Clearing away the smoke [Republican Christian on Medical Marijuana]

Ely photographer K.K. Forss is using words rather than a camera to offer a picture of what his life is like without medical marijuana. Forss traveled to the State Capitol to testify in support of medical marijuana legislation at a Senate Health, Housing and Family Security Committee hearing on Wednesday.

Medical marijuana use has been a political issue in Minnesota since the mid-nineties. The bill is currently being sponsored in the House by Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia). A five member bipartisan group is pushing it in the Senate.

Last year, though the legislation passed in the Senate, it did not make it through the House by the end of the session.

Among the arguments against the bill, opponents say it will muddle enforcement of current drug laws. Medical privacy laws will make maintaining law enforcement databases impossible. The definition of caregivers who can legally transport the substance would become vague. Children who live in the homes of patients using the drug would have easier access to it.

But Forss said he tried to show another side of the story at the hearing. He began by telling the committee about his life before using marijuana to ease severe chronic pain.

In May 2004, he went to the Twin Cities to meet with the publisher of a book of his photographs. The next morning, he said he woke to the worst pain in his life. He had surgery that day for a ruptured disk in his neck that also permanently damaged his spinal cord.

He had experienced a rare genetic condition that would not allow the condition to repair. Eight months later he had another surgery in which doctors tried to rebuild the damaged parts. It was the next in string of surgeries.

“This has been almost five years of hell. I’ve got more surgeries coming up, at least two,” he said.

Forss said the more his arm moves the worse the pain becomes. But he still needs to move it somewhat or it will “die off.”

As an overview, Forss said he can’t sleep more than an hour at a time with the pain, so he takes two muscle relaxants throughout the day. One is methadone, a drug sometimes prescribed for heroin addicts. He also wears fentanyl patches that last 72 hours for extreme pain management. Every three months he receives spinal cord injections.

Constipation and vomiting are among the side effects. When he becomes hot in summer, he loses 25-30 pounds as a result. In winter, he gains it back. The vomiting also makes his arm spasms worse.

Some of the medications affect his heart, so he takes further prescriptions to slow his heart rate and treat heartburn. An increase in blood pressure and cholesterol are part of the mix, too.

In addition, the heavy medication has caused the teeth on the sides of his lower jaw to completely crumble.

Forss has tried a variety of alternative treatments. These include two surgeries at the Mayo Clinic for further opinions, electric stimulation, ultrasound, chiropractic treatment, aromatherapy, cortisone shots, counseling for depression and pain management, acupuncture, and acupuncture with electric current, which he said was horrible and doesn’t recommend.

When he travels he said he feels every seam in the road. But going to the hearing was important.

“You have to believe you’ll get your life back at some point,” he said. “I don’t really have much quality of life any more.”

However, he said marijuana helps reverse the snowball effect of the medications he’s currently taking and creates a different snowball effect in a good direction.

He can sleep six to seven hours a night without heavy sleeping medications. When he sleeps without moving, the muscle spasms ease.

Along with reducing pain, the marijuana cuts down on his need for other medications. He said that’s easier on his heart, and less costly for him and taxpayers. His medications are paid for through the Medical Assistance Program because he’s listed as completely disabled.

As for protecting children from access to medical marijuana, Forss said the patients who would be placed in the program already secure the medications they have around their homes.

“It would be less harmful for [a child] to ingest the marijuana than any of those meds,” he said. “If they took a handful of any of my meds, they’d be dead.”

Another part of his motivation for supporting medical marijuana derives from societal perspectives.

He said the issue is often seen as a Democrat versus Republican debate. However, he labels himself as a Republican Christian.

“I’m frustrated to death with the way the Christian community sees the word ‘marijuana’ and immediately turns away,” he said.

Forss noted that marijuana has historically been used around the world for medical purposes for centuries. The Minnesota Nurses Association, Minnesota Public Health Association, Minnesota Senior Federation and the American College of Physicians are among its current supporters.

“The whole thing about the medical marijuana bill is to let doctors make the decisions again,” Forss said. “We trust them to open our bodies up, trust them to give us radiation or chemotherapy. I don’t understand why we can’t trust them with [marijuana].”

Forss’ testimony on Wednesday was one of several from medical marijuana patients. They appear to have had an effect. The House committee took the first step toward final legislation, voting 9-6 in support of medical marijuana bill.

You are a work of art alright. Too bad you did not have a chance to straighten out Buckley. You are a big help to my cause. Please tell us more.

I sure wish you did not believe 1 + 1 = 2. It might give us a clue into how you come up with what you have said.

How about comparing Ambien to the theoretical Free Cannabis we would have if prohibition did not bastardize everything down to the definition of liberty. Are you going to say cannabis won’t help you sleep? Can you admit it is non-toxic ? Even if both equal in safety, which anyone should know that is far from the truth, how would you say something that cost a bunch of money is better than something that is free? Maybe you can tell us how much that Ambien cost and give us the warning label and some horror stories.

Please respond. You are a real trip.

16. Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest
therapeutically active substances known to man. — DEA Administrative Law Judge Francis Young at http://tinyurl.com/cem8y3

You are a work of art alright. Too bad you did not have a chance to straighten out Buckley. You are a big help to my cause. Please tell us more.

Buckley, like many well meaning conservatives, was duped by leftist propaganda that used words like "freedom" and "states rights" and "liberty" to push drug legalization. It's standard leftist rhetoric to get sinful activities legalized. It works every time it's tried in an immoral or amoral or when government is controlled by immoral or amoral people. Look at abortion and pornography for the playbook here.

Any honest libertarian would have to support the legality of these issues. Do you?

Drinking 6 beers will make you sleep but that doesn't mean it's good medicine. Try again.

Can you admit it is non-toxic

No because it's not. Your bodies reaction to it, the "high" means that your body is trying to cope with a poison, a toxin, that has been introduced to it.

16. Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. — DEA Administrative Law Judge Francis Young at http://tinyurl.com/cem8y3

Oh good. Since you want to quote a DEA lawyer I'll quote the DEA website:

Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illnesses, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater tendency toward obstructed airways. Cancer of the respiratory tract and lungs may also be promoted by marijuana smoke. Marijuana has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because marijuana smoke contains 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke.(8) Marijuana's damage to short-term memory seems to occur because THC alters the way in which information is processed by the hippocampus, a brain area responsible for memory formation. In one study, researchers compared marijuana smoking and nonsmoking 12th-graders' scores on standardized tests of verbal and mathematical skills. Although all of the students had scored equally well in 4th grade, those who were heavy marijuana smokers, i.e., those who used marijuana seven or more times per week, scored significantly lower in 12th grade than nonsmokers. Another study of 129 college students found that among heavy users of marijuana critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning were significantly impaired, even after they had not used the drug for at least 24 hours.(9)

For those of you interested in more harmful effects of pot you can find it here.

Look fast though. The toker in chief is going to have his minions pushing "medical" marijuana harder than ever and it's only a matter of time until all government agencies lose their teeth.

Cannabis is not always smoked and a big part of the reason it is comes from prohibition itself. Because paraphernalia is illegal the use of vaporizers is driven from practice. Now plenty of people do use vaporizers that use it medically and one thing it does besides removing the harshness of delivery is that it saves lots of money.

Even in “Run From The Cure” Rick Simpson talks about combustion as a destroyer of the cannabis medicine. In Holland they sell plenty of magic food products in the coffee shops and cannabutter is an everyday solution to an injestion method. When it is legal, it will be seeped in alcohol and drank like. Sativex is a cannabis tincture that is concentrated so that alcohol does not really enter the delivery method equation. Muslims are not to drink alcohol, but this is meant to overcome regard it as consumption of alcohol.

Anyone in the black market is not going to want recreational users using vaporizers either. There is a real sadness that extends beyond reducing coughs, which is helped by weak pot dominating supply, and that is what it has done to tobacco users.

Tobacco could be vaporized too. It would mean a cheaper habit and a much better delivery method, but it would also be the first break in a well established habit that people ritual through in their consumption. One of the great gifts the cannabis community has to the world is a delivery device that would be of great benefit to tobacco users and their families.

If anyone ever does do a cost-benefit analysis of cannabis prohbition, this is one great cost that is imposed on us with this fraud.

If you read JackHerer or watch his YouTube channel, you will hear him say that consuming cannabis morning, noon, and night will let you live two years longer. What people are trying to tell you is that they find cannabis use beneficial.

But to say that the greatest medicinal plant on the face of the earth that has been used before recorded history has no place in health, is way, way, way absurd even if you do not see it.

But keep talking. You are a demonstation in what a lifetime of propaganda can do to the human mind. But whatever you do, don’t read anything with a desire to really know. Keep slugging away.

Why can’t we have this conversation on television? Well, if it made television hemp would be legal and we would see government as criminal enterprise, as in you cannot put the word sweet on Stevia. You know about the corruption behind prohibiting Stevia too don’t you?

And if you do not see cannabis as the greatest medicinal plant on earth, just what is your champion plant?

Propaganda.

There has never been a case of lung cancer attributed to cannabis use.

If you want to talk harm, it is simple. The harms come from the laws. That is what everybody is trying to get through to the television minds and authority worshipers. Go down to the courthouse or jail and ask someone how the law messed up their life. Everyone that buys cannabis gets robbed because of government policy which is the greatest of tyrannies no matter that some are blind to the fact.

Tell us the harms that come from the laws all the way to the prison slavery and the corruption of our police and “justice” system. Where is that link if you want to talk about harm.

I agree. Pot can cause slavery and that slavery is some bad, bad shite.

The Canadian Senate Select Committee was the last big governmental study on cannabis in the tradition of the Indian Hemp Commission and the Schaffer Commission. It called for legalization of cannabis for people over 16.

The Senators in Canada are appointed for a lifetime so they do not have to worry about re-election. This is a must read for anyone that is serious about developing an accurate view of cannabis. It called for legalization for Canadians over 16: http://tinyurl.com/1d16

There is a little summary of it here- http://hempcity.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=575

Propaganda. There has never been a case of lung cancer attributed to cannabis use.

Only a propagandist would believe that holding burning smoke in your lungs as long as you can would not be harmful.

The NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) shows several references for cancer claims. Read about

Well yes, generally if one breaks the laws of the city, state or country in which they live their lives are going to be "messed up". That's a no-brainer. The fact that pot smokers will insist on breaking the law to support their habit is a clear indicator that it's not as harmless as many insist.

So a little harm is to wipe out great benefit and inflict unbelievable harm with the tyranny of unjust laws.

So why isn’t tobacco use a life sentence. Like if you are a prohibitionist why don’t you have priorities.

You are really helping the cause of Free Cannabis. Just keep talking.

When Dr. Grinspoon set out to research cannabis as a young doctor at Harvard, he wanted to give the stoners at Harvard the low down on how big and bad cannabis was. He found out it was not big and bad at all but a great medicine. You really should break down and listen to a medical researcher on cannabis and this link is for you: http://rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/living-purpose/episode-127-lester-grinspoon-md

I hate to tell you this but you are arguing absurdities. You are a riot.

Cannab is toxic? Just how wrong can you get? Where is the first body that resulted from cannabis toxicity? How do you get off saying something is toxic when it has not produced on death?

What do you think the "high" is? It's the result of your brain trying to cope with a poison that's been introduced. That's not to mention the physical effects of pots toxicity. Toxic doesn't always equate with death. It's a term that can be applied to any poison introduced to your body.

I wish you devoted your energy to reducing the harms of sugar consumption. That sugar is the biggest substance abuse problem we have.

You know, this is what really irks me about these pro-pot threads. Kids read this and they think "Gee..adults are saying that sugar is worse than pot. I guess I'll try smoking pot!"

To me this is the height of irresponsibility. Please consider your words and your sources more carefully.

So a little harm is to wipe out great benefit and inflict unbelievable harm with the tyranny of unjust laws.

The "tyranny" of "unjust" laws?? As I said left has been very effective in endorsing and legalizing evil in the name of freedom.

So why isn’t tobacco use a life sentence. Like if you are a prohibitionist why don’t you have priorities.

The debate isn't about tobacco. That's another tactic that propagandists use. Compare pot to:

A: Tobacco
B: Alcohol
C: Sugar
D: Fat
E: Any other substance that can deflect from the harmful effects of smoking pot.

Somehow I don't think that the testimony of a leftist, dope smoking Harvard professor is going to sway my opinion. In fact any good conservative should do the OPPOSITE of what he advocates.

I hate to tell you this but you are arguing absurdities. You are a riot.

I'm glad you're enjoying it, but I'm not doing it for you.

Legalize it already.

And we should be giving pot to children before we give them the addictive cousins to meth. It is mandated by the doctor’s pledge to first do no harm. If you actually listened to Grinspoon you would know that line of thinking.

Actually, you should smoke pot. A common remark upon the first enhancement is “You mean this is illegal?” Besides that consuming cannabis is an excellent way to defy the treason of its prohibition.

The lesson you should get from cannabis prohibition is that the criminals are at the top of government. When you see that you can say that cannabis was a great teacher.

You are a riot. Dangerous, but a riot.

Marijuana is THE money maker. Why not regulate it like alcohol and take away the cartels' main source of funding? From the Dallas News:

-snip-

John P. Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said marijuana, not heroin or cocaine, is the "bread and butter," "the center of gravity" for Mexican drug cartels that every year smuggle tons of it through the porous U.S.-Mexico border. Of the $13.8 billion that Americans contributed to Mexican drug traffickers in 2004-05, about 62 percent, or $8.6 billion, comes from marijuana consumption.

-snip-

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/022208dnintdrugs.3a98bb0.html

Anyone who supports the failed prohibition of marijuana is aiding and abetting the Mexican drug cartels.

“and if you do not see cannabis as the greatest medicinal plant on earth, just what is your champion plant?”

I really was not aware of the extent to which I have offended the personal religion of so many on this thread.

I don’t have any champion plants other than the ones which produce tomatoes, rice, beans, celery, onions, peppers, carrots, and those other plants which nourish the sources of beef, chicken, and pork.

Sure wish I had your gift to board the yellow submarine on its magical mystery tour of lucy in the sky with diamonds along with Puff the magic dragon. Enjoy!

;^)

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