Fox News: On Marijuana

Read the Whole Article

Painkiller Warnings Rekindle Debate Over Medical Marijuana
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
By C. Spencer Beggs

Frustrated researchers say the question is not whether marijuana could serve legitimate medical purposes. Marijuana has been looked at for a variety of medical applications. It can relieve intraocular pressure (search) caused by glaucoma (search), and it has been touted as an appetite stimulant for patients undergoing chemotherapy, suffering from AIDS wasting syndrome (search) or dementia.

More recently, it has been looked at to relieve the neuropathic pain — the so-called "phantom pain" — of patients with multiple sclerosis.

(snip)

The question, researchers say, is whether the benefits of marijuana outweigh the risks of its negative side effects, or whether the maladies can be better treated by other drugs. That's the very question the FDA used to evaluate Vioxx, Bextra and Celebrex, and one that researchers say the government won't let them answer about marijuana.

(snip)

Like Ecstasy, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug under the 1970 Controlled Substance Act, a group that includes heroin and LSD, and has been deemed by the government to have no medical benefit and to be highly addictive. But unlike other Schedule I drugs, which can be obtained through government-licensed contractors, marijuana can be legally obtained for research only from the NIDA.

(snip)

Of course, researchers like Halpern emphasize that the scheduling system was put in place with the intentions of protecting the public from junk science studies and keeping illicit drugs away from the public. But advocates for the research say political pandering, corporate greed and the power and influence of the pharmaceutical industry corrupt the system. The race to bring new drugs to the market is not only concerned with the health of the populace, they say, but also with the health of drug companies' stock portfolios, and a drug that patients can produce and use without their help is not good for drug makers' bottom line.

Please read the whole article at Fox News. Once you've done that, check out:

Fast Facts

Marijuana Fast Facts: Highs, Lows
Monday, April 18, 2005
By C. Spencer Beggs

-Texts from 2,000 years ago show that marijuana was used as a medicine in a variety of ancient cultures, including China, India, Greece and Persia.

(well, longer than that even. Prehistoric humans "used" cannabis. It wasn't dangerous then, if it was, we wouldn't be here today...

Dr. William C. Woodward, chief counsel to the American Medical Association, testified on behalf of the medical groups in 1937. The AMA feared that the Marijuana Tax Act would prevent research into legitimate medical uses for it. Woodward delivered a statement that "The American Medical Association knows of no evidence that marijuana is a dangerous drug."

(so. why are we throwing people in prison for possessing it?)

-Under federal law, marijuana cannot be prescribed by a doctor.

(But under Federal Law, the Federal Military can develope, possess, and threaten to "use" NUCLEAR WEAPONS!... just shows how much our government knows about safety anyway...)

When the Marijuana Tax Act was passed in 1937, the federal government wielded far less regulatory power than it does today and therefore imposed a "tax" on marijuana rather than prohibiting it outright. The act was worded very carefully so that the Supreme Court wouldn't overturn it for overstepping the bounds of regulating interstate commerce. The act mandated that anyone wishing to sell marijuana pay a transfer tax. Possession of marijuana without paying the tax was illegal. The required tax stamp, however, could only be issued to those already in possession of marijuana.

Research shows that long-term marijuana use is linked to some changes in the brain similar to those seen after long-term use of other drugs like cocaine and heroin. These studies have not been corroborated.

(yeah, it would be nice to know, in the "scientific" meaning of the word "know", how exactly the chemical agents in cannabis effect human cognitive architecture... it should also be noted that the Government has no problem prescribing "mind-altering" drugs like Adderall and Ritalin to school children. Does anyone else find this ironic?)

Marijuana is the nation's No. 1 recreational illegal drug. It is No. 3 if alcohol and tobacco are included.

(just goes to show what the REAL "gateway" drugs are...)

Fox News: On Medicinal Marijuana

When I found this on Fox News: Fair and Balanced!... my jaw dropped.

You must See this for yourself. Just click on any of the above two links to read the whole article at FoxNews.com.

For Independence Day, Supreme Court Slams Founders
Saturday, July 02, 2005
By Radley Balko

In Gonzales v. Raich, the court ruled that the Constitution's clause to "make regular" interstate commerce permitted federal agents to raid the home of a sick woman and confiscate the six marijuana plants she was growing for her own medication — all in a state whose population had overwhelmingly voted to legalize medical marijuana.

(snip)

As a compromise, they included the Ninth Amendment (search), which says that the enumeration of some rights should not be construed to exclude rights not enumerated. So to answer the questions above, your rights to smoke a cigarette or consume pornography are both in the Ninth Amendment.

This is why the decision in Gonzales is so important — and so devastating. While the Supreme Court has smothered the Ninth Amendment for decades, Gonzales may serve as its obituary.

If the Ninth Amendment doesn't protect a man's right to consume whatever medicine might give him relief from pain — or that in some cases could save his life — what's left for the amendment to possibly protect?

Please, if you haven't yet, read the whole article

After reading the article I sent the author a response via email. Here it is:

Mr Balko,

I found your article, entitled "For Independence Day, Supreme Court Slams Founders" to be quite exhilarating. You hit on an important issue, and I wish more Americans would realize how our American ideals are in a state of regress. I completely agree with your analysis of Constitutional principle, but I would like to offer perhaps a little more insight into the nature of the Gonzales v. Raich case.

I am a student of cultural anthropology, and I am in no way associated with the parties of the Gonzales v. Raich. I am just a curious observer who reads a lot and spends hours a day pondering the mechanics of human society. The following letter embodies nothing more than my own subjective analysis of why Gonzales v. Raich represents a Constitutional crisis.

It is my belief that the Freedom of Thought represents the foundation of our most fundamental Constitutional freedoms. The Freedom of Thought is the very essence of the First Amendment, so much so that the Second Amendment was established to defend it. The Freedom of Thought is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our society churns with "drug" use. A liquor store grounds the corner of just about every suburban neighborhood in America. Tobacco products line the walls of convenient store registers. The Evening News is littered with prescription drug ads. So, how is it that something like cannabis is prohibited in our society, especially when it offers numerous medicinal functions?

I read once that both Jefferson and Lincoln fretted how the "money powers" would organize and threaten the very fabric of the Republic. I have no doubt that "economics" play a significant part in our ineffective and maladaptive "War on Drugs", but that's not the whole picture. One must dig deeper into humanity's past to understand why our "War on Drugs" is unConstitutional.

Drugs are illegal in our society because the cognitive effects of psychoactive substances render normal, or "mainstream", cultural ethics irrelevant. Basically, "Illegal" drugs are illegal because "mainstream" society requires a homogenious culture for survival. Culture represents everyway that humans organize society, but culture is a synthetic construct of the human mind. It should be noted that most "illegal" drugs, like cannabis, mushrooms, and peyote, existed in the diets of humans long before the organization of centralized state authority. "Drugs" are older than history, and many of our "illegal" substances function as a catalyst for cultural adaptation. Curiously, most of today's "illegal" substances were used for medicinal and "spiritual" purposes, and it was not until massive centralized state authorities invented "the rule of law" that mind-altering plants became "illegal". The Roman Catholic Church strategically wiped out the late tribal-shamanic societies of Europe by demonizing "pagans" as evil "witches" and "demons". Today, the ethnocentric American elite continue to stigmatize a human tradition that extends back to our most distant origins as humans. America's "War on Drugs" is belligently unConstitutional, and we all need to educate ourselves on this issue and induce change before we lose our American identity.

Now, I believe cannabis (including hemp) should be legalized and taxed like hell. The tax revenue would do wonders for our social infrastructure. We could even put more teachers in our classroom and provide students with financial aid for higher education and possibly even healthcare for all children under 18. It is time we enhanced our capacity to learn, if only for the future of America. However, as long as we perpetuate our "War on Drugs", America will be the ultimate fatality.

Thank you, Mr Balko, for your letter. I hope I've communicated something of value.

Sincerely,

sourmonkey

Gotta Love Those "Legal" Drugs!

FDA warns about antidepressants, suicide

from CNN.com

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration issued a second public warning Friday that adults who use antidepressants should be closely monitored for warning signs of suicide, especially when they first start the pills or change a dose.

Much of the concern over suicide and antidepressants has centered on children who use the drugs. The FDA last fall determined there is a real, but small, increase in risk of suicidal behavior for children and ordered the labels of all antidepressants to say so.

A year ago, the FDA issued a warning that adults, too, may be at increased risk. The agency began reanalyzing hundreds of studies of the drugs to try to determine if that's the case, and told makers to add or strengthen suicide-related warnings on their labels in the meantime.

(snip)

there are concerns that antidepressants may cause agitation, anxiety and hostility in a subset of patients who may be unusually prone to rare side effects. Also, psychiatrists say there is a window period of risk just after pill use begins, before depression is really alleviated but when some patients experience more energy, perhaps enabling them to act on suicidal tendencies.

Aren't you glad we have this wonderful arbiter called Government to help us distinguish between the "legal" and "Illegal" drugs?

I am...

Internet Addiction

from CNN

Beijing clinic ministers to online addicts

"All the children here have left school because they are playing games or in chat rooms everyday," says the clinic's director, Dr. Tao Ran. "They are suffering from depression, nervousness, fear and unwillingness to interact with others, panic and agitation. They also have sleep disorders, the shakes and numbness in their hands."

(snip)

While China promotes Internet use for business and education, government officials also say Internet cafes are eroding public morality. Authorities regularly shut down Internet cafes -- many illegally operated -- in crackdowns that also include huge fines for their operators.

State media has also highlighted cases of obsessed Internet gamers, some of whom have flunked out of school, committed suicide or murder. Nonetheless, Internet cafes continue to thrive, with outlets found in even the smallest and poorest of villages. Most are usually packed late into the night.

(snip)

A dozen nurses and 11 doctors care for the patients, mostly youths aged 14 to 24 who have lost sleep, weight and friends after countless hours in front of the computer, often playing video games with others online.

Some come voluntarily, while others are checked in by their parents. Many say their online obsessions helped them escape day-to-day stress, especially pressure from parents to excel in school.

Some can't stop playing games, while the older ones tend to be addicted to online chats with the opposite sex, Tao says. Others are fixated on designing violent games

(snip)

"I wasn't normal," said a 20-year-old man from Beijing who used to spend at least 10 hours a day in front of the screen playing hack-and-slash games like Diablo.

"In school I didn't pay attention when teachers were talking," he said. "All I could do was think about playing the next game. Playing made me happy, I forgot my problems."

The 12-year-old, a new arrival, spent four days in an Internet cafe, barely eating or sleeping.

A soft-spoken 21-year-old man from northeastern Heilongjiang province who had been in the clinic for 10 days said his addiction had helped him escape from family pressures about his studies.

"I would stay up for 24 hours. I would eat only in front of the computer," he said.