How important is medicinal marijuana?

[cbish]

Boo wrote:

I think the reasons that many 'pot heads' that may have never had occaision to require it for treatment support it is that they feel it is a step towards legalization

Diogenes wrote:

was talking about potheads who would like for marijuana to be more readily available

Unfortunately, when it comes to this issue, IMO this is what it is really about. So, in answering the original question, I think it has a place but for the most part it is not an important treatment.

We have a tremendous number of 20 year olds with chonic arthritis in my community.

 

[hgc]

Boo wrote:

I think the reasons that many 'pot heads' that may have never had occaision to require it for treatment support it is that they feel it is a step towards legalization

Diogenes wrote:

was talking about potheads who would like for marijuana to be more readily available

Unfortunately, when it comes to this issue, IMO this is what it is really about. So, in answering the original question, I think it has a place but for the most part it is not an important treatment.

We have a tremendous number of 20 year olds with chonic arthritis in my community.

Sure, lots of pot smokers (non-medical reasons) support medical marijuana, but I think it's a logical falacy to conclude from this that it's not an important treatment. I look to the conclusions of medical researchers, doctors, patients and their families for a judgement as to how important a treatment it is.

As for why pot smokers support it, it can be a number of reasons. First, steps toward full legalization, obviously, are favorable in that they would no longer be breaking the law themselves. Second would be the expected altruistic feeling that suffering people should get sensible, available treatment, combined with an awareness that pot isn't necesarily the road to perdition.

 

[shecky]

Who cares why anyone supports medical marijuana? Medical marijuana should be judged on whether it's effective and safe. Not whether potheads will (illegally) be able to get a new source of pot. Which is kinda silly, since pot isn't hard to find at all on the illegal market. Nor are legally manufacturered opiates/pain killers for that matter. Just ask Rush Limbaugh.

Aside from the effectiveness issue, it seems smokable pot may be a more attractive alternative to a manufactured drug, as it may be cheaper to raise or grow yourself.

I think some advocates of medical marijuana also feel that it's acceptance may lead to more rational drug laws. Myself, included (a non-user of intoxicants).

 

[cbish]

hgc,
I agree with that. What I object to is an argument of deception. I agree for terminally ill people, it has merit. However, as I mentioned, we seem to have alot of decrepid/arthritic/sick beyond their years 20 year olds. I'm saying, just admit it! Legalize it! Quit trying to BS a BS'er.

The second objection I have is that many of the MM proponents I have discussed this with (20+ yr.old cripples), for reasons I don't understand (actually I do) are ademantly against any type of viable medical research into identifying active ingredients, purifying active ingredients, perhaps manufacturing said ingredients in providing a pill or I.V. that would deliver the drug for the desired effect. I cannot imagine a doctor alive ( yes I know there are probably some) that would promote smoking of anything as the preferred method of administering a drug. Especially an herb that has a million other undesireable things in it.

 

[epepke]

I would like it better if a viable pill form could be taken. All that smoke really is disgusting.

Pills are fine if you're not puking your guts out every fifteen seconds.

 

[epepke]

The second objection I have is that many of the MM proponents I have discussed this with (20+ yr.old cripples), for reasons I don't understand (actually I do) are ademantly against any type of viable medical research into identifying active ingredients, purifying active ingredients, perhaps manufacturing said ingredients in providing a pill or I.V. that would deliver the drug for the desired effect.

There are efforts to do this. It's not a bad thing. But, as I pointed out, pills are a suboptimal solution if you're puking your guts out every fifteen seconds. As for IV's, well, they damage the veins and you have to carry them around, and there are issues of sterility. Injectable drugs are generally not a terribly good solution for home care, unless nothing else is available (as in the case of insulin).

I can see the possibility of someone putting the active ingredients into an inhaler, which would be better than medical marijuana because it wouldn't destroy the lungs, but I can also see many people disapproving of that for the reasons they disapprove of marijuana.

 

[bug_girl]

i am getting a really, really bad feeling that i am on some people's ignore list already. hmmmm.
on the assumption that i'm not--
earlier in the thread i made two statements:

1. no one will perscribe THC to my sister, because they are scared of the attorney general. it isn't over prescribed.

2. it comes as a suppository. you don't smoke it. you especially should not offer to share. (dude, get a hit off my ***!)

As for the argument from pity-
Personally, if crack cocaine would make my sister feel better, i would be down on the street making a buy right now. it's hard for me to be unbiased.

 

[roger]

bug_girl, oh it happens to all of us. We post something very relevant, the conversation drifts, and people start posting things that you wrote. Most of the time on this board I feel invisible.

Or at least I assume that what you meant by feeling you are on ignore, I haven't bothered to go back and read all the posts in this thread

 

[bug_girl]

naw, just new and worried that i am blundering around and annoying people. Well, people other than the ones i deliberately mean to annoy.

it seemed like folks were arguing about non-issues.

 

[Suezoled]

Pills are fine if you're not puking your guts out every fifteen seconds.

Suppositories, like Bug_girl said. Injections. Intervenous Infusion. I'm sure you already thought of that, though, Epepke.