Medical Marijuana
Recently, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that states cannot exempt medicinal marijuana use from Federal prosecution. While the ruling does not overturn the state law, it does allow the Justice Department to bring federal charges against those using pot, even if it’s for a “medicinal purpose”. This basically sets the stage for Congress to take a stand and either legalize it once and for all, or not.
This begs the question, should pot be legal for medicinal purposes? I submit that it should not. Users claim that it makes them feel better… well, of course it does. You’re high! Even those who have never smoked pot can say that they feel better when they have a nice buzz going on from a night of drinking. It’s not making you better. Marijuana has no medicinal purpose. It is not healing the problem, it’s not making things go away, like a prescription medicine would for various diseases. It is only a “pain reliever” in the sense that you’ve got your buzz on and you’re not feeling the pain associated with your particular health issue.
In the event that pot was legal for medicinal purposes, I can see how it would lead to prescription abuse and given the current laws for casual marijuana use, the actual sale of prescribed marijuana on the black market.
A few studies done on marijuana use by those prescribed it even show how there is no substantial benefit. One study with AIDS patients showed that most users gained weight (important in AIDS cases), however the weight gained was through junk food, created by the “munchies” from pot use. Another study showed that doctors were prescribing marijuana to those with glaucoma, to alleviate the pressure on the eye. Those effects were very short lived and actually isn’t recommended by the Institute of Medicine.
So, again, I submit that it should not be legalized. What do you think?
PS – Welcome to readers from My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
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June 15th, 2005 at 11:47 am
Hell yeah it should be legalized.
For basically the same reason you give not too. Pain relief.
All you examples of how everything can go bad are true but that already happens with other drugs. Can we say Oxycotin. I don’t know how many ppl are hooked on Oxycotin in eastern KY but it’s a lot.
Everything in life can be abused.
June 15th, 2005 at 12:55 pm
I, too, think it SHOULD be legalized. Not for medical purposes, just for the same reasons that alcohol is illegal. Show me a legitimate study that proves marijuana is any worse for a person than alcohol! If you can’t, I say make it legal. We need less governmental control over our individual lives!
Just for the record, I’m not a pot-smoker. I’ve done it a few times and disliked it every time!
June 15th, 2005 at 1:35 pm
Any legal prescription medication can be abused; we don’t ban those just because some idiot might take them for recreational purposes. Vicodin is a pretty good pain reliever with a high abuse rate; should it be illegal because some people are stupid? Percoset, Darvocet…any of them. They’re legimate, needed medications that find their way to illegal sales. But that doesn’t mean they should be withdrawn from the market.
Chronic pain is a tricky thing. Where heavy duty narcotics might not touch it, marijuana might. It doesn’t matter if it “makes it better.” I can take Vicodin all day, every day, and it would never make my pain any “better” but it might make it manageable; same thing with marijuana. It’s not a cure, but it can handle the symptoms.
Heck, look at allergy medications. Allergy meds don’t cure the allergies, but they mask the symptoms and make life bearable when pollen counts are sky high; sometimes what is needed is the management when a cure isn’t possible. Do we take sudafed off the market because a select group takes it in massive doses to get a mini-high?
I am in pain, every day. No, I don’t use marijuana, but if I ever feel like I need it, you can bet I’ll get it any way that I can. It would be better if I didn’t have to break the law, but ya know, the law doesn’t care about my pain levels. With marijuana, the law only cares that some people use it for fun. How’s that for fair?
June 16th, 2005 at 12:07 am
I do think it should be abbreviated for medicinal purposes ONLY. I have several family members with glacoma who have had their eyeglasses go from trifocals to bifocals because of the weed. It has been proven by science that MJ does have some medicinal benefits, especially in the case of cancer patients. It may not cure it, but it does aleve some of the problems that those people suffer from. But, bring charges against a M.D. who is just giving it to patients for the money of it, that I can understand prosecuting for.
June 17th, 2005 at 2:10 am
I think that it should be legalized. As someone already pointed out, alcohol consumption is legal. I don’t see any difference!
I USED to smoke it. Don’t anymore. But when I did smoke, it DIDN’T lead to me trying out “harder” drugs. That is complete and total BS! It just doesn’t happen!
If someone wants relief from pain, they should be able to smoke. If someone wants relief from stress, THEY should be able to smoke, too!
BTW Here via Michele! Have a good weekend!
June 17th, 2005 at 6:27 pm
Legalize it already.
As a comic pointed out, you have nothing to fear from someone who’s high. Last thing a stoned person wants to do is get up and cause trouble. They’re more likely to kick back and listen to music, watch a flick, or fall asleep.
I just don’t see the harm in allowing patients to use it.
June 17th, 2005 at 10:38 pm
You guys are all missing the point. The point of this entry *is not* if pot should be legalized for everyone. The point is should pot be legal for people who “need” to use it for medicinal reasons. I am taking the stance that it should not (knowing it was the less popular stance among my readers – as you all have proved well) be legal for medicinal purposes. I further stated that there are studies which show how pot either has no benefit, or is actually *harmful* to those with certain medical conditions.
The secondary point being that the “legal” pot can be abused… not just as a substance abuse, but it’s been found that those who are able to grow their own for medicinal purposes are also growing enough to sell illegally.
June 17th, 2005 at 11:07 pm
I agree with you. They have a study about a TCH pill without the high but would have the same pain relieving effects but how many people would go for that? Very few, I’m thinking. Finally got around to blogrolling you.
Hi from Michele’s!
June 18th, 2005 at 12:03 am
I further stated that there are studies which show how pot either has no benefit, or is actually *harmful* to those with certain medical conditions.
Studies don’t really matter when you’re in so much pain that you can’t see straight, and you know that half a joint will make it manageable. A study may say there’s no benefit, but when you go from suicidal to “thank god, this much I can handle,” well, that’s a real benefit from where I sit.
I don’t think we’re missing the point; you don’t think it should be available for medical uses. To those of us who live in a cloud of pain, however, that’s pretty much like saying “I don’t care if it works for you. I read these studies which support my view, so…” That’s probably not your intent, but that’s how it sounds to me.
Yes, some people who are growing it for personal medicinal use are selling some of their harvest. At the risk of sounding really snotty…So? I have 300 Vicodin in my medicine cabinet, prescribed following brain surgery. Should it not have been given to me just because I *might* sell what I didn’t need? That same arguement can be made for every drug out there.
And Marinol, the pill form of THC…I’ve never taken it personally, but the few whom I know who have been able to try it, it sucks. It doesn’t work very well. Which is probably why it’s not so readily available…
June 18th, 2005 at 9:55 am
Well, you got me on this one, Bisch. I don’t care for some of the pot heads that my daughter hangs with because of the abuse of it. She doesn’t do it herself, either, because she says it makes her have an anxiety attack. =)
So now that I’m suffering with chronic pain myself, whats the difference if I use pot to help myself feel better, or Vicoden?
And what about those studies that say this is okay, or that is okay, only to be dis-proved years later? (just look at all the sugar substitutes and you’ll agree or shall we talk about the breast implant nightmare?)
Actually, I’m kind of sick of studies. Half the time they don’t prove a thing. I guess a person shouldn’t really say what they would do about this issue until ‘they’ are the ones in chronic pain, and in need of something better.
If you’re an addict, your an addict, plain and simple. Doesn’t matter what you’re drug of choice is….you’re going to find it and abuse it.
June 18th, 2005 at 3:20 pm
I am not sure what I think on that yet!
Good points though…nice site.
Michele sent me, so have a great weekend!
June 18th, 2005 at 3:58 pm
Marijuana is being used at my local hospital for pain relief – I’m very much if it works Use it.
Here Via M – Enjoy the rest of your weekend
June 18th, 2005 at 4:03 pm
I am here via Michele this go around.
I am with you, I think it shouldn’t be legalized. They already have medications for pain relief. There isn’t the need to make this legal for pain relief and tempt people to abuse that fact and it get out of hand.
June 18th, 2005 at 4:45 pm
Interesting question… gonna hafta think on that one. I will say that I was hurting really bad the other night and my meds didn’t touch it, but the nice big glass of alcohol sure made the hurting stop
(and No, I wasn’t drunk, not even a buzz)
Stopping by to say Hello, Michele sent me!
June 18th, 2005 at 4:47 pm
I say legalize it and tax it ..I think it would cut way down on alot of the crimes and it would free up some overcrowded jails …
Here via Michele …