Rolling Cannabis Politics Thread

http://www.enewspf.com/latest-news/health-and-fitness/28885-cedars-sinai-denying-transplant-to-medical-marijuana-patient-with-inoperable-liver-cancer.html

this is really fucked up.

http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/12/tony-dsouza-marijuana-growers

The New Dealers
Family, kids, minivan—and drug dealing. How the recession has driven average Americans into the game.
—By Tony D'Souza | November/December 2011 Issue

"average Americans"

I actually like the language of normativity for this kind of thing...

http://dailydish.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451c45669e20168e508f74d970c-pi

Source? Just cos I'm a stoner doesn't mean I can't recognise a dishonest diagram when I see one.

read that article in the newsstand edition, people risking federal charges to get weed shipped to them so they can deal enough to pay the mortgage...I absolutely could not stand the heat, that's insane

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665502/infographic-of-the-day-america-loves-weed-more-each-year

cheers max

people risking federal charges to get weed shipped to them

cool plan

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/11/marijuana-smoking-does-not-harm-lungs-study-finds/

In something of a twist, the researchers found that compared to nonsmokers, marijuana users performed slightly better on the lung function test, though the improvement was minuscule. “Even with this tiny increase in airflow, I have to admit that I really doubt that there’s any real increase in lung health,” said Dr. Stefan Kertesz, an associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham school of medicine and an author of the study. The finding may merely reflect marijuana smokers’ years of “training” in taking deep inhalations and holding the smoke, the researchers said.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2012/02/pot_legalization_why_doesn_t_anyone_in_washington_take_marijuana_policy_seriously_.html

http://laist.com/2012/01/31/last_medical_marijuana_in_chatsworth_shut_down.php

really did not see this kind of shit coming

the way things were going as of a couple of years ago anyway

if only smoking marijuana was harmful to your health, then we could buy it at Wawa

1) the medical marijuana debate pisses me off to no end. fuck these assholes and their "if you have cancer and are dying it's okay to get high". oh and their "chronic pain? ya seem fine to me!" attitude. yes, it's chronic pain, asshole! you can't see it, that's what makes the diagnosis PAIN and not say TUMOR. also the idea that 20-30 y.o. males must be over represented and that "anxiety" is a fake diagnosis. you assholes! you think men 20-30 have nothing to be anxious about? we don't ever commit suicide or self-medicate w/ the real seriously impairing drugs like valium, klonopin, ambien and alcohol?

2) all my spots are delivery now. they don't even really do the paperwork anymore, they just know my name and face and number and drop by with a backpack. congratulations California, you just created 1000s of drug dealers who need to be arrested because of ... Uh ... You kno, all the bad shit that's happened over the last few years

3) we have heard the outcry from city councils, sheriffs and police, anti-drug policy wonks, etc. did I miss the outcry from the public health professionals?

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/obamas-war-on-pot-20120216

http://www.chow.com/food-news/109836/inside-a-marijuana-treats-kitchen/

The smallest rays of light...

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/politics/2012-election/democrats-seek-end-federal-intervention-medical-marijuana

weirdly enough i think i saw a reopened dispensary the other day?!?

http://www.csindy.com/IndyBlog/archives/2012/05/10/first-ad-from-legalize-marijuana-group-debuts

i agree w/ the author of the post. the ad is in the right place but a little bit wtf.

the ad's heart is in the...

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/07/05/study-the-gateway-drug-is-alcohol-not-marijuana/

http://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2012/07/05/Health-Canada-Drop-Medical-Marijuana-Grow-op-Licenses

health canada says it hasn't inspected any medical growers
health canada says it will move to stop allowing medical users to grow their own:
1) safety concerns, 2) organized crime using medical grow licenses as covers for CRIME

2 is such bullshit

right... and the first issue could be helped if health canada did inspections

http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2012/07/should-health-canada-centralize-medical-marijuana-production.html

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq says the program is in need of reform, and that the department is considering a system of mail-order medical pot, to be produced by industrial growers.

"We are moving to eliminate personal grow-ops which will not require inspection," she said. "We are moving forward in looking at medical marijuana in terms of how any other prescription drug is accessed."

So anyone into growing their own? The Netherlands demand a weedpass so foreigners can't buy any anymore. :-(((

well it's a lot of work and - perhaps more importantly - it requires a big up-front investment so it's more expensive than a dispensary

supposedly the cooperative model is "you're growing your own by proxy" but it becomes too hard to cross-check where the money goes

there's some news in chicago on this front
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/chicago-to-ticket-for-marijuana-possession/Content?oid=6861353

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/07/11/marijuana_and_weight_loss_the_pot_you_smoke_isn_t_going_to_make_you_skinny.html

Ironically, the chemicals in question calm a major cannabinoid receptor, rather than stimulate it. Marijuana, as you may have heard, tends to increase appetite. Researchers hope that a drug that dampens cannabinoid signaling could have the opposite effect.

As you may have heard.

haven't read the article so i'm spitballing here but i'd think that a drug that demonstrates, in profile, that marijuana stimulates appetite would tend to serve the ends of ppl that want it legalized for medical reasons

Just heard on the news that that in Belgium there seem to be a lot more weed growing due to restriction of weed sale in Netherlands. lol. We're jumping on the bandwagon I guess.

http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2012/07/how_much_would_legal_marijuana_cost_a_new_book_says_it_would_be_nearly_free_.html

w00t

so good article in the times today (good meaning necessary for the conversation i guess) that gets at least one thing right

But authorities rarely seem to address the real issue about marijuana in California: Is it good medicine?

i think we can all agree to be on one side of this issue, yes this is the most important and primary question we're all interested in

the writer goes over the basics of the issue which are all reasonable like 1) being natural isn't a gold star 2) being no worse than other drugs and substances does not mean good (but isn't that how the fda works?) and 3) we all know people are gonna get high but let's focus on the legitimate users

then they throw in a good curveball

But the situation is different with chronic marijuana use.

Marijuana acts on cannabinoid receptors in the brain. These receptors, which are the most prevalent in the nervous system, influence just about every bodily function, including memory, attention, disposition, arousal, motivation, perception, appetite and sleep.

which sounds scary but (really? cannabis smoking receptors are the most prevalent in the nervous system) but really just means hey this is a psychoactive substance like an ssri or l-dopa or thyroid medication or HEY alcohol cigarettes and coffee

yes it has a strong effect on short term memory

but then unfortunately it's kind of a rotation of talking heads. ok, glaucoma foundation. are they the only opthamology institute? do several agree? ok, the v/a dude says it's linked to psychosis. but miami zombie aside, are there statistics? there must be, they have been forthcoming about ptsd statistics.

i believe the v/a has statistics and probably other neutral organizations do too. the pro-cannabis lobby in the comments box doesn't seem interested in statistics and/or can't make better arguments than "the feds don't want you to have it, QED" and "legalize and tax like drunk driving" and "the cigarette, cotton and nylon industry lobby".

Dr. David Sack is a psychiatrist and addiction specialist. He is chief executive of Promises Treatment Centers

anyway this is not a surprise since it seems like we only hear voices (on both sides of the spectrum) from people w/ a political or professional stake in this specific issue rather than an actual professional association of mental and public health practitioners

so ... NIH? APA? the only credible advice i've heard from actual doctors not involved in the industry is along the lines of not more than x amoung, not outside the house, take breaks, not in the morning, etc

can't jerry brown authorize an advisory panel or something?

like FFS if you GIVE A SHIT instead of trying to use prohibition scare tactics please describe signs and symptoms of addiction rather than play hide the chicken behind the egg

the catch-22 is that research cant be done because its a schedule one substance, deemed harmful, so research would be a violation of ethics. At least that's my impression

like a "first do no harm" thing?

that would seem to rule out leeches and bee stings

it IS a real catch-22 huh

did you read the article gbx i am curious to know what more health workers think

there's also the good outweighs the harm aspect of things (cf chemo), but I think the legality of weed makes things problematic. allowing research to discover (perhaps) that weed has some beneficial effects that outweigh the harm would be egg all over the govts face.

they're doing lsd and mdma and psilocybin trials according to the nyt

link?

unfortunately it's prone to the same "well if you're DYING then okay you can chase the dragon" make-a-wish feelgood definition of "legitimate patients" that plagues the discourse

if only young people at college-age - nothing to be anxious about! prime of life! - could get xanax prescriptions as easily as suburban professionals and soccer moms ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/magazine/how-psychedelic-drugs-can-help-patients-face-death.html?pagewanted=all

but yeah it's such a hot-button issue and i doubt there being any forward progress on it until psychiatrists and psychologists can actually deal w/ the issue of medical marijuana on a professional basis w/ health care and gov't agencies w/o fear of reprisal

only half through it but I'd wager that the end-of-life aspect may have played into how they got approval?

you talking about cannabis or mdma ;-)

maybe people argue they're about to commit suicide if their hookup doesn't call back