cannabisnews.com: Supporters: Med Marijuana Bill Needed





Supporters: Med Marijuana Bill Needed
Posted by CN Staff on September 30, 2006 at 06:30:58 PT
By Nathan Johnson
Source: Yankton Daily Press 
South Dakota -- Valerie Hannah is tired of living with the fear of being put behind bars. Suffering from a degenerative disease similar to multiple sclerosis, she has used marijuana for the past four years to ease the pain.South Dakotans will decide this November whether the 42-year-old can legally possess the marijuana she says has improved her quality of life after trying a laundry list of prescribed medications that either weren't effective or left her feeling "zombied out."
Initiated Measure 4 would allow people, including minors with parental consent, who have debilitating illnesses such as AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease to be certified to grow up to six marijuana plants or possess up to one ounce of the drug, according to the attorney general's explanation on the general ballot.Attaining certification will require that patients submit their medical records or a doctor's recommendation to the Department of Health.If passed, South Dakota would join 11 other states that have passed medical marijuana measures."My hope is, if this is passed, I can grow (marijuana) on my own and be assured of the quality of my medicine," Hannah said Friday during a visit with the Press & Dakotan on behalf of South Dakotans for Medical Marijuana (SDMM). "Right now, if I were to do that, they could come in any time and take my house away or take my son away. That's too much to lose. There's no reason we should have to be criminals to seek an herbal remedy after we've exhausted all the other legal drugs."Hannah, a resident of Deerfield, was exposed to sarin gas while serving as a combat medic in the Gulf War.The practice during that war was to clear bunkers and then blow them up, she said."We didn't know there were sub-levels that were holding sarin gas," Hannah said. "As a result of that, I have permanent neurological damage that gets worse as I go on. I've gone from being a very active person ... to someone for whom stairs are a challenge."In 1999, she had to be medically discharged from her job as a nurse with the Veterans' Administration hospital in Hot Springs. Shortly after, Hannah said, she decided to try marijuana as a way to treat her pain."The pain that is caused when your nerves degenerate is indescribable," she said. "It's like a deep burning. To get up and dance, for example -- it's just a dream now. The things you get to take for granted, I'm losing every day. If this medicine can help me keep it one extra day, why should I be a criminal because I'm using it?"Hannah knows what it's like to be considered a criminal.In 2004 while traveling between Veterans' Affairs hospitals for treatment, she was arrested after law enforcement pulled her over for speeding and discovered a three-day supply of marijuana.Ultimately, after spending thousands of dollars on legal representation, Hannah said she only paid a fine for a speeding ticket.She said that experience, coupled with the improved quality of life she's seen the drug provide for other sufferers of chronic illness, has driven her to speak out publicly for the measure."It would be much easier to just go on the black market, but I don't want to go there," Hannah said. "I'm a real citizen. I'm not some derelict or whatever people want to associate with this issue. I'm scared every day anyway. This way, by telling my story, maybe the real facts will be out there."Thomas Griffith, the president of TDG Communications, Inc., in Deadwood and who is doing public relations for SDMM, said the measure is about compassion for people who have exhausted other alternatives to deal with pain."There are people suffering every day," he said. "Who are we to tell a patient and a doctor how to treat their illness?"Griffith points out that more than 170 healthcare professionals in South Dakota have signed a petition supporting the measure.Critics of the measure, such as Hughes County Sheriff Mike Leidholt, argue that there are FDA-approved drugs that can treat marijuana-users' pain. Because marijuana is unregulated, it can be dangerous to users, Leidholt states in his written opposition to the measure. He goes on to argue that any attempts to legitimize the drug will cause more use and abuse of the drug.The biggest obstacle SDMM faces is ignorance, Griffith said."We have people who would misconstrue this as a decriminalization issue," he said. "That's not what this is about. It's not about recreational drug use. That's a whole other issue that this does not seek to address."All of the laws against marijuana will remain in place if the measure passes, Griffith said. Those who violate the provisions of the measure would be subject to penalties under current statute.Additionally, in the attorney general's explanation, it is noted that people authorized to use medical marijuana cannot drive while under the influence of marijuana. Also, they would not be allowed to smoke marijuana where tobacco smoking is prohibited.Marijuana possession and use would continue to be illegal under federal law, but since most prosecutions related to the drug are done by state and local authorities, it would virtually eliminate the risk to medical pot users, Griffith added."I think South Dakota will embrace this once they understand the essence of the message, and that is one of compassion for people like Valerie," he said.Source: Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan (SD)Author: Nathan JohnsonPublished: Saturday, September 30, 2006Copyright: 2006 Yankton Daily Press & DakotanContact: newsroom yankton.netWebsite: http://www.yankton.netRelated Articles: South Dakota Medi-Pot Supporters Push Forwardhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22096.shtmlHearing Scheduled on MMJ Ballot Explanationhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22053.shtml
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Comment #13 posted by Wayne on September 30, 2006 at 22:17:16 PT
whig
Well there's already plenty of hemp foods that are available in stores and on the internet, just not nearly at the volume that soy is used. But I would wager that if hemp replaced soy tomorrow, you would see a shocking change in our overall health within a matter of a few years.I don't know much about the process, but I can't imagine that grinding up soybeans is all that different from cracking open and grinding up hempseeds. The two main benefits of hemp are essential fats and fiber. As long as the process remains simplified, those two substances should remain intact.
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Comment #12 posted by whig on September 30, 2006 at 11:24:46 PT
Paul Peterson
We'd be better with cannabis foods. I wonder how easy it would be to replace soy with hemp products, and whether the processing required to do so in most cases would be destructive of the nutritional benefits of hemp, and what other considerations might exist.
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Comment #11 posted by paulpeterson on September 30, 2006 at 10:46:41 PT
Soy-artificial estrogen-bad stuff
I love to hear people talk dirty about Soy. It got some kind of good press-probably because it has some Omega 3 in it. But people are right when they discuss the potential negatives of Soy "plant estrogens".Other stuff is worse though-Cadmium, lead, mercury, pesticides, herbicides are good examples. And this idea about "triggers" is correct, from my research. PTSD-"rumors about wars" and the increase in T cells makes perfect sense. And boy, how many returning soldiers are candidates for some sort of "triggered" reaction?One thing that can be changed, of course, is to remove trans fatty acids from the diet-entirely. This allows for increased absorption of Omega 3 and other good "lipids".From my research, in fact, it would appear that Omega 3 is necessary to produce "anandamide" the endocannabinoid. Ethan Russo, recall, postulates the "deficiency syndrome" which causes people to so embrace pot.Trans fatty acids also block anandamide from crossing the blood brain barrier. Just some thoughts. Paul Peterson
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Comment #10 posted by RevRayGreen on September 30, 2006 at 09:31:37 PT:
I pray
that the vote goes thru, I want to pull a rumplestiltskin until Nove 8th.........fingers crossed.
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Comment #9 posted by E_Johnson on September 30, 2006 at 09:14:14 PT
Here's a concrete example
Scientists think they understand how autoimmune hepatitis happens. That's an autoimmune disease where the liver is the target of the attack.First the person has some genetic accident at conception where they end up with a flawed copy of a particular gene.Then later on in life at some point this person is exposed to Hepatis A somehow, through food for example.Instead of making an antibody to Hep A, the flawed gene causes the body to make a flawed antibody that marks the body's own liver for attack.Now add estrogen -- and you have a liver on fire.It's interesting that men can have the gene and the antibody but not the disease. There is a case in the literature of a man who was going on estrogen as part of a sex change, and he developed autoimmune hepatitis after just a few weeks with an estrogen patch on his arm.That person should probably stay away from soy protein and nail polish too.
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Comment #8 posted by E_Johnson on September 30, 2006 at 08:25:26 PT
afterburner, it's mostly genes, war and estrogen 
In order for your immune system to attack your own tissue, normally there has to be some kind of antibody existing that confuses your bodies ability to tell the difference between you and some virus or bacteria.This antibody often arises from the body's own genetic blueprint. The body makes a faulty copy of some gene, and that gene expresses a protein that leads eventually to the creation of an antibody that makes the person's own body a target for an immune system attack.So some people are just born with genes that predispose them to these illnesses. However just the presidposition isn't enough to create the disease. Usually there is also some kind of trigger -- like a real infection or some other influence.Recent research has shown that combat veterans with PTSD show an overabundance of T-cells that makes them more likely to have autoimmune problems. So you're right that wars and rumors of wars probably play a role.Many autoimmune diseases affect women more than men -- this shows that the hormone estrogen is involved in this process.As far as pollution goes -- there is synthetic estrogen pollution in the world. Xenoestrogens like pthalates, used to keep nail polish from chipping, for example, could be causing some of the problem, although there's no definitive evidence of that yet.Plant estrogens could be just as guilty. There are a lot of well meaning people injecting soy protein into our food supply now. I can't eat donuts any more because everyone puts soy flour in donuts now.But then with estrogen it's complicated -- some autoimmune diseases seem to be triggered by estrogen and some seem to be triggered by a lack of estrogen.I'm angry that we can't get away from estrogen any more in our food and environment. Estrogen is a dangerous substance. It's really dumb to experiment with the population by putting it into bread and pancakes and donuts and plastic water bottles and nail polish.
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Comment #7 posted by Had Enough on September 30, 2006 at 07:59:03 PT
Hey you, Dr. Sheriff, MD
“The biggest obstacle SDMM faces is ignorance, Griffith said.”Hhmmm. I bet 'the good Dr. Sheriff' is counting on this.
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Comment #6 posted by Sam Adams on September 30, 2006 at 07:44:49 PT
Valerie
The poor woman doesn't understand that her duty to the State didn't end over in the Mideast. It was her duty there to shed blood and inhale poison gas so that American defense contractor and oil executives can get rich.Now, at home, it's her duty to provide fodder for the prison/industrial machine and sweaty police thugs. It's the obligation of ALL Americans to make sure the police can keep earning high salaries and early retirements with easy MJ arrests.The one area she's falling short now as an American is that she's not working hard enough to pay taxes directly to the political class and their corporate friends. It's OK though, she did provide a little gang of overfed thugs with a weekend worth of good herb and an overtime check, so I'm sure Karl Rove still thinks she's OK.
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Comment #5 posted by Had Enough on September 30, 2006 at 07:42:30 PT
Dr. Sheriff, MD
We don’t make the laws son, we just enforce them.
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Comment #4 posted by Had Enough on September 30, 2006 at 07:30:32 PT
Dr. Sheriff, MD
“Griffith points out that more than 170 healthcare professionals in South Dakota have signed a petition supporting the measure.
 Critics of the measure, such as Hughes County Sheriff Mike Leidholt, argue that there are FDA-approved drugs that can treat marijuana-users' pain. Because marijuana is unregulated, it can be dangerous to users, Leidholt states in his written opposition to the measure. He goes on to argue that any attempts to legitimize the drug will cause more use and abuse of the drug."I wonder if the Sheriff has been talking to a Pharmacist.
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Comment #3 posted by Wayne on September 30, 2006 at 07:30:25 PT
encouraging sign
Marijuana possession and use would continue to be illegal under federal law..."but since most prosecutions related to the drug are done by state and local authorities, it would virtually eliminate the risk to medical pot users, Griffith added."I really like how I'm seeing this disclaimer added to illegal-federal argument more and more here in the last few days. That is an important fact that people need to know, especially the PTBs out in California who are using it as a basis for a lawsuit. Kudos to Mr. Johnson for stating that important fact.
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Comment #2 posted by afterburner on September 30, 2006 at 07:20:27 PT
N.B.: Many Autoimmune Diseases Respond to Cannabis
There seems to be a fairly strong correlation between autoimmune diseases and cannabis therapy.Autoimmune Diseases Online
http://www.autoimmune-disease.com/index.htmIf you review the list of diseases that respond to cannabis medicine and compare to the list of autoimmune diseases, the results are impressive. Perhaps, this correlation can be explained by the balancing of the endocannabinoid system resulting from cannabis therapy.Next question: why are so many immune systems so compromised? Pollution? job stress? factory farming? war and rumors of war?
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Comment #1 posted by Dankhank on September 30, 2006 at 07:02:51 PT
Vote
Yankton, which was mentioned regularly in the HBO show "Deadwood," has a poll on front page upper-left.legalize med marijuana ...now ...yes 58% 126
no 38% 82
?  4%  8
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