Make room in Minnesota for medical marijuana

" [F]or cancer patients with advanced cancers who want to improve the quality of their life, a risk versus benefit analysis [of smoked medical marijuana] weighs heavily on the benefit side."

-- Cancer Monthly, May 2006

“[I]t cannot seriously be contested that there exists a small but significant class of individuals who suffer from painful chronic, degenerative, and terminal conditions, for whom marijuana provides uniquely effective relief."

--HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, American Medical Students Association, Lymphoma Foundation of America, Dr. Barbara Roberts, and Irvin Rosenfeld, Amicus Curiae brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court (in the case of Gonzales v. Raich), October 2004

" [M]arijuana has an extremely wide acute margin of safety for use under medical supervision and cannot cause lethal reactions …[G]reater harm is caused by the legal consequences of its prohibition than possible risks of medicinal use."

-- American Public Health Association, Resolution #9513, "Access to Therapeutic Marijuana/Cannabis," 1995

LIE #3 - The American Medical Association (AMA) has "rejected" MEDICAL marijuana.

TRUTH: The AMA neither supports nor opposes medical marijuana, but it does oppose penalties for doctors who recommend it to patients.

It is interesting the MN police lobby is blatantly distorting the AMA's position regarding medical marijuana, considering a few crooked politicians also blatantly lied about the AMA's position regarding the first federal laws against marijuana, back in 1937, in order to sneak the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 below the radar of U.S. lawmakers.

The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 was corrupt to its core; but we are still hearing the same old lies regarding the AMA & marijuana 70+years later...

Pathetic.

More on the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 and its deceitful inception:

Testifying before Congress at the 1937 hearings regarding the Marihuana Tax Act, Dr. William C. Woodward, physician and chief counsel to the American Medical Association (AMA), said "the American Medical Association knows of no evidence that marihuana is a dangerous drug."

How did our enlightened congressional representatives respond to the testimony from Dr. Woodward, physician and chief counsel to one of the most prestigious medical organizations in the world?

Congressional representative #1: "Doctor, if you can't say something good about what we are trying to do, why don't you go home?"

Congressional representative #2: "Doctor, if you haven't got something better to say than that, we are sick of hearing you." (Direct quotes from hearing).

After dismissing the AMA's Dr. Woodward, the entire debate on national marijuana prohibition consisted of TWO questions, according to Charles Whitebread, Professor of Law, USC Law School and leading scholar on the Marihuana Tax Act:

" ‘Mr. Speaker, what is this bill about?’

To which Speaker Rayburn replied,‘I don't know. It has something to do with a thing called marihuana. I think it's a narcotic of some kind.’

Undaunted, the guy from Upstate New York asked a second question, which was as important to the Republicans as it was unimportant to the Democrats.

‘Mr. Speaker, does the American Medical Association support this bill?’

In one of the most remarkable things I have ever found in any research, a guy who was on the committee, and who later went on to become a Supreme Court Justice, stood up and -- do you remember? The AMA guy was named William C. Woodward -- a member of the committee who had supported the bill leaped to his feet and he said,

‘Their Doctor WENTWORTH (wrong name) came down here. They support this bill 100 percent.’

It wasn't true, but it was good enough for the Republicans. They sat down and the bill passed on tellers, without a recorded vote." (END OF QUOTE from C. WHITEBREAD).

It is tragic Minnesota’s law enforcement is trying to perpetuate this same old 70+year LIE regarding the AMA & marijuana, now at the cost of our sick and dying.

Here’s a link to the documents from the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 (this site has links to other articles by Charles Whitebread and others):

http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/taxa...

LIE/MYTH #4 – "ALLOWING MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA INCREASES OVERALL USE."

TRUTH: According to the 1999 National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine (IOM) report,

“[T]here is broad social concern that sanctioning the medical use of marijuana might increase its use among the general population. At this point there are no convincing data to support this concern...No evidence suggests that the use of opiates or cocaine for medical purposes has increased the perception that their illicit use is safe or acceptable.”

MILLIONS of people in the U.S. already have access to marijuana – albeit illegal marijuana. Minnesota's MEDICAL marijuana law would help to open legal access to people WITH SERIOUS MEDICAL CONDITIONS, many of whom have never used marijuana and do not have their “connections” established to procure the drug.

People with serious medical conditions -- especially our seniors -- should not have to risk life, limb, and/or arrest, just to get a medicine.

LIE/MYTH # 5 - "ALLOWING MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA SENDS THE WRONG MESSAGE TO YOUTH AND INCREASES YOUTH USE."

TRUTH: In states that allow medical marijuana, recreational use among youth has not increased. According to the California Student Survey, use among 11th graders dropped 21%, use among 9th graders dropped 44% and use among 7th graders dropped 34% since the passage of medical marijuana legislation in California.

None of the other 11 states with medical marijuana laws have experienced an increase in youth marijuana use since its medical marijuana law’s enactment.

In fact, all 12 MEDICAL marijuana-legal states have reported overall decreases — exceeding 50% in some age groups — strongly suggesting that enactment of state medical marijuana laws does not increase teen marijuana use.

We already explain to our kids that recreational, illicit use of opiates -- like morphine & oxycontin -- is wrong and DEADLY; but we also explain opiates have legitimate medical application.

Patients with serious medical conditions -- and their doctors -- need all the medical options at their disposal, especially options that cannot kill from toxicity, like cannabis.

Here's a link to a Teen Marijuana Use Report in MEDICAL marijuana states:

http://www.mpp.org/research/TeenUseReport_040...

From "Reefer Madness, Marijuana Is Medically Useful Whether Politicians Like It or Not," The Economist, April 29, 2006:

"If Cannabis were unknown, and bio-prospectors were suddenly to find it in some remote mountain crevice, its discovery would no doubt be hailed as a medical breakthrough. Scientists would praise its potential for treating everything from pain to cancer, and marvel at its rich pharmacopoeia — many of whose chemicals mimic vital molecules in the human body."

" Overall, by comparison with other drugs used mainly for ‘recreational’ purposes, cannabis could be rated to be a relatively safe drug … In contrast, cannabis might have beneficial effects in some medical indications … It seems likely that medicinal cannabis will re-enter the pharmacopeia."

— Dr. Leslie Iversen, pharmacologist at Oxford University and member of the British government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, "Long-term effects of exposure to cannabis," Current Opinion in Pharmacology, 2005

" Therefore be it resolved that the American Nurses Association will:… Support the right of patients to have safe access to therapeutic marijuana/cannabis under appropriate prescriber supervision."

— American Nurses Association, resolution, 2003

" For a significant number of patients, clinical experience and research confirm that marijuana serves as the only effective medicine for relieving pain, suppressing nausea or stimulating appetite. Numerous studies by blue-ribbon government panels and federally funded, peer-reviewed scientific studies have consistently found that marijuana is effective for treating certain debilitating symptoms."

— American Pain Foundation, American Medical Women’s Association, Lymphoma Foundation of America, American Nurses Association, California Nurses Association, AIDS Action Council, National Women’s Health Network, Doctors of the World-USA, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Amici Curiae in Support of Petitioner, Ross v. Ragingwire, 2006 WL 3244938 (August 7, 2006 Appellate Brief)

"The American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry endorses the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report supporting the therapeutic value of cannabinoid drugs for pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting and appetite stimulations for debilitating conditions such as AIDS. We are in favor of compassion for the ill and the availability of marijuana for medical purposes based on current evidence."

--American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, "Medical Use of Marijuana," June 2002,

www.aaap.org/policies/marijuana.html

" The CMA has always recognized and acknowledged the unique requirements of those individuals suffering from a terminal illness or chronic disease for which conventional therapies have not been effective and for whom marijuana for medicinal purposes may provide relief."

- Canadian Medical Association, January 2006,

www.cma.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/3396/la_id/1.htm

"[T]here will likely always be a subpopulation of patients who do not respond well to other medications ... The critical issue is not whether marijuana or cannabinoid drugs might be superior to the new drugs, but whether some group of patients might obtain added or better relief from marijuana or cannabinoid drugs ... Although some medications are more effective than marijuana for these problems, they are not equally effective in all patients."

— Institute of Medicine, "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base," 1999

Pills.
Or
A plant?

Not only can it relieve pain... YOU CAN MAKE GAS OUT OF IT.
It is actually the most energy productive plant that can be grown in North America.
If only 6% of America was farmed with cannabis....we would have enough fuel for our entire nation...making us energy independent.
I ask you all...WHY NOT LEGALIZE? WHAT IS THE WORST POSSIBLE SCENARIO?

Jay W wrote:

<quoted text>
No Don...California is a joke...You have all of the freaks that the rest of the country doesn't want...If you don't like it there you can always move here to Minnesota where the people are friendly and "our doors" are closed to "other drugs"...wink wink... If they were to nationally legalize marijuana, they could make tons of money (the States and Feds) and they could even use the extra money for their little "war" on drugs in South America and elsewhere...They don't want to legalize marijuana yet they want to let 18-20 year olds drive to a bar so that they can get drunk and party with their friends and then drive home and hopefully not kill anyone in the process...Actually this is a very smart idea because that would help to control our rapid population growth by "weeding" out the rejects who want to drink alcohol without getting into trouble.

i moved here 3 years ago and found out after getting here from hawaii,i have severe neuropathy.i smoked since i was 15 and was on pain meds,but never told what i have. i can't find any medical marijuana to save my life, my wife was from here but died the year we came here. so i am on ssi and don't have a clue to where i can get some.I WROTE A LETTER ABOUT THIS AND WAS PUBLISHED IN THE FERGUS FALLS PAPER ON 3/25,GOOGLE MY NAME/PAUL CASSENELLI. I AM IN THE BOOK ALSO, I WOULD LIKE TO MEET OTHERS DEALING WITH THESE FATAL DISEASE'S.I ALSO HAVE BONE SPURS ON MY HEALS,AND ON THE BASE OF MY NECK W/CYSTS.THE BEGINING STAGES OF M.S. AND MEDICAID WONT GIVE ME LYRICA BECAUSE IT IS TO COSTLY.SO I TAKE METHADONE AND FENTANOL PATH'S THAT DONT WORK.CONTACT ME AND LETS START A SUPPORT GROUP. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE AND I HOPE TO HEAR FROM OTHERS ABOUT THIS MATTER.

ME AGAIN, I AM IN ALEXANDRIA, THERE WAS 2X'S IN THE LAST 3 YRS I SMOKED AT A CONCERT IN FARGO WITH OTHERS AT THE SHOW. I CUT THE 20 PILLS A DAY IN HALF FOR 4 DAYS AFTER SMOKING 1-2 TIMES.EMAIL ME AT paulcassenelli@msn.com, i am looking for friends to make who understand my problems.