Legalizing Marijuana - Useful Plant, Government wants extinct

Posted on: Helium I have been following the debate of legalization of marijuana ever since my return from living in Europe for 4 years. The history of Marijuana is long and distinguished. It has been around for centuries and has been used for Spirtiual, medical, industrial and yes recreational use. As a previous frequent user of Marijuana I was very confused on the reason it was illegal her in the United States. As a recovering Alcoholic I am confused on why alcohol is legal, and as a tobacco user I am even more confused why tobacco is legal. While thinking about these issues I have done a lot of research on these issues. The first thing that is said to me when ever I discuss the problem with Alcohol and the legalization of Marijuana is always, "We tried making Alcohol illegal once and it didn't work" My answer is always, Marijuana has had laws against it here in the US since 1937, recent studies have shown that 41% of adults have used marijuana at some time in their life. Alcohol prohibition was not sucessful because the american public ignored the law and people were getting put into jail for something they believed they should be allowed to do. Last year there were over 800 thousand people arrested and jailed for non-violent marijuana crimes. I believe that would beat any records set during Alcohol Prohibition. adparams.getadspec('c_billboard1'); During my drinking days I can not count the amount of fights I had in bars, how many morning I couldn't get to work because I woke up sick and hungover, and yes I was taken to the hospital for Alcohol poisoning twice. During my Marijuana days I never fought, never missed work and as far as I can find in my research no one has ever had to go to the hospital for Overdose of Marijuana. I am not saying that the government should make alcohol illegal but comparing the two drugs I do believe the Government has it backwards at the moment. Another issue I have that is because of the current marijuana laws this also makes Hemp illegal. Hemp is a great product for industrial use. At this current time the US can not produce Hemp products but that does not stop us from importing Hemp Products. Mercedes Benz has used Hemp for parts of their cars such as Dashboards. Henry Ford had an image that some day he would be able to make a car of plastic "grown from the ground" this was a plastic made from industrial Hemp. At one point in American History American farmers were ordered to grow Hemp and all ropes used in the US Navy was made from Hemp. Hemp is a strong fiber that last longer than any other natural fiber. The final reason that I have turned up in my research on Marijuana is medical reasons. Since federal law does not allow for private research of marijuana's medical benefits the only research that gets done is to prove how bad marijuana is. Fortunatly there are studies done out side of the US that prove benefits of Medical Marijuana. One study that I have looked into a lot was the study on marijuana causing cancer. There have been a lot of studies trying to prove that marijuana increases the chance of getting cancer. One study's final report was that Smokers that also smoked Marijuana were actually shown less likely to get lung cancer since the canniboids increase blood flow to clear the toxins in tobacco. This research was not funded by the government after the report was written. A newer research project was found that smoking marijuana actually helped reduce the size of tumors in the brain. Fox News reported a couple of weeks ago that Marijuana also assists in the recovery and helps stop the spread of breast cancer. I remember hearing a story about a doctor that worked with AIDS patients and realized that patients that used marijuana were living longer with the disease. He asked the Government to research this and they turned him down four years in a row. The fifth year he said he wanted to research the idea that Marijuana destroys the immune system faster if the patient smokes marijuana, he got the grant. Of course his research proved that Marijuana helps with AIDS wasting disease and does not effect the immune system. His grant was denied for renewal. The US government is suppose to be the voice of the public they are suppose to make decisions that make the US a better place. This is a government that is being told by national organizations that Marijuana is relativly safe and can be used for Industrial and Medical use and is not that dangerous when used for recreational use. Unfortunatly the US governement is not paying attention to the public when all polls in the past 2 years have shown 60-70% of Americans want Marijuana legalized for Medical Use. Instead our taxes are being used to pay a Governement agency to make a great plant extinct.

Need to Vent

I know I have a Legalization of Marijuana blog and I should posting this on there but I try to keep those posts fact based. This is fact based but it just makes me so pissed off that I need to Vent. I am a New York resident, The Medical Marijuana Bill has passed the Assembly and is going infront of the State Senate. That is great and I am glad it is being voted on. I understand there are people that do not agree with my stance on the issue and I don't vote for them. The problem I am having now is after I just read an article about the debate. They can debate all they want I have no problem with that. The problem I have the article says, "a laundry list of New York medical associations have signed off on a proposed legalization bill headed for the State Senate, including the Medical Society of the State of New York, the New York State Nurses Association and the New York State Association of County Health Officials." Why can the Government tell me as a Patient that they know more than these Medical Associations? My district Senator does not have a medical degree. I can not understand why it should even be voted on. If the Medical Associations say it will help and be more of a benefit to the patients then why can the government have a say? These People PISS ME OFF!!! (believe me when I am debating this in front of people I can keep my cool)

Senator McCain

I am an Air Force Veteran that due to a service connected disability was forced to leave after 8 year and 11 days. Yes, I received my severance pay, but that was not what I wanted. I want to get back in the military. I remember the day you announced that you were going to be running for President in 2008. I had a huge grin and looked at my Mother and said, "Now us Disabled Veterans will have someone looking out for us." There was absolutely no way I could not support you. I am not sure if you caught that, I turned to my Mother, yes my mother was at my house helping me with dishes and laundry. This is something my mother does to assist me because of the pain I feel. I have been prescribed a multitude of medications to assist me with this pain. The side effects that I have worried about with some of these medications range from not being able to eat to being taken to the hospital because of painful headaches. These are not what some have had to deal with while on these medications. These medications have been proven to cause everything from gambling addiction to death. The worse part about these medications is the Doctor is worried about my dependence on them. It is known that these medications help me; dealing with pain makes you drained of energy. You get to this point where all you want to do is lay down and not move. How can people tell I am on medication? I am up moving around. I get projects done, the lawn is mowed and the dishes are done before my mother gets there. The Doctor told me that he is not going to prescribe anything for another month because I am too young to deal with all these medications. He wants to disregard what his duty to the patient is because of the dangers of this medication. A doctor’s job is to do a risk assessment of the medications he prescribes. Yes it is a great benefit to me to have this medication. But according to this Doctor the risk is too great also. I was reading an article over in Europe, while I was working for the Air force as a Contractor. This article was about a new study that Marijuana was found to assist people with Rheumatoid Arthritis and other Chronic Pain. I immediately asked my doctor about this finding. She referred me to a pain specialist that was a local National and he told me, "one of these weekends go to Amsterdam with your family and try it. It is legal there and I believe you will see benefit from it." Sure enough because of my position I was never used to taking vacation so I went home and decided me and my wife would take the Girls to The Netherlands and visit the beautiful country. The first day we were there I went into Amsterdam, walked to the nearest coffee shop and purchased a pre-rolled Marijuana Cigarette. I didn't know what to expect, I was scared. But sure enough within minutes the pain was lessened more than half. The Numbness in my legs turned to a tickle. The fatigue I usually feel was gone. I met up with my family and we walked around Amsterdam. The next day I went to the coffee shop again. This time I bought a cup of Tea brewed with marijuana. This time it took longer for me to feel it. I took my family to the Amusement Park over there was able to keep up with them and this time it lasted a lot longer. My wife was so happy because we didn't have to stop for me because of the pain. I didn't have to worry about being on my own because I was able to keep up. Now Senator McCain, I am back in the US. I have been a Military Member and injured my self while in service for the military. I have not gone a single day where my job has not had a direct impact on the United States Government. I have done absolutely nothing but serve this country since the Day I signed those enlistment papers. Why am I writing this? Your Website shows this "John McCain believes that America's veterans who dedicated themselves to protecting our country deserve the highest quality health care." Since I have been back in the states I have asked every VA hospital Doctor what they thought about Medical Marijuana. There have been a couple that have told me that they wish they could prescribe it since it will be a big benefit to a lot of patients. But most of them will not say anything at all because they work for the Federal Government, and they are not allowed to recommend or prescribe this medication. I have since been to civilian Doctors because they do not have to worry about the Federal Government and I have asked them. I have asked Doctors of all types, I have asked Physician Assistants, and Nurses in all types of practice and every one of them has agreed that Marijuana has some great medical uses. So Mr. McCain, I feel you have lied when you said you want the best medical care for us Disabled Veterans. You have said you do not agree with Medical Marijuana. Although Groups like, National Association for Public Health Policy, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Society of Addiction Medicine and a lot more than I can name here, have all endorsed marijuana's medical capabilities. Mr. McCain, I am not asking you to legalize Medical Marijuana right now, I am asking that you do some research, talk to some Medical professionals that do not have any Federal Government affiliation and especially talk to some Medical Marijuana patients in one of the 12 states that have legalized it already. This is too important of an issue for those of us in pain for you not to do something about it. Is it important to you? As a Republican that will be voting in the Primaries, yes it is important to you. Sincerely, Andrew White Disabled Veteran

First Stop

I am calling this my first stop. This is not because it is my number one priority. This is just something that I know will keep my stress level down and help me feel good about myself. I will start working out atleast 3 days a week. A couple of years ago I was working out 6 days a week and watching my diet. I loved it... I was so happy all the time... I was never stressed even though this was also the time I had the most stressful job I have ever had. My main goal is to get back into the same routine I had back then but right now I am going to shoot for 3 days a week for the next month and then see how I am managing it to see if I can add another day. First objective... Find a Gym I can afford...