Montel Williams Goes To Pot

Herald Sun (Australia) ^ | Jan. 7, 2004

[Wolfie]

Montel Williams Goes To Pot

On November 3, Montel Williams was briefly detained at Detroit Metro Airport, where baggage screeners found a glass pipe and residue of a marijuana by-product in his bags. That's when the talk show host, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, was outed as a user of the herb for medicinal purposes.

In his first interview after the airport discovery, Williams makes no apologies. In fact, he devotes several chapters to the case for medical marijuana in his new autobiography, "Climbing Higher," in bookstores today. He clears the air to TV Guide Online.

Q. What happened to you in Detroit?

A. When my bags were going through a metal detector at the Detroit airport, the security people found my needles. I take injectable drugs every day. Then, one guy found a perfectly clean glass pipe that looks like an egg. He said, "What do you smoke in it?" I said, "None of your business." And it pissed him off. I also had a little bottle that had been in my bag for a month. It had less than a twentieth of a gram of kef residue. He called the police. They had to give me a paraphernalia violation. (Williams paid a $100 fine.) They said there was too little to bother testing.

Q. Have you done a show on medical marijuana?

A. I'm doing a show on Jan. 13 about the book and this issue. The model Emme, whose father died of MS complications, is going to interview me. I think it's time for a change. I hope to inspire others to take a stand. You cannot tell me that if one of George Bush's daughters came to him and said, "This is the only thing that will help my pain," he'd say, "No, baby, you have to suffer. I'll lay you down on a bed and hook you up to a morphine drip, and when you wake up in four or five days, we'll talk."

Q. Why do you use it?

A. It eases depression in some ways. It helps sleeping disorders and it eases nerve pain.

Q. Why not use any of the legal painkillers?

A. I attempted to use some. Oxycontin and Vicodin are extremely addictive. Percocet didn't work. Marijuana is the best tool for me.

[Orblivion]

So I guess all those not in bed, racked with pain, are liars? Medicating their pain to do normal things like play golf is overdoing it eh?

[dmz]

and Marijuana isn't addictive?
__________

Nope.

[steve50]

But of course since Montel wasn't in a wheelchair from MS symptoms he has no need of medicine?

[TheStickman]

I've already passed the word to my immediate family. If I am EVER diagnoised with cancer one of the 1st things to be purchased and *special brownies* will become a regular part of my diet. I don't smoke the stuff...for some reason I get too high and pass out if I do. And it's illegal to have. However, I could always eat the special brownies and plan to if needed.

Medicinal purposes aside. I've always thought pot should be legalized and taxed like booze and smokes. The $$$ that would be saved via law enforcement and the smaller prison population would be astronomical. The tax revenue it would bring in from direct sales and related businesses would be huge as well.

Just my 2 cents:)

[brownsfan]

and Marijuana isn't addictive?

Actually, it's not physically addictive. You can develop a psychological dependence on it, but you can develop a psychological dependence on M&Ms! The drugs mentioned (oxycontin and vicodin) are physically addictive.
I experimented with it in my youth, haven't touched the stuff in over 20 years, but if it were legal, I'd use it occassionally.

[Huck]

I knew a guy who cut a hole in the waistband of his pants, concealed pot inside the waistband, sewed it shut, put on a belt and flew to England. I'd be too scared of sniffing dogs hiding behind doors or something.

[A CA Guy]

Many times before, yes!

[slimer]

Apparently Montel has not seen this.

[Wolfie]

Ahh, the good old days. When they spelled it with an "H" and soundly ignored the dissent of the AMA representative when he didn't go along with the program. But there's no "pill" involved. Even the stupid poster lies.