marijuana article

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In article <3727664E.AAC4E…@flyingllama.com>, swe…@flyingllama.com says… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->1.) Marijuana is not *physically* addictive; however, the weak-minded can get >psychologically addicted to it. >2.) The reasons marijuana is not yet legal are simple – it’s the tobacco companies >exerting their influence over the federal government. They perceive legal marijuana >as a threat to their business. (One wonders if they’ve ever thought of marketing it >themselves were it to be legalized… but then, these people aren’t the brightest >bulbs in the lamp)

I’ve heard rumors numerous times that tobacco companies have taken out the rights (copyright?) for numerous common pop names for marijuana–such as Maui wowwee or Acapulco Gold–on the off chance of legalization. I don’t think the tobacco execs are too dumb; look at all the people they kill each year with a tremendously addictive legal drug. susan r. Therefore, between them and the PDFA (who are a bunch of lying – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->bastards), the propaganda machine is well-oiled and, more importantly, well-funded. >3.) The drugs are coming from local people in your area who are brave enough to grow >it, or if you’re fortunate enough to live in a state where medical marijuana is >legal, from your primary caregiver (whom you have designated to grow for you). >Marijuana helps immensely, for me, with the spasticity. My legs freak out at times >and the only thing that will stop them is marijuana. Marijuana, IMNSHO, is very >good for the psychological element of MS in that the attendant euphoria can be a >great release. >Intelligent discourse welcomed on this topic, regardless of viewpoint. Flames will >be first ignored, then cheerfully deleted. >ourho…@flash.net wrote: >> On national TV,the U.S. Surgeon General,lady who was in after >> C.E.Coop,stated that pot was NOT addictive!!!! So WHY are the >> politicians so against it? Do they have a finantial interest? The DEA >> planes from outside the U.S. are NOT allowed to be checked by >> U.S.customs or any law enforcement agencys. So where are the drugs >> coming from? >> Or is there a do the politians have a deal with the drug companys? >> I don’t understand why they are against medicenal M-J but it DOES help >> with the MS as far as the spasms and help getting sleep,but the >> ‘munchies’ aren’t there,so I have to eat when I remember. >> stumped in Texas >> lisali…@aol.com (LisalisaA) wrote: >> >Study: Marijuana Helps Fight Pain >> >Institute of Medicine Report Likely To Stir Debate About Drug’s Safety >> >By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID >> >.c The Associated Press >> >WASHINGTON (March 17) – The active ingredients in marijuana can help fight pain >> >and nausea and thus deserve to be tested in scientific trials, an advisory >> >panel to the federal government said today in a report sure to reignite the >> >debate over whether marijuana is a helpful or harmful drug. >> >The Institute of Medicine also said there was no conclusive evidence that >> >marijuana use leads to harder drugs. >> >In the past few years, voters in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, >> >Oregon and Washington have approved measures in support of medical marijuana, >> >even though critics say such measures send the wrong message to kids. >> >Congress has taken a hard line on the issue, with the House last fall adopting >> >by 310-93 vote a resolution that said marijuana was a dangerous and addictive >> >drug and should not be legalized for medical use. >> >Asked to examine the issue by the White House drug policy office, the institute >> >said that because the chemicals in marijuana ease anxiety, stimulate the >> >appetite, ease pain and reduce nausea and vomiting, they can be helpful for >> >people undergoing chemotherapy and people with AIDS. The institute, an >> >affiliate of the National Academy of Sciences, provides the federal government >> >with independent scientific advice and receives no federal money. >> >But the panel warned that smoking marijuana can cause respiratory disease and >> >called for the development of standardized forms of the drugs, called >> >cannabinoids, that can be taken, for example, by inhaler. >> >”Marijuana has potential as medicine, but it is undermined by the fact that >> >patients must inhale harmful smoke,” said Stanley Watson of the Mental Health >> >Research Institute at the University of Michigan, one of the study’s principal >> >investigators. >> >Even so, the panel said, there may be cases where patients could in the >> >meantime get relief from smoked marijuana, especially since it might take years >> >to develop an inhaler. >> >The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy said it would carefully >> >study the recommendations. >> >”We note in the report’s conclusion that the future of cannabinoid drugs lies >> >not in smoked marijuana, but in chemically defined drugs” delivered by other >> >means, the office headed by retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey said in a statement. >> >One patient called the findings long overdue. >> >”It’s taken a long time, but I feel like now, people will stand up and >> >listen,” said Irvin Rosenfeld, a Boca Raton, Fla., stockbroker who has smoked >> >marijuana supplied by the federal government for 27 years because of a rare >> >medical condition. >> >”When you have a devastating disease, all you care about is getting the right >> >medicine … and not having to worry about being made a criminal,” said >> >Rosenfeld. He suffers from tumors that press into the muscles at the end of >> >long bones. The marijuana relaxes those muscles, keeping them from being torn >> >by the tumors and allowing him to move with less pain. >> >Rosenfeld is one of just eight people in the country receiving marijuana from >> >the government because of unusual diseases. >> >The panel urged clinical trials to determine the usefulness of marijuana in >> >treating muscle spasms. >> >While it also has been promoted as a treatment for glaucoma, the panel said >> >smoked marijuana only temporarily reduces some of the eye pressure associated >> >with that disease. >> >Daniel Zingale of AIDS Action said he is ”pleased that the study validates the >> >benefits of medicinal marijuana.” >> >Chuck Thomas of the Marijuana Policy Project said the report ‘’shoots down” >> >claims that marijuana has no medical benefits. >> >Opponents of allowing medical use of marijuana long have claimed that it is a >> >”gateway” drug, giving people a start on the road to more dangerous drugs >> >such as heroin and cocaine. >> >But the report concludes there is ”no conclusive evidence that the drug >> >effects of marijuana are causally linked to subsequent abuse of other illicit >> >drugs.” >> >In fact, the report concludes, most drug users did not begin with marijuana but >> >rather started by using tobacco and alcohol while they were underage. >> >The New England Journal of Medicine has editorialized in favor of medical >> >marijuana and the American Medical Association has urged the federal National >> >Institutes of Health to support more research on the subject. >> >An expert panel formed by NIH found in 1997 that existing research showed some >> >patients could be helped by the drug, principally to relieve nausea after >> >cancer chemotherapy or to increase AIDS patients’ appetites. The drug also has >> >helped some patients control glaucoma, that panel found. >> > AP-NY-03-17-99 1015EST >> > @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ >> >Be Well, >> >Lisa >> >Lisali…@aol.com >> >"Please explain to me the scientific nature of ‘The Whammy’" – Agent Scully >> > @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

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In article <7g1loe$70…@nnrp1.dejanews.com>, wvtranspl…@ij.net says… >smoking marijuana – what more harm could it possibly do? >over all the drugs we take anyway? if those politicians >ever had one episode of bulbar palsy, they’d wish they >had a big fat one to burn! …deb

Who knows if senators and congresspeople aren’t firin’ up a big ol’ hogs leg after a tough day legislating? As far as I know, they aren’t drug tested when they take office. No winkie-tinkle or tress test. Tain’t fair. susan r. >———–== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==———- >http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own

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smoking marijuana – what more harm could it possibly do? over all the drugs we take anyway? if those politicians ever had one episode of bulbar palsy, they’d wish they had a big fat one to burn! …deb ———–== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==———- http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own

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You go girl!!!! I agree! Rachelle

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1.) Marijuana is not *physically* addictive; however, the weak-minded can get psychologically addicted to it. 2.) The reasons marijuana is not yet legal are simple – it’s the tobacco companies exerting their influence over the federal government. They perceive legal marijuana as a threat to their business. (One wonders if they’ve ever thought of marketing it themselves were it to be legalized… but then, these people aren’t the brightest bulbs in the lamp) Therefore, between them and the PDFA (who are a bunch of lying bastards), the propaganda machine is well-oiled and, more importantly, well-funded. 3.) The drugs are coming from local people in your area who are brave enough to grow it, or if you’re fortunate enough to live in a state where medical marijuana is legal, from your primary caregiver (whom you have designated to grow for you). Marijuana helps immensely, for me, with the spasticity. My legs freak out at times and the only thing that will stop them is marijuana. Marijuana, IMNSHO, is very good for the psychological element of MS in that the attendant euphoria can be a great release. Intelligent discourse welcomed on this topic, regardless of viewpoint. Flames will be first ignored, then cheerfully deleted. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -ourho…@flash.net wrote: > On national TV,the U.S. Surgeon General,lady who was in after > C.E.Coop,stated that pot was NOT addictive!!!! So WHY are the > politicians so against it? Do they have a finantial interest? The DEA > planes from outside the U.S. are NOT allowed to be checked by > U.S.customs or any law enforcement agencys. So where are the drugs > coming from? > Or is there a do the politians have a deal with the drug companys? > I don’t understand why they are against medicenal M-J but it DOES help > with the MS as far as the spasms and help getting sleep,but the > ‘munchies’ aren’t there,so I have to eat when I remember. > stumped in Texas > lisali…@aol.com (LisalisaA) wrote: > >Study: Marijuana Helps Fight Pain > >Institute of Medicine Report Likely To Stir Debate About Drug’s Safety > >By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID > >.c The Associated Press > >WASHINGTON (March 17) – The active ingredients in marijuana can help fight pain > >and nausea and thus deserve to be tested in scientific trials, an advisory > >panel to the federal government said today in a report sure to reignite the > >debate over whether marijuana is a helpful or harmful drug. > >The Institute of Medicine also said there was no conclusive evidence that > >marijuana use leads to harder drugs. > >In the past few years, voters in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, > >Oregon and Washington have approved measures in support of medical marijuana, > >even though critics say such measures send the wrong message to kids. > >Congress has taken a hard line on the issue, with the House last fall adopting > >by 310-93 vote a resolution that said marijuana was a dangerous and addictive > >drug and should not be legalized for medical use. > >Asked to examine the issue by the White House drug policy office, the institute > >said that because the chemicals in marijuana ease anxiety, stimulate the > >appetite, ease pain and reduce nausea and vomiting, they can be helpful for > >people undergoing chemotherapy and people with AIDS. The institute, an > >affiliate of the National Academy of Sciences, provides the federal government > >with independent scientific advice and receives no federal money. > >But the panel warned that smoking marijuana can cause respiratory disease and > >called for the development of standardized forms of the drugs, called > >cannabinoids, that can be taken, for example, by inhaler. > >”Marijuana has potential as medicine, but it is undermined by the fact that > >patients must inhale harmful smoke,” said Stanley Watson of the Mental Health > >Research Institute at the University of Michigan, one of the study’s principal > >investigators. > >Even so, the panel said, there may be cases where patients could in the > >meantime get relief from smoked marijuana, especially since it might take years > >to develop an inhaler. > >The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy said it would carefully > >study the recommendations. > >”We note in the report’s conclusion that the future of cannabinoid drugs lies > >not in smoked marijuana, but in chemically defined drugs” delivered by other > >means, the office headed by retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey said in a statement. > >One patient called the findings long overdue. > >”It’s taken a long time, but I feel like now, people will stand up and > >listen,” said Irvin Rosenfeld, a Boca Raton, Fla., stockbroker who has smoked > >marijuana supplied by the federal government for 27 years because of a rare > >medical condition. > >”When you have a devastating disease, all you care about is getting the right > >medicine … and not having to worry about being made a criminal,” said > >Rosenfeld. He suffers from tumors that press into the muscles at the end of > >long bones. The marijuana relaxes those muscles, keeping them from being torn > >by the tumors and allowing him to move with less pain. > >Rosenfeld is one of just eight people in the country receiving marijuana from > >the government because of unusual diseases. > >The panel urged clinical trials to determine the usefulness of marijuana in > >treating muscle spasms. > >While it also has been promoted as a treatment for glaucoma, the panel said > >smoked marijuana only temporarily reduces some of the eye pressure associated > >with that disease. > >Daniel Zingale of AIDS Action said he is ”pleased that the study validates the > >benefits of medicinal marijuana.” > >Chuck Thomas of the Marijuana Policy Project said the report ‘’shoots down” > >claims that marijuana has no medical benefits. > >Opponents of allowing medical use of marijuana long have claimed that it is a > >”gateway” drug, giving people a start on the road to more dangerous drugs > >such as heroin and cocaine. > >But the report concludes there is ”no conclusive evidence that the drug > >effects of marijuana are causally linked to subsequent abuse of other illicit > >drugs.” > >In fact, the report concludes, most drug users did not begin with marijuana but > >rather started by using tobacco and alcohol while they were underage. > >The New England Journal of Medicine has editorialized in favor of medical > >marijuana and the American Medical Association has urged the federal National > >Institutes of Health to support more research on the subject. > >An expert panel formed by NIH found in 1997 that existing research showed some > >patients could be helped by the drug, principally to relieve nausea after > >cancer chemotherapy or to increase AIDS patients’ appetites. The drug also has > >helped some patients control glaucoma, that panel found. > > AP-NY-03-17-99 1015EST > > @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ > >Be Well, > >Lisa > >Lisali…@aol.com > >"Please explain to me the scientific nature of ‘The Whammy’" – Agent Scully > > @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Response:

Remember this,as long as marajuana is illegal,the growers in Ark. can still get a lot of money and still be able to fund the polititions to keep it that way. To date,there has been no deaths from smoking pot. But the tobacco companies who have copyrights to a large number of names for pot,are waiting to see it legalized. They are ready to plant.If only the people in Washington would just stop watching "Reefer Madness" After all did ya’ll know that the us government got a lot of farmers to grow marijuana during WWII? The way I see it,it is not a worry about ‘IF’ it helps but how can the government keep their profits high. If pot were legalized,a lot of government people will go broke and worst yet……..WORK FOR THE PEOPLE who they represent! Wouldn’t that be hard on those poor people. Lots of info at www.hightimes.com Yes dopers but still a good source of info…………. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -lisali…@aol.com (LisalisaA) wrote: >Study: Marijuana Helps Fight Pain >Institute of Medicine Report Likely To Stir Debate About Drug’s Safety >By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID >.c The Associated Press >WASHINGTON (March 17) – The active ingredients in marijuana can help fight pain >and nausea and thus deserve to be tested in scientific trials, an advisory >panel to the federal government said today in a report sure to reignite the >debate over whether marijuana is a helpful or harmful drug. >The Institute of Medicine also said there was no conclusive evidence that >marijuana use leads to harder drugs. >In the past few years, voters in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, >Oregon and Washington have approved measures in support of medical marijuana, >even though critics say such measures send the wrong message to kids. >Congress has taken a hard line on the issue, with the House last fall adopting >by 310-93 vote a resolution that said marijuana was a dangerous and addictive >drug and should not be legalized for medical use. >Asked to examine the issue by the White House drug policy office, the institute >said that because the chemicals in marijuana ease anxiety, stimulate the >appetite, ease pain and reduce nausea and vomiting, they can be helpful for >people undergoing chemotherapy and people with AIDS. The institute, an >affiliate of the National Academy of Sciences, provides the federal government >with independent scientific advice and receives no federal money. >But the panel warned that smoking marijuana can cause respiratory disease and >called for the development of standardized forms of the drugs, called >cannabinoids, that can be taken, for example, by inhaler. >”Marijuana has potential as medicine, but it is undermined by the fact that >patients must inhale harmful smoke,” said Stanley Watson of the Mental Health >Research Institute at the University of Michigan, one of the study’s principal >investigators. >Even so, the panel said, there may be cases where patients could in the >meantime get relief from smoked marijuana, especially since it might take years >to develop an inhaler. >The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy said it would carefully >study the recommendations. >”We note in the report’s conclusion that the future of cannabinoid drugs lies >not in smoked marijuana, but in chemically defined drugs” delivered by other >means, the office headed by retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey said in a statement. >One patient called the findings long overdue. >”It’s taken a long time, but I feel like now, people will stand up and >listen,” said Irvin Rosenfeld, a Boca Raton, Fla., stockbroker who has smoked >marijuana supplied by the federal government for 27 years because of a rare >medical condition. >”When you have a devastating disease, all you care about is getting the right >medicine … and not having to worry about being made a criminal,” said >Rosenfeld. He suffers from tumors that press into the muscles at the end of >long bones. The marijuana relaxes those muscles, keeping them from being torn >by the tumors and allowing him to move with less pain. >Rosenfeld is one of just eight people in the country receiving marijuana from >the government because of unusual diseases. >The panel urged clinical trials to determine the usefulness of marijuana in >treating muscle spasms. >While it also has been promoted as a treatment for glaucoma, the panel said >smoked marijuana only temporarily reduces some of the eye pressure associated >with that disease. >Daniel Zingale of AIDS Action said he is ”pleased that the study validates the >benefits of medicinal marijuana.” >Chuck Thomas of the Marijuana Policy Project said the report ‘’shoots down” >claims that marijuana has no medical benefits. >Opponents of allowing medical use of marijuana long have claimed that it is a >”gateway” drug, giving people a start on the road to more dangerous drugs >such as heroin and cocaine. >But the report concludes there is ”no conclusive evidence that the drug >effects of marijuana are causally linked to subsequent abuse of other illicit >drugs.” >In fact, the report concludes, most drug users did not begin with marijuana but >rather started by using tobacco and alcohol while they were underage. >The New England Journal of Medicine has editorialized in favor of medical >marijuana and the American Medical Association has urged the federal National >Institutes of Health to support more research on the subject. >An expert panel formed by NIH found in 1997 that existing research showed some >patients could be helped by the drug, principally to relieve nausea after >cancer chemotherapy or to increase AIDS patients’ appetites. The drug also has >helped some patients control glaucoma, that panel found. > AP-NY-03-17-99 1015EST > @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ >Be Well, >Lisa >Lisali…@aol.com >"Please explain to me the scientific nature of ‘The Whammy’" – Agent Scully > @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Response:

On Tue, 20 Apr 1999 21:08:11 GMT, ourho…@flash.net wrote: > On national TV,the U.S. Surgeon General,lady who was in after >C.E.Coop,stated that pot was NOT addictive!!!! So WHY are the >politicians so against it?

And where is that calm, level-headed, speak the truth lady now? Fired! Kate

Response:

In article <371de691.3410…@news.pwshift.com>, kat…@pwshift.com (Kate Murphy) writes: >> On national TV,the U.S. Surgeon General,lady who was in after >>C.E.Coop,stated that pot was NOT addictive!!!! So WHY are the >>politicians so against it? >And where is that calm, level-headed, speak the truth lady now? >Fired!

Joycelin Elders. I really liked her. She finally got bounced for saying masterbation was okay and that it was safer for teenagers than promiscuity. All the bible thumpers had a fit. Clinton finally bounced her, as she was already controversial. He never would stand by people. (Remember Lani Guiner?) Kathi

Response:

On national TV,the U.S. Surgeon General,lady who was in after C.E.Coop,stated that pot was NOT addictive!!!! So WHY are the politicians so against it? Do they have a finantial interest? The DEA planes from outside the U.S. are NOT allowed to be checked by U.S.customs or any law enforcement agencys. So where are the drugs coming from? Or is there a do the politians have a deal with the drug companys? I don’t understand why they are against medicenal M-J but it DOES help with the MS as far as the spasms and help getting sleep,but the ‘munchies’ aren’t there,so I have to eat when I remember. stumped in Texas – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -lisali…@aol.com (LisalisaA) wrote: >Study: Marijuana Helps Fight Pain >Institute of Medicine Report Likely To Stir Debate About Drug’s Safety >By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID >.c The Associated Press >WASHINGTON (March 17) – The active ingredients in marijuana can help fight pain >and nausea and thus deserve to be tested in scientific trials, an advisory >panel to the federal government said today in a report sure to reignite the >debate over whether marijuana is a helpful or harmful drug. >The Institute of Medicine also said there was no conclusive evidence that >marijuana use leads to harder drugs. >In the past few years, voters in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, >Oregon and Washington have approved measures in support of medical marijuana, >even though critics say such measures send the wrong message to kids. >Congress has taken a hard line on the issue, with the House last fall adopting >by 310-93 vote a resolution that said marijuana was a dangerous and addictive >drug and should not be legalized for medical use. >Asked to examine the issue by the White House drug policy office, the institute >said that because the chemicals in marijuana ease anxiety, stimulate the >appetite, ease pain and reduce nausea and vomiting, they can be helpful for >people undergoing chemotherapy and people with AIDS. The institute, an >affiliate of the National Academy of Sciences, provides the federal government >with independent scientific advice and receives no federal money. >But the panel warned that smoking marijuana can cause respiratory disease and >called for the development of standardized forms of the drugs, called >cannabinoids, that can be taken, for example, by inhaler. >”Marijuana has potential as medicine, but it is undermined by the fact that >patients must inhale harmful smoke,” said Stanley Watson of the Mental Health >Research Institute at the University of Michigan, one of the study’s principal >investigators. >Even so, the panel said, there may be cases where patients could in the >meantime get relief from smoked marijuana, especially since it might take years >to develop an inhaler. >The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy said it would carefully >study the recommendations. >”We note in the report’s conclusion that the future of cannabinoid drugs lies >not in smoked marijuana, but in chemically defined drugs” delivered by other >means, the office headed by retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey said in a statement. >One patient called the findings long overdue. >”It’s taken a long time, but I feel like now, people will stand up and >listen,” said Irvin Rosenfeld, a Boca Raton, Fla., stockbroker who has smoked >marijuana supplied by the federal government for 27 years because of a rare >medical condition. >”When you have a devastating disease, all you care about is getting the right >medicine … and not having to worry about being made a criminal,” said >Rosenfeld. He suffers from tumors that press into the muscles at the end of >long bones. The marijuana relaxes those muscles, keeping them from being torn >by the tumors and allowing him to move with less pain. >Rosenfeld is one of just eight people in the country receiving marijuana from >the government because of unusual diseases. >The panel urged clinical trials to determine the usefulness of marijuana in >treating muscle spasms. >While it also has been promoted as a treatment for glaucoma, the panel said >smoked marijuana only temporarily reduces some of the eye pressure associated >with that disease. >Daniel Zingale of AIDS Action said he is ”pleased that the study validates the >benefits of medicinal marijuana.” >Chuck Thomas of the Marijuana Policy Project said the report ‘’shoots down” >claims that marijuana has no medical benefits. >Opponents of allowing medical use of marijuana long have claimed that it is a >”gateway” drug, giving people a start on the road to more dangerous drugs >such as heroin and cocaine. >But the report concludes there is ”no conclusive evidence that the drug >effects of marijuana are causally linked to subsequent abuse of other illicit >drugs.” >In fact, the report concludes, most drug users did not begin with marijuana but >rather started by using tobacco and alcohol while they were underage. >The New England Journal of Medicine has editorialized in favor of medical >marijuana and the American Medical Association has urged the federal National >Institutes of Health to support more research on the subject. >An expert panel formed by NIH found in 1997 that existing research showed some >patients could be helped by the drug, principally to relieve nausea after >cancer chemotherapy or to increase AIDS patients’ appetites. The drug also has >helped some patients control glaucoma, that panel found. > AP-NY-03-17-99 1015EST > @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ >Be Well, >Lisa >Lisali…@aol.com >"Please explain to me the scientific nature of ‘The Whammy’" – Agent Scully > @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Response:

Study: Marijuana Helps Fight Pain Institute of Medicine Report Likely To Stir Debate About Drug’s Safety By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID .c The Associated Press WASHINGTON (March 17) – The active ingredients in marijuana can help fight pain and nausea and thus deserve to be tested in scientific trials, an advisory panel to the federal government said today in a report sure to reignite the debate over whether marijuana is a helpful or harmful drug. The Institute of Medicine also said there was no conclusive evidence that marijuana use leads to harder drugs. In the past few years, voters in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington have approved measures in support of medical marijuana, even though critics say such measures send the wrong message to kids. Congress has taken a hard line on the issue, with the House last fall adopting by 310-93 vote a resolution that said marijuana was a dangerous and addictive drug and should not be legalized for medical use. Asked to examine the issue by the White House drug policy office, the institute said that because the chemicals in marijuana ease anxiety, stimulate the appetite, ease pain and reduce nausea and vomiting, they can be helpful for people undergoing chemotherapy and people with AIDS. The institute, an affiliate of the National Academy of Sciences, provides the federal government with independent scientific advice and receives no federal money. But the panel warned that smoking marijuana can cause respiratory disease and called for the development of standardized forms of the drugs, called cannabinoids, that can be taken, for example, by inhaler. ”Marijuana has potential as medicine, but it is undermined by the fact that patients must inhale harmful smoke,” said Stanley Watson of the Mental Health Research Institute at the University of Michigan, one of the study’s principal investigators. Even so, the panel said, there may be cases where patients could in the meantime get relief from smoked marijuana, especially since it might take years to develop an inhaler. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy said it would carefully study the recommendations. ”We note in the report’s conclusion that the future of cannabinoid drugs lies not in smoked marijuana, but in chemically defined drugs” delivered by other means, the office headed by retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey said in a statement. One patient called the findings long overdue. ”It’s taken a long time, but I feel like now, people will stand up and listen,” said Irvin Rosenfeld, a Boca Raton, Fla., stockbroker who has smoked marijuana supplied by the federal government for 27 years because of a rare medical condition. ”When you have a devastating disease, all you care about is getting the right medicine … and not having to worry about being made a criminal,” said Rosenfeld. He suffers from tumors that press into the muscles at the end of long bones. The marijuana relaxes those muscles, keeping them from being torn by the tumors and allowing him to move with less pain. Rosenfeld is one of just eight people in the country receiving marijuana from the government because of unusual diseases. The panel urged clinical trials to determine the usefulness of marijuana in treating muscle spasms. While it also has been promoted as a treatment for glaucoma, the panel said smoked marijuana only temporarily reduces some of the eye pressure associated with that disease. Daniel Zingale of AIDS Action said he is ”pleased that the study validates the benefits of medicinal marijuana.” Chuck Thomas of the Marijuana Policy Project said the report ‘’shoots down” claims that marijuana has no medical benefits. Opponents of allowing medical use of marijuana long have claimed that it is a ”gateway” drug, giving people a start on the road to more dangerous drugs such as heroin and cocaine. But the report concludes there is ”no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs.” In fact, the report concludes, most drug users did not begin with marijuana but rather started by using tobacco and alcohol while they were underage. The New England Journal of Medicine has editorialized in favor of medical marijuana and the American Medical Association has urged the federal National Institutes of Health to support more research on the subject. An expert panel formed by NIH found in 1997 that existing research showed some patients could be helped by the drug, principally to relieve nausea after cancer chemotherapy or to increase AIDS patients’ appetites. The drug also has helped some patients control glaucoma, that panel found. AP-NY-03-17-99 1015EST @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Be Well, Lisa Lisali…@aol.com "Please explain to me the scientific nature of ‘The Whammy’" – Agent Scully @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

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