Medical marijuana

First of all I found this "Opinion" piece just that. An opinion with next to no factual information.

So to begin....the reason why licensed pharmacists are not dispensing medical marijuana is because pharmacist's dispensing of drugs falls under FDA Rules and Regulations and therefore falls under the Federal Government's control which still considers marijuana as a Schedule 1 Drug. The DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) defines Schedule 1s as:
(A) The drug or other substance has high potential for abuse.
(B) The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
(C) There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.

So until the federal governments actually reschedules marijuana as a Shedule 2 or a Schedule 3 drug, licensed pharmacists will not be able to dispense it.

The article states: "Also, all drugs sold must have the units of the drug in the prescription. Aspirin, for example. You can buy 100 milligrams, 200 milligrams, 300 milligrams and 500 milligrams, etc." Oh what a fine example for you to choose (Aspirin which causes approximately 7,600 deaths per year). Either way you're not comparing apples to apples here.

If you're waiting for over 2 hours for your test strips to monitor my blood sugar levels something is definitely wrong there. You're right about that one. But I must say, something is also very wrong if you're getting a medical marijuana recommendation for for having pain in your finger from sticking it with a lance to get blood for blood sugar testing. You may want to check that doctors credentials and get your money back. Those are the sort of places that close up shop after a few months leaving all their patients without a valid recommendation. BUYERS BEWARE.

Another statement: "if this is what they want to do instead of dropping out of school to grow marijuana or work at a dispensary." Wow...and the rules of leaving comments ask for readers to Be Polite. Yet what you're saying is that marijuana cultivators, growers, farmers and collectives are generally comprised of high school drop outs? Did I misread something?

Finally tasting rooms...all I can say is that there were never that many (very few actually). With new ordinances, rules and regulations much of that is being refined and consumption on premises is generally not permitted.

I think you all missed the point of the letter. How can something be termed "medication" and not have to follow the same protocall as other phamaceuticals? You can't have it both ways, either it is medicine and is treated as so or legalized it like alcohol and tax the crap out of it! Personally I am for legalization,I don't smoke it, but could use the tax dollars and I think it would get rid of the criminal aspect that surrounds it. Of course all the growers are against legalization because the price would drop dramatically and the "Caregivers" would no longer be necessary. Either way something's gotta change.

So tylenol and advil and cough syrup aren't medications? Learn something new everyday. Kinda surprising, if you take to much of any of those substances there is a good chance death will occur. From what I hear if you partake of to much cannabis you simply fall asleep.

Marijuana means confiscation of property, loss of known health benefits from the drug that the Pharmacutical Industry can't make money, court fines and cost along with private prison system operation and employment and the trickle down economic. It's about dollars and cents.

The pharmaceutical industry has almost as much blood on its hands as the more violent drug cartels for fighting the legalization of cannabis. I'm glad your well-written post also mentioned the private prison industry that contributes to candidates who vote for mandatory minimums for non-violent drug offenses that fill the prisons and pockets of the private prison industry that contributes to ... Vicious cycle that hurts our families, communities, pocketbooks, law enforcement resources.
Prohibition didn't work before; it's not working now.

HumanSpirit wrote:

Marijuana means confiscation of property, loss of known health benefits from the drug that the Pharmacutical Industry can't make money, court fines and cost along with private prison system operation and employment and the trickle down economic. It's about dollars and cents.

Recently while at the hospital for routine blood tests I was in the waiting room and there was several other persons there also. There were in particular two young persons sitting within earshot and one male about 14 years old was telling the other (about the same age) how he got his card for marijuana. He related that it was prescribed for ADD (attention deficiency disorder) This is incredulous, as far as I know this would be like prescribing alcohol to combat alcoholism, contributing to the disorder that caused the problem in the first place. He also instructed the youth where to go in our county to get a prescription from an "easy" doctor who would prescribe grass so he could get a card too. I am in total agreement with licensing this drug so it can be taxed and controlled, specifying how doctors can prescribe it and for what disorders. Anything less is a disservice to law abiding tax paying citizens as without taxing this problem could not be enforced.

Child psychiatry is sick with hidden conflicts of interest
Monday, December 14, 2009
12:06 AM
Child psychiatry is sick with hidden conflicts of interest
By Dr. Leonard Sax
When I first began writing prescriptions for children 22 years ago, it was unusual for a child to be taking powerful psychiatric drugs. Today it's common. How did we get here?
Dr. Joseph Biederman is part of the answer. He's an important guy. His title is "chief of pediatric psychopharmacology" at Massachusetts General Hospital, the main teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School. Pediatricians and family doctors look to him, and doctors like him, for guidance about what they should do with problem kids. For the past two decades, Biederman has pushed the use of medications for treating ADHD and bipolar disorder. Over the past two decades, the use of medications for treating those disorders has soared.
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), recognizing how much influence Biederman has in promoting these medications for children, wondered whether the doctor might be taking money from drug companies. When first asked, Biederman admitted to taking perhaps "a couple hundred thousand dollars" from pharmaceutical companies. When he was asked to take another look, it turned out that Biederman and a colleague had accepted more than $1.6 million from the drug companies. And they hadn't told anybody.
Or consider the case of Dr. Fred Goodwin. After stepping down as director of the National Institute for Mental Health, Goodwin moved on to serve as the host of the NPR program "The Infinite Mind." Goodwin didn't think he needed to tell anybody that the drug companies were paying him $1.3 million, even as he reassured listeners on his program about the safety of powerful psychiatric medications for children. Last month, after his connections to the drug industry came to light, NPR canceled his program.
Pasted from <http://www.topix.com/med/psychiatry/2009/11/a... ;
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/12/1...

Having both parents in a nursing home for the past 10 years. I have a little insight. The home has kept them both so drugged they do nothing but sleep and eat. They have no idea where they are or what month day or time it is. It can take a week for them to remember they have children. At a cost of $1,200 a month just for the pills for one of them. Luckily my mother found relief about 2 weeks ago, she died. This is nothing to look forward to in our old age.

Provocateur wrote:

Hemp, now talk about an industry.

Medical marijuana
by Randy Knibb
Updated: 05/04/2010 05:10:53 PM PDT
I would like to share my thoughts on medical marijuana. First, I do believe it can provide relief for certain patients and I am not opposed to the prescription and dispensing. What I do not understand is why a controlled substance is dispensed by people other than a licensed pharmacist. Any laws regarding dispensing marijuana should require a licensed pharmacist to fill the prescriptions. I think all dispensaries should be staffed by licensed pharmacists.
__________
Randy
I have no idea why you start off you pursuit of accountability by saying that "smoking pot" makes medical sense to you. Are you a doctor or a pharmacist? THC has been available in every pharmacy in the nation for the last 35 years.
Here's a question.
Why do we need special pharmacies for a single drug?
Answer:
We don't.
Marijuana is all about getting high and getting rich and the drug dealers are as successful at both as the general public is to dupe. We have been lied to. We have been taken advantage of and the longer this goes on the dumber we look and our kids are the ones paying the price.
www.medpotlie.org
Check it out.

Annual Causes of Death in the United States
Tobacco 435,000
Poor Diet and Physical Inactivity 365,000
Alcohol 85,000
Microbial Agents 75,000
Toxic Agents 55,000
Motor Vehicle Crashes 26,347
Adverse Reactions to Prescription Drugs 32,000
Suicide 30,622
Incidents Involving Firearms 29,000
Homicide 20,308
Sexual Behaviors 20,000
All Illicit Drug Use, Direct and Indirect 17,000
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Such As Aspirin 7,600
Marijuana 0

So according to you we could save millions of lives if we prescribed Tobbaco and Alcohol?

Provocateur wrote:

Annual Causes of Death in the United States
Tobacco 435,000
Poor Diet and Physical Inactivity 365,000
Alcohol 85,000
Microbial Agents 75,000
Toxic Agents 55,000
Motor Vehicle Crashes 26,347
Adverse Reactions to Prescription Drugs 32,000
Suicide 30,622
Incidents Involving Firearms 29,000
Homicide 20,308
Sexual Behaviors 20,000
All Illicit Drug Use, Direct and Indirect 17,000
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Such As Aspirin 7,600
Marijuana 0
So according to you we could save millions of lives if we prescribed Tobbaco and Alcohol?

Because pot smoke and tobacco smoke both have the same poisons you can put marijuana at the top of the list right next to tobacco.

j kelseyville wrote:

<quoted text>not true ,there is no nicotine in pot only resins

And the resins get stuck in your doper brain!

Willits Watcher wrote:

<quoted text>
Because pot smoke and tobacco smoke both have the same poisons you can put marijuana at the top of the list right next to tobacco.

There are over 4,000 chemical compounds in cigarettes. How many deaths each year due to tobacco that causes cancer, heart disease, and strokes. Apples to oranges.

Chemicals wrote:

<quoted text>There are over 4,000 chemical compounds in cigarettes. How many deaths each year due to tobacco that causes cancer, heart disease, and strokes. Apples to oranges.

Many physicians are reporting that they believe the same list of numbers that are attached to cigarette smoke can successfully be attached to marijuana smoke.

Willits Watcher wrote:

<quoted text>
Many physicians are reporting that they believe the same list of numbers that are attached to cigarette smoke can successfully be attached to marijuana smoke.

If you can find any of this stuff in Marijuana then you need a new connection.
The List of 599 Additives in Cigarettes
Acetanisole
Acetic Acid
Acetoin
Acetophenone
6-Acetoxydihydrotheaspirane
2-Acetyl-3- Ethylpyrazine
2-Acetyl-5-Methylfuran
Acetylpyrazine
2-Acetylpyridine
3-Acetylpyridine
2-Acetylthiazole
Aconitic Acid
dl-Alanine
Alfalfa Extract
Allspice Extract,Oleoresin, and Oil
Allyl Hexanoate
Allyl Ionone
Almond Bitter Oil
Ambergris Tincture
Ammonia
Ammonium Bicarbonate
Ammonium Hydroxide
Ammonium Phosphate Dibasic
Ammonium Sulfide
Amyl Alcohol
Amyl Butyrate
Amyl Formate
Amyl Octanoate
alpha-Amylcinnamaldehyde
Amyris Oil
trans-Anethole
Angelica Root Extract, Oil and Seed Oil
Anise
Anise Star, Extract and Oils
Anisyl Acetate
Anisyl Alcohol
Anisyl Formate
Anisyl Phenylacetate
Apple Juice Concentrate, Extract, and Skins
Apricot Extract and Juice Concentrate
1-Arginine
Asafetida Fluid Extract And Oil
Ascorbic Acid
1-Asparagine Monohydrate
1-Aspartic Acid
Balsam Peru and Oil
Basil Oil
Bay Leaf, Oil and Sweet Oil
Beeswax White
Beet Juice Concentrate
Benzaldehyde
Benzaldehyde Glyceryl Acetal
Benzoic Acid, Benzoin
Benzoin Resin
Benzophenone
Benzyl Alcohol
Benzyl Benzoate
Benzyl Butyrate
Benzyl Cinnamate
Benzyl Propionate
Benzyl Salicylate
Bergamot Oil
Bisabolene
Black Currant Buds Absolute
Borneol
Bornyl Acetate
Buchu Leaf Oil
1,3-Butanediol
2,3-Butanedione
1-Butanol
2-Butanone
4(2-Butenylidene)-3,5,5-Trimet hyl-2-Cyclohexen-1-One
Butter, Butter Esters, and Butter Oil
Butyl Acetate
Butyl Butyrate
Butyl Butyryl Lactate
Butyl Isovalerate
Butyl Phenylacetate
Butyl Undecylenate
3-Butylidenephthalide
Butyric Acid]
Cadinene
Caffeine
Calcium Carbonate
Camphene
Cananga Oil
Capsicum Oleoresin
Caramel Color
Caraway Oil
Carbon Dioxide
Cardamom Oleoresin, Extract, Seed Oil, and Powder
Carob Bean and Extract
beta-Carotene
Carrot Oil
Carvacrol
4-Carvomenthenol
1-Carvone
beta-Caryophyllene
beta-Caryophyllene Oxide
Cascarilla Oil and Bark Extract
Cassia Bark Oil
Cassie Absolute and Oil
Castoreum Extract, Tincture and Absolute
Cedar Leaf Oil
Cedarwood Oil Terpenes and Virginiana
Cedrol
Celery Seed Extract, Solid, Oil, And Oleoresin
Cellulose Fiber
Chamomile Flower Oil And Extract
Chicory Extract
Chocolate
Cinnamaldehyde
Cinnamic Acid
Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Bark Oil, and Extract
Cinnamyl Acetate
Cinnamyl Alcohol
Cinnamyl Cinnamate
Cinnamyl Isovalerate
Cinnamyl Propionate
Citral
Citric Acid
Citronella Oil
dl-Citronellol
Citronellyl Butyrate
itronellyl Isobutyrate
Civet Absolute
Clary Oil
Clover Tops, Red Solid Extract
Cocoa
Cocoa Shells, Extract, Distillate And Powder
Coconut Oil
Coffee
Cognac White and Green Oil
Copaiba Oil
Coriander Extract and Oil
Corn Oil
Corn Silk
Costus Root Oil
Cubeb Oil
Cuminaldehyde
para-Cymene
1-Cysteine

Chemicals in Cigarettes: Carcinogens
A carcinogen is defined as any substance that can cause or aggravate cancer. Approximately 60 of the chemicals in cigarettes are known to cause cancer.
TSNAs
Tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNAs) are known to be some of the most potent carcinogens present in smokeless tobacco, snuff and tobacco smoke.
Benzene
Benzene can be found in pesticides and gasoline. It is present in high levels in cigarette smoke and accounts for half of all human exposure to this hazardous chemical.
Pesticides
Pesticides are used on our lawns and gardens, and inhaled into our lungs via cigarette smoke.
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a chemical used to preserve dead bodies, and is responsible for some of the nose, throat and eye irritation smokers experience when breathing in cigarette smoke.
Chemicals in Cigarettes: Toxic Metals
Toxic / heavy metals are metals and metal compounds that have the potential to harm our health when absorbed or inhaled. In very small amounts, some of these metals support life, but when taken in large amounts, can become toxic.
Arsenic
Commonly used in rat poison, arsenic finds its way into cigarette smoke through some of the pesticides that are used in tobacco farming.
Cadmium
Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal that is used in batteries. Smokers typically have twice as much cadmium in their bodies as nonsmokers.
Chemicals in Cigarettes: Radioactive Toxic Metals
There are a couple of toxic metals in cigarette smoke that carry an extra punch of danger for anyone breathing it in: they are radioactive.
Radioactive Cigarette Smoke
Lead-210 (Pb-210) and polonium-210 (Po-210) are poisonous, radioactive heavy metals that research has shown to be present in cigarette smoke.
Chemicals in Cigarettes: Poisons
Poison is defined as any substance that, when introduced to a living organism, causes severe physical distress or death. Science has discovered approximately 200 poisonous gases in cigarette smoke.
Ammonia
Ammonia compounds are commonly used in cleaning products and fertilizers. Ammonia is also used to boost the impact of nicotine in manufactured cigarettes.
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is present in car exhaust and is lethal in very large amounts. Cigarette smoke can contain high levels of carbon monoxide.
Hydrogen Cyanide
Hydrogen cyanide was used to kill people in the gas chambers in Nazi Germany during World War II. It can be found in cigarette smoke.
Nicotine
Nicotine is a poison used in pesticides and is the addictive element in cigarettes.
A Word About Secondhand Smoke
Also known as environmental tobacco smoke, secondhand smoke is a term used to describe cigarette smoke that comes from two sources: Smoke that is exhaled by the smoker (mainstream smoke) and smoke produced by a smouldering cigarette (sidestream smoke). Secondhand smoke is known to contain at least 250 toxic chemicals, including 50 cancer-causing chemicals. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. That means if you can smell cigarette smoke in the air, it could be harming your health.
If you smoke...
...use the tools below to help you get started on your smoke-free journey. There is no time like the present to stop the madness that cigarette smoking is. You'll be rewarded with benefits beyond what you can probably imagine and they'll start to occur faster than you think. Within 20 minutes of your last cigarette, your body will begin to heal and improvements to your mental and physical health will continue to grow with time invested in smoking cessation.
It is never too late to quit smoking!

Willits Watcher wrote:

<quoted text>
Many physicians are reporting that they believe the same list of numbers that are attached to cigarette smoke can successfully be attached to marijuana smoke.

There are none of these chemicals in Marijuana.

The List of 599 Additives in Cigarettes
Acetanisole
Acetic Acid
Acetoin
Acetophenone
6-Acetoxydihydrotheaspirane
2-Acetyl-3- Ethylpyrazine
2-Acetyl-5-Methylfuran
Acetylpyrazine
2-Acetylpyridine
3-Acetylpyridine
2-Acetylthiazole
Aconitic Acid
dl-Alanine
Alfalfa Extract
Allspice Extract,Oleoresin, and Oil
Allyl Hexanoate
Allyl Ionone
Almond Bitter Oil
Ambergris Tincture
Ammonia
Ammonium Bicarbonate
Ammonium Hydroxide
Ammonium Phosphate Dibasic
Ammonium Sulfide
Amyl Alcohol
Amyl Butyrate
Amyl Formate
Amyl Octanoate
alpha-Amylcinnamaldehyde
Amyris Oil
trans-Anethole
Angelica Root Extract, Oil and Seed Oil
Anise
Anise Star, Extract and Oils
Anisyl Acetate
Anisyl Alcohol
Anisyl Formate
Anisyl Phenylacetate
Apple Juice Concentrate, Extract, and Skins
Apricot Extract and Juice Concentrate
1-Arginine
Asafetida Fluid Extract And Oil
Ascorbic Acid
1-Asparagine Monohydrate
1-Aspartic Acid
Balsam Peru and Oil
Basil Oil
Bay Leaf, Oil and Sweet Oil
Beeswax White
Beet Juice Concentrate
Benzaldehyde
Benzaldehyde Glyceryl Acetal
Benzoic Acid, Benzoin
Benzoin Resin
Benzophenone
Benzyl Alcohol
Benzyl Benzoate
Benzyl Butyrate
Benzyl Cinnamate
Benzyl Propionate
Benzyl Salicylate
Bergamot Oil
Bisabolene
Black Currant Buds Absolute
Borneol
Bornyl Acetate
Buchu Leaf Oil
1,3-Butanediol
2,3-Butanedione
1-Butanol
2-Butanone
4(2-Butenylidene)-3,5,5-Trimet hyl-2-Cyclohexen-1-One
Butter, Butter Esters, and Butter Oil
Butyl Acetate
Butyl Butyrate
Butyl Butyryl Lactate
Butyl Isovalerate
Butyl Phenylacetate
Butyl Undecylenate
3-Butylidenephthalide
Butyric Acid]
Cadinene
Caffeine
Calcium Carbonate
Camphene
Cananga Oil
Capsicum Oleoresin
Caramel Color
Caraway Oil
Carbon Dioxide
Cardamom Oleoresin, Extract, Seed Oil, and Powder
Carob Bean and Extract
beta-Carotene
Carrot Oil
Carvacrol
4-Carvomenthenol
1-Carvone
beta-Caryophyllene
beta-Caryophyllene Oxide
Cascarilla Oil and Bark Extract
Cassia Bark Oil
Cassie Absolute and Oil
Castoreum Extract, Tincture and Absolute
Cedar Leaf Oil
Cedarwood Oil Terpenes and Virginiana
Cedrol
Celery Seed Extract, Solid, Oil, And Oleoresin
Cellulose Fiber
Chamomile Flower Oil And Extract
Chicory Extract
Chocolate
Cinnamaldehyde
Cinnamic Acid
Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Bark Oil, and Extract
Cinnamyl Acetate
Cinnamyl Alcohol
Cinnamyl Cinnamate
Cinnamyl Isovalerate
Cinnamyl Propionate
Citral
Citric Acid
Citronella Oil
dl-Citronellol
Citronellyl Butyrate
itronellyl Isobutyrate
Civet Absolute
Clary Oil
Clover Tops, Red Solid Extract
Cocoa
Cocoa Shells, Extract, Distillate And Powder
Coconut Oil
Coffee
Cognac White and Green Oil
Copaiba Oil
Coriander Extract and Oil
Corn Oil
Corn Silk
Costus Root Oil
Cubeb Oil
Cuminaldehyde
para-Cymene
1-Cysteine

Provocateur wrote:

<quoted text>
If you can find any of this stuff in Marijuana then you need a new connection.

This proves that you just can't stay on track. Now lets try this one more time for the slow guy named "Provocateur". If you go back and "READ" what I wrote instead of listening to some stupid internal dialogue you have going on inside your head. You will see that I was comparing cigarette "smoke" to pot "smoke"

I just don't know how I can make it any simpler for you.
Good luck.

Again for the mentally challenged. Of the 599 additives to cigarettes and the 4,000 chemical reactions produced upon ignition. Marijuana has ZERO.

Willits Watcher wrote:

<quoted text>
This proves that you just can't stay on track. Now lets try this one more time for the slow guy named "Provocateur". If you go back and "READ" what I wrote instead of listening to some stupid internal dialogue you have going on inside your head. You will see that I was comparing cigarette "smoke" to pot "smoke"
I just don't know how I can make it any simpler for you.
Good luck.

Thers is a comparision between pot smoke and cigarette smoke, second hand cigarette smoke kills, second hand marijuana smoke makes you high and laugh alot but wont kill you the difference in the smoke is the chemicals in cigarettes it's purely toxic pollution.