If there is an evolving policy pattern across US whereby medical marijuana can now be prescribed for use of patients, why not one in RP – free of any serious legal debate?
Can not the government now relax the law against use of marijuana for purely medical purpose?
Clinical researches are about to prove of the medical value of marijuana use on patients with HIV or AIDS, quite apart from the many other chronic illnesses that this “weed” provide relief to.
Fact is, from an ordinary health care point of view, marijuana is known to stop patients from losing weight, for improving their moods, and for altering need for many pain medications. And marijuana is used to treat patients of cancer or glaucoma, not to mention on patients suffering from paralysis.
Anyone advocates against medical marijuana? – this question one may ask. In other words, are we here to configure a new legislative drug policy in so far as marijuana is concerned?
In any hospital, illnesses are as varied as the medical approaches for their treatment. Thus, more patients with varying forms of illnesses can be treated with a seemingly ‘wonder weed’. There are findings as well as ongoing researches pointing to the treatment of neuropathy patients or those suffering from nerve pain by the use of marijuana without the side effects of prescription narcotic pain killers.
Why not marijuana for medicine? Or why shouldn’t it be a medical option, one way or other? Medical surveys available may yet be unsatisfactory with physicians agreeing to use marijuana, were it be allowed, from 32% to 37% of those surveyed.
Let me ‘transport’ these notes to wit:
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted the following symptoms or conditions under Appendix IV of their November 2002 report titled “Descriptions of Allowable Conditions under State Medical Marijuana Laws”:
1. Alzheimer’s Disease
2. Anorexia
3. AIDS
4. Arthritis
5. Cachexia
6. Cancer
7. Crohn’s Disease
8. Epilepsy
9. Glaucoma
10. HIV
11. Migraine
12. Multiple Sclerosis
13. Nausea
14. Pain
15. Spasticity
16. Wasting Syndrome”
Can we not sort of do a paradigm shift in thinking more of the positive use of marijuana rather than its seeming negative substance abuse? Or these notes on the subject, if again:
In a sharp policy shift, the Obama administration told federal attorneys not to prosecute patients who use marijuana for medical reasons or dispensaries in states where it has been legalized.
A Justice Department official said the formal guidelines were issued Monday in a policy change reflecting President Barack Obama’s views. The Bush administration had said it could enforce the federal law against marijuana and that it trumped state laws.
The decision was praised by activists in California, the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996. But concern remains among some medical and law enforcement authorities about hundreds of clinics thought to be selling pot under the protection of state law and without regard to health.
As a candidate during his presidential bid last year, Obama said he intended to halt raids of medical marijuana facilities operating legally under state laws.
After he took office in January, a Drug Enforcement Administration raid on a medical marijuana dispensary in Lake Tahoe, California, raised questions about whether he would follow that pledge.
A White House spokesman Monday repeated Obama’s view that “federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws.” And Attorney General Eric Holder said he would follow Obama’s position.
Stephen Gutwillig, California head of the Drug Policy Alliance, called the move a good first step.
“There is a fundamental need of patients to access marijuana as medicine right now,” Gutwillig said. “While it’s great to see the Obama administration radically de-escalate the Bush and Clinton administrations’ war on medical marijuana patients, more needs to be done to protect sick people and their caregivers.”
About a dozen states have followed California in adopting medical marijuana laws.
Is it not time enough to start the ‘grand debate’ on medical marijuana? What do our legislators in Congress say or the occupant in Malacanang?
Popularity: 2% [?]
In California, Doctors are getting rich prescribing Medicinal
Marijuanas to Teens. With all kinds of imaginary deseases. All they
want was to get high on Marijuana. I cannot discount the medicinal
value of the plant. It heals. But, it is also addictive. And, it can
get you high, like the Shabu.
I have no good opinion on this issue…ASk PDEA!
Hyden,
Good day.
I just had to point out that comparing marijuana with shabu is unfair. It would be like comparing an apple with feline fecal matter. They are simply not in the same boat.
Another point is that marijuana is NOT physically addictive. Habitually, yes, just as I am addicted to some computer games — I do not have withdrawal symptoms, but I do “miss” playing the game, as it is enjoyable and stress-relieving for me. Coffee is more addictive in that I need to drink a few cups, else I feel physically sluggish.
Just clearing those points up… hope you don’t mind. :)
Cheers!
Pazu
Pot is not addictive. Get your facts straight.
Primer,
Well, Congressman, I can see that you are progressive, and it is good to see. The argument against medical marijuana is that stated by Hyden, that it leads to abuses. The argument for it is, however, compelling; it eases the suffering of those who are hurting; whether real or psychosomatic, it is relief.
To me it leads to a train of thought. Compassionate relief should not be withheld because some will abuse the availability of the drug. How can you consign someone to pain because someone else breads the rules? General rules of morality should not be used to impose specific pain on individuals; otherwise it is not really morality, it is immorality: the immorality of withholding relief from someone who is hurting, when that relief is readily available.
So the only decision (to me) is how best to regulate the availability of marijuana. California deals it through authorized, licensed dispensaries. There are abuses and complaints, and attempts to limit the spread of authorized dispensaries, but the dye is cast. Medical marijuana is and will always be available to those who need it.
For myself, I could never understand the difference between beer and marijuana, and why one hallucinogen was legal, and the other not. Or why priests can drink wine. Seems to be a bit of a convenient twist in morality. It seems to me that, instead of spending millions to fight drugs, one should simply tax the authorized distribution of them, thereby converting a huge expense into huge revenue and using the revenue to raise teachers’ salaries.
If bad people want to do bad things with their own lives, let them. It is an amazing concept called freedom.
Joe
I can’t say more to that Joe, finely thought-out reaction.
You’ll soon have that singular reputation for making only intelligent comments and counter comments in a fashion that does not “kill” (remember, leytenian?) – no pun intended.
So, as soon as RP can open its doors for like policy of allowing medical marijuana for patients, I guess, so much runs for the better than witnessing overzealous agents of PDEA or the Dangerous Drugs Board running after everyone on caprice than judicious implementation of a law gone berserk.
Joe, stories about the ‘immoralities’ of priests are many a dozen. Not just wine, not just drugs even, but women.
Primer,
Great topic. The legal prescription of marijuana is just one of the encouraging trends around the world that perhaps represent an incremental shift away from the failed “war on drugs” paradigm. Mexico, and before it Portugal, has decriminalized possession of small amount of drugs, thereby reducing police corruption (i.e., shakedown of small-time users) and focusing state resources on the pursuit of big-time traffickers and on prevention and treatment.
We should take a serious look at decriminalization but suggest that we first wait for the results of the Mexican experiment. Sila muna, hehe. BTW, the Portuguese experiment, according to some accounts, is a success.
But I’m not very hopeful that we’re going to be more progressive on the drug issue, basing on a news item I read a few months ago regarding DDB head Tito Sotto. Mr. Sotto, of course, is a long-time advocate against drug abuse and must be commended for authoring the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which, among other things, has moved public treatment centers away from the jurisdiction of law-enforcement agencies in a nod toward the current consensus in the medical community that addiction is a disease.
However, Sotto reportedly went against the harm-reduction proposals by some of his counterparts in the developed world during a world conference of sorts several months ago. (I’m sorry but am working from memory now as I have lost the copy of the newspaper, which doesn’t have an online equivalent). Harm reduction in its most practiced form gives away clean needles to heroin users to reduce their risk of contracting HIV through shared needles. What dismayed me was his comparing harm-reduction to offering free foil and other paraphernalia to shabu users. I was not only dismayed because of the obviously wrong application of logic–there’s no risk reduction by giving shabu users clean paraphernalia–but also by his seeming sclerotic thinking in this most important social issue.
I’m hoping though to be proved wrong by Mr. Sotto.
At the end of the day, it’s cheaper to simply decriminalize all drugs treat then like alcohol and cigarettes. You save money from enforcing prohibition, from housing and feeding jailed druggies, and you get rid of the corruption that goes with the lucrative drug trade.
I for one am for medical marijuana, and I agree with those who say that the DEA is itself making the drug abuse problem worse. I also agree that the drug problem is being handled with emotionalism more than rationalism, and it’s causing more harm than good.
The biggest group lobbying against the legalization of weed is… the alcohol and cigarette makers.
Imagine this – a reefer joint gives a buzz that would take 5 12 oz cans of beer to gulp. Cost-wise, it is more effective, has no hangover, you don’t behave obnoxiously (ma-oy in cebuano) – and the worst thing that can happen is you get the munchies and doze off!
You’ll wind up drinking less booze, and just use it as an “amplifier” – after which you’ll be free of your back pain/anxiety/appettite loss – with a toke.
Too bad the history of how Anslinger lied through the 1930s hearings to get marijuana illegal has been suppressed. This kind of history should be taught in general, not just in pharmacy or medical history.
Freedom from the military means legalizing a perceived dangerous drug….
Problem is, legalizing marijuana can only be done when society is in order…ours is chaotic and abusive….marijuana is no big deal.
Primer,
We at the Philippine Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws or PORMAL feel that IT IS high time (no pun intended) that we seriously work towards reclaiming this most useful and diverse of plants that mother nature has bestowed upon us, but the greed of some in power have taken away.
For 5,000 years, since the Chinese first wrote about the medical applications of this herb, only good things came forth from the mouths of all that used it. This included Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, etc. (more than a dozen US Presidents, which proves the “gateway theory” correct — marijuana use IS a gateway to becoming the next US president, as displayed by the last three presidents in a row. LOL) Seriously, there were even points in human history wherein farmers were MANDATED to plant Cannabis. Wars have been fought for control of Cannabis/Hemp.
For those 5,000 years, there have been NO deaths recorded from directly ingesting or smoking Cannabis. Even modern scientists have not determined the LD50 of this herb, as it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to consume enough to kill a human being without choking on the plant material. Compare that with the LD50 of Nicotine at 40–60 mg, Caffeine at 150 to 200 milligrams per kilogram of body mass, and Alcohol at 0.40% BAC. This is where the great disparity arises. The modern day placement of Cannabis under the heading of Schedule I drugs is completely ABSURD and UNACCEPTABLE. This would mean that cannabis is HIGHLY TOXIC and has NO MEDICINAL APPLICATION whatsoever!
Let’s not even get started on the 5,400,000 worldwide deaths from cigarettes each year. Everyone made a fuss over the holocaust, but with proper advertising, big tobacco is quickly and systematically massacring us with a smile and with government support.
Anyhow, for fear of rambling on, I would just like to share this short essay of mine on my dream for Cannabis in our beloved country, and I will be off…
IMAGINE.
Imagine the Philippines as Asia’s Amsterdam, with cafes by the beach that serve the herb tea of the day, or herb candies/cookies, aside from the regular smoke-able type… Now imagine our tourist arrivals boom because of that. Extra income for everyone.
Imagine our farmers given a choice to plant Cannabis. Imagine no pesticides. Imagine their income double, triple, quadruple due to the great strains they grow LEGALLY. No more being jailed for raising a plant that God has given and man has taken away.
Imagine our bright young scientists staying home (not flying the coop for better income) to study the herb and find out all its wonderful uses. Now imagine all the multinational corporations waiting in line to shovel in money for those studies, knowing full well that they can make profits from all of Marijuana’s countless uses — medicinal and industrial.
Imagine the Philippines DONATING (never heard that phrase before…) tons of hempseed to Africa and other starving nations for use as food. That isn’t very hard to imagine, hempseed would be very abundant due to its rate of growth, and would be a great alternative food due to all its nutrients and amino acids.
Imagine the deforested mountainsides being secured against landslides by planting Cannabis whose roots grow straight down, thereby securing the soil against erosion within 4 months. Now imagine all the lives that would have been saved in Ormoc, and countless other landslide affected areas.
Imagine the Philippines becoming the FASHION HEMPIRE of Asia, with the newest fashion from our very talented designers coming out in HEMP material.
Imagine us becoming the Cannabis Furniture Capital of the World, with all our great and world-renowned furniture companies incorporating the material into their designs. Imagine the demand for such furniture worldwide.
All that and many, many more uses and ideas that I’m sure all of you can come up with…
The only thing Cannabis wants in return is for us to clear its wrongfully tarnished name…
Legalize. Educate. Regulate. Medicate. Germinate.
Thank you for your time. We would love to somehow get in touch with you sometime in the near future and discuss our options and plans for pushing forth with this most noble of endeavors.
More power to you as you keep on fighting the good fight!
Sincerely,
Pazu Eteve
http://www.facebook.com/pazu.eteve
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8342577287&ref=mf (PORMAL)
Good day!
I also believe in the benefits that marijuana can give medicinally. I for one would also like to have marijuana centers here our country just like in some states in the US for pain management of terminally ill patients. I was planning to center my topic in research in legalization of medicinal marijuana however my professor did not allow me due to it’s being taboo.
Hello, I am an American born male, married to a lovely pilapina for nearly 25 wonderful years, with many more to come. I lived in the R.P. for four years and would love to return permanently. I have type 2 Diabetes. Diagnosed in 2001. Because of the severity of my disease (HGa1c of 12) I suffer from severe neuropathy (diabetic nerve damage) in my feet face and hands. I get burning and tingling in my extremities, cause spasms at times. I am USN retired and retired from 2 states (NV and OR)dept of Prisons. I had to retire and am on disability currently. My nerve damage is affecting my stomach and causing pains and cramping, other symptoms. I weigh 340 lbs and can’t get up without assistance. This was a year and 3 months ago. An old friend, who was always into natural health and Asian healing, introduced me to Medical marijuana. A hybrid female form of the Cannabis plant. My home state allows for the use for prescribed and licensed marijuana. Sadly, there is some abuse, but In my country ordinary aspirin kill over 10, 000 a year, due to abuse. And you can buy it at any age, anywhere. I will not quote Tobacco, Alcohol or prescription deaths, it horrifies. But to date, Marijuana has never caused anyone’s death, in and of itself. Police cause marijuana deaths. Anyway, I am now 265 lbs and dropping. My blood sugars are nearly perfect (HGa1c is 7.1). My wife and I walk regularly 2 miles 4-5 times a week. I do all my own lawn work. I’m 57 and really want to move to the Philippines when my wife retires. I regularly smoke Medical marijuana. I’m not crazy or drunk. I am Well (or getting there) My kidneys and liver are in great shape. They would NOT be, if I used standard Pain medications. That is WHY I chose Marijuana. I made the choice after many research hours.
Until the Philippines becomes a little more mature in its treatment of the suffering and ill, I will not be ABLE to relocate. We would be an asset to any area we settle. Unfortunately, it won’t be in the R.P.
I too hope for Marijuana to be legal or at least decriminalized. Primer, I like your dream, but the PI is just too conservative, and brainwashed. If marijuana was to be legal it would take a lot of education and possibly a few decades.
I think the best we can do for now is advocate the Industrial use of Hemp (not cannabis). Hemp does not have enough THC to get you high from a regular joint. Hemp has over 25,000 industrial uses.
I think the Filipino people would be more accepting of Hemp, if they were educated. Trying to push cannabis is really is too much of a leap for Filipinos – too much stigma.