cannabisnews.com: Bad Prescription 





Bad Prescription 
Posted by FoM on May 18, 2001 at 09:47:26 PT
Editorial
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the federal government can prohibit the large-scale distribution of marijuana by private clubs even in the states that have allowed a medical exception for its use.On the narrow legal question of federal authority over Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act, the 8-0 ruling is defensible. But the effect of the court's action is to perpetuate a blunderbuss attack against targeted drugs, regardless of the evidence and regardless of the impact.
In his majority opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas concluded that, under federal law, marijuana "has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States." The Institute of Medicine would beg to differ.That body, a branch of the National Academy of Sciences, reported in 1999 that marijuana can have a very beneficial effect on certain patients, including those dealing with nausea from chemotherapy, chronic wasting from AIDS or spasms from multiple sclerosis. It found no evidence that marijuana use led to harder drugs and said the withdrawal symptoms were mild and passed quickly.The message is sinking in with voters around the country, who have approved referendums for the medical use of marijuana in seven states. In California, the 1996 vote was 3-1 in favor. In Hawaii, a medical use law was approved by the legislature.But the federal government will hear none of it. To preserve the purity of the war against drugs, it insists on enforcing an absolute prohibition of offending substances.The drug warriors are terrified of sending a mixed message to the nation's children. How can you say marijuana is bad, if you at the same time acknowledge that it can be used for good? Demonization, after all, is a long-standing tool of warfare.And if the result is cruel and callous, a denial of relief and comfort to people who are sick, well, that is simply a price that must be paid. It is one of many. Without overturning the state medical exception laws, or ruling out other scenarios in which sick people get access to the drug, the Supreme Court endorsed the federal government's right to shut down cannabis clubs. But the fact that the federal government has the right to behave stupidly does not mean it should continue to do so. Note: The high court upholds a senseless marijuana policy. Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA)Published: Friday, May 18, 2001Copyright: 2001 PG PublishingContact: letters post-gazette.comWebsite: http://www.post-gazette.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Medical Marijuana Detour http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9775.shtmlO.C.B.C. Versus The U.S. Government News http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/mj.htmCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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