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House Considers Easing Up on Pot
Posted by CN Staff on March 10, 2011 at 16:57:23 PT
By Shira Schoenberg, Monitor Staff
Source: Concord Monitor
New Hampshire -- Patients seeking marijuana to treat debilitating medical conditions came a step closer to relief yesterday, when a House committee recommended legalizing medical marijuana. The House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee voted 14-3 to send the bill to the full House with a recommendation that it pass.“I’m for the use of medical marijuana for compassionate reasons, but I also support it for simply fiscal reasons,” said committee Chairman John Reagan, a Deerfield Republican, who said marijuana could replace expensive prescription drugs.
Both the House and Senate passed bills legalizing marijuana in 2009 but could not override a veto by Democratic Gov. John Lynch. This year, Lynch said he still has concerns about the bill, even if it gets past a skeptical Senate. The attorney general’s office opposes the bill. The House, however, appears to be in strong support.Committee member Rep. Robert Fredette, a Hillsboro Republican, said his daughter has muscular dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy, and no drug can help her eat. Because she has no appetite, Fredette said, “she looks worse than most children in Africa who have not eaten in many moons.”Fredette said he went into the public hearing on medical marijuana planning to oppose it, because marijuana is illegal under federal law. But he heard testimony from a woman with an illness similar to his daughter’s, who testified that marijuana helped her appetite.“Coming out of the hearing, I’m a definite yes,” Fredette said. “If it helps my daughter, I’m all for it.”Rep. James MacKay, a Concord Democrat, said he opposed the bill in the past but supports it this time. MacKay said previous versions of the bill made marijuana more accessible than this version, which would establish regulated “alternative treatment centers” to distribute it. He said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Evalyn Merrick, a Lancaster Democrat, convinced him of the therapeutic value of marijuana.The Department of Health and Human Services, which is neutral on the bill, estimates that it would cost about $200,000 in start-up costs, though that money would be made back from patients.Committee members who voted against the bill said they did so solely because marijuana is illegal under federal law.“Until such time as marijuana is taken off the federal registry as a banned substance, in good conscience I can’t vote for the bill,” said Vice Chairman Rep. Frank Kotowski, a Hooksett Republican.Source: Concord Monitor (NH)Author: Shira Schoenberg, Monitor StaffPublished: March 10, 2011Copyright: 2011 Monitor Publishing CompanyContact: letters cmonitor.comWebsite: http://www.concordmonitor.comURL: http://drugsense.org/url/OEwCbkxBCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on March 12, 2011 at 10:03:51 PT
Hope
What was so eye opening was the Tsunami just picking up houses, cars and boats like they were a child's toy. I checked the temperature in Japan and it is in the 20s at night. People without power and food won't last very long if help doesn't get to them very quickly.
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Comment #24 posted by Hope on March 12, 2011 at 09:55:41 PT
herbdoc215
I think you're right. I read last night that even if they melted they would slump down into another containment building. But those workers right there, it seems are already contaminated. I hope it's not true. Maybe they have some sort of protection. I hope so. But I'm very scared for them. And yes, I'm praying for them and all the people there.I haven't watched anything about it on TV. Maybe I will turn it on today. Reading about it is vivid and horrible as it is. I dread to actually see it.
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on March 12, 2011 at 09:51:11 PT
herbdoc215
I guess what I meant is a meltdown and radiation releasing like Chernobyl. If states want a Nuclear Power Plant that's ok with me as long as it isn't in my state. I believe we can find other ways that aren't so dangerous when they fail.
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Comment #22 posted by herbdoc215 on March 12, 2011 at 09:14:07 PT
FoM, I'm pretty sure most of Japans 
reactors are the light water type and can't 'explode' or really even 'melt-down' as the reaction would not keep chaining and pressure can be released, problem is going to be what to do with all that contaminated sea-water after it's all over...not to say that venting radioactive steam is good for environment or people around it but today's designs are much safer...not to say it isn't dangerous or bad just that media is kind of blowing that aspect out of proportion as there are people in USA with hidden agenda's to ensure nuclear power isn't an option for us? Knowledge is power! I pray for those in Japan to endure this horrendous disaster but the doom-criers are full tilt trying to convince us the world is over so we may as well cover our heads with a paper bag and let them control our lives. Peace, Steve
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on March 12, 2011 at 08:03:35 PT
Hope
I think one of the plants might blow big time today since it appears the core is melting. It makes me wonder how prepared any of our vulnerable cities are on the west coast since Japan really was prepared by having very strict building codes. 
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on March 11, 2011 at 19:27:32 PT
Hope
I have been watching about the earthquake all day. It is devastating and if the nuclear reactors melt down it will really be bad and it's really bad already.
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on March 11, 2011 at 19:09:48 PT
Things are so horrible in Japan right now...
Japan quake causes emergencies at 5 nuke reactorshttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110312/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_quake_power_plantThe horror those people working on those reactors must be feeling. They probably know they're going to die from the exposure they've received already, and I guess, they are still struggling to keep it from it getting worse. It's the "End of the World" for a lot of people. Of course that's true on a daily basis... but this mass, wide spread terror... this horror...God and everyone else that can... help them.
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Comment #18 posted by Storm Crow on March 11, 2011 at 11:28:12 PT
One more mind changed by the truth!
"But he heard testimony from a woman with an illness similar to his daughter’s, who testified that marijuana helped her appetite. “Coming out of the hearing, I’m a definite yes,” Fredette said. “If it helps my daughter, I’m all for it.”"We will win the "War on the War on Drugs", one mind at a time! 
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Comment #17 posted by Garry Minor on March 11, 2011 at 11:20:23 PT
Gil, Cannabis for the flu, too!
Company Tables Medical Marijuana for Swine Flu
By COURTNEY HUTCHISONABC News Medical Unit11/12/2009, 5:33 PM ESTOne Company Hopes a Marijuana Lozenge Will Garner FDA Approval – but Will It Work?
When most people think of swine flu, they probably don't think of marijuana. But then again, most people aren't Robert Melamede.He and his company, Cannabis Science, hope to one day make marijuana available nationwide to kids and teens -- as well as adults -- in the form of a medicinal throat lozenge.While medical marijuana has garnered a great deal of attention lately in helping patients deal with chronic pain, Melamede has another application in mind; he believes it can curb death risk from the swine flu.The approach relies on the principle that the chemicals in marijuana known as cannabinoids have a dampening effect on the immune system. Melamede said doctors may be able to take advantage of this effect to curb the risk of death from the immune system overdrive that resulted in many of the deaths of young adults during the 1918 influenza pandemic -- a scenario that some worry could occur once more if swine flu were to become more virulent. When you catch the flu, your immune system launches a massive attack on the virus that causes excessive inflammation. This is where the runny nose, sore throat and achiness come from.While it is necessary for fighting off the virus, this overwhelming inflammation can start to kill your own cells and, if it gets out of hand, it can lead to organ failure and death.When inflammation goes off the handle, the body releases endocannabinoids, which are natural chemicals that suppress the immune system, taking down the inflammation before it does more harm than good. This endocannabinoid system, as it's called, is one of the many systems responsible for maintaining balance and health in the body.Snipped
http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=8214468
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Comment #16 posted by Hope on March 11, 2011 at 10:37:50 PT
Flu
I actually got sick and fainted the same day as the Czar! Weird. My mother was hospitalized last week with the stomach flu... as the Doctor called it... or a stomach virus. My immune system, of course, is compromised and will be for some time because of chemotherapy. But I was only bad sick for an hour or so.
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Comment #15 posted by Hope on March 11, 2011 at 10:27:43 PT
herbdoc215
Thank you. Thank you for the video and thank you so much for all you do and for all the knowledge about the cannabis plant, and how it can help mankind, you've gained and shared. 
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Comment #14 posted by BGreen on March 11, 2011 at 09:27:13 PT
We stopped flu shots over a decade ago
It didn't make us feel right and we still seemed to get sick. We do just fine by taking good care of ourselves.Bud
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on March 11, 2011 at 08:55:02 PT
BGreen
Stick was given a flu shot back in 02 or 03 and he got as sick as if he had the flu. I didn't get sick at all but I've never had one. 
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Comment #12 posted by BGreen on March 11, 2011 at 08:52:50 PT
I'll bet he had a reaction to Tamiflu
Those antiviral drugs given to people with the flu cause some severe side effects. It probably had nothing to do with the flu, just the "safe and approved treatments" he wants to shove down our throats. Legal drugs = hospital instead of cannabis = prison.What a choice?! :(The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on March 11, 2011 at 08:16:22 PT
BGreen
We haven't had the flu since 2004. We refuse any shots for it too.I never heard of anyone I know fainting from the flu. I have heard of people Gil's age fainting from a heart problem though.
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Comment #10 posted by BGreen on March 11, 2011 at 07:56:27 PT
FoM re: post 6
I read that sir Czar was admitted to the hospital after fainting twice due to the flu. Good thing he doesn't use cannabis or they would have listed it as a marijuana-related emergency room visit.Hey, Gil, I don't even get the flu shot and never get the flu so obviously my immune system is better than yours. Cannabis (and good levels of Vitamin D3) is my secret ... what's yours?The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on March 11, 2011 at 05:10:31 PT
Video: Magnitude 8.9 Earthquake Rocks Japan
March 11, 2011 The quake triggers a tsunami that threatens much of the Pacific. In Tokyo, all trains are halted and plumes of smoke rise over the skyline. It's the biggest quake in Japan in 140 years, with more than 50 believed dead and scores missing.URL: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-japan-quake-20110311,0,1950058.story
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Comment #8 posted by herbdoc215 on March 11, 2011 at 00:21:33 PT
Hope, Your courage in the face of adversity
has been an inspiration to me and spurs me on my work to ensure these new discoveries are turned into treatment that reaches all the nooks and crannies of this entire country before we are done! this is for you...Stevehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-PNun-Pfb4&feature=related
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on March 10, 2011 at 18:39:44 PT
Hope
Comment 2 is great news.
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on March 10, 2011 at 18:37:53 PT
The GCW
I thought I heard something about the drug czar being sick but I didn't know what happened. I wish him a speedy recovery. He really seems like a nice guy he just has a very bad job.
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Comment #5 posted by The GCW on March 10, 2011 at 18:23:06 PT
Czar news
The director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, R. Gil Kerlikowske, also known as the "Drug Czar," collapsed this afternoon (Mar. 8) while speaking to law students at Harvard, officials said. Cont.http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/03/drug_czar_speak.html
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Comment #4 posted by John Tyler on March 10, 2011 at 18:17:38 PT
changing minds one by one
When a prohibitionist is told that cannabis can help people with various medical problems (as it has for a thousand years) they don’t care because it doesn’t affect them personally. When they hear and understand that cannabis can help with the medical problem of someone they care about, then that is a different story isn’t it? . “Coming out of the hearing, I’m a definite yes,” Fredette said. “If it helps my daughter, I’m all for it.” Even in his revelation he has a selfish tinge. It is a start though. He should have said, “I have been fooled by prohibitionist propaganda, but now I understand that cannabis can help many people with medical problems, including my daughter, and I will support medical cannabis.”
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Comment #3 posted by Hope on March 10, 2011 at 17:51:11 PT
This article.
People waking up.Some of them to a really hard light... but they're waking up.
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Comment #2 posted by Hope on March 10, 2011 at 17:39:38 PT
From the comments over at DrugWarRant
I picked up this: Cannabis Science Updates Cancer Patient Progress As It Receives Verbal Confirmation By A Physician That Both Sites Of The Former Lesions Are Free Of Cancer Cells; Official Physician Documentation To Followhttp://www.genengnews.com/industry-updates/cannabis-science-updates-cancer-patient-progress-as-it-receives-verbal-confirmation-by-a-physici/111364681/which led to this: Cannabis Science™"Cannabis Science™ works with World Authorities on phytocannabinoid science targeting critical illnesses. Adhering to scientific methodologies to develop, produce, and commercialize phytocannabinoid based pharmaceutical products."  http://www.cannabisscience.com/
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on March 10, 2011 at 17:33:16 PT
Connecticut
Connecticut Voters Support Marijuana Law Reformshttp://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2011/mar/10/connecticut_voters_support_marijA Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday showed strong support for medical marijuana and marijuana decriminalization among Connecticut voters. The poll comes at state legislators consider medical marijuana and decriminalization bills.Medical marijuana had the support of a whopping 79% of respondents. Support was above 70% in every demographic, with even 72% of Republicans favoring it."There is a near consensus on the medical marijuana law with about eight in 10 voters supporting it," said Quinnipiac poll director Dr. Douglas Schwartz. "It's rare to see such a level of support for any issue."Support for pot decriminalization wasn't as overwhelming, but still high—and trending upward. Decriminalization was supported by a two-to-one margin, with 65% in favor and 32% opposed. That's up seven points from the 58% who supported it in last year's March Quinnipiac poll.Decriminalization was also supported by every demographic, with even 53% of Republicans and 58% of voters over age 64 in favor. Support was at 70% among Democrats and voters 18 to 34 years old.Cont.
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