A medicinal “pot” of gold
July 12th, 2007 by Eric
Two years ago the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government could use taxpayer dollars to send federal agents on raids medical marijuana facilities, even in states where the use of medical marijuana is legal. While this ruling didn’t do, it does continue a ridiculous precedent of outlawing a relatively benign drug that has enormous medicinal potential.
Fortunately, Congresswoman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) have introduced new legislation, which is scheduled to go up for a vote next week, that would make federal raids illegal as long as the marijuana use was within the laws of the state.
In case you’re on the fence about the use of medical marijuana, here is a list of some of its uses. I didn’t get these from the “High Times” website; I got them from the Mayo Clinic. Maybe you’ve heard of it.
- Nausea - Marijuana can improve mild to moderate nausea caused by cancer chemotherapy.
- Wasting - It can also help reduce nausea and weight loss in people with AIDS.
- Glaucoma - The third-leading cause of blindness, is marked by increased pressure in the eyeball, which can lead to vision loss. Marijuana decreases that pressure.
- Pain - People widely used marijuana for pain relief in the 1800s, and several studies have found that cannabinoids have analgesic effects. In fact, THC may work as well in treating cancer pain as codeine, a mild pain reliever. Cannabinoids also appear to enhance the effects of opiate pain medications to provide pain relief at lower dosages.
- Multiple Sclerosis - Research found that cannabinoids are effective in the treatment of the tremors, muscle spasms and pain of multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease of the nervous system that can cause muscle pain.
The Care2 Petition website has started a petition to Congress, sponsored by the Marijuana Policy Project, urging them to vote “Yes” on this amendment. Skip on over there and slap your name next to the 10,000 others. If that isn’t enough, StopTheDrugWar.com has a quick letter, contact info, and talking points if you want to urge your Congressperson directly.
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