Dan- she could be a 28 year old Grandmother....just saying....
Brocker- your point about alcohol might very well be true. I just thought I'd mention one man's observations.
LMR- some drank and some didn't, but all smoke pot. Most said weed no longer helped, so they tried other things. Again it isn't scientific, just an observation.
Factory Rat: Sounds like the advertisements on TV for Male Enhancement Drugs, anti-Depressants Drugs, Migrane Medications and COPD mitigates…When you listen to the side effects of some of these regularly prescribed medications, you wonder why anyone would take them; but take them, they do!
Side effects include:
changes in vision, or sudden vision loss:
ringing in your ears, or sudden hearing loss:
chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, nausea, sweating, general ill feeling:
irregular heartbeat:
shortness of breath, swelling in your hands or feet:
seizure (convulsions):
feeling light headed, fainting:
less serious side effects may include:
redness in your face,neck,or chest:
cold symptoms, such as, stuffy nose, sneezing, or sore throat:
headache:memory problems:
diarrhea, upset stomach:
muscle pain, back pain.
Thats a pretty big risk for some old timer to take to continue working in the"wood shed".
RASCALS I read that article a while ago it's a good article. that gets you thinking that people should try harder to be nice to others since you never know what is happening in there life.
Aw, grandma, you're so brave and so strong.
I guess I'm just scared of sloppy logic--or of becoming a patsy for the cultural left. What an inspiration to see you charging on regardless!
Tobacco is just a plant too. But I guess the big, mean tobacco companies use that, so it really is bad. And bullets are just pieces of metal. But it's those awful Second Amendment people who make them bad. And, well, I guess CO2 really is bad too since we're always exhaling it. But marijuana is such a pure and special plant, and we're hearing so much about it these days ONLY BECAUSE those good and great scientists are just starting to tap into its wonderworking potential. There's no way wider and wider use of it could EVER be--or ever has been--bad.
I feel better now, grandma. Tell me another fairy tale.
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6506936
This is a story I found interesting, it gives an entirely different reason for what causes addictions.
Something we should consider perhaps....
Grandmother, I was parroting the language used back in the day when Harry Anslinger was fighting for the right to lock you up for partying. That terminology was exactly what the marketing campaign for drug laws was all about. To accuse me of racism for citing the racist language used (sometimes sotto voce even today) by proponents of harsh penalties for mild drug use is to totally miss the point. Grandmother you may be, but you perhaps could use a few more history lessons.
dc.gths thanks for your work.I find that interesting being I don't know anyone who did not ether smoke cigarets first or drink stuff first.
Brocker I would think it would be other way around. Least when I was a teen all you had to do was find someone to buy you a drink or just steal for one of your friends fridge/liqueur cabinet. I started drinking semi regular in 7th grade did not even think of smoking weed till I was in 10th grade and I primary used it when I was in HS to help me with my ADD. Since I did not like how Adderall made me feel. It took me a while to find a way to meditate myself to calm my mind down enough to study. As for gateway drugs I personally never thought to try heroine , pcp or meth. I did try Coke a few times in my late teens early twenty's but never liked how it made me feel.
Brocker, I agree. dc.gths, in your experience, what part does alcohol play in what you've seen?
As a side note, I don't think there's a single person commenting in here that would have anything supportive to say about the powdered alcohol product that has just been approved for sale.
dc.gths- It sounds as if you have a lot of experience in this field. Thank you for helping our young people. I do have a question, could it be that they didn't mention alcohol because it was harder to get than pot?
grandma - I have been really loving your posts - always thoughtful and well written.
I took Dan's comment as a bit ill advised, but not necessarily racist. As horrible as it sounds today, it was used as a politically correct term during the pot-phobic era of our history.
Dan Storm, sorry can't let your "...drug crazed Negroes menacing society..." sentence go by without a mention. It's racist and you know it. Giving your opinions about anything stopped for me, at that word.
Capejt- over the years I've worked with many young adults and teens addicted to heroine. 75% of them say that pot no longer did it for them, so they tried heroine. 25% blamed other things such as hanging with the wrong crowd, college life and being an experimentor. However, not one time did any of these addicts mention alcohol. This isn't a scientific study, but observations from the field.
No compound, that can make a buck, with few lawsuit-ready side effects, escapes the eye of the pharmaceutical world. It doesn't have to be a patentable compound to make money. The companies that crank out the generic drugs would be HAPPY to turn a dollar on it. They've done it with the poppy, why not cannabis?
There will always be unscrupulous people in the healthcare business but my bet is that pain clinics and doctors that deal with chronic pain would LOVE to have something they could prescribe that would do the job, and they could stay out of the opiates. For the patients to be able to obtain the compound and know what they are getting every time would be a benefit to them, also.
There's no conspiracy afoot to keep this "wonder drug" out of the hands of suffering people. To the untrained eye, the goal is to find the safest compounds that provide the efficacy to allow a patient to function as they did before whatever disease or condition beset them. To render someone intoxicated in order to achieve some positive effect on a disease is the LAST resort. If they could take THC and remove the euphoric component and still stop seizures we'd be back to the "grow your own" argument even if a month's supply cost $15 from a real PHARMACY.
If you want to get high with THC, get it legalized. If you can't get it legalized then it is your choice to break the law or not. Hey, maybe we should treat depression with MDMA?
now there's a cautionary tale, ras.... that song could have been half that length and maybe have been a hit if the guy hadn't gotten high! refer madness!
the beatles had a song they never officially released called mary jane - similar wasted effort ;D
wmchsbro1630
Posted a day ago
My step forward comment was in reference that this hearing and debate is a step forward for these kids to get something that will help them.
As for my stance on legalizing it for everyone yes I'm in favor of it. I've personally not used any drugs beside over the counter and a few drinks for a number of years now. But If I wanted to smoke some herb It would probably one call to get some. Why not tax and regulate something that is being used by a large part of the people of this state already.
The previous post is a YouTube video of afroman's song because I got high.
Couple of things: Research on medical uses for marijuana was stifled for years by government justifying political oppression using images of drug-crazed Negroes menacing society. Keeps the prisons (now often contracted to for-profit companies) filled and guards employed, while creating a perceived need for more aggressive policing. Fines and seizures swell municipal coffers, everybody who matters wins. Meanwhile, death, disease, destruction from legal alcohol and prescribed pills skyrockets, largely winked at, while brewers, distillers, pharmaceutical firms, and doctors profit. Now that pot is semi-legal, drug/alcohol companies are trying to find a way in on the Kona gold rush.
There are entire websites showing intimate details of doctor's prescribing habits are routinely influenced by relatively little money from the drug makers--a consultancy here, a golf vaction there, even a swag bag of nifty pens and Rx pads can increase the number of prescriptions for a favored brand. Add to that the fact that MDs receive relatively little training in pharmacy, and their authority in this matter weakens.
R, "long term effects," really? Have you seen the list of side effects of the biggest drugs? Liver, kidney, bowel, blood, brain, heart--just a few of the systems that can get royally screwed by drugs supposedly tested and given the FDA imprimatur. And lack of controllable dosages and formulations seems less problem for pot than for the quackery found on the shelves in naturopathic and homeopathic pharmacopoeias. Our own state AG is joining the investigation of those remedies, many of which nave no governance of their ingredient list or potencies and no obligation to prove efficacy. At least now some actual real-world study can show the risk-benefit and dosing regimens for pot.
Will you all just take a big toke and then hold it, hold it, hold it! OK now exhale..... Relax, have a snack and listen to some music.
Its going to happen.
W-1630: What frightens you so much? What is penicillin made of -really? What is lidocaine made of -really? What is anesthesia made of - really? You're main concern is marijuana on your pizza?
We have so many serious, debilitating illnesses that require ingenuity, vision, bravery and skill to apply research & development. We need scientists - not scardy cats.
For those who say it can't be done -fine. Get out of the way.
There are many who will do the research and aren't afraid.
Puppies, kittens, and kids. Each and every one a sure sell. Short-circuit reason. Go for the heart, for lots of tears, for the fairytale ending. Bit by bit, "incrementally," the cultural left liberates us from the grim, groundless prejudices of the past ("'gateway drug'--ha, ha, ha--is that what they told you?"). Today "medical" marijuana. Tomorrow, pot shops like pizza places on every corner.
I agree with Scatter & a wordor2. As a society, we really do have to grow up. Let the 1960's & all the sterotypes go. ("gateway" - oh, please!). It just doesn't matter. What DOES matter is whether this plant, handled by people who can make it into a medicinal drug that can help people with all kinds of serious conditions is of vital importance.
Aren't we smarter than making laws that restrict creating medications that help people? God, I hope so.
For those who keep mislabeling Marijuana as "Gateway" drug, consider this....
A teenager is told about the dangers of alcohol. Throughout school and at home he is told about the effects on your health, and your likelihood to accidentally kill or injure others. OH the Evil alcohol! So the kid tries it (maybe under peer pressure) He gets drunk and the worst that happens is a headache the next day. No one died, or got hurt. What happened to all those dreaded side effects he was told about for so long?
So now that the warnings about alcohol have been disproved in his mind he tries smoking cigarettes.
Before long he's addicted to cigarettes, and alcohol.
Did alcohol directly lead to his smoking addiction? NO! It was misinformation from those he trusted to tell the truth about such matters. Cigarettes and Alcohol have been PROVEN to be addictive. You cannot say that about marijuana. This "Reefer Madness" mentality has got to stop.
Alcohol prohibition was ended a long time ago, yet it kills and injures many more than Marijuana ever did. The biggest difference is, the government can't tax the marijuana (except in a few states). Have you seen how much those taxes added to the coffers of Colorado? You Connecticut Yankees who are always whining about paying your taxes should take notice of facts like that. The only thing worse than criticizing something they have never tried, and only listened to bad rumors about is criticizing marijuana use while sucking down a brew or glass of scotch. Marijuana has been
Remember, "safe" drugs like Oxycontin and Vicodin are prescribed everyday, THESE are true "gateway" drugs. This is why there has been a spike of Heroin usage in this country. Wake up, get the REAL facts, and smell the coffee. Not everyone using pot is trying to get high!!
R: I am watching the game and it is more interesting than arguing with someone who is never wrong but…I had Thyroid Cancer at 12; a direct result of a legally obtained drug that was regularly administered to higher risk pregnant women like my mother in the 1950's; my cousin, neighbors and friends came home from Vietnam (the actual country not the era) with severe addictions that were a direct result of the Morphine that was administered legally and under MD control for those who were unlucky enough to be shot down or injured in "college of southeast asia"…again, the analysis of long term affects and administration by MD is bull(*(* in my humble opinion; but as we say, it must be great to always be right!
It is too bad alcohol does not get the same scrutiny that cannabis does...Lets look at the studies and money spent to find out people people die of alcohol every day....I will never be such a hipocrit to tell someone not to smoke a joint while I sip my Kentucky Bourbon.... And if a parent and their doctor thinks it will help, so be it..Not for me to decide...A big problem with this country is everyone thinks they need to tell everyone else how to live..
R- That's the point. It does work for some people. If it doesn't work for another person they will try something else. Same as any drug. Next time you watch TV take note of all the ads the pharmaceutical companies air. Then try and listen to the warnings at the end. I had to take care of someone a few years ago that had cancer. After they got out of the hospital it cost me well over $500 just in copays. That was with good insurance. After a few months of no appetite and getting worn down from that, I got some marijuana. I got a call at work after they finally tried it,and asked me to bring takeout home. Guess that's what they call the munchies? It worked better than all of the other legal drugs. Why should I have been arrested for bringing something natural home instead of what the pharmaceutical companies tell us too?
Anniegurl- actually that is not the "primary reason" they oppose.
They oppose "due to the long term health risks", the lack of controllable standards or dosages, and the fact that there have not been any long term studies done.
The AMA has little to gain to side with drug companies, in fact they frequently testify against them in court cases.
The fact that a relatively few folks have anecdotal results does not mean it is safe, that it is effective or that one can predict the dosage that they are receiving.
In other words, just because you believe it works for you, does not mean that it will for others....
My late son was paralyzed and had uncontrollable leg spasms. He told me that marijuana helped control them, but I didn't believe it at the time. I later read up on it and found it was probably true. I can see where it might be possible that medical marijuana could help treat epilepsy. I think it's a terrible shame that Cyndimae and her mother have to live in Maine apart from the rest of the family so that the child has access to the drug. I do hope the state sees fit to legalize medical marijuana for minors.
Anniegurl...
you are right, it is in the best interest of doctors to side with the drug companies they know where their bread is buttered...Anyone who doesn't think so is lucky enough to have not gone to a doctor in a while...tell a doctor your back hurts and watch the pen come out.. They are the pushers of today ... Opiate abuse is the killer of the day and talk about a gateway drug...from pills to heroin....
R: MD's get kickbacks from the drug companies when they regularly prescribe their drugs; when patients grow their own medicines, it interferes with the revenue stream. That is the primary reason why the AMA is opposed.
Hi ya G , if you smoke stinky and you are growing your own , I am happy for you , if you buy it in the streets , that is different , according to my cuz screwy louie that chit is laced with cow excrement among others , so enjoy and when you smoke stinky make sure that your windows are shut tight , the folks are around your hood don't care about stinky , I have seen what stinky does to mind of young people it robs of their dreams , how criminal is that?
Funny that the AMA does not support the legalization of Pot in any format...I guess all those doctors and experts have not been enlightened ......
In a round table discussion Rich?
Aloe is good for burns too, you know, the accidental seed....
Rich: Congratulations on your internet gold.
This will be taken up by a joint session at the State House.
You're right, HipsterG. I see some Libertarian leanings in my stand, too. I don't know if I like that, either.
With all of the chaos, drama, and BS going on, I just want the laws we have, to be enforced. If we are not going to enforce them, then strike them from the books. The forum for these decisions should not be the media because the media is, anymore, just 24/7 dramatic entertainment.
Historically, I think I have ridden to the "right" of center but not afraid to stand with the left if I agree. However, as these articles are crafted, like this one, if I ask for the laws to be followed, I am making these young folks suffer. If I want my 2nd amendment rights back then I support murder. If I don't think the public school system should be allowing something like the "Die-In", then I am a racist.
Brings me back to following the laws. If we were commenting under FOX news, I'd probably show up as way over to the left. There are only two things good about the DAY, their crossword puzzle and the variety of commenters, like yourself, that present different views to sometimes absurdly written stories. GRIN
I don't know a parent that would not go to the moon for their child!! I would do the same thing. I blindly had to fill my child with chemo with life long bad effects. I have a legal card and have not used it out of fear of simple minded folks. No more! Monday I make that appointment at the dispensary. Pain is a life altering destructive force.
longtime - you're right - that was a little over-dramatic. I don't mean to use such broad strokes. There are nuances and surely abuses to the MM approach to 'allowing' use.
But I think I've seen a libertarian bent in some of your posts? If someone wants to try a sweat lodge and some peyote, why should we as a society try to prevent them? Why shouldn't a person be able to grow and use marijuana in the same way we grow and use aloe? Seems to me, it's none of anyone's business how or why I use my aloe.
HipsterG, I am surprised at your categorization of those that oppose the bill as "heartless" or "ignorant". These articles are written in such a manner so that you are either a "heartless monster" or agree with giving marijuana to children as a "medicine". The DAY does that all of the time.
I know you didn't just fall off the turnip wagon and you also have to know of the abuses of the "medical marijuana" system. All I see are people that just want to legalize THC and get high. These sad stories give the kind of slant to the topic, like the one you've taken. There is hypocrisy there, too.
I don't drink or smoke dope but I tell ya what, we'll head out to the southwest and find a sweat lodge, do some peyote, and when we come out, we'll know what to do. Just like in the movies!
I also believe that if Pfizer was allowed to patent pot we would have had medical marijuana decades ago. Since they can't though they'll continue to lobby to keep marijuana illegal since they would much rather us keep buying their more dangerous and expensive products.
I agree with Brocker 100%.
If this were some new plant discovered it would be called a miracle but unfortunately marijuana carries decades of negative stereotyping and brainwashing.
Hipster- no the law is in front of us and lawlessness abounds...
I think we should ban aloe. It's gooey.
Thanks for sharing your story localmom. And Ras, no one needs to hit localmom up for her weed. It is relatively cheap (compared to R's alchohol), easy to find, and has minimal legal penalties for small amounts of possession even without a medical lisence.
The critics of this bill sound (to me) either heartless or ignorant. The proof is in front of us and hypocricy abounds.
This article is more or less a follow-on heart-strings tugger from one published earlier in Feb. This article does not mention any particular doctor like the previous article did. In the earlier article, Miss Meehan's "doctor" was an "osteopathic" doctor. I think that this is a 5 year program in AZ cranking out some kind of "doctor". Some of his experience highlights are:
"Have Studied With a Lakota Medicine Chief,
a Lubavitcher Rabbi,
Several Excellent Allopathic and Osteopathic Physicians,
Many Teachers Of Yoga, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, Meditation, Reiki, and Other Forms Of Hands-On Energy Healing."
Can I get a "chant"?
I hear what everyone is saying and I am glad that people have found relief in this illegal drug. I bet a little crystal meth would take the edge off of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, too. This is all just a "work around" to legalize marijuana. Just do it. "Medical marijuana", Undocumented Immigrants"? Just call things what they are and get on with it. How would one get a state-wide referendum going?
Although the Judeo-Christian angel on one shoulder eventually won the battle with the devil on the other, my first reaction on reading some of these postings was to wish that you could walk for one week in the shoes of these patients in their families and watch your child/grandchild endure what these children endure. So what if it is a "Gateway Drug" and maybe there will be dependencies down the road…how is that different from most of the anti-seizure, anti-pyschotic and pain medicines that are described to these child patients now in a futile attempt to control the diseases?? Just because a medication is approved by the FDA and prescribed by a doctor does not make it safe and without side effects, some of them extreme and some which follow to the next generation. I had thyroid cancer at 12, a direct result of a regally prescribed medicine my mother took during her higher risk pregnancy. If MM is a viable alternative with fewer side effects, so mote it be.
Localmom, do you share with your friends that are not prescribed? You don't need to answer but, this is also a concern we need to consider.
LTMR- you're right!
If Pot was the "miracle drug" that all these proponents seem to believe it is- why has it not caught on as the cure all globally?
It is evidently better than snake oil- it cures pain, asthma, epilepsy, Parkinsons, cataracts, cancer.... amazing that doctors throughout the ages haven't prescribed it....how did they miss it?
The only thing missing at these hearings are the tinfoil hats....
I am a medical marijuana patient. After suffering for four years with a auto-immune disease and nerve pain it is the only thing that has given me any relief. I have tried many prescriptions drugs that failed and made me feel sicker and the side effects were terrible. People need to get there heads out of the sand and realize that MM works for many people, young and old. Please support Medical Marijuana use, it has changed my life for the better.
If this plant is the cure for what ails ya, then why THC hasn't it made it onto a formulary somewhere like cocaine and opiates? We come up with these bogus "dispensaries" with "patients". I listen to people try to figure out if they has the right malady to get their medical marijuana. Is it a medical miracle or a recreational drug? Check in with Colorado.
I am glad something helps these people with seizures. Maybe the FDA would fast track it and put some quality control on it. If a state or the country wants to legalize it then do it. I just get tired of the stoners and lost children of the 60's trying to BS it into legality.
R could be onto something here, soak marijuana in scotch then put in special vaporizer..... Then go watch movie with Tom.
In fact, years ago some parents actually did rub whiskey on their child's gums to relieve pain from teething. I wouldn't recommend it because alcohol really is a gateway drug. A couple of the comments here had me checking my Flikster app to see if "Reefer Madness" was playing locally.
I think we should also allow kids to drink scotch...it works really well in fighting upper respiratory infections.
concerned grandmother writes, "We keep hanging onto to some dillusional [sic] fear [of] a plant. A plant!"
How about fear of a delusional plant? And of all of the substances to which it acts as a "gateway"?
Besides, isn't tobacco also just "a plant"? Aren't bullets just pieces of metal? Aren't racial epithets just words? "When will we grow up?"
SomeDevil27 writes, "This is a great step forward."
"Forward" toward what? An unrestricted recreational pharmacopoeia? Marijuana as an avatar of personal liberty (à la Colorado)?
I 100% agree in legalizing marijuana for medical use. I praise this young mother for putting a face to the issue by way of her son. We keep hanging onto to some dillusional fear a plant. A plant! All medicines come from somewhere. When will we grow up?
NO , I think R is going to call you A pot head ,
If someone found a new plant in the rain forests that could do the same thing, it would be considered a major breakthrough.
I expect to see R in here soon calling this kid a pothead.
I agree, Tom. We allow our kids to be over-prescribed Ritalin and other drugs but balk at this.
This is a great step forward. I hope it passes medical marijuana is safer for kids then the vast majority of legal drugs these kids are prescribed.
We allow doctors to prescribe anything pharmaceutical companies to manufacture but get all moralistic over a relatively mild natural substance that actually may do some good for those with certain maladies. Makes no sense to me.
our society is out of control
Read the story appearing in today's _Day_ "Former Fitch baseball star shares cautionary tale of what drugs did to him" (http://www.theday.com/local/20150316/former-fitch-baseball-star-shares-cautionary-tale-of-what-drugs-did-to-him):
"He started using marijuana, then began selling to support his habit. He ended up being around other drugs, and one day he took Percocet, a brand name for oxycodone, a prescription pain reliever.
"It made him sick, but he tried it again and liked it. After that he didn't stop taking it for even one day, he said, and lost three years of his life."
It all started WITH MARIJUANA, a "gateway" drug.