Bush escalates marijuana war Supreme Court asked to sanction doctors who recommend pot

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 07-10-03

[george wythe]

My mother-in-law had a severe case of the shingles, and no prescription drug provided any help. She was in constant pain and became frail, to the point that my wife and I started worrying about her life expectancy.

One day my wife told me that a friend advised her about a weed that grows in the Amazon jungle and cures the herpes zoster. I contacted a friend traveling in Venezuela, and he agreed to bring some of the weed back to the US in order to treat my mother-in-law.

I called customs to find out the legal way to get the weed through customs, and I was told that such weed could not be brought into the US. I asked customs if grinding the weed and mixing it with pure alcohol will be OK, since their main concern seemed to be the possible import of plant diseases, and again, I was told no.

Completely in despair, I called my friend back in Venezuela and asked him to grind the weed, mix it with pure alcohol, and smuggle it inside a shampoo bottled. He agreed and smuggled in the weed.

My mother-in-law used the Amazon weed, and started improving right away. Three months later, she had healed completely, and even the nasty scars were gone.

Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing by ignoring federal law and encouraging my friend to smuggle in a jungle weed, but then I take a look at my healthy mother-in-law, and I’m glad I did it.

I have a hard time understanding the reason why the federal government refuses to allow people with painful diseases, such as cancer and AIDS, to find some solace in smoking a weed. These patients are suffering many nasty symptoms, and who am I to tell them you can’t find some comfort in smoking a weed?

[robertpaulsen]

Do you know the name? Some of these, like Cat's Claw, are available through health food stores.

Might keep you out of trouble with customs.

[robertpaulsen]

"In that case I don't think I would give a rats behind what Uncle Sam thought of my choice of medications."

Ah, suicide should be legal.

Should doctor-assisted suicide be legal? Should suicide pills be legal (say, 18 and over)? Should we have private suicide centers, or do we come for you when we detect a smell?

If you're going to kill yourself anyways, can we harvest your body first for transplants? If you have terminal cancer, can we start now?

Inquiring minds.

[jmc813]

How can I vote for a president that allows such Orwellian sewage to flow from its administration?

Because the Dems. are just as bad if not worse with the WOD?

[jmc813]

On the other hand, I think they're still OK with the First.

I hope so. Who knows when the bad parts of CFR will show up there (if ever).

[george wythe]

It's not available at any health food store, nor the ethnic food stores.

My wife knows the name, it's a Spanish/Brazilian name not popular at all in the US. Sorry I cannot recall the name right now.

[Weimdog]

My only point is that the war on drugs is silly. If your not going to include alcohol in the war on drugs it's hypocritical.

More people die from alcohol poisoning, beat their wives, beat their kids, crash cars, rape, murder, and pillage on alcohol than they do on all illicit drugs combined. Those are facts.

The government has no business telling me what I can put in my body as long as I don't hurt or endanger someone else in the process.

[jmc813]

because is shows medical marijuana for what it really is: a fraud and a scam.

Do you think that the FReepers and FReepers wives who have used MM are frauds and scam-artists?

[MrLeRoy]

How can I vote for a president that allows such Orwellian sewage to flow from his administration?

Because the Dems. are just as bad if not worse with the WOD?

Insufficient---the Constitution Party and Libertarian Party are better.

[wideminded]

The Bush administration, pressing its campaign against state medical marijuana laws, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to let federal authorities punish California doctors who recommend pot to their patients.

I know someone who suffers from severe chronic pain. He has had multiple operations to try to relieve this pain and has to take extremely powerful pain killing medication. Doctors at a major teaching hospital just told him that they could do nothing more for him and he should start smoking pot.

[WhiteGuy]

Is this shot from the sausage race in Pittsburgh?

Just wondering................

[jmc813]

I know someone who suffers from severe chronic pain. He has had multiple operations to try to relieve this pain and has to take extremely powerful pain killing medication. Doctors at a major teaching hospital just told him that they could do nothing more for him and he should start smoking pot.

Here's another example, Robert. Are the doctors in this case just a bunch of hippies?

[robertpaulsen]

"The government has no business telling me what I can put in my body as long as I don't hurt or endanger someone else in the process."

So you believe that all drugs, including prescription drugs, should be available to all people of all ages (you wouldn't deny the benefit of some drug to a 13-year-old, would you? We don't now.)

IMO, that's an insane position. But you're certainly entitled to take it. You're not alone -- maybe .00045% of the people agree with you.

Alcohol has a long history in the U.S. It's part of our culture. People don't drink alcohol for the sole purpose of getting high.

People did try to ban it, even wrote a constitutional amendment (no small task), yet the ban only lasted 13 short years. Recreational drugs have been banned since the 1920's, and there's no hurry to get them legalized.

It's disingenuous to put heroin, cocaine, morphine, ecstacy, PCP, methamphetamine, etc. in the same category as alcohol. Not even close.

[robertpaulsen]

I think the people who use FReepers and FReepers wives (or people in similar circumstances) for their own agenda are the frauds and scam-artists.

[Weimdog]

"So you believe that all drugs, including prescription drugs, should be available to all people of all ages"

Did I say that? I think the article is about the Bush administrations position on Marijuana.

I believe that Marijuana should be just as legal as alcohol.

"It's disingenuous to put heroin, cocaine, morphine, ecstacy, PCP, methamphetamine, etc. in the same category as alcohol."

What's the difference between an alcoholic laying in the gutter and a heroin addict laying in the gutter? Nothing, except one of the drugs is legal.

[PaxMacian]

Re: Doctors have freedom of speech

"...when they write their speech down on a piece of paper, and that paper is then used to violate federal law, a line is crossed."

The US Constitution is the Law of the land. However, the 'law' upon which this War on Herb(WOH) is founded undeniably violates our Constitution. The line was crossed long ago. It is not substances but citizens upon which this government wages war. It is citizens whose rights have been trampled by the boots of masked thugs in the service of corporate pawns seeking to maintain the efficiency of their chattel.

[Roscoe]

"We are trying to get marijuana reclassified medically. If we do that, we'll be using the issue as a red herring to give marijuana a good name." --Keith Stroup, founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws ( NORML )

[robertpaulsen]

Have him get the doctors to put that in writing. Then when he develops lung cancer, or schizophrenia (or, actually, any other illness), he can sue them for millions.

Think they'll have the courage of their convictions and put it down on paper and sign it? I don't.

But if they did they're not hippies, they're quacks and should have their license suspended or taken away.

In my opinion.

[robertpaulsen]

"Did I say that? I think the article is about the Bush administrations position on Marijuana."

Yes, that's what the article was about.

But you refenced the War on Drugs (not just marijuana) and your position was, "The government has no business telling me what I can put in my body as long as I don't hurt or endanger someone else in the process".

Sounded to me like that statement would apply to all drugs. So, the government can tell you not to do cocaine, but it can't tell you not to do marijuana.

Got it.

[Roscoe]

What's the difference between an alcoholic laying in the gutter and a heroin addict laying in the gutter?

If society accepts and shoulders the burdens created by alcohol use, it creates an entitlement for drug addicts?