Medical Marijuana, good idea or bad? Options

[illumineering]

The supreme court has just ruled medical marijuana is illegal. Many states that have medical marijuana programs are now reviewing them to determine their legality. It's possible that someone in the medical profession who distributes medical marijuana could be prosecuted and sent to prison.

Is this fair for the people in chronic pain? If I'm dying from cancer, I could go to prison for smoking legal weed. Having had cancer myself, I think it's a raw deal for people who are really sick.

http://www.medicalmarijuanaprocon.org/pop/conflicts.htm

Any thoughts, comments?

[illumineering]

sadolakced acid Posted Jul 12 2005, 1:23 PM

alternates to medicinal marijuana... like... Morphine? OxyContin?

Morphine (INN), the principal active agent in opium, is a powerful opioid analgesic drug. According to recent research, it may also be produced naturally by the human brain.[1] Like other opiates, morphine acts directly on the central nervous system (CNS) to relieve pain, and at synapses of the arcuate nucleus, in particular. Side effects include impairment of mental performance, euphoria, drowsiness, lethargy, and blurred vision. It also decreases hunger, inhibits the cough reflex, and produces constipation. Morphine is usually highly addictive, and tolerance and physical and psychological dependence develop quickly. Patients on morphine often report insomnia and nightmares.

-from Wikipedia

OxyContin® is the brand name for the time-release formula of oxycodone, a narcotic analgesic for moderate to severe pain. It is used to treat terminally ill cancer patients and chronic pain sufferers as well as relieving postpartum, postoperative and dental pain. OxyContin® comes in liquid and tablet forms taken every 6 hours. Long-acting tablets are available to take every 12 hours. Oxycodone is an opium derivative and is the active ingredient in Percodan® and Percocet®. Oxycodone binds to the pain receptors in the brain so that the sensation of pain is reduced. Since oxycodone can be habit forming, care must be taken to follow the doctor's instructions when taking OxyContin®. Do not take a larger dose, or take it more frequently, or take it for longer than the doctor has prescribed. Since its FDA approval in 1995, the illegal use of OxyContin® as increased significantly, and the recent OxyContin-related deaths have attracted media attention, thereby illuminating the problem.

-from Waismann Method

Isn't marijuana too addictive to be used as a medicine?
"Some controlled substances that are approved medications produce dependence after long-term use; this, however, is a normal part of patient management and does not generally present undue risk to the patient." [p. 98]

"Animal research has shown that the potential for cannabinoid dependence exists, and cannabinoid withdrawal symptoms can be observed. However, both appear to be mild compared to dependence and withdrawal seen with other drugs." [p. 35]

"A distinctive marijuana and THC withdrawal syndrome has been identified, but it is mild and subtle compared with the profound physical syndrome of alcohol or heroin withdrawal." [Pp. 89, 90]

[p. 95]
Drug Category Proportion Of Users That Ever Became Dependent (%)
Alcohol 15
Marijuana (including hashish) 9



"Compared to most other drugs ... dependence among marijuana users is relatively rare." [p. 94]

"Few marijuana users become dependent. ... Dependence appears to be less severe among people who use only marijuana than among those who abuse cocaine or those who abuse marijuana with other drugs (including alcohol)." [Pp. 96, 97]

"In summary, although few marijuana users develop dependence, some do. But they appear to be less likely to do so than users of other drugs (including alcohol and nicotine), and marijuana dependence appears to be less severe than dependence on other drugs." [p. 98]

-from The National Academy of Sciences


Given the stated addictive nature of each of these drugs, how are they an alternative to Marijuana?

and this guy was like... i haven't been smoking pot. and the policeman was like... you know what maeks me not believe you? and he reaches behind the mans ear and pull out the joint that was there.

Your post obviously does not reflect the actions of a person using medical/medicinal marijuana as I suggested at the start of the thread. Montel Williams suffers from MS and uses medical marijuana. His actions are nothing like the reality tv example you quoted.