[poodle]

The biggest issue with medical marijuana is prohibition. If there had been legal cannabis or even Schedule 2 cannabis, some of the wonders of cannabis would have been discovered and put to the service of mankind- not that Jamaica has had two recognized cannabis medicines for cannabis for some time.

It is prohibition and the stonewall denial to true research that puts us in the position where all the politicians say "It needs more study." Well, that is somewhat true because of prohibition, but the issue of legalization has been studied to death, including the recent Senate Committee Report in Canada in 2002 that called for legalization for everyone over 16.

Legalization would have helped a lot of people because it would have allowed research that prohibition was designed to stop. Cannabis itself is an herbal remedy for many things. Time will reveal how vile this prohibition has been in denying cannabis service to mankind. It is going to be unbelievable to some today the role of cannabis in medicine in twenty years.

My sister has MS and studies now show that cannabis can reverse damage. I hate the prohibitionists and the nonsense and lies that come from their windup dolls in government positions of authority. What a sad joke.

[robertpaulsen]

"The biggest issue with medical marijuana is prohibition."

Not really. The biggest issue with medical marijuana is that people wish to ingest the raw plant, preferably by smoking it. Smoked marijuana is not approved for medical use in the U.S. Marinol (synthetic THC) is approved; Sativex (Cannabinoid extracts) is seeking approval.

"not that Jamaica has had two recognized cannabis medicines for cannabis for some time."

Canasol and Asmasol are both extracts, and are approved for use in Jamaica (not FDA approved). Smoking marijuana (ganja) in Jamaica for any reason is illegal.

"My sister has MS and studies now show that cannabis can reverse damage."

Reverse the damage? You wouldn't have a link to that "study", would you? I tried Google with no luck. I know that marijuana has been touted to reduce spasticity, totally contrary to the largest study ever done -- which showed no effect.

The 1999 National Academy of Science/Institute of Medicine Report concluded that smoked marijuana does not have a role in the treatment of MS.

"Based on the studies to date, it is the opinion of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Medical Advisory Board that there are currently insufficient data to recommend marijuana or its derivatives as a treatment for MS."
-- nationalmssociety.org (Last updated December 2004)

"What a sad joke."

The sad joke is that the people who wish to legalize marijuana for recreational use are using the sick and dying as pawns. "Medical marijuana" is the red herring hiding their real goal. They couldn't care less about MS patients.