🚀 go-pugleaf

"Boston Blackie" <bbblackie@mail.com> wrote in message
news:bbblackie-9A2A11.08064804092004@library.airnews.net...
> In article <J5adnWuAWJeUY6XcRVn-uw@comcast.com>,
>  "GWBush makes Quayle look like Lincoln" <toucan@mailblocks.com> wrote:
>
> > "mini Hawk" <pubatta@invalid.org> wrote
> >
> > > Not fear, Anger.
> > > Drug Addicted Son who is now dead.
> > > I watched him slowly fade and then die via the path you advocate.
> >
> > You must have been one great parent.
>
> that's a cheap shot.  addiction issues go well beyond both drugs and
> parenting.

Drug user Cannot handle responcability for his own self inflicted problem.
Would you admit that you have a habit that lowers you IQ by 30 points, and
this is what is driving your life?  Very Tough to look at, so blame the
parents instead of yourself. Typicial Addiction supporting tactic.

There's no shortage of misinformation and unsubstantiated claims involving
the medical uses of marijuana.  So, it's important to focus our attention on
the most reliable sources - medical professionals.  Let's consider five of
the most frequent pro-marijuana claims and the response from the medical
community:

Claim I: Smoking marijuana is the only way to relieve symptoms for some
patients.

Some medical patients do experience relief of symptoms from the active
ingredient in marijuana - tetrahydrocannabinol - commonly referred to as
THC. The symptoms often relieved include nausea, vomiting and loss of
appetite.1  However, patients can receive a synthetically created version of
THC through prescription drugs such as Marinol, available since 1985.2 After
extensive testing, Marinol was approved by the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) and must be distributed in a pure form.  By contrast, marijuana varies
wildly in THC content, making it impossible to prescribe dosage and potency.
Smoking marijuana also creates a distinct spike of THC in blood levels.
Marinol, however, is a pill, which time-releases THC - a more effective and
medically accepted procedure.

Claim II: The medical benefits of marijuana outweigh any side effects.

If this were true, the FDA would most likely have approved marijuana for
medical purposes.  Instead, the FDA has repeatedly refused to do so.  In
fact, no FDA-approved drug is smoked, and in the case of marijuana, smoking
it increases chances of lung cancer, as does smoking tobacco.  In fact,
according to one study, smoking marijuana burdens the respiratory system
four times more than an equivalent amount of tobacco smoking.3

Claim III: Marijuana is not a "gateway" drug, leading to the use of harder
drugs, like cocaine and heroine.

A study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) found
that children who use marijuana are 85 times more likely to use cocaine than
are children who do not use marijuana.4 Based on these findings, it seems
likely that the increased availability and use of marijuana nationwide (even
for medical purposes) will cause a corresponding increase in hard drug use.
General Barry R. McCaffrey, director of the Office of National Drug Control
Policy, believes marijuana's influence as a "gateway" drug will only
increase, as young people perceive marijuana to be a safe substance.
According to McCaffrey, "Referenda that tell our children that marijuana is
a 'medicine' send them the wrong signal about the dangers of illegal drugs -
increasing the likelihood that more children will turn to drugs."5

Claim IV: Legalization will only give patients with a demonstrated need
access to marijuana.

Claim V: The legalization of "medicinal" marijuana is not a first step
toward legalizing marijuana for recreational drug use.

Legalizing marijuana for medical purposes is unnecessary, poses an
additional physical threat to patients, may lead to increased illegal drug
use and is a move toward legalization for use by all adults.  Marijuana is
bad medicine.