Medical marijuana is an insult to our intelligence

[Sentience]

But if you dont believe that marijuana is a legitimate medicine for some people and that it fills a gap that modern medicine has not been able to fill and that some people need their marijuana as a legitimate medicine, then you are simply ignorant of the facts. Supporting legalization anyway doesnt make you any less wrong or ignorant about the benefits of medical marijuana if you dont believe that it is a valid medication for some people with legitimate health problems like Crohns and MS and Cancer.

 

[jspun]

But if you dont believe that marijuana is a legitimate medicine for some people and that it fills a gap that modern medicine has not been able to fill and that some people need their marijuana as a legitimate medicine, then you are simply ignorant of the facts. Supporting legalization anyway doesnt make you any less wrong or ignorant about the benefits of medical marijuana if you dont believe that it is a valid medication for some people with legitimate health problems like Crohns and MS and Cancer.

Please don't misunderstand me, I am not discoraging the therapeutic potential of cannabis, I need to study the issue to present an informed opinion. But I don't think that the author was debating the utility of pot as a medication. What I am saying, is that main reason for the initiative was to legalize cannabis, a honorable endevor. Thats why it was worded kind of ambigously This was all a good idea. But prtending that the sole reason or main one was to provide medical MJ in the name of compassion and not as a way mainly to open the door to legal cannabis is an insult to our intelligence. Cannabis prohibition for adults (in my opinion over 18) is freekin retarded. I'll give you aspirin as another example or tylenol. Instead of giving you a Rx for 750 mg q 8 hrs for pain and #30 aspirin/ 81 mg q day. He can recommend 1 baby aspirin a day or take 2 tylenols for fever tonight and call me in the morning. Drink lots of fluids. Ahhh...just legalize it...keep in mind that smoke is a rather unconventional vehicle. Pt with Crohn's disease, 17 year old pediatric at hospital, NPO, bedrest. Where is he going to go smoke his medicine. Moreover, what about age limit- in that case an actual drs Rx would make sense. My debate is going in circle- sorry mostly my fault guys. Just saying call a spade a spade... this is emblematic of deper issues this country has in givernment, policy, and national attitude.

 

[Sentience]

What if the point of medical marijuana actually is to use it as medicine for those who need it and it just happened to attract people who wanted to use it as a loophole rather than the other way around?

Claiming that it is just an excuse to smoke is insulting to people who actually use it because they need it, even if they are a minority.

 

[Tweeked|For|42O]

Im not 100% that i am correct but if they did re-legalize cannabis then they could use the hemp extract to fuel a car.

I heard that anybody know if this is true or not?

 

[jspun]

sentience: Besides helping cancer patients eat when they are wasting away and reducing pain in conjunction with other meds, did you know that marijuana helps suppress the immune system which is valuable for people suffering from auto-immune conditions?

Just playing the devil's advocate, but the immune system (natural killer cells, ect...) are involved in fighting cancer, esentially ridding the body of the cancerous cells that chemotherapy doesn't eliminate. Obviously with AIDS immune system function is important- but actually triple therapy keeps people alive it seems indefinately, what if someone is afflicted with an oportunistic infection (PCP) or cancerous deal (Karposi's Sarcoma). Would this immunosuppressive effect be a potential contraindication?

Senti: How has cannabis helped manage your crohn's disease- how have you benefited from therapy? Please share your experience and educate us. This isn't the topic of this thread but I see you are passionate. Please list peer reviewed articles also please, because I am interested sincerly from an intellectual standpoint.

Next, do you currently receive medical MJ. Do you live in a med MJ state (which one if you don't mind). Do you have a Rx and do you visit a dispesary and what do you think of the system- how can it be improved? Are you employed by one of these institutions (understand if you can't answer). Do you think that cannabis should be legalized outright? Would this hurt the legitimacy of medical MJ in your opinion?

I agree that scheduling needs to change. Actually if it was re-legalized this wouldn't be an issue. But in the framework of Rx cannabis of the current system, that would facilitate things greatly.

Claiming that it is just an excuse to smoke is insulting to people who actually use it because they need it, even if they are a minority.

Absolutely, I don't remember hearing or seeing anyone claim that.

[

B]Gaurunda:[/B] The problem with medical marijuana is some of the dispensaries are just bonkers crazy, they will have yellers outside who will set you up to get a script with an affiliated doctor(and you can get one for anything) in an hour or two then the actual dispensary is set up like a damn liquor or candy store with cutesy names and varieties and all kinds of foods an drinks containing THC.

Now to be clear I am for the legalization of all drugs period, an believe its a human right to use drugs as you see fit. But if you're trying to portray yourself as a legit medical treatment you have to tone it down, as it exists right now its pretty clear its a front for legal weed. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but then don't pretend its just like any other medical treatment.

Imagine if a pain management clinic had large glass jars full of all kinds of narcotics up on the walls with cutesy names, laid out like a candy shop. Would you believe them when they said it was all legit?

Have to agree with the guy. When the public sees these places in this light, seeing it as an excuse just to smoke pot is just what they think- anyway, that is my concern with the current system.
The court of public opinion is very important.
By the way, did you buy a tee shirt from one of these dispesaries?:D

Have to cut out with kid/wife. I'll cut this short. Other guy don't know about fuel validity but heard that claim.

 

[Sentience]

Just playing the devil's advocate, but the immune system (natural killer cells, ect...) are involved in fighting cancer, esentially ridding the body of the cancerous cells that chemotherapy doesn't eliminate. Obviously with AIDS immune system function is important- but actually triple therapy keeps people alive it seems indefinately, what if someone is afflicted with an oportunistic infection (PCP) or cancerous deal (Karposi's Sarcoma). Would this immunosuppressive effect be a potential contraindication?

By the time these people are on chemo-therapy to kill the cancer, their own immune system is like a BB gun compared to the nuclear Armageddon being inflicted by the chemo drugs. The fact that these people are often unable to hold down any food or sleep in peace is much more detrimental to their survival rates than the mild immune suppression they are experiencing....in fact, the steroids they are given to maximize the effectiveness of the chemo practically eliminate the immune response, so by the time you are using medicine that strong it becomes a non-issue anyway. They already have no immune system from the steroids and they are relying totally on the chemo which keeps them from sleeping or eating. Marijuana not only is anti-emetic but stimulates hunger, and helps them sleep.

Senti: How has cannabis helped manage your crohn's disease- how have you benefited from therapy? Please share your experience and educate us. This isn't the topic of this thread but I see you are passionate. Please list peer reviewed articles also please, because I am interested sincerly from an intellectual standpoint.

Unlike with cancer, suppressing the immune system really helps with Crohns. It lowers the rate of attack on your guts by your own immune system. Also, it slows down your digestion a bit which helps with loose stools. Sometimes I avoid food when I am in a flare because it hurts. When I smoke marijuana it motivates me to eat and also reduces the pain of eating. I also have to watch my diet though. Finally it helps me sleep, but the biggest thing it does is reduce my dependence on stronger narcotic pain medicines which are more addictive and more dangerous....

Marijuana is not a single treatment for me though. I use it in conjunction with Boswellia Serrata which in small scale studies outperformed a common prescription drug (mesalamine). I also use pro-biotics, turmeric and an anti-inflammatory macrobiotic diet.

I dont reject stronger western medicine though....I just see it as an option of last resort. I have not been smoking marijuana and have been really stressed out with a move and eating too much wheat and dairy which kills me...so my Crohns progressed too far to be helped by the mild effects of marijuana. Now I am moving on to steroids (not the muscle building ones) and narcotics to kill the pain, and marijuana just to help me eat and sleep and increase the effectiveness of the narcotics without over using them. I embrace strong western medicine as well as holistic medicine. They both play their role.

The problem with a lot of alternative medicine is that because its unregulated there is a lot of bullshit claims and people trying to make a buck....that doesnt mean that all of it is crap though, it just means we need qualified professionals who have completed some basic standard of credentials to help navigate us through this. A registered dietician, a nutritionist, a holistic nurse practitioner or a naturopathic physician are medical professionals who are qualified to steer you in the right direction towards therapies that actually work and away from therapies which are purely anecdotal or completely unsubstantiated.