Should Marijuana be legal for Medical use?

[Frost]

I was perusing Comcast.com this morning and saw an article on insurance for medical marijuana growers.
Part of the insurance was to cover mistakes made by "the good guys".
I have a friend who is going through chemo and radiation treatment and is suffering from it.
Many people swear it really helps them tolerate the severe pain and nausea.
Living in SC he will not even have the option of trying it.

After giving it some thought I am of the opinion if it helps these people they should be allowed to have it.
I am not saying it should be legal across the board but if I was going through chemo I would want anything that helps.
Chemo and Radiation patients get some pretty serious pain meds and I would bet some of them wind up with raging addictions after the treatment is over.

 

[thebrasilian]

California is doing a great job of regulating it.

Assume lots of sarcasm.

 

[Dave29461]

Having worked in hospitals and with people in severe pain with no relief from standard meds, I'm for using anything that will work effectively. In Europe they use heroin for terminal patients simplly because it is the best pain control med bar none. It, like so many other things that are good, is abused and therefore demonized. I am not an advocate of recreational use of Marijuana because of the permanent physical changes it makes in the in the neurotransmitter receptor sites in the brain. ALL alkaloids (heroin, cocaine, marijuana,caffeine, nicotine) can do this with abuse. The only difference is the degree to which it changes them over time and the social acceptability. Just a thought.
Dave

 

[HHB Guns]

My best friend just posted an article on facebook like two days ago where the "Vetrans Affairs" was going to start using it in states where it is legal for use. I thought it was sorta funny to say the least.

 

[Avtomat-Acolyte]

Cocaine is legal for medical use. So is morphine and methadone.

Marijuana is only illegal because of puritanical tyrany. Marijuana should be treated the same as nicotine and alcohol.

 

[Enjay]

Methamphetamine is also used medicinally.

 

[Pops]

this topic has come up wher eI work recently. mostly because the local talk radio is talking about it.
The general consencious is that the alcohol industry is blocking it's being made legal.
They are the only ones who will loose in the deal.
Lots of people would divert their alcohol butget over to a pot butget,.
Those little smokey treats would be everywhere.
I think more kids would smoke pot if it was legal.
I know more adults would smoke if it was legal and available.
I agree with Avtomat-Acolyte they should treat it the same as any alcohol product, tax it, monitor it for quality and only sell it in liqour stores.

Pops

 

[Midnight Raver]

Marijuana was able to be grown legally during WWII. Hemp was necessary to make rope for naval vessels and such. The government distributed licenses to grow it in the south and near midwest. it was then harvested and sent to Massachusets and such where it was processed into mooring lines and rope. Look for the documentary short from 1942 called "Hemp for Victory".

The leaves and buds were not used, of course.

 

[Dave29461]

Marijuana was able to be grown legally during WWII. Hemp was necessary to make rope for naval vessels and such. The government distributed licenses to grow it in the south and near midwest. it was then harvested and sent to Massachusets and such where it was processed into mooring lines and rope. Look for the documentary short from 1942 called "Hemp for Victory".

The leaves and buds were not used, of course.

Hence the old saying, "You smell like you've been smoking rope."

 

[Underdude]

First, I'm from CA....
Yes it should be legal, but regulated. I personally don't smoke and haven't for almost 18 years. This state regulates it pretty well, but the feds still raid growers.
On the other side.....
Laugh if you want, but it is a "gateway" drug for most kids. And you certainly shouldn't. Drive while intoxicated by it.
Here's a story about it from 1992.....
I worked for a mattress retailer back then and we were discussing "marijuana".
A woman of about 60 overheard us and chimed in....
"Nobody should smoke that stuff, too dangerous. When I was younger we smoked grass. Why don't people just stick with that?"
There's an eye opener for you. We were unable to convince her they were the same thing. The news didn't refer to it as "grass" or "weed".
I know of cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, and Chrones patients that really benefit from it.
Look at the problems brought on from alcohol. You can't compare the two. Alcohol causes more problems than most other drugs combined. Tell me I'm wrong.

 

[Dave29461]

First, I'm from CA....

Look at the problems brought on from alcohol. You can't compare the two. Alcohol causes more problems than most other drugs combined. Tell me I'm wrong.

I think you would have the same kind and equal number of problems with Grass or any of the other drugs used for recreation, if the same percentage of people used it the way we use tobacco. For the record I did inhale in college but found Scotch to be my Vice of choice. I smoked for 15 years then spent another 15 trying to Quit. You are correct, there ain't no harmless vices. We can learn to abuse most anything. Speaking of which, where is the Scotch? and cookies? and and and and.

 

[Shrapnel762]

It's a natural plant. It's foolish to make it illegal. We know big brother's agenda. They can't make any money or have control if I grow my own medicine, or had a better alternative than alcohol.

 

[Dirk Pitt]

While I honestly don't much care what happens with drugs as I wouldn't use them anyway, I don't think the government has any right at all to tell me what I can and can't put in MY body!