cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Debate Going To Ballot





Medical Marijuana Debate Going To Ballot
Posted by CN Staff on September 21, 2008 at 09:53:39 PT
By Charles Roltsch, Capital News Service
Source: South Bend Tribune 
Lansing -- Michigan voters will decide Nov. 4 whether they want their state greener. Not with an environmental plan, but with the leaves of medical marijuana.Proposal 1 would establish marijuana as a legal remedy for some illnesses. Growing, possessing, selling or using marijuana is illegal under state and federal laws.
Marijuana alleviates the pain associated with cancer, glaucoma, HIV and AIDS and many other ailments, according to marijuana proponents.Critics say smoking it is unhealthy and the proposal would encourage recreational use.The Michigan Department of Community Health spokesperson James McCurtis said his department couldn't legally take a stand on the proposal."We sympathize with people who have debilitating diseases. On the other hand, marijuana is a drug that people smoke causing other health problems, so we see both sides of the issue," he said.The proposal also would allow registered patients to grow unspecified amounts of marijuana plants for personal consumption.Source: South Bend Tribune (IN)Author: Charles Roltsch, Capital News ServicePublished: September 21, 2008Copyright: 2008 South Bend TribuneContact: webmaster sbtinfo.comWebsite: http://www.southbendtribune.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on September 22, 2008 at 18:17:07 PT
Storm Crow
Thank you. I hope that she doesn't have Bulbar ALS. I looked for as many possibilities as I could find and it always took me back to ALS. My sister now has 5 children with life threatening illnesses. She has three that are ok. She is a lot older then I am. She's 75. I hope she can handle all of this.
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Comment #5 posted by Storm Crow on September 22, 2008 at 17:43:29 PT
Wish I had more for you, dear.....
Cannabinol delays symptom onset
	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16183560	Marijuana in the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
	http://www.medscape.com/medline/abstract/11467101  (may need free registration)	Cannabis use in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.  (may need free registration)	http://www.medscape.com/medline/abstract/15055508	Cannabis' Potential Exciting Researchers in Treatment of ALS, Parkinson's Disease
http://www.illinoisnorml.org/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=104
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on September 22, 2008 at 15:01:48 PT
Just a Question
I have been doing a lot of research the last few days about ALS. Another one of my nieces is having bizarre symptoms and the only thing that comes up after lots of searching on google and on ALS forums is called Bulbar ALS. She is a part time nurse ( no insurance ) and everything I have read sounds very grim. Can cannabis really extend the life of an ALS patient? This is a different form of Muscular Dystrophy that a couple of my sister's other children have so far. She does not smoke cannabis and she is around 52. Her 2 teenagers saw her during an episode and about freaked out. How can she see a neurologist without insurance. She lives in South Carolina. Thanks for any advice.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on September 22, 2008 at 08:57:26 PT
Just a Note
Once again the news is slow but I'll keep looking for something to post. 
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Comment #2 posted by observer on September 21, 2008 at 13:45:22 PT
Forgot to Mention Jail, Again?
Hmmm ... Interesting, but the concept of "jail" or "prison", was again omitted from this balanced piece of journalistic integrity, above. Let's re-write this puppy, re-write it in a way that does not hide, obfuscate, or otherwise weasel out of, or euphemise away the very real bars and very concrete cell-blocks of jail and prison. 
Lansing -- Michigan voters will decide Nov. 4 whether they want their state greener. Not with an environmental plan, but by no longer jailing medical patients for using the leaves of the marijuana plant.Proposal 1 would not jail some medical patients who use marijuana, as is now the case. Medical patients, no matter how sick or ailing, are now arrested and thrown in prison for growing, possessing, selling or using marijuana, under state and federal laws. They are also subject to the confiscation of their house, car and other property. Escalator laws (like "drug-free school zones", paraphernalia laws, etc.) provide a legal fig-leaf for government prosecutors to charge patients with multiple "crimes" for the same act of simply medicating with medical marijuana. Marijuana alleviates the pain associated with cancer, glaucoma, HIV and AIDS and many other ailments, according to peer-reviewed studies conducted worldwide. Prohibitionist critics claim smoking it is unhealthy and the proposal would encourage recreational use, so continuing to jail and imprison patients who use this plant is the correct response. The Michigan Department of Community Health spokesperson James McCurtis said his department couldn't legally take a stand on the proposal to simply not jail medical patients who use the cannabis plant."We sympathize with people who have debilitating diseases. On the other hand, marijuana is a drug that people smoke causing other health problems, so we see both sides of the issue," claimed McCurtis.The proposal also would allow registered patients to grow unspecified amounts of marijuana plants for personal consumption. As it stands now, such patients would be charged as common street dealers - jailed as marijuana manufacturing malefactors just because they grow this ancient traditional plant remedy to alleviate pain, to protect against cancers, MRSI, and a host of other diseases. 
When I listen to prohibitionists weasel their way around the issue of jailing granny and imprisoning grandpa because they take cannabis, I wonder who is really escaping reality here. http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/propaganda http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pot 
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Comment #1 posted by ekim on September 21, 2008 at 13:44:28 PT
last sentence wrong "grow unspecified amounts 
4. Protections for the Medical Use of Marihuana. 
http://stoparrestingpatients.org/initiative.html
   Sec. 4. (a) A qualifying patient who has been issued and possesses a registry identification card shall not be subject to arrest, prosecution, or penalty in any manner, or denied any right or privilege, including but not limited to civil penalty or disciplinary action by a business or occupational or professional licensing board or bureau, for the medical use of marihuana in accordance with this act, provided that the qualifying patient possesses an amount of marihuana that does not exceed 2.5 ounces of usable marihuana, and, if the qualifying patient has not specified that a primary caregiver will be allowed under state law to cultivate marihuana for the qualifying patient, 12 marihuana plants kept in an enclosed, locked facility. Any incidental amount of seeds, stalks, and unusable roots shall also be allowed under state law and shall not be included in this amount. 
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