One Toke Over the Line?

I think it should be legalized but controlled, and that Joe Blow should be able to have a pot farm if he wants to, but not without special permissions and licensing from the government. That way, the substance is still controlled somewhat, and the government can still profit - which is their whole point to keeping it illegal to begin with, lol. The FDA could even monitor how it's grown and sold to make sure it meets certain standards, since many times it's not the pot itself that's as harmful as what it's cut with.

Reading what I typed, I had to add a big ROFL at the thought of the FDA monitoring pot farming, lol.

I think it marijuana should be a legal option for those patients in need of apin relief. I do not believe that they should be allowed to grow their own... I can see the additional problems with that. I would have a few questions before it would become legal though... Like...
Driving under the influence, smoking in public... there are more.

But honestly I think if it helps... then let the people live as pain free as possible. Obviously what we do currently have in the market isn't working to the full nessicity of the patients.

I agree with Steph as well... Let the FDA monitor the pot farms lol...

But taxing marijuana adds money to the government lol

At one point, heroin was available from the pharmacy. Heck, opium was considered a great way to relieve aches and pains. I believe it was referred to as "Laudenum". These things were eventually removed from the general public's hands, but my point is this: they *worked*.

I don't have a chronic pain disease, and I'm thankful for that, as I know people who do. I would personally use whatever method *worked*. If that was marijuana, then so be it. (It gives me panic attacks, so obviously I don't use it, but IF I could I would.) I think it's absolutely ridiculous that there are people out there in pain who can't LEGALLY get rid of their pain with a joint, if that's what helps them. If you can go buy a bottle of OxyContin, which is a HUGELY addictive substance, why shouldn't you be able to light a joint?

Just my opinion. (And I'm Canadian, so you KNOW I'm for legalizing it!! ;) )

No way. Don't we have enough problems with drugs and alcohol that we don't need to make things worse? People will be shopping for prescriptions and doctors' time will be wasted from the true emergencies. Stick to the actual legal medications, most people can find something that works if they try, though I agree terminal patients should have free rein. Their last days should be as comfortable and as pain-free as possible.

I'll go one "step" over the line and say that I'm in favor of decriminalizing marijuana in general. The government would save money by not having to enforce the laws and by freeing resources that could be used more constructively.

the AP reported yesterday that there's a study that shows alcohol and tobacco are more dangerous than many illegal drugs.

I can't get over that illegal drugs would actually be considered less harmful than alcohol and tobacco. What kind of vacuum did they do that research in? The writer should tell that to parents of kids who OD and Anna Nicole Smith's family. I concur that legal does not equal okay, but heroin, cocaine and other substances are out of control and that can't be downplayed. Why not just add caffeine and Motrin to the list??

I am in favor of medical marijuana. I don't think people realize just how hard it can be to find a doctor that is equipped to treat chronic pain. Many doctors tell people just to deal with it and don't offer real solutions or if you ask for something to help control the pain you are considered an addict or drug seeker. The other problem is that when it comes to chronic pain there isn't a drug that works for everyone. Therefore I think that doctors should be better counselled on how to deal with it and there should be a wider range of drugs (including "Pot") to help these people. Yes, there will be people who "fake" chronic pain in order to get pain pills or pot, but I don't think its fair to punish the true chronic pain sufferer because of others actions.

being treated by a family physician who believes any pain medication will cause addition so he gives me low does of hydrocodone which is of very little help for my condition. I don't know who to turn to for the help I desperately need.

I am definitely for marijuana for medical purposes. Any side effects from it could not be worse than those I suffered from & the toll taken on my body from LEGAL meds. I have FMS and CFS. After being diagnosed I was referred to & treated by a pain management doctor with high doses of oxicotin, fentanyl patches, prozac, sleeping pills & steroid injections. My daily routine finally evolved into 'just existing'. With all the medication in me all I did was sleep & when I was awake I was not alert. What makes my situation even more alarming is that I didn't take the full dosages of the meds he had prescribed.I lost my friends & family first, then my marriage of 25 yrs fell apart. I am now on my own, still suffering from the same terrible pain & chronic fatigue & being treated by a family physician who believes any pain medication will cause addition so he gives me low does of hydrocodone which is of very little help for my condition.

I think HIV and cancer patients should be allowed to have medical marijuana in any state or province in North America. I have AIDS and have used this natural grown herb to gain weight in the past.

Chat with other HIV positive people @ http://www.AIDSchat.org (hundreds of members, share experiences, make POZ friends)

I need to point a few things out:

1. Montel does not smoke marijuana. He eats it. Edible forms are available which can be mixed with food and consumed. The edible forms are far less potent, meaning it would take quite a bit to get "a buzz."

2. Smoking marijuana is far less damaging than smoking cigarettes. A recent study (http://www.webmd.com/content/article/122/114805.htm) shows that marijuana smokers, even very heavy ones, did not have an increased risk of lung cancer over the general population, where cigarette smokers indeed did. (but yet cigarettes are legal and cannabis is not?)

3. Tab said above that heroin used to be legally available. Cannabis also used to be legal OTC (and prescribed) through the early 50s. That's when it was criminalized and given the scary moniker "marijuana." It's also when we started trying to make a synthetic substitute. See a connection there?

4. Find the real scientific studies that show the harmful effects of cannabis. You can't.

(continued from last post)

There are no conclusive, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies which show the "harmful effects" of cannabis. There are thousands of scientific studies showing conclusively that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and a host of other disorders. But cigarettes are legal, and cannabis is not.

5. Cigarettes have over 100 carcinogenic compounds in their smoke, not a single one possessing any single health benefits. Cannabis has one active ingredient, THC, which has been shown (at least in small European studies) to be beneficial in relieving pain and nausea for people with glaucoma and MS, and on chemotherapy.

Why do we continue in this country to keep allowing people to suffer when they so desperately need something that they can take safely to alleviate pain and lessen symptoms? Drug companies have failed to make a suitable synthetic (or at least one that is not highly addictive), so why do they continue to lobby so hard to keep cannabis illegal?

Our government spends more money trying to stop a proven unharmful, if controlled substance, if they could find a happy medium for a taxable medical marijuana program maybe the gas tax could be saved or bush's 100's of millions hell billions spend on a war, and there still aren't weopons of mass destruction.

Cigarettes kills- cars kills- alcohol kills- herion kills- find a proven case in where marijuana kills. Maybe we can save our countries growing debt by legalizing a natural plant.

As an intelligent person i can see where all the problems lie and how difficult the process would be but i have to tell all you haters the right canidate will lead in the legalization and the voters will climb out of the wood work.

We need to think about helping the sick americans and legalizing for medical purposes immediatly. If it was the politicians suffering it would have already passed.

I VOTE TO LEGALIZE!!!!!

I am totally in favor of medicinal use of marijuana. I have a SIL who has fibromyalgia, Hepatitis C (from a blood transfusion) rheumatoid arthritis,migraines, glaucoma and both cervical and lumbar stenosis. She lives in daily pain despite the use of prescription drugs and cannot, of course, get into the THC program because of the limitations put on it. When her pain is worst, a few puffs give her real relief. In fact, her doctor has even recommended it, if she wanted to take the risks involved in possessing and using it.

I would want to see careful policing of the use. There IS enough casual use already and it can impair judgement...I personally wouldn't mind seeing prohibition on alcohol come back! Although, again, in some cases it has medicinal value.

At the very least, there should not be a penalty for someone who can prove a medical need. Many people on chemo are only able to cope with the help of marijuana.

I am opposed to opening it to recreational use but favor medicinal use.

If alcohol and cigarettes are legal, then why shouldn't marijuana be? And there are definitely more dangerous and addictive pain medications out there.

My comment isn't weather Marijuana should be legal for medical purposes or not -- but rather, is the hundreds of BILLIONS of dollars that has been spent on Marijuana prohibition paid off in any way shape or form?

Marijuana is easier to get now than before the drug became illegal. It seems to me that our efforts to fight this war have failed.

Marijuana is American's #1 Cash crop in front of corn and wheat. IF you consider the amount spent to fight the war, plus the money lost on potential taxes as well as the costs to our judicial system...

Should we really be spending all this money to battle an individuals PERSONAL MEDICAL PROBLEMS? You don't see us arresting people because they are too fat or because they drink way too much caffeine. These are medical problems that have adverse affects on individuals as well as others, but we don't consider these people criminals.

The drug war has failed and it is time for all of us to demand a different solution. 70+ years of lies have done us no benefit.

I'd like to correct CJ on a few of his/her statements...

Montel DOES smoke Marijuana. Just this week he was before Connecticut lawmakers and he made the comment "I will smoke pot"
http://cannabisnews.com/news/22/thread22799.shtml

Smoking cigarettes IS more dangerous than consuming cigarettes, and he is right about the report that came out earlier this week.

Marijuana was actually made illegal in 1937 with the introduction of the Marijuana Stamp Act. This bill was passed through congress without any hearings, scientific studies or medical reports on the topic.

Even to this day you can still obtain medical marijuana once a month through a program sponsored by NIDA. There are very few (under 50) patients on this program for the whole Country.

The first American form of a synthetic form of Marijuana known as Marinol comes from the Dr. that heads NIDA. Do some research for more info.

My grandmother was addicted to, and eventually overdosed on Hydro-codein, an incredibly addictive opiate originally given to her for severe back pain. All she ever did was sleep, and there were times when she was so 'out of it,' she would make my dad give her the injections. My mother recently had surgery and what did they prescribe her? Hydro-codein! There were times when she was so nauseous and dizzy that she couldn't take it in combination with the antibiotics.

Why should people have to suffer with over-processed, dangerous and addictive legal medications when marijuana is safer, less addictive, and just as effective?

I vote that it should be legalized for people with chronic pain, cancer, etc. It would have to be closely monitored, though. I am a parent of 4 kids under 15, and I wouldn't want it to be mistaken that it was "ok".

Marijuan is a natural substance and should be legalized like any other legal recereational drug such as alcohol, subject to the same taxes and standards as liquor to protect people. It is less addictive than narcotics now being prescribed and the natural form does wrk better and with less side effects than the synthesised version. While it is something that can easily be overused so can alcohol. For medical treatment it should be ok.

I am delighted to see that nearly all comments are for marijuana!! I think it is outrageous that marijuana is illegal when alcohol isn't?! This is a scary example of how backwards our government is. Alcohol is one of the only substances that our bodies can become physically addicted to. You can also overdose and die quite easily. My mother's best friend was a recovered alcoholic that fell off of the wagon one night & drank too much vodka. This left her in an alcohol induced coma. She died 3 days later. Marijuana is not a substance that your body can become dependent on & you can not overdose. So why can alcohol advertisements be on every other page of the most popular magazines we read & plastered on billboards? Alcohol addition comes with horrible consequences, you become ill unless you have a drink, shake (DT's), and can die from your bodies need to have this poison. Yet it is perfectly legal! Marijuana can put you in jail. Many anti marijuana activists say it is the primary "gateway"drug for young teens

cont....that is totally bogus because the first thing all of my friends did was break into our parents liquor cabinet....the statement that marijuana is the gateway for drug use is an outright fabrication!! Those anti-marijuana commercials that they run are SO far fetched and stupid that I really can hardly believe what is wrong with the people that create them? Are they really that clueless? There is one that shows a young teen girl who apparently got herself pregnant due to her poor decision making skills while high on pot!! Are they f-ing kidding me?? The drunk teenager at the kegger is who that happens to! Little Tina forgot which football player she had sex with because she was blacked out drunk.....you don't lose control of yourself while under the influence of pot....that is alcohol!! No college student has died because they were so wasted that they fell asleep on their face & then choked to death on their own vomit? (this happened at a University of WI campus 3 yrs ago??) Marijuana should be Legalized.

First, Marijuana is a highly addictive substance. Second, it isn't always made the same way. some people put cleaner fluids in the process among worse things. Third, if it is prescribed, it would have to be under a highly controlled situation for those involved to get the full benefit. What are these people thinking? D othey want to create more addicts due to the fact it would be readily available? There are people in my town that get pulled over fro reckless driving and arrested for assalt all for using this drug. we don't need more people on marijuana!!!

I am a huge supporter of medicinal marijuana. I have both MS and fibromyalgia and there is literally nothing else out there that has come close to helping with the constant pain and stiffness...I'm talking about being a little stiff and sore the day after a good workout, I'm talking about "Oh-my-gosh, am I dying?" pain and stiffness. Marijuana is NOT addictive - it has been proven it is not. Marijuana is ALWAYS made the same way - it is a NATURAL plant that actually grows wild in the United States. Duh. Come on people, at least bother to do the research before you post a comment on something you obviously know nothing about. Marijuana does not lead to other drug use...people who are looking to simply get high, will get high, regardless of the drug of choice. I use it and I have never been arrested, know not to drive while 'high' and have never done anything I'm embarrassed of while using. Give me a break. :)

Yes they should legalize for the patients who are ill. Many people do not understand this unless they have been very ill themselves or watched relatives die while in great pain.(Being unable to tolerate the pain meds given by the physicians) Especially cases in which people are dying. Lung damage at this point cannot occur in the amount of time before they pass from their previous illness. Compassion goes a long way. God Bless.

i total agree with most everyone here. marijuana should be legalized for medicinal uses. i guess maybe it will take them or someone in there family with chronic pain relate to a serious illness to understand just how helpful it can be. honestly, would you rather have something natural? or man made, processed by a doctor made with chemicals? come on now, anything to get you "high" will always be enticing to kids. when i was growing up, i knew kids who also broke into their parents medicine cabinet to still pain meds to get high. they would even snort it. i have a friend who got addicted to xanax and lortab. she built up such a resistance to it, she was taking 30+ pills a day. even commited prescription fraud! and now, she goes to NA meetings...right along side of the heroine junkies and meth heads. prescription meds are really no different.

It's amazing that anyone would say Marijuana is not addictive. Marijuana is a drug in the stimulant group of psycho-active substances. It works by increasing the activity of the brain cells, resulting in a "high", which definately goes down unless there is another dose of the drug. With time, the body develops tolerance to the drug, meaning that more of it is required to acquire the same "high". The more your body needs it to get high, the more a person craves it..what is that if its not addiction. I'm 100% anti-marijuana for any reason, medical or non-medical. Coz yes, it relieves the pain, then what follows? Therapy and other drug related problems. In the past it was used to relieve pain but that was before its addictive and other side effects were discovered, especially the brain damage.

opium is still used...it's called morphine...comes from poppies

[quote]First, Marijuana is a highly addictive substance. Second, it isn't always made the same way. some people put cleaner fluids in the process among worse things. Third, if it is prescribed, it would have to be under a highly controlled situation for those involved to get the full benefit. What are these people thinking? D othey want to create more addicts due to the fact it would be readily available? There are people in my town that get pulled over fro reckless driving and arrested for assalt all for using this drug. we don't need more people on marijuana!!!

Posted by Ally on March 28 at 05:07pm[/quote]

Are you on crack? Marijuana made with cleaner fluids? I definitely think you have confused Marijuana for a badly created dose of Meth or 'bathtub' acid.

Marijuana is a plant. The same as any other plant around your home. It needs nutrients and sunlight to grow. Cleaner fluids would cause the plant to die.

Don't be so naive

{CONTINUED}

And regarding the comments from Cez:

Unfortunately you are mistaken.

I would like to point you to the recently released studies and comments which clearly state MARIJUANA IS NOT ADDICTIVE:

http://www.talkleft.com/story/2004/05/18/601/89840

http://www.utmedicalgroup.com/pages/webchat_addiction.html

I feel sorry for you as I re-read your post. You view of things has obviously been skewed over 70+ years of draconian marijuana laws.

Please don't believe everything you read, especially when it comes from NIDA or the ONDCP. Did you know that the General Accounting Office gave them as well as the DEA and Whitehouse PERMISSION TO LIE when it comes to the truths about Marijuana...

http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0312-06.htm

And one more point. I will again state, The drug war is a failure. Hundreds of BILLIONS of dollars are spent fighting this "war"

At what point do we realize that current policy does nothing to curb supply or addiction. There has got to be a better way.

Legalization! Taxation!

Oh, I'm sorry.. This was a great comment that I missed...

QUOTE= There are people in my town that get pulled over fro reckless driving and arrested for assalt all for using this drug. we don't need more people on marijuana!!!

Posted by Ally on March 28 at 05:07pm /QUOTE

Can you please provide ANY sources to backup this claim? Because I can show you published medical studies that CLEARLY state marijuana is not linked to violent crime and countless other studies that speak of Marijuana and driving. I highly suggest reading up on these reports before posting such nonsense again..

http://www.nber.org/papers/W10046

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/03/990325110700.htm
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/1775.html

Also, I recommend these other 25 valid justifications for Marijuana...

http://questionthemark.org/2006/12/22/25-reasons-to-smoke-marijuana.aspx

way to know your marijuana adam m! I used to smoke and quit...and found it to be very easy myself...so I can't say that it is too addicting. But, I will always support the legalization of it.

I believe that marijuana should be leagal. They allow alchohol and cigarettes which cause just as much, if not more, damage to your body than marijuana. If you don't support it because it's damaging to your body and you think people are wreckless with it, then why allow the bars to stay open? Why allow the selling of alcohol in stores? Anything is addictive. More people die from alcoholism than smoking pot. More people are killed by drunk drivers than people that are high. Besides, if it's for medicinal purposes, who are we to say anything about it? As long as it's monitored, like alcohol (you have to be 21) and cigarettes (you have to be 18)there shouldn't be a problem.

I would like to see marijuana legalized completely, but if not, at least legal for medical and psychiatric purposes. I have 5 children/stepchildren under age 10. In the coming years, I'd very much prefer them to smoke weed rather than smoking cigarettes or binge drinking. (although I'd never encourage them to take any substance) I know from experience marijuana is not physically addictive, nor is it nearly as dangerous as prescription drugs. I have had a friend OD & die on LEGALLY PRESCRIBED pain pills. I have witnessed several instances of alcohol poisoning. I have also stayed up with friends smoking several ounces of marijuana in one night & the only adverse effect we felt was a compulsion to eat too much junk food. Of those friends participating: 1 is now a successful doctor, 1 an engineer, 2 are architects...our lives were far from destroyed & our brain cells are very much alive, thank you.

I'd support legalizing it for medical uses....glaucoma, relief of symptoms from chemo, even pain relief. BUT, it's another block of bureaucracy which would more than likely bog down in red tape, interpretations and etc. and end up costing us more in taxes than we'd gain if it were to be legalized for recreational use.

It CAN be a gateway drug and addictive for SOME people. This isn't true of everyone, but like alcohol, some people can't just take it or leave it.

Odd, isn't it, that smoking tobacco is so under fire (and legal, for a while more at least) yet people are advocating putting pot on the market? I find it a little odd that some people I know will toke up happily in a room full of pot smokers but choke on smoke from a cigarette 50 feet away from them or complain of the odor on the smoker's clothes.

As a person who has had a medical marijuana license for a year this June I can tell you that it has changed my life. From going to 8 -10 prescriptions a day to 1 or 2 is amazing. I suffer from severe migraine headaches and after four years of severe pain, weight gain, depression and being stuck in bed all the time after receiving a medical license for it I have lost weight, I am able to function during the day and I am going to school and maintaining almost a 4.0 GPA. I have gone through great conflicts and riticule having this medical treatment so I found it important to speak out and be in support of the chance to legalize marijuana across the whole US. Since you can only have the license in certain states right now it would be wonderful to see it be put in affect Nationwide. I find it rediculous that they let people kill themselves with cigerattes and alcohol but are penalizing people who smoke marijuana.
Quit Fighting the inevitable and just LEGALIZE IT !

I have severe Fibromyalgia (FMS) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, in addition to osteoarthritis in my back and hips. I am 45 and have no life outside the walls of my bedroom because it is too painful to move. My insurance company decided last month they will no longer let me take one of the two fentanyl medications which I have been on for 4 years. So, they stopped paying for the $7,500/month prescription, which used to cost me $90, because it is labeled "for use by cancer patients for breakthrough pain". They say I can't take it because my doctor is writing a RX for something it is not intended for. Yet, they allow me to stay on the other fentanyl product, which costs approx. the same amount. The practice of "off-label" prescriptions by doctors is common. Yet, my pain is not considered as important as a person with cancer. I would use ANYTHING at this point if it would give me my life back!!!