cannabisnews.com: Legalize It? Medical Evidence Blows Both Ways

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  Legalize It? Medical Evidence Blows Both Ways

Posted by CN Staff on May 17, 2009 at 08:15:54 PT
By Sam McManis 
Source: Sacramento Bee 

Sacramento, CA -- Sparked anew by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's call for the state to study the legalization of marijuana, both sides in the smoldering pot debate point to research to bolster their positions.Such recitation of conflicting marijuana studies can be manipulated and selected buffet-style to serve whatever political and health agenda is being touted.
Even governmental findings can be contradictory. In 1999, for instance, the Office of National Drug Control Policy asked the Institute of Medicine to review evidence. The institute found that, "except for the harms associated with smoking, the adverse effects of marijuana use are within the range of effects tolerated for other medications." Yet in 2006, the Food and Drug Administration ruled that marijuana has no health benefits and has known and proven harms. It is classified a Schedule 1 drug – the highest risk of addiction – in the Controlled Substances Act.Wading through the medical literature, though, makes those conclusions less cut and dried."When I was a resident in Kaiser in San Francisco in 1978, I gave a lecture to physicians on marijuana, and I remember my conclusion at that time was that you can find in the literature whatever you were looking for," says Dr. Donald Abrams, a University of California, San Francisco, oncologist and leading medical marijuana researcher. " 'Marijuana is good for asthma.' 'Marijuana's bad for asthma.' 'Marijuana causes schizophrenia.' 'Marijuana (decreases) schizophrenia.' And, you know, the evidence is still like that."There are many factors, of course. As noted by UCLA pulmonologist Dr. Donald Tashkin, who has studied marijuana's effects on the lungs for three decades, "That's just the nature of medical science. You have to deal with variability. The population studied may be different or the methods used to study may differ."Yet when the arguments for legalization of marijuana, both for medicinal and recreational use, are put forth, solid medical science often gets clouded in an ideological haze. Snipped   Complete Article: http://www.sacbee.com/livinghere/story/1861861.htmlSource: Sacramento Bee (CA)Author: Sam McManisPublished: Sunday, May 17, 2009Copyright: 2009 The Sacramento BeeContact: opinion sacbee.comWebsite: http://www.sacbee.com/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml

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Comment #17 posted by NikoKun on May 18, 2009 at 14:28:07 PT
both ways? no...
There is no evidence at all, even when they bring up points, that justifies/supports Prohibition/Criminalization.
Sure maybe they have some points on their side... But those points are CERTAINLY not justifications for criminalization and a harmfully counterproductive prohibition policy.Even the most severe prohibitionist claims, are not proper justifications for their side... A simply look at the logic here, proves that.
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Comment #16 posted by Hope on May 18, 2009 at 09:52:26 PT
Dr. Ganj
Delightful isn't it?It's good to see those arrogant, traitorous busybodies on those city councils finally shut down in their ignorant, expensive, treasonous efforts against the will of the people in their state.
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Comment #15 posted by Dr Ganj on May 18, 2009 at 09:47:00 PT
US Supreme Court Rejects San Diego Lawsuit!
http://www.sacbee.com/838/story/1871079.htmlGood!
http://www.sacbee.com/838/story/1871079.html
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Comment #14 posted by runruff on May 18, 2009 at 06:10:54 PT
On a lighter note!
Little Chimp Jr. had a VP who like to shoot quail in the bush.Big Chimp Sr. had a VP who was a Quail hiding behind a Bush.Of course the Great White Toad prefers flys.
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Comment #13 posted by runruff on May 18, 2009 at 06:06:51 PT
Food and drug act of 1906
In 1938 it became the 1938 Food Drug and Cosmetic act. As we look back in history it is plain to see the evolution of corruption in Washington. Clearly and with documentation the FDA in 1938 was a custom made bureau conceived and implemented for DuPont by DuPont. You may read a book called "Behind the Nylon Curtian". This is a very well researched and well written biography of this most evil and distructive family.
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Comment #12 posted by Hope on May 17, 2009 at 19:47:47 PT
Coffee Shops
Probably those southern provinces need to prepare for greater road upkeep expense as more Belgian and French tourists travel across their provinces to get to other provinces farther north.
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Comment #11 posted by Hope on May 17, 2009 at 19:23:40 PT
Count
Thank you for your story. Very powerfully stated.I'm hoping and praying New Hampshire passes hb 648 into law, too.
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Comment #10 posted by The GCW on May 17, 2009 at 19:17:58 PT
Dutch Cannabis Cafes To Become Private Members' Cl
Dutch Cannabis Cafes To Become Private Members' ClubsAbout 30 cannabis-vending coffee shops in the south of the Netherlands announced Tuesday they would become private members' clubs at the start of next year to keep out foreign drug tourists."We will transform the coffee shops from open establishments, accessible by all, to closed establishments of which clients need to be members," Maastricht's Mayor Gerd Leers told a press conference in the border town.In the latest move away from the traditionally liberal Dutch approach to such issues as soft drugs and prostitution, coffee shops in the province of Limburg said they would start issuing membership cards.The application procedure would take several days, in effect preventing short-term tourists from buying marijuana.CONT.http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/content/dutch-cannabis-cafes-become-private-members-clubs
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on May 17, 2009 at 19:11:57 PT

VA Hospital Police on Medical Pot
VA Hospital Police on Medical Pot: Don't Bring It InsideBy Gus Burns, The Saginaw News Sunday May 17, 2009The policy of Lutz Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Saginaw regarding Michigan's new medical marijuana laws is: Keep it in your car.VA hospitals will not write recommendations that patients receive marijuana and will not allow consumption or possession on the premises, said Carrie L. Seward, public affairs officer for the hospital. URL: http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2009/05/va_hospital_police_on_medical.html
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Comment #8 posted by Hope on May 17, 2009 at 19:02:29 PT

Oh my gosh! BGreen Comment 2
That's stunning! It is "Freaking amazin!"I can hardly believe what I'm seeing.
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Comment #7 posted by count on May 17, 2009 at 18:53:39 PT:

dna of glaucoma - hb648 nh medical marijuana
thread name
Dna of glaucoma & marijuana medicine
text body comment of my post
dna of glaucoma & marijuana medicine
glaucoma is a major cause of blindness. inocular pressure called vitrious humor fluid causes the optic nerve to degenerate and die causing blindness, blind sight,and total blindness and to have the eye surgically removed and a prostetic eye inserted. glaucoma causes severe inflamation to the eye, constant pain and migranes. any sun light and artificial light causes blindness meaning constantly flashes of light,distorted stimuli. basically unusable vision, loss of central vision and loss of peripheral acuity. one must wear dark glasses with uv filtered lensses to stay off the intense light that blinds you. that is glaucoma and there is no cure. the chronic eye disease from glaucoma can be combated by surguries and opthalmic eye drops are prescribed but there is no cure to stop the degenerative process from glaucoma. the smoking of marijuana causes the inocular pressure to be temporary lowered, migranes to be dulled and pain to be lowered.but the optic nerve still dies and after the thc from the marijuana wears out of the system the cycle of the inocular pressure is raised again by the fluid in the eye, more thc medicine is needed again for the treatment of glaucoma to lower the pressure again.and to slow down the dying of the optic nerve. the payoff of medical marijuana causes the process of total blindness to be slowed down. i have had glaucoma for over thirty years and are in the final stages of glaucoma and have known the benefits of eye surgeries thirty in all and eye drops and the use of marijuana to treat the glaucoma. I have retinitus pigmentosa a degenerative eye disease and uvitus an eye disease. Macular degeneration another degenerative eye disease. I have had cateracts and surguries to remove them. I have had detached retinas and surguries for detached retinas to have the retinas reattached. I also have chronic cornea eye disease and degeneration,
 the most eye disease is glaucoma and surpasses diabetic retinopy which is caused by diabeties and the disease can be stopped if caught early ,except juvenile diabetes and type one diabetes for those that were born with diabetes, diabetes in america is the most leading cause of blindness thou it is not severe to the eye as compared to the glaucoma and diabetes affects the blood vessels in the eye and the retinas and be stopped laser surgury and retina surgury to stop blindness and even restore eyesight. there is no restorative eye surguries for the optic to restore the optic. surgury can be donw to implant stints. tiny valves implanted in the eye to lower the innocular fluid and try and lower the pressure on the optic nerve. so have your eyes tested for innocular pressure done by an eye doctor and the test is painless and takes less time than a second. glaucoma is deadly to the eyes.
i was born in alaska.the state of alaska has medical marijuana where i was legal to grow and smoke marijuana. alaska was the first state in the union to decriminalize marijuana in the late nineteen seventies and recriminalizw the laws due the black mail of the united states government department of transportation to with hold federal monies for alaskan highway projects. thou alaska is real pioneer to decriminalize marijuana and marijuana as medicine for glaucoma so called medical marijuana. alaska again made its laws about medical marijuana and decriminal small of marijuana after prop 215 in california. california leads the way in dispensation of medical marijuana and its broad definition in how one qualifies for prescription. 
i also lived in california and legally used medical marijuana in that state,
I also have lived in oahua and maui hawaii. I also used marijuana there for the treatment of glaucoma with a doctors letter and that was before hawaii had medical marijuana as law there.but now has passed laws for the legal use of medical marijuana.
i moved to new hampshire over 11 years ago and i now look forward to legally grow and smoke marijuana in legal residence, for the treatment of glaucoma. live free or die, maybe the legislature and the governor lynch will pass the hb 648 bill for medical marijuana and sign the bill into law in the state of new hampshire.
hopefully the general public that does not have a chronic disease that qualifies for medical marijuana can understand the purpose for medical marijuana legislation in new hampshire.for 
those who favor or who are against decriminalization of marijuana do not blur the lines in the medical marijuana legislation and decriminalization of marijuana legislation, for these are two different aremas in political parties and social parties and religious parties. decriminalazation and legal marijuana are subjuects of law that be proposed as bills and amendments to the legal use of marijuana for those who do not have a chronic disease for medical marijuana for another day and time when it comes to the reality of hb 648 now in process to become law in the state of new hampshire. fight one battle at time and in due course marijuana may be legal for all in the united states of america.
so please see the light to the many beneficial uses for medical marijuana for many chronic diseases and the people who need the medicine and have the legal right to use and grow marijuana and be protected by hb 648 from criminal prosecution.
a pioneering spirit can change the hearts and minds to make hb 648 law for medical marijuana and how to frame words as arrows and knowledge and wisdom mixed with restraint in contacting legislatures and news media and the internet the bottom line do not get the cart before the horse and stop the thetoric - for medical marijuana legislation. stay focused and keep an open mind filtered with a conscience.
an alaskan native who lives free or dies in the state of new hamshire
count francisco durante gilford,nh. i have a boxer as a guide dog and frank the boxer does not have glaucoma and has no need for the medicine for he has good vision. 

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Comment #6 posted by FoM on May 17, 2009 at 18:46:36 PT

UPI: Health Issues Murky in Coming Pot Debate

Published: May 17, 2009 Sacramento, CA -- Medical researchers say there are health issues to be considered should California take up the question of legalizing marijuana.Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently said the state should study the idea, and the effect pot smoking has on human health will likely be a major bone of contention.The Sacramento (Calif.) Bee reported Sunday that researchers caution that published studies can be clouded by the political debate over legalization."Although we like to say we separate politics from science, with medical marijuana, that's really difficult," said Dr. Donald Abrams, a researcher at the University of California in San Francisco. "It depends on who does the study, where it's published and what their agenda is."Dr. Donald Tashkin, a pulmonologist at UCLA, told the Bee his extensive studies of cannabis showed it to be actually less harmful than tobacco, but by no means harmless."I wouldn't encourage anybody to smoke any substances, because of the potential for harm," Tashkin said. "But I don't think it should be stigmatized as an illegal substance."Copyright: 2009 United Press International, Inc.http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/05/17/Health-issues-murky-in-coming-pot-debate/UPI-96241242605402/
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Comment #5 posted by Brandon Perera on May 17, 2009 at 14:48:57 PT

fda
ur rite fda is corrupt!! they suck so much they cant even find salmonella outbreaks. bunch of punksssss
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Comment #4 posted by tintala on May 17, 2009 at 14:42:50 PT:

THE PROPAGANDA NEEDS TO BE REVERSED
most people dont want to face the facts about cannabis, the stigma attached causes alot of emotional and passionate debates, but for no reason, like saying whether poppy seeds should be debated for bagels or not. I try to negate the effect of propaganda on ireports, only to be shot down over and over by prohibitionist. 
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Comment #3 posted by George Servantes on May 17, 2009 at 11:29:01 PT

FDA
How do we trust Food and Drug Administration when they have "ruled that marijuana has no health benefits and has known and proven harms?How do we trust them for safety of pharmaceutical medicine?Who is behind this "FDA"? They are clearly lying and abusing their power.

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Comment #2 posted by BGreen on May 17, 2009 at 09:29:13 PT

It's a heckuva lot better than blah, blah, blah
One of the leading pulmonary researchers in the entire world, Dr. Donald Tashkin, a doctor whose original (and later disproved) hypothesis that cannabis caused lung cancer is still quoted as fact by the ONDCP, every other anti-cannabis group, prosecutors and law enforcement across this country in defense of cannabis prohibition, had this to say:"Early on, when our research appeared as if there would be a negative impact on lung health, I was opposed to legalization because I thought it would lead to increased use and that would lead to increased health effects," Tashkin says."But at this point, I'd be in favor of legalization. I wouldn't encourage anybody to smoke any substances, because of the potential for harm. But I don't think it should be stigmatized as an illegal substance.That is freakin' HUGE!The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #1 posted by HempWorld on May 17, 2009 at 08:24:49 PT

Medical Evidence Blows Both Ways ... 
Bla, bla, bla, yeah sure ...However, the mortality statistics don't lie:Annual Causes of Death in the United States in the Year 2000:Tobacco 435,000
Poor Diet and Physical Inactivity 365,000
Alcohol  85,000
Microbial Agents 75,000
Toxic Agents 55,000
2nd Hand Cigarette Smoke  38,053
Adverse Reactions to Prescription Drugs  32,000
Suicide 30,622
Incidents Involving Firearms 29,000
Motor Vehicle Crashes 26,347
Homicide 20,308
Sexual Behaviors 20,000
All Illicit Drug Use, Direct and Indirect 17,000
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs  5,600
Aspirin 2,029
Caffeine 511
Water 15
Marijuana 0Most people don't want to face the truth ...
Legalize It!
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