Court Rules Against Pot for Sick People

[DocDiggs]

Originally Posted by Shooterman

On a personal note, I believe the war against marijuana is grossly unjust, and has had such far reaching ramifications on society as to boggle the mind. I know few conservatives feel this way, but that makes it no less true.

Of course, it can be argued that as it is just my opinion, it is not necessarily true, either.

Gotta agree, Shooterman! While the SC may be...MAY be...technically correct, I just truly believe it is way off base on this. The only possibly positive thing about it is that Congress has had the pathway opened clearly for passing a law legalizing the medical use of Marie Juwana at the fed level. Perhaps the way to go with this is to write, e-mail, phone, or knock on our local Reps/Senator's home offices and do a sell job on them.

It is very well know that MJ has marvelous effect on both severe and chronic, ongoing pain. The other alternative is the prescribing of narcotic pain relievers. It's absurd to permit the use of those, but not MJ for the exact same purpose. I don't know why non-pain individuals would bother going to an MD for MJ 'scrips when the stuff is available most anywhere and everywhere.

[DocDiggs]

Originally Posted by Snowden

I think anything that can help alleviate pain should be legal, Katie. This is not only an outrageous ruling in my opinion, but shows the absolute lack of caring the current SC holds for the people of this country.

Kinda makes me wonder who's paying off whom. I do think use of marijuana as a 'recreation' drug should be illegal; medically applied I think it - and heroin - should be allowed at the doctors' discretion. I mention heroin because it has long been legal in Britain without spreading addiction to it. It works when used to alleviate suffering; if the patient is terminal he or she should have all possible assistance to make their death as peaceful and dignified as possible.

My sense of the SC's ruling is for the reason I posted a few minutes ago, so it has to right there somewhere. Actually, this is hardly a new problem as the fedgov has had laws for a long time on illegal drugs...that's why they are illegal. MJ has always been equated with all the truly hard drugs for some totally dumb reason. For the most part, it is because of ignorance of what MJ's desireable qualities are and a vast and illogical belief that the recreational use of the stuff leads to hard drugs. While it may in fact do that in some
%age of cases, there is no real indication that this is true in non-addictive personalities.

I don't think the heroin is such a great idea. The refined derivatives of heroin have been on the legal 'scrip market for decades and the raw stuff is far too hazardous. It as with crack is terribly potentially addictive even for the essentially non-addictive personality types who make the error of trying it. Much different that MJ.

[DocDiggs]

Originally Posted by Woodmonkey

I agree with all you said here.

I had a good friend who was a nurse and she said that cocaine was a great pain reliever, but that street use/abuse caused that to be removed from use for people in pain.

I heard about that heroin 'cocktail' used in the UK for terminally ill people. Why would doctors care about addiction in someone who is dying, if those drugs alleviate the pain and make their last days good ones?

One good thing that Oregon's Assisted Suicide Law has done here is that it has made doctor's aware of pain and true pain relief. I believe that they were also taken off the hook for liability for prescribing some of these narcotics for pain relief. That's another thing that has to be done...remove the fear of liability and lawsuits from doctors so that they are not afraid to prescribe enough pain medication to do the job.

As for the SC, if I read that correctly, all they did was interprete that law and they were limited by the federal law. Congress has to now correct their law so that medical pot laws in the states are not in conflict with federal law.

Right!

[JohnRN]

Ok, I gotta ask the question:

Why should Marijuana as a recreational drug be illegal?

I'm not even debating why any one drug should be illegal....

Let's just talk (as Doc puts it) Marie Juana...

[Shooterman]

Originally Posted by DocDiggs

Gotta agree, Shooterman! While the SC may be...MAY be...technically correct, I just truly believe it is way off base on this. The only possibly positive thing about it is that Congress has had the pathway opened clearly for passing a law legalizing the medical use of Marie Juwana at the fed level. Perhaps the way to go with this is to write, e-mail, phone, or knock on our local Reps/Senator's home offices and do a sell job on them.

It is very well know that MJ has marvelous effect on both severe and chronic, ongoing pain. The other alternative is the prescribing of narcotic pain relievers. It's absurd to permit the use of those, but not MJ for the exact same purpose. I don't know why non-pain individuals would bother going to an MD for MJ 'scrips when the stuff is available most anywhere and everywhere.

Personally, I believe MJ is no more addictive than what an individual is willing to let it be. Alcohol is far more destructive, in my opinion, and yet we, as a society, saw the harm of prohibiting such in the 20s and 30s. I think of all the needless lives that have been struck down and ruined by laws, designed to control people, and little else. Then for the SCOTUS to shovel another spadeful of dirt on 'states rights', is unconsciencable, in my opinion,

[Snowden]

Originally Posted by Shooterman

Personally, I believe MJ is no more addictive than what an individual is willing to let it be. Alcohol is far more destructive, in my opinion, and yet we, as a society, saw the harm of prohibiting such in the 20s and 30s. I think of all the needless lives that have been struck down and ruined by laws, designed to control people, and little else. Then for the SCOTUS to shovel another spadeful of dirt on 'states rights', is unconsciencable, in my opinion,

Well, like you, Shooterman, I'm a big believer in "states' rights," Shooterman. I think the Federal Government has far too much power - and all it does is grow.

As to marijuana, well I believe it makes a person more apt to go on to hard drugs, which I also believe is true of Ritilin, if only because they are used to taking drugs. Of course, one could make the argument that aspirin could have that same effect. However, I think there is something drugs do that aspirin does not - a buzz? A sense of well-being that wasn't there before? I don't know; but I do know that taking anything can cause one to try something just a bit stronger. It's our nature.

Ritilin - and I do wonder about this - contains Speed, or an ingredient that is the same or part of it. Some people may take it and stop when the doctor said it's sufficient. Others - many that I know of - go on to hard drugs.

By DocDiggs: I don't think the heroin is such a great idea. The refined derivatives of heroin have been on the legal 'scrip market for decades and the raw stuff is far too hazardous. It as with crack is terribly potentially addictive even for the essentially non-addictive personality types who make the error of trying it. Much different that MJ.

I agree; with patients who are going on to live; what I am speaking about is terminally ill patients only. Hospice is for them; and whether or not they become addicted to heroin, they have only a few weeks or months to live - where is the harm?

[JohnRN]

Anything that relieves patient d/c is my primary concern. That they may become addicted or not is secondary. I'll cross that bridge when (and IF) I get to it...

I'm there to relieve symptoms and by all of humanity, if it takes morphine IV pushes, then that's what I'll do by jove! Hospice or no hospice - pain relief is a priority.

What kind of human beings would condemn others to suffer through pain because of the chance of becoming addicted to pain meds?

This is exactly what happens when you let lawyers and the Guvmint run your healthcare instead of heathcare professionals.

IDIOTS! The lot of 'em!