten ... know what pogrom means? HEMP n STUFF [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by kaptinemo on April 01, 2001 at 13:53:25 PT: Friends, here's our chance Lately, it seems that all of the Editorials of an anti bent have been promulgated by that sinister individual, Mr. A. Nonymous. Mr. Nonymous seemingly has enormous resources, jetting across country, appearing at newsdesks at papers around the nation, to electronically regurgitate his dreck. Rarely does Mr. Nonymous reveal his true identity.Except, this time, the enemy has a name.In this case, we (seemingly) have a very naive and sophomoric writer (still in high school, perhaps?) who hasn't yet learned a painful lesson about public display of ignorance. Worse for her(?), she very conveniently left us her name.Perhaps we should relieve this person of that terrible burden of ignorance, so that she might acquire some degree of enlightenment on the subject.We have a name. We have an email address. Might I suggest we write to this person directly, and spell some things out? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Jeaneous on April 01, 2001 at 13:22:35 PT: Yes. The movement ought to be seen for what it is!! Patients who have found that using marijuana (not always smoking) can help them to function more normally in life, are speaking up for their right to their medication. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by aocp on April 01, 2001 at 10:24:10 PT: Silliness Former federal drug czar Barry McCaffrey has called medical marijuana "Cheech and Chong medicine." That's an apt description.Why? Because it propogates HATE against people that have AIDS or cancer that get basic relief from ANY use of MMJ that may include smoking? Do the people that write these articles realize just how uncompassionate they sound?While we sympathize with people who are suffering with terminal illnessesDon't sympathize! EMPATHIZE! Trying walking a mile in the shoes of a legit MMJ patient and get back to us, you huffing, puffing, immoral crazy person.and feel a joint is the best way to relieve pain,Really? And here i thought all the antis had some bug up their bums about the smoking end of things. Common sense or April Fools Joke? You be the judge!the buyers' cooperatives are excellent tools for distributing the drug for less noble causes, as well. Society has good reason to be concerned about that.Probably. However, once again, the antis play that vague card that they just love and scare everybody with the BOOGIEMAN! of "less noble causes," in this case. I, for one, would love to know what they're talking about, but most likely, they'd allude to the children again. And just as quickly, i'd ask what they'd like to do to restrict children's access and they'd probably write it off as an impossibility, therefore, no MMJ for those that need it. Yeccchhh.And we certainly cannot imagine any other drug — particularly one that was proven to cause harm to its users, as marijuana does — being legally distributed by anyone other than a competent physician.Back to the Boogieman again. "Why is MJ illegal?" "Because it causes harm to its users." "What harm does it cause?" "Look, if it didn't cause harm to its users, it wouldn't be against the law, would it?"Marijuana is treated differently only because it has the support of a loyal and vocal group of recreational and habitual users whose ultimate aim is to be able to use their drug free from the fear of prosecution.And how is that such a threat to western civilization? Your only argument is based on the fact that you do not wish to allow us to do nothing more than use our herb in our own homes and NOT have the cops harrass us for this. Your zeal allows you to take this policy of insanity against the sick and dying! And you people actually feel righteous?!? 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