I can only imagine how many letters to the editor have arrived at the Washington Post after it published columnist Charles Lane’s intellectually flaccid and insulting column (i.e., Mr. Lane mocks Angel Raich’s medical condition and cites an alleged NORML survey that does not exist) entitled ‘Medical marijuana is an insult to our intelligence‘.
Below is a letter-to-the-editor that was sent by NORML board member Paul Kuhn…You too can weigh in on Mr. Lane’s ‘defense’ of intelligence (and lack of compassion) here.
[Paul Armentano updates: The letter to the Washington Post from Paul Kuhn was just one letter penned by NORML representatives. CALIFORNIA NORML, for instance, responded with a separate letter as well, as have several others. As a result the Post has now added this, half-hearted in my opinion, ‘clarification’:
Clarification: An earlier version of this posting said Angel Raich claimed that each of the medical conditions cited in her lawsuit was life-threatening. She asked me to explain that she only contended that one of her conditions — chronic weight loss due to an inability to keep food down — was life-threatening. I am happy to oblige. She is about to undergo an operation to reduce her Schwannoma, which is a benign brain tumor.]
Medical marijuana is an insult to our intelligence
The Justice Department says it’s backing off the prosecution of people who smoke pot or sell it in compliance with state laws that permit “medical marijuana.” Attorney General Eric Holder says “it will not be a priority to use federal resources to prosecute patients with serious illnesses or their caregivers.” Party hardy! I mean — let the healing begin!
I don’t think the federal government should be spending a whole lot of time on small-time druggies, and I’m undecided about legalizing pot, which enjoys 44 percent support among the general public, according to a recent poll. Recreational use is not the wisest thing — and if my 12-year-old son is reading this, that means you! — but it’s no more harmful than other drugs (e.g., alcohol) and impossible to eradicate. On the other hand, I worry it’s a gateway to harder stuff. So I think we probably should have an open debate about decriminalization.
But it should be a real debate, about real decriminalization, and not clouded — pardon the expression — by hokum about “medical marijuana.” To the extent it puts the attorney general’s imprimatur on the notion that people are getting pot from “caregivers” to deal “with serious illnesses” — as opposed to growing their own or flocking to “dispensaries” just to get high — the Justice Department’s move is not so constructive.
I do not deny that for some people, including some terminal cancer patients and pain-wracked AIDS sufferers, marijuana is a blessed relief. Let ’em smoke, I say, just as the Justice Department has usually ignored such cases since long before Holder spoke up. But if you believe there is any scientific evidence that smoked marijuana has the multiplicity of therapeutic uses that advocates claim — well, I’ve got a bag of oregano I’d like to sell you.
Usually, drugs have to pass exacting testing by the Food and Drug Administration before they go on the market. There’s a good reason for this: we don’t want people spending money on products that might be ineffective or actually harmful. In California and elsewhere, however, snake oil — sorry, “medical marijuana” — got on the market via a different route: popular referendum. The pot for sale in dispensaries is subject to none of the purity controls that actual pharmaceutical drugs must meet. Indeed, the new DOJ policy essentially recognizes a gray market for pot, leaving these supposedly seriously ill people at the mercy of their dealers — I mean caregivers — with respect to quality and efficacy.
What other substances should we handle this way? Cocaine? Laetrile? Didn’t President Obama just sign a bill authorizing the FDA to regulate the nicotine content of tobacco? And I thought he promised to “restore science to its rightful place.”
Under California’s law, you don’t even need a prescription to get pot (which would admittedly have been a problem, since the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency controls who gets a prescription pad, and not many doctors would use theirs to prescribe an illegal drug). All it takes is a “written or oral recommendation” from a physician.
A few years ago, a California woman called Angel Raich took her defense of medical pot all the way to the Supreme Court. She lost on the legal issue, which had nothing to do with the medical effectiveness of pot. Along the way, though, she claimed that she was suffering from “life-threatening” scoliosis, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, bruxism, endometriosis, headache, rotator cuff syndrome, uterine fibroids, and Schwannoma. The Latin names might have snowed some judges, but physicians recognized each of these conditions as a common, non-life-threatening problem for which conventional treatments were available. Raich listed a cornucopia of potent drugs, from Vicodin to Methadone, that she had tried previously and gotten no satisfaction. I’m not a doctor, but I thought she might consider a consultation for hypochondria, or perhaps marijuana dependency.
This is not an isolated instance. According to a survey by NORML, the pro-“medical marijuana” organization, which can be expected to emphasize the desperate health of users, only 22 percent of California medical marijuana users suffer from AIDS-related disease. Most of the rest have more subjective maladies such as “chronic pain” or “mood disorders.”
Raich’s physician was Frank Lucido, a well-known Berkeley doctor and pro-pot activist — he also makes money as an expert witness on “medical marijuana” — whose Web site boasts that he was “investigated by the Medical Practices Board of California for cannabis evaluation practices in 2003, and fully exonerated.” The case involved his recommendation of marijuana to treat attention deficit disorder in a 16-year-old boy, but, as I say, he was fully exonerated.
In a brilliant article (requires subscription) on this subject in the Hastings Center Report, a bioethics journal, lawyer and anesthesiologist Peter J. Cohen noted that “medical marijuana” groups have been notably passive about demanding FDA testing and approval for this purported elixir. Instead, they took their case to the people. As Cohen argued, this is no way to make health policy: “medical marijuana,” he wrote, should be “subjected to the same scientific scrutiny as any drug proposed for use in medical therapy, rather than made legal for medical use by popular will.” The “medical marijuana” movement may not be a threat to our civilization, but it is an insult to our intelligence.
Re: Charles Lane’s column on medical marijuana.
Dear Editors,
In the most inane column I have read in the Post, the most offensive comments are those labeling Angel Raich a hypochondriac fraud. Next Thursday, she will undergo brain surgery at Stanford Hospital.
The most puzzling comments are those acknowledging marijuana is a “blessed relief” for certain patients and at the same time “an insult to our intelligence.”
The most misinformed comments are those asking why marijuana is not FDA-approved when the government prohibits research on marijuana.
When my late wife was battling cancer, marijuana relieved her pain after the best legal medications failed. I’ll believe my own eyes over Mr. Lane’s confused words.
Sincerely yours,
Paul H. Kuhn
Nashville TN
get a clue
“Usually, drugs have to pass exacting testing by the Food and Drug Administration before they go on the market. There’s a good reason for this: we don’t want people spending money on products that might be ineffective or actually harmful.”
Can you please explain how this applies to cigarettes and alcohol? Both of which are sold legally in this country.
Paul, your defense of medical marijuana is weak at best. You could have cited actual research instead of your own subjective personal opinion. If NORML didn’t publish the poll cited, why didn’t you mention that in your defense? I’m rather disappointed in your response, especially being a leader of NORML. The author of the original article can look at your response as ill informed and lacking in any evidence to support your case.
[Editor’s note: Mr. Kuhn did not know that Mr. Lane misquoted a non-NORML report when he submitted his op-ed. Letters to the editor often have a better chance of getting published when they’re under 125 words, and cite personal experiences. The author of the original screed, Charles Lane, can not view the experience of a primary caregiver to his dying spouse as “ill-informed and lacking evidence’.
If you want to submit a science-filled reply to Mr. Lane, rather than degrade Mr. Kuhn’s timely, necessarily short and personal correspondence, go for it. ]
Just terrible
Wow! What an asshole
This guy should spend some time on chemo. See how he feeds himself with a mouth full of blisters and a stomach that refuses anything put in it. Let him convince himself to eat when everything taste like dirt and mold, even the tap water. Throw in some brain radiation that destroys your saliva glands and see if he survives on the approved drugs that don’t help and only make you so dizzy that you feel like your going to pass out when you stand up. I was put on several different drugs that were supposed to help but the side effects in every case were to much, not to mention I threw them up half the time. They all say to eat before you take them which is a joke since you take them to be able to eat. A nurse privately suggested marijuana which is illegal in my state. I managed to get some and it helped so much. I had been losing weight rapidly and it slowed that down and allowed me to nourish my body so it could heal. Don’t you just love it when these people write articles on stuff they have no clue about. As if we need another jack ass columnist.
Charles Lane is a complete idiot. I’m truly offended…
Let me guess, Bob and Tom listener? Not a show full of facts, Mr. Lane.
He just tore himself anew one. All I have to say We the people will not stand for this critisizm. Medical Marijuana is the cure for pain in most ailments. I agree I would not like my son at age 4 legaly smoking marijuana. But I would like to see a bigger change in the medical marijuana field. We have millions of people suffering and dying because they cant recieve their perscriptions without getting arrested for them. I dont know about you guys, but i have taken many perscriptions that the doctor has tried to figure out the problem to. for bi polar/add. hell I dont even think they realy know. Ive gained 250lbs from anti depresants like zoloft,moodswings, wanted to kill myself, hated life in general. Out of everything my mom decides to hand me a prerolled marijuana ciggerett. and says this will make you feel better. Since that day its been 15 yrs now and im still smoking. I have never been happy,loved,or felt a calling in life untill i found marijuana. So all you prosocuters need to realy look deep down in your souls and ask yourself? Am I really being fair? I am a wonderful husband of six yrs wonder ful father of a 4 yr old. And I am Happy! :’) Please stop herassing for witch you know nothing about. Peace and Love to the real world out their. NOT the GOVERNMENTS!
Sincerely Terry . J
These are they type of of people we are up against..brainwashed dumbasses that have no clue why there doing what there doing..
Idiots like Charles Lane and Kalvina Fey have contributed mightily to cannabis re-legalization efforts. The more they champion illogical lies, failed policy strategy and clear violations of God-given Constitutional rights, the sooner our hypocritical, racist, counter productive and insane drug policies will be reformed. Every village needs an idiot, or two.
Its obvious that Charles is incredibly ignorant about this topic and that his article proves to be the real insult to our inteligence. What a Tool.
One sees these types of misinformed statements all over the place, especially now that the issue of medical marijuanna is getting out there. Okay I get it that we don’t all agree on every thing all the time, such is the human condition, but don’t put out information that isn’t true. I can almost garuntee that if our congress men and our leaders would look at medical marijuana on a case by case basis and were presented with real good true information their jaw would drop. There is such a stigma about pot, that is the real road block that we must over come, we need to treat this as the real medicine that it is. I, like many others feel very strongly about medical marijuana because I have seen its benifits first hand. It was the only thing that helped my brother in law who was a terminal cancer patient. It helped his pain, it helped his nausea and it helped his overwhelming feeling of helplessness. This is ofcourse after all conventional treatments failed. These treatments include heavy narcotics and various other DRUGS. The one i’d like to mention is marinol, which is synthetic thc derived from the canabis plant. He said that it put him in kind of a wierd dizzy state, that just wasn’t plesent. Smoking good old fassion natural canabis was the only thing that helped him. This is in Pennsylvania where medical marijuana is illegal but synthetic shit is legal. If you ask me it’s all about money. The pharmaceutical companies would not have the whole market cornered if medical marijuana was legal. MONEY And it’s a damn shame truely a shame. I could rant all day on this but i’m not going to this time, it would get a little legnthy. But my whole reason for writing this was to make the point that if you don’t know what you’re talking about do some research. The information is out there and it’s pretty easy to find. Get yourself informed and then make up your decision and if you do do research and read individual cases I think that it will be pretty obvious about what side of the debate you will side on. Do Research, Get Informed. The benifits Far exceed the potential costs. It just makes sense to me but that’s my oppinion. I decided to get informed and i’m glad I did so I can put confidence behind my feelings on medical marijuanna.
I can only pray that you come down with a crippling disease that causes you pain every second of every day.
oh ya, FDA approved substances are great. I’m so glad that they rigorously test all of those drugs, yet they still manage to kill thousands every year. those are some really tight standards FDA! I think I’ll stick to my natural herbal remedy that has never been the sole cause of death in anyone, EVER.
I was a pain patient for almost 9 years! My name is Camerine i broke my neck when i was 2. I am 36 now i have had pain doctors give me injections , morphine,percacet, muscle relaxers ,and so on and im a person that doesn’t want to be so mentaly numb that i cant think or move right they don’t think about how these pain meds mess up your mind and body especialy if your a person with pain that can’t be fixed because i have to live with this nerve damage that doctors messed up! im also a person that is diabled and i want to have some mind and body control of my own so when i don’t have much strength or feeling in parts of my body my other senses make up for it. so i have smoked before and i could control it more on my own than trying to work with a med like 60mgs of morphine twice a day! everything we do can be done in moderation no matter what it is ! but you have to learn to listen and learn your own body since alot of times doctors won’t listen! because my pain doctor dropped me with no help of coming off any of the meds he gave me! so the pot has helped with pain, sleep ,and stress! i have never taken so much of something that i don’t have control of my surroundings! its kinda stupid to do ANY KIND OF DRUG that way!! It’s time to think with a brain and heart and your pockets!!!!!!!!
This is a copy of a letter I just sent to the W Post after reading that article. I chose to focus on the unfair treatment of Angel Raich, because she (like so many other sick people) does not deserve to be publicly slandered, especially when she is so very ill. I also chose to keep my letter short so that it has a better chance of being read. My hope is that more of you will write letters attacking the many other badly researched points of this horrific column.
Dear Editors,
I am absolutely horrified by the treatment of Angel Raich in this pathetic excuse for a news paper column. Not only was it poorly researched, but it deeply insulted an incredibly sick woman who (as this column so conveniently left out) is about to undergo brain surgery at Stanford Hospital. The Washington Post owes Angel Raich a sincere and public apology for the slander that has befallen her. If The Washington Post does not make a formal apology for the propaganda and slander that has attacked this woman, then that is proof that the “news paper” does not report the news or the facts. Rather, it works to promote lies, propaganda, and bigotry. I, for one, will never read another article by The Washington Post again. I am absolutely certain that I am not the only one who has made this decision after reading this horrific and badly research column.
WHAT A DOUCHE!AND THE DOUCHEBAG AWARD OF THE YEAR GOES TO….
the person who wrote this article, speaks of those who get high. …if you equate getting high with being releived of a depressed emotional condition or mental out-look, like the song says “changing my mental ghetto into the bahamas” (afroman),that’s one thing, but if you say “getting high” as a derogatory slanderous intent, then, your making enemies out of those you’ve never met nor had any previous personal relationships with.
As a fellow Middle Tennessean, I salute you, Mr. Kuhn. It took you six sentences to nullify that idiot’s entire article. If only the Post would publish your response.
Wow that man is an idiot. My boyfriend smokes marijuana to help him feel sane. He has many problems with his brain caused from a tumor when he was younger that should have killed him. Luckily it didn’t but now he has personality issues he has a hard time keeping balance and has serious anxiety and depression. He’s on other meds prescribed to him but the only thing that works is pot. I also smoke it with him to help my chronic headaches. I have sever migranes all the time and the only thing that touches them is pot.
i agree with this guy charles lane. dont get me wrong i believe that weed is a healing herb just like the chamomile in tea that relaxes you. and i also believe i should be able to smoke the stuff for recreational purposes from time to time. what i dont agree in, is this legalizing medical thing. i mean lets face it, there are more people who want to smoke it just to chill or get high then people with these problems, and besides i think people in chronic pain would want something stronger anyways, believe me weed doesnt cure anything! it may get you high so you dont think of your problems as much, but it doesnt cure anything. the government is not gonna let some “pot heads” advocate medicinal use but then let others “abuse it” its doesnt work! pot heads need to make up their mind, its sad to see people this way, i mean i smoke pot all the time, im depependant on the stuff in this fast paced, hectic life, stop this whole medical fiasco, the government is not stupid, in fact they are very smart, thats why they are in control, sometimes if pot head parents in california really care about their children
I didn’t know who Charles Lane was before reading this. Now I know he is a hateful blight on the human existence. The utter lack of empathy is shocking and his idea that it’s “party time” for the seriously ill shows just how out of touch prohibitionists are from reality.
I especially love how he cites the FDA as some necessary agency that must weigh in on everything that is deemed “medicine.” Sorry, Mr. Lame, but it’s called a “supplement.” Many products skirt FDA approval by deeming themselves supplements rather than medicine. There has been no shortage of “supplements” that have caused death or bodily injury and the FDA didn’t lift a finger until AFTER people died. If this is the agency we’re looking to to keep us “safe” we are in dire straights. The CDC can’t even get people flu shots right now! Government involvement in anything is proving to be ineffectual and embarrassing.
brain washed idiot, you should have the right to choose whatever treatment you want….
Charles Lane is obviously uninformed and should have done some actual research on the subject instead of just printing his opinion. If it were him or someone in his family that were ill and could benefit from the use of medical marijuana he would feel differently. The Post should be more selective in their hiring of columnists.
I personally have been “self medicating” for years now and fully realize the benefits of marijuana. I will continue to back any effort to legalize it for medical purposes. I am not a “pot head” as Mr. Lane would probably label me, but have real medical problems that have not been cured or helped by any “legal” medications.
Thank you President Obama for finally doing what should have been done long ago.
We need FDA approval for Medical Marijuana, just like Bayer’s cholesterol-fighter Baycol, and Merck’s Vioxx, which is said to have killed 55,000 people and Ketek which caused serious liver failure (53 people confirmed deaths, many others possible)I can go on and on and on…
Right, like I trust the FDA to tell me what is good or bad…
The FDA is controlled by the big Pharma’s, They don’t want marijuana legalized because it would put a hurt on the Pharma’s bottom line.
Marijuana has never been proven to have killed anyone.
I pray Mr.Lane neither you nor any of your family members ever require the assistance of Medical Marijuana. Like my grandmother used to say “It’s all into whose ox is getting gored!”
To “Charles Lane”: “I dont like you Sir” and “never will.””Have you ever contemplated changing your career?””If not,you should”
I say forget these fools, use jury nullifon to undue this wayward government. This government is not run on the will of the people but by a tyrant controlled government of a few.
why is it so hard for the world to understand that its no worse for you then breathing smoke next to a campfire… if all it takes to get MJ is a doctors note… what does that tell you… we either need new doctors or pot should not be remotely illegal..
im not hearing to many complaints about our doctors..
First of all, that was perhaps one of the most decidedly unclear articles I have ever read and I am certainly going to write the Post about that. Second of all, I cannot believe that an article that actually states medical marijuana has some benefit could then be titled “Medical marijuana is an insult to our intelligence”. What in the world could be more contradicting than that? Yes, I understand that (was with any sort of legal medication) some people are going to try and get their hands on it when they don’t actually need it. HOWEVER, that does not mean that medical marijuana does not have its place in society for those who do deserve it, and if anything I think this just means that the federal government should stop classifying marijuana as an illegal drug and start trying to handle it the smart way by sending it through an FDA approved regulation system like any other prescription medication. It’s not the medical marijuana vendors faults that they have to operate in such a sketchy and “dealer”-esque manner, IT IS THE U.S. GOVERNMENT THAT IS MAKING THINGS SO DIFFICULT. Marijuana policy laws need to change and that is a fact. Only then will it be fair to criticize the policies and practices of medical marijuana vendors, who are only doing the best they can to provide a necessary service to people suffering in pain when the federal government seems entirely pitted against them for absolutely no reason. Ever wonder why marijuana is illegal in the first place? It has NOTHING to do with studies or facts. Three words can describe it: Racism against Mexicans. Does that justify making a natural and god-given plant illegal? Absolutely not! It’s incredible we can still get away with this kind of hypocritical injustice in a country so obsessed with being politically correct. It’s time for the U.S. Government to catch up with the rest of the public and do some actual fact based research, like the committee in the 70’s that studied marijuana and found it to be harmless, and then for once actual modify our laws so that they are in accordance with those facts. When we see that change occur, then and only then should we begin to crack down on the legitimacy of medical marijuana vendors, who as I mentioned before are struggling to do their best to be legitimate when every federal law is unjustly going against them. It’s hard to see why people wouldn’t try to take advantage of a system so poorly organized, and that is Congresses fault for not creating a smart federal bill to handle marijuana.
Truly infuriating. I may not have AIDS and I may not have suffered through chemotherapy, but I am a diagnosed insomniac. For this, I’ve been prescribed Ambien and a host of similar pills. Each of these had horrendous side effects (Ambien especially) that made me feel far worse than a restless night ever could. I began smoking marijuana recreationally, and realized that if I smoked heavily right before I laid down, I fell asleep within 15 minutes (compared to 3-4 hours unmedicated) and I woke up feeling refreshed (as opposed to feeling like I need ANOTHER 8-10 hours of sleep on Ambien). I do not have a prescription, as VA has some of the toughest marijuana laws in the country. I’ve been arrested once for possession, but it doesn’t stop me. I attend one of the top universities in the country and am a computer science and mathematics double major. I can honestly say the only reason I sleep at night, and the only reason I am still sane, is the nightly dose of marijuana that I consume.
I do not understand Paul, how our government can consistently look away from the truth. For 5,000 years cannabis has been used as a theraputic remedy, so why not allow it? (added by Mobile using Mippin)
Those who will not educate themselves will forever remain lost, as in Mr Lanes case and many others who never tried and have no idea the medical benefits of marijuana, when 122,000 Drs come together saying it is better to use marijuana than Ritlan, just one example. Mr Lane and those like him will probally remain clueless till their end days , sad sad sad
to be honest, Im kind of offended.
party hardy? so…if thats the problem, why dont we do whats right, take alcohol, and BAN it, take Cigs/tobacco producs, and BAN them….then, there is no party hardy for anyone…not just the select few that dont WANT to destroy their body.
honestly the second part that bothers me….is judging the effects of this medication without any knowledge, and also writing it off as nothing more than recreational.
Without medical marijuana, I would see ZERO reason to stick around, say what you want for that, but there is NO SOLUTION to end nerve pain associated with my nerve disorder…weed has me eating, it has my nausea down, helps my stomach, takes away the shoot burning nerve pain that is ALL THROUGHOUT MY BODY(Quite the party huh)…it also takes away the brutal MIGRANES, that some cant handle, that I get on TOP of everything else due to the nerves.
dont EVER play it off recreational…now..DONT GET ME WRONG, the card system sucks, there are far too many using it that shouldnt be…why? well first people like myself get screwed by people like this writer, who have the completely WRONG view on this wonderful medication.
I cant describe the hell my life is on the daily, with JUST 3-4 grams a day…THATS IT…I can live a life where im not only at about 20-30 percent pain…im also HAPPY, easy going, relaxed, and my anxiety(controlled by xanax, as my pain is given OXY) is helped most by medical pot…
so you know what, you can go “party hardy” and drink some shots, have a smoke, and ill sit here, vaporizing, doing ZERO damage to my lungs, and relieve my pain….
you tell me whats worse sir.
we will call my above paragraph my G rated version 🙂
Well folks, the times are a changin’. Even your average idiot will be offended by Lane’s foolishness these days. Thank the gods Bush is out of office, its about time for compassion.
Just remember when the government was deciding our nation’s morals and what behavior is right for all of us folks in America they were hanging black people from the local light posts and then posing for a photo shot. Yes it is these murders and thuds that wanted us to have good morals while staining their hands in our blood. These folks in the government thought that a constructive fraud based on some lies was a great way to raise our moral standing. No we can’t damage the our bodies, no we can’t decided for ourselves what we put into our bodies, but we can surrender our souls to the soul-lessness of our government for our own good.
Thank you Government of America now I can rot in hell with you folks, just what I aways wanted. Nothing like being American and living the American Nightmare brought to you by the wonderful wayward unlawful government employees.
After all who knows more about evil than those who are evil and use it everyday as a form of justice.
Carles Lane is the insult to our intelligence
Charles lane must have a golden enima up his ass… Probably got paid to lie like most.
and carrie you don’t know what your talking about, so go to work and cook dinner for your husband and shush or I’m going to whip you a cancerous disease and dangle marijuana in front of your face, then your opinion might be a little bit more…. Reasonable.
Wow, you are a jackass sir. good day
Mr. Lane, It’s easy to judge others when you have not faced the challenges the chronically ill do.I am a chronic pain sufferer who cannot tolerate pain medications. Its’ not about wanting to get high. If that’s what I wanted why would I choose marijuana over Vicodin? That’s not even a valid argument. (But what’s wrong with feeling good anyway, is that illegal too? Life’s not always that wonderful with chronic disease you see.) Don’t tell me what works for me and what doesn’t. You could never possibly make an accurate judgement on how another feels.
And if you’re naive enough to think the FDA and DEA are protecting you and your 12 year old from harmful drugs you need to get a major clue. I have the organ damage to show how well the FDA protected me before I started getting sick from things unrelated to my disease. The only thing they’re protecting are the criminals.
So please, Mr. Lane, with all due respect…do your homework and walk a mile in a seriously ill person’s shoes. I think you will find it’s nobody’s right or business to tell another what they need to ease their pain and be able to take care of their kids and family and be as productive a member of society as possible. Marijuana is the ery least of your worries, believe me.
I posted 3 times to that BS Mr. Lang was trying to sell. All 3 times my post was NOT published…it was marked on submit for “approval by the author”.
so according to their own policy…they can delete any opinion they DO NOT agree with.
What happened to freedom of speech?
AT the Post…FREEDOM of SPEECH is just words used to sell papers and has no real meaning to them….unless it’s their freedom to LIE…that they protect by deleting the truth!!!!
Did i read that right?Eric Holder says hes undecided about legalization?He should think about the revenue from it.
Janeice Senn: Exactly. Very well put.
Charles Lane: Your a fucking idiot. Hope i meet you face to face someday.
what a fucking tard
I bet that 12 year old kids first word was “ass-#%@!”
Perhaps what this idiot needs is to meet these patients in person, and see if he changes his tune.
PS. His tune will be a lot more cannabis friendly.
I mean look at that poor lady. When i look at that picture it breaks my heart. Then to have some ASSHAT try to make light of it PISSES ME OFF
I am truly offended, as well. So, because I’m not _dying_ of AIDS or cancer, I should be denied the only affordable, gentle, safe medicine for my medical issues? I should take your Big Pharma drugs and kill myself slowly instead, unable to work in the meantime?
Screw you, in your ivory tower.
The comments made by Mr. Lane towards Angel Raich are completely disrespectful not only to her, but to all patients in need of medical marijuana. The approach in which he took to write his opinions of marijuana is for a lack of better words, offending and distastful.
-trev
Why does the US govt hold the patent on a drug that is not FDA approved?
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/257008
I just don’t understand how people can use arguments such as the fact that it is not FDA approved, and that it is a gateway drug against marijuana. The FDA speeds pharmaceuticals through the approval process so that the company can turn a profit before the side effects are realized, and the death due to the misuse and abuse of pharmaceuticals is the #2 cause of accidental death in the USA. Addiction and death result regularly from these FDA approved substances, so what is the purpose of FDA approval?
as if chronic pain and mood disorders do not matter.mr lane needs to go through those issues awhile and then see what he thinks of his quality of life. maybe he should have to try to swallow a pill to help him eat, only to throw the damn thing up. its about quality of life to….cold hearted bastard…
Wow, that really is the most offensive and uninformed article regarding medical marijuana that I’ve read in quite some time. Thankfully, most of the articles I’ve read recently are quite a bit more enlightened than this one.
‘“medical marijuana” groups have been notably passive about demanding FDA testing and approval for this purported elixir’…
“subjected to the same scientific scrutiny as any drug proposed for use in medical therapy, rather than made legal for medical use by popular will.”…
Who needs the FDA? Sure, the government makes some people feel warm and fuzzy, but really, what’s analyzing cannabis going to do? We know it works, we know by real world experience. So what if it’s ‘crude’ plant matter that we’re combusting and inhaling — it’s safer than caffeine, which by the way, is FDA approved. Don’t take too much caffeine, you might have a heart attack and die. Oh, and don’t take too much cannabis either, you’ll supplement your bodies endocannabinoid system and feel better, maybe even take a nap.
This is ludicrous, to say that medical marijuana is an insult to our intelligence. The fact that anyone listens to people like this guy isn’t going to make anything better. Opinions like this just keep the bigots bigoted, and the fence-sitters on the fence. Some people doubt the efficacy of cannabis for many conditions,why? Because they have some daft complex that people are really just using it to ‘get high’, and that it will enslave thousands or millions of people just like opium addictions in the past in Asia. Sorry, Cannabis is in a different league.
I understand how people could feel threatened by this, and perhaps they should, because it prompts a change in worldview, for the ones that come around to the idea. Some people will remain permanently biased against alternative therapies like this, perhaps even likening it to homeopathy just to attempt to discredit it. The fact is, Cannabis is effective, and the people who want to use it for medical reasons should be allowed to do so. I think it should be the same for personal use as well, but that just opens pandoras box for all those people who are inclined to think of such a miraculous plant as foul and disgusting.
What is that guy trying to prove, that people are always skeptical and afraid of things from a culture they don’t understand? Drugs should never have been made illegal, because it makes criminals out of ordinary people that use them. Prohibition of anything does NOTHING to curb the supply or demand, it just makes criminal activity the only defender of ‘rights’, which is rather ridiculous.
That article was an insult to my intelligence. Just more status-quo, ‘i fear the dark that my light cannot illuminate’, fear-mongering drivel. Who cares that Mr. Lane has a personal problem with cannabis, because many other people don’t have that problem, in fact, they have problems that cannabis does a damn good job at alleviating.
Tool.
To Carrie: even though your trying to sound intelligent, your really just embarrassing all of us who support medical marijuana. this entire site is devoted to provide scientific evidence, why would Paul need to reiterate all of it in his article? your just as misinformed as Mr. Lane and just as offensive. O, and his personal opinion is not subjective, he witnessed first hand the effects of mj on cancer patients, which gives him a much stronger defense than quoting some study. I feel for all of those people who are fighting illness and are having positive results from mj. keep it up!
I have a choice. I can take a hit or two vicodin to fight off the terrible bone pain that my disease (myelofibrosis) causes. Unfortunately, because of ignorant people like this, I have to sneak around to medicate a safer way, but I can by pills all day long at my grocery store’s pharmacy. I find it hard to believe that the Post would run such an amazingly lopsided story as this.
To clarify, I meant to say, I can take a hit of weed or two vicodin… still a little loopy from last night’s vicodin.
I pray for him and his family- that his 12 year old son never gets sick and need releif. Man…People should stop and seriously think about things before they start spouting insanities…Poor…poor man….
here is the letter I am going to send to Washington Post. Let me know if it is ok:
Dear Editors,
I am appalled by the this horrific column by Charles Lane. This man is putting misguided, and misinformed opinions into peoples minds that read
the Washing Post. “I worry this is a gateway to harder stuff.”, Charles wrote. The latest scientific research has proven that marijuana is not a
gateway drug. On top of that, insulting Angel Raich that has many medical conditions, that marijuana could be a very good use for. Libel –
Printing or disseminating false statements that harm someone. In this column there were false statements about marijuana that harm medical
patients that use marijuana. Also, false statements about Angel Raich (basically stating that she is a liar about her conditions), that harm her.
Thank you for your time, have a great day.
I’m sure that the FDA has already approved marijuana back in 1992. To bad it’s in a pill form,which i’m positive you can only get from these beautiful drug companies(dealers) we seem to support in our country.MARINOL……. Anyway, yeah this guy sucks!!!!!
Your email was nice. Mine wasn’t.
not that I advocate underage consumption, but this guy’s “12 year old son” is going to be smoking bud before he knows it, if he is not already. get real guy
This is sad, there are so many folks out there who are suffering due to the ingnorance of others…not fair! I have severe chronic pain, due to back problems, I had a 3 level spinal fusion 2 years ago and I have Fibromyalgia and the only thing I have found to relieve some of my pain is marijuana and it does not bring along so many of those adverse side effects that make you even more miserable. I am thankful to God for creating this herbal medication, I just wish more folks would open their eyes.
The question now is weather we should attack the low life who wrote the article, or the idiotic Washington Post for allowing such nonsense to be published. How can they expect to do such things and not even ponder the consequences.
Mr. Lane, you are an insult to your own intelligence (or lack there of).
if marijuana were legally able to be evaluated by the FDA, it would pass with flying colors…. i can only imagine the list of conditions it would be approved for and the lack of serious side effects…. here are the side effects: hungry, happy, sleepy…. dont wanna be sleepy? buy sativa…. plus we have an ace up our sleeve…. folks, oil prices are rising while demand is falling… we are getting taken for a ride… if we let the public know that cannabis can be used for all that it can be used for, support would grow tremendously. I wish NORML and MPP would pair up with the hemp organizations and end prohibition once and for all. We could be running instead of crawling.
The first thing I thought of after reading Angel Raich’s conditions and his reply that she was not going to die because of them and that she might perhaps be a hypochondriac was how heartless he sounds, and how can someone be THAT dependent on marijuana? She obviously took her fight to the Supreme Court for some reason and it could be said that marijuana was her thing but it certainly seems to be an issue with this man that ill people are using marijuana for recreation. Even if they were so what! I would like to point out to people who read this that opiates and cocaine treatments can cause allergic reactions and marijuana would then become a viable option.
I am not suprised that charles lane wrote his article or that some editor saw fit to publish it. i am however, deeply offended that such arrogant, ill-informed and stupid ranting should be touted under the banner of ‘intelligence’.
get on line, mr lane, check just a small selection of the results of scientific research into the medical properties of cannabis.
take yourself off to the library and check the rich history of the medical uses of cannabis over the last, shall we say, 3500 years.
check how many years it stood as a primary medicine in your country … then check when it suddenly became illegal and maligned.
if you have the time and inclination you may care to winkle out the scientific conclusions that thc actively inhibits the growth of breast cancer, amongst others.
you could display a little intelligence and do all or any of these things but i doubt you will.
it’s probably too difficult with your head so obviously
wedged firmly up your ass.
Paul, I really do not understand how our government continues to get away with there apparent beliefs on this issue. It has cleary been documented that cannabis has been used as a theraputic remedy for over 5,000 years. How can they consistently avoid the facts and deminish the truth? It seems to me to be just as corrupt as any other topic amongst them! (added by Mobile using Mippin)
Are you sure Calvina Fay did not write that column under an alias?
My mom died of small cell lung cancer and know for a fact if she were to blaze she would have ate some solid food and not died of malnutrition, thats what kills cancer patients the illusion that they feel well due to the overdose of pain killer and lack of nutrients, Marijuana may not be the direct reason people get better, healthier, yet it sure does start the process to recovery like no other pill, she was even on that marijuana pill and its not the same. Bullshit is what these people will spew out of their mouth to keep their paycheck coming in. I want to thank every other Medical Marijuana supporter and well recreational user, because like you, I like to come home smoke a bowl and watch some survivor man while I eat my frozen pizza and say, that would suck, because i’d be starving.
I cannot say that Mr. Lane is a complete idiot, perhaps he just dosn’t have all the facts. Mr. Lane,(maybe he’ll read this) I have treated successfully 4 skin cancers on my head, neck, and face. One doctor in Texas called what I have done a miracle. Another has told me that the 5 other lesions I have under treatment at this time look great, and to continue treatment. Compounds found in the cannabid plant WILL cure cancer, I am living proof.
Lookie… Mr. Kuhn is from Nashville! WooHoo!
Last year’s medical bill only covered dying people, and it failed. That’s Tennessee for you. Ignore the facts, praise the racist Nixon without actually praising him, and finally, deny a natural right of existence to dying people because church says its wrong. Land of the Free, indeed…
Mr. Kuhn may not have used statistics, studies, numbers, spreadsheets, or irrefutable data, but even though these things exist, I think he made his point without them. Let’s face it… to the average Tennessee reader, facts are boring.
The FDA has to scrutinize drugs released by pharmaceutical companies because they are unnatural and made entirely of chemicals. With those products, there is the actual danger of overdose, serious physical and psychological side effects and “even death”. Do I really need to say more?
I do think that NORML could have sent a bit of a more comprehensive letter to them. I agree that the letter sent seems pretty weak. At least it was something though. Thanks for doing all that you do, NORML. I support you more than the MPP right now.
[Paul Armentano responds: The letter to the Washington Post from Paul Kuhn was just one letter penned by NORML representatives. CALIFORNIA NORML, for instance, responded with a separate letter as well, as have several others. As a result the Post has now added this, half-hearted in my opinion, clarification:
Clarification: An earlier version of this posting said Angel Raich claimed that each of the medical conditions cited in her lawsuit was life-threatening. She asked me to explain that she only contended that one of her conditions — chronic weight loss due to an inability to keep food down — was life-threatening. I am happy to oblige. She is about to undergo an operation to reduce her Schwannoma, which is a benign brain tumor.]
I’m amazed at how many comments there are on the Washington Post page! I hope Lane’s editor actually reads his next opinion article and ensures that some actual citations or facts are used in his terrible, uneducated and offensive writing.
Here come the haters.
What a j–ka–!!!!!!!!
What boggles my mind is that these days we use maggots in treating medical conditions but you can’t even THINK about using marijuana. What’s that about?
I always amazes me when a so-called journalist can spout off about something they no nothing about. If you’ve never enjoyed a good joint for relief be it for physical relief or stress relief then they have no right to pretend they can comment on it. Maybe you’re related to Harry Anslinger the idiot that started cannabis prohibition in the first place or Bill O’Reilly from FOX. Willie Nelson hit it right on the head when he said it’s the best way to relieve stress. Cannabis is just a plant. By the way it’s also the best way to get rid of a hangover. I’ve smoked for 35 years and enjoyed every minute of it. The only problem with cannabis is not caused by the use of it but by the paranoia of having to hide and look over your shoulder everytime you want a toke. The government should not be able to tell me what I can put in my body as along as I’m not hurting anyone. Harper wants to put me in jail for relaxing? Whenever it does become legal people will shake their heads and wonder what all the fuss was about. I’d rather smoke a joint than take some pill which has too may side-effects to mention any day. Legalize and regulate and do something useful with the money saved, like build hospitals instead of prisons. Amnesty for so-called drug criminals. Abolish the DEA. End the Drug War.
An insult to intelligence?! Has this douche even seen any commercials on T.V (or even watched MTV on that note)? C’mon! Mass media, and the people who run it are whats truly insulting to our intelligence, not pot. In fact, I’m positive all the music out there in the world wouldn’t be nearly as good if some of the artists didn’t smoke some ganja or take some type of mind altering chemical every now and then. Insulting? Hardly. More like influential.
“But if you believe there is any scientific evidence that smoked marijuana has the multiplicity of therapeutic uses that advocates claim — well, I’ve got a bag of oregano I’d like to sell you.”
Talk about “insulting one’s intelligence,” there is real science backing medical marijuana! How dare you say otherwise without investigating this truth? Any simple Internet search will prove this is a dangerous lie!
Now you want to be even more dishonest and sell oregano on the street. Get real author, you just hate pot smokers! Get help, please.
what a dick. science based conclusions? as if carrie even knows herself of what the fuck she is speaking. Your pseudo-science based conclusions combined with unadultered ignorance is weak at best ma’dam. If YOU knew the poll supporting your side didnt even exsist then why would you even talk on their behalf in the first place? Every person is biochemically different and the only way these ignorant fucks will ever learn anything is to be put in the patients shoes. You dont know what the fuck other people go through, and just because you dont have have these conditions, doesnt mean they exist. ignorant fucks
also, not to add. there have been numerous amount of other research going on in the world. but yet just like uneducated europeans of the past, the world doesnt revolve around you. there is a world outside the us. am i right? or is that a figment of the american peoples imagination. just as these conditions.
FTW
Charles Lane is without question a typical Washingtonian. The ELITE thinker among the rest of the ignorant that occupy these 50 states. His cup runneth over with knowledge and wisdom. I mean the key word to this riveting article from this pillar of society was when he got right to the old worn out over used Washington propaganda lie using the “gateway” word.
If this is what the Washington Post has to offer its readers there’s hardly any question why antiquated hard print will soon be put in the halls of the Smithsonian right next to the civil war relics and other useless artifacts.. The sooner the better. As much information as is available on this subject justifying its tremendous value for people in pain, to have Mr. Lane write an article of this nature is nothing more than the ultimate form of government propaganda supported by the Washington Post owner and editor. Mr. Lane is so ignorant of the information on this subject he should be removed from writing anything of substance because he is obviously brain-dead. He should do the obituaries, it suits his intelligence..(Apologies to all the dead)
Charles is probably paid off to continue the pointless propaganda that supports alcohol and cigaret companies. The good news is that we have the upper hand due to the increasing number of people willing to re-legalizing marijuana. Scientific test have been going on long enough for every one to know of the good effects that cannabinoids have on human bodies. So unless he has scientific facts from an association that is neutral to this subject, he’ll just continue to look like the rest of the clowns that dance to the tune of their master. Dance Charles, dance and entertain without consciousness for the money like a stripper.
CM
P.S. I’m sorry if I’ve offended any strippers with this horrible comparison of a shell of a man.
That column is an insult to my intelligence… I used to think highly of the post but this really lowered my respect for them.
Charles Lane is just scared. He is afraid of the truth and afraid of change.
Didn’t NORML in Canada call Rick Simpson a snake oil salesman?
Insulting as well.
I do not know of the woman he speaks of. However, I *do* know about basic persuasive letter etiquette, and the biggest point to remember:
Never use sarcasm!
It makes your letter look weak. You should be able to win the audience over with *facts* not fancy words. If you cannot, then research what you’re saying more because *facts* are everything.
Now don’t read me wrong, I’m a fan of sarcasm. But, in a formal, persuasive letter, it’s just not acceptable.
Secondly, the opening statement: “Medical marijuana is an insult to our intelligence” was *never * justified. He never mentioned that again, he just *said* it. Please *prove* that it is insulting out intelligence. Or you have not point putting it up there.
There are more bits of information that were brought up but never touched upon. Some being:
“I worry it’s a gateway to harder stuff.” Why? And how? How is it a gateway? Bring up facts to prove your side.
“Under California’s law, you don’t even need a prescription to get pot” Two words: prove it! List documents, give links, I don’t care. But don’t mention something unless you are willing to *prove it*
“only 22 percent of California medical marijuana users suffer from AIDS-related disease.” Again, prove it.
There is a line used often on the internet “pictures or it didn’t happen.” Please exercise use of that line in anything you wish to *persuade* someone with.
In the end though, I do not agree with what you say, but I will fight to the end for your right to say it.
Charlie should probably go back and examine the exact correlations between the law and the ability to establish “medical marijuana” with out the people. Supreme Justices make it impossible.
And before you go harping on the majority of a population Charlie, check the social implications of your statements. You really degraded the whole stance an entire state and 13 others have taken with your description of reason for their actions.
Try researching a topic thoroughly before writing about it. what a jackass. i can`t say this is fact, but i read somewhere that marijuana was the first prescribed medicine.. anyone know? (added by Mobile using Mippin)
This is total horseshit. I have suffered from massive migraines since I was 2 Years old. No the meds don’t work. If I happen to get a migraine, then I will sleep for 2 to 3 days non-stop, not even getting up to pee. When I finally do wake, I usually still have a very bad headache. My fear is that when I sleep these migraines off, I might not wake from it. Marijuana is the only thing that even eases it off at worst and totally gets rid of it at best. I have also had family that has had cancer and that is the only pain relief and their ability to eat and actually keep it down. Let’s get it legalized for those who have to break the law to live.
I dont understand why people like Lane are so against change when it is a progressive step forward in a supposedly free country. Sorry Mr. Lane, but one day in the future your 12 year old son will use marijuana. Hopefully for recreational use, and not because he suffers from cancer or AIDS. I myself would much rather my adolescent son use marijuana than alcohol or tobacco. And in regards to the FDA testing a product in order to make sure its safe? That is false entirely. Have you never heard of OxyContin, Dilauded, Opana, Percocet…. Like seriously, the FDA has approved some of the most toxic, addictive, and deadly drugs to have ever plagued our society. If that woman wanted to use a non-lethal and non-addictive substance to treat her illness because other highly addictive drugs had not work, then she should be able to…. And thanks to the Obama administration she can. You are NOT a doctor Mr. Lane; therefore, your suggestions of what she should or shouldnt take is irrellivant. Its a proud day to live in a FREE America!! Thank God for FREEDOM!!!
I am on the fence about completely legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana…. HOWEVER THESE DAMN POTHEADS SUCK AND THE DEA IS STUPID FOR LIGHTENING UP ON THEM.
This man is a genius guys. GENIUS.
—————-
On a more serious note, how can anyone in a sober state of mind take this article seriusly?
Eh–Lane is a moron, but his underlying point is worth taking seriously. I don’t think it’s necessarily inaccurate to conclude that many medical marijuana patients are using it as a means to obtain quasi-legal green for recreational purposes. After all, the conditions for which it can be recommended are ill-defined in some states, and the ordinarily healthy “under 30” demographic is fairly heavily represented. It’s not much of a stretch to figure out what they’re up to.
I think this is actually a problem for the medical marijuana movement, and it seems to undermine the credibility of those in favor of it. While true that we can’t get FDA approval so long as the government prohibits its research, we can still honor the spirit of the medical system (and lend credibility to MMJ as a legitimate medicine) by having doctors exercise some discretion before writing a recommendation. Someone truly in need should definitely be helped, but maybe not a well-adjusted 23 year old with an adjustment disorder. In other words, for medical marijuana to gain credibility, we need to convince those who don’t support marijuana legalization that it is a legitimate medicine–not a legal loophole. We can’t do that by dismissing their objections out of hand and labeling them as unintelligent puppets devoid of compassion.
For the record I do support full legalization, think that cannabis has some promising properties of interest to medicine, and read NORML daily to stay on top of what’s going on. I just think that we should keep the medical marijuana movement separate from the legalization movement. Trying (or even appearing as if you were trying) to discreetly advance one by playing on the emotional appeal of the other detracts from the credibility of both.
It’s as if us logically thinking people who demand policies of common sense are living in a fairy tale world filled with idiots.
This is sad! I know that marijuana works! My sister just passed away back in Feb. and marijuana helped her more than anything! I SEEN IT WITH MY OWN EYES! WAKE UP AND SMELL THE BUD AMERICA!
This jackass belongs in the same cage as the stupid lady from drug free america. Where did these idiots go to school? What kind of bullshit did their parents feed them? They need to crawl out from under the rock that they have been living under and see what the rest of us learned long ago. Don’t trust anything the government is telling you because it is usually some bullshit and lies. Like weapons of mass destruction (ring any bells).
I agree with Carrie and her opinion on the weakness of the argument, but I also agree with the Editor and how newspapers will only run short, personalized rebuttals.
If the Post is going to run such a biased, uninformed and incorrect article in the first place, would you really believe that if they DID receive a fact-full letter, they would even consider running a retraction or even post the letter in their own editorial column.
I believe that this article would’ve hurt their paper, since enough people are wising up to the b.s. surrounding MJ (gateway, no med benefit e.t.c.).
BURN! and wait for it BURN!
lol good stuff here there should be a reality show for prohibition, DEA vs NORML comment posters
lol
From my personal first-hand experience, my best friend who died of testicular cancer had some relief from MMJ. It allowed him to eat at times when he had no wish to eat due to the chemotherapy and surgeries. Until you experience first hand how it can medicate/help a terminally ill cancer patient, or ANYONE for that matter, I believe you are a misinformed idiot with no real experience of it’s relief. You can sit at a computer and type up a column debating the fact or sit there and bash marijuana altogether, but until you experience the effects first hand I think you need to keep your mouth shut.
I am in my late 50’s and have MS.
Marijuana relieves my pain with less side effects than the other drugs I have been prescribed.
For those of you who don’t know – Marijuana does not HAVE to be smoked – There are Vaporizers available that allow for a “smokeless” alternative!
I live in Georgia and want Medical Marijuana made available for all of us suffering from chronic illness.
It is clear to me that as time goes by, our arguments do not waver – they are clear, concise, and indisputable because they are based on THE TRUTH. Their arguments become more and more irrational and scattered with every debate because they are based on MISINFORMATION.
Keep the push going. Keep up the hard work. Keep getting THE TRUTH out there and eventually, THE TRUTH will prevail!
Katherine; I know a man who has MS. He suffers from sever leg spasms, so bad that he has actualy kicked himselfe out of bed on more than one occasion. The doctors prescribed drugs to control this. They “Made me feel like a zombie”. A friend suggested cannabis, his thoughts at the time were “What the hell have I got to loose”. Now he sleeps through the nigh quite well, and wakes up rested, and refreshed.
when it comes down to caring for your loved ones, the law is the last thing you should cthink about. The law should never come before humans and there needs. If the law and their agents can’t respect me or my constitution and wants to play word games as to what the constitution means, well then I will have no respect nor give them any respect in return. I too will play word games right back in their face. They can no longer maintain the pace, they lack the resources to fight our culture in court or in the legisatures. We are all around them, working next to them and we do have the resources and the knowledge of the law of the land, we are in the state & federal legisative structure. Times are a changing but it has been a long war, and many of us have been STOMPED ON, we have gone to jail and prison, we have lost our jobs, homes, and loved ones. We have endured years with the label ex-con or criminal. We have been black listed from our professions for years.
Holy Smokes. It looks like more of the same. What a shame. Your prohibition ends where my skin begins.
If I were terminally ill and dying, I think that any thing to help make me comfortable is my choice, not that of a moralist-prohibitionist.
Rev.Sleezy
The universal Life Church of the Holy Smokes
Potland, OR
As Abraham Lincoln said:
“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crises. The great point is to bring them the real facts.”
With insane published articles like this LANE character, bringing the real facts to the people is a HUGE chore.
Charles Lane you should be ashamed of yourself for thinking that medical cannabis is an insult to our intelligence. Let me ask you something Mr.Lane are you aware that in fact that Cannabis is really a herb and in the Christian bible it quoted that it is good for us and we can benefits from it? If you are worry about your children, I would be very worry about them getting a hold of stuff like Meth, crack and even alcohol because all of that can kill. There has been no record of anyone ever actually died from Cannabis. People like yourself and the prohibitions who shoved the propaganda “Reefer Madness” down our throat are an insult to our intelligence.
MR. LANE…”OUR NATIONAL MOOD.”
Our national mood is “IN FAVOR” of legalization of medicinal cannabis. We have redressed our grieances with respect to law enforcement’s de facto, licentious,
and sinuous aggressive actions. “WHEN DOES IT END?”
Our national mood is “IN FAVOR” of holding law enforcement accountable for its utter disregard for both federal, and state law. Our vigilance towards law enforcement has brought us to the point of non-confidence towards law enforcement, and we view them as the enemy of the people. We regard them as para-military thugs, storm troopers, not as America’s Finest. “WHEN DOES IT END?”
Our national mood extends to to holding the media accountable for disseminating false and misleading information to the public. We are quite finished with reporters that violate the Data Quality Act for the sake of a story. We are outraged at media’s violation and their oath to “TRUTH IN REPORTING.” You Mr.
Lane are a perfect example of this. “WHEN DOES IT END?”
Our national mood is “IN FAVOR” of releaving prohibitionists of their congressional seats. We have come to the point where we believe that prohibitionists should neither “PASS JUDGMENT OR MAKE LAWS.” “WHEN DOES IT END?”
Our national mood is “WHEN DOES IT END?” We are being asked to place a great deal of faith and trust in government’s word. Oddly enough…we are willing to do that…provided that law enforcement behaves themselves, and obeys the laws they are sworn to uphold and protect.
“WHEN DOES IT END?” When the dog wags the tail, instead of the tail wagging the dog. When the tail realizes that it is the cause of the things that effect it. Men should never judge their own
cause. Law enforcement should never hold the law sO close that it becomes grotesque. It should just do its job.
By the way Mr. Lane…not all officers of the law are outlaw cops. We the people honor Law Enforcement Against Prohibition-LEAP as you may well expect. But the fact of the matter is they have our respect, unlike rogue cops who have earned our disrespect.
“WHEN DOES IT END?”
I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRADULATE MR OBAMA FOR HIS HISTORIC MOVE NOT TO PROSECUTE THE PATIENS AND CARE GIVERS. MR OBAMA IS RELEIFING SO MANY PEOPLE SUFFERING ALL OVER THE WORLD.. IN ELLAS WE HAVE SO MANY JUNKIES AND THEY SAY THAT WITH MEDICAL CANNABIS 70 TO 80 % OF THEM WILL RETURN FROM HELL. BUT IT’S NOT ONLY THAT.. MR OBAMA DOES’NT ACT OR LOOK LIKE A WORLORD, HE ACCEPTED NOT TO INSTALL THE MISSILES IN EASTERN EUROPE AND GENERALLY HE LOOKS MORE WISE THAN AGRESSIVE. ALL THIS IS REAL CHANGE MR PRESIDENT .. YOU PROMISED IT .. YOU DID IT.. I BELEIVE YOU DESERVED THE NOBEL PRICE MORE THAN EVERYONE.. KEEP LEADING THE WORLD TO PEACE AND I BET THAT THE NUSTY DEADLY FLEW WILL DISSAPEAR..
I KEEP READING NORML.. I FOUND HERE THE GOOD AMERICA THAT IS MY GOOD OLD FRIEND..
this man should lose his job for this. i would never let a writer mock terminally ill patients and get away with it.
President Obama has been the best President of all times . Meg Whitman’s try for California’s next Governor will be the worse thing to happen to California . She has big ties with the Alcohol Industry . A vote for her is a step back in time . .Don’t vote for this drug pusher . Alcohol kills more people than all hard DRUGS combined .
In a nation where doctors prescribe anti-depressants, aderoll, xanax, and other benzodiazepines as if they were tylenol, Mr. Lane has decided to criticize the pharmacological value and doctors’ judgement in prescribing marijuana for medical purposes? Mr. Lane may have some valid concerns, but perhaps he should broaden his scope of what drugs are prescribed far too liberally and who “druggies” are. By the way, in a article criticizing marijuana and discussing marijuana dependency, he suggests that vicodin and methadone are preferable alternatives? I have news for Mr. Lane, xanax and prescription pain killers are “street drugs” that some people use to get high too and truly addictive. I suppose because the various amphetamines and psychoactive drugs taht doctors prescribe children are far more valid because they have been recently developed and marketed by industry. The fact is, marijuana has been used for thousands of years, unlike many new drugs that are poorly understood and widely prescribed. I don’t think Mr. Lane is defending intelligence, I think he is defending conventional, rarely questioned perceptions in modern America.
WP won’t post my comments on that story!
Alcohol is sold at sporting events, grocery stores etc. What do these places have in common?? They allow stupid idiots to get drunk around children. It is legal to purchase alcohol with children, it`s legal to get drunk around children in stadiums and at home. And unless the child reports abuse, these drunken idiots continue to enjoy the freedom of using this liquid drug around children. Does the FDA approve these evil acts as well? Because we all know what would happen if you smoke a joint at a football game whether children are there or not. They don`t care if you are sober or high they just commence to destroying your life. Enough of this alcohol-pharma-coalition of powerful baby-raper society!!! First you need to get drugs away from children. What message do these idiots think they are sending to children by allowing drunkenness around children. Broken bottles, drunk drivers killing thousands. I don`t use alcohol. And I don`t use anything around children. Can the hypocrites at the FDA say the same? Can most of our society say the same? No! So again stop the medical B.S. and put marijuana on the table with alcohol,along with the hypocrites in charge that abuse alcohol. I`m sure most people in the FDA use alcohol around children. It`s just commonplace in a society of drunks.
Alcohol is sold at sporting events, grocery stores etc. What do these places have in common?? They allow stupid idiots to get drunk around children. It is legal to purchase alcohol with children, it`s legal to get drunk around children in stadiums and at home. And unless the child reports abuse, these drunken idiots continue to enjoy the freedom of using this liquid drug around children. Does the FDA approve these evil acts as well? Because we all know what would happen if you smoke a joint at a football game whether children are there or not. They don`t care if you are sober or high they just commence to destroying your life. Enough of this alcohol-pharma-coalition of powerful baby-raper society!!! First you need to get drugs away from children. What message do these idiots think they are sending to children by allowing drunkenness around children. Broken bottles, drunk drivers killing thousands. I don`t use alcohol. And I don`t use anything around children. Can the hypocrites at the FDA say the same? Can most of our society say the same? No! So again stop the medical B.S. and put marijuana on the table with alcohol,along with the hypocrites in charge that abuse alcohol. I`m sure most people in the FDA use alcohol around children. It`s just commonplace in a society of drunks.
This is nothing more than a fickle man unwilling to accept change even in the face of indisputable facts and logic. If you throw mountains of indisputable facts at people, then there is only so much they can do to not look like A COMPLETE IDIOT.
It seems we live in a horribly written Saturday Night Live Skit,
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Patient: I’ve been having some mild aches and pains, as well as some mild headaches and anxiety lately. Could you prescribe me a mild medication for a short time to help me through my day?
Doctor: Well lets see…. we’ve got…. Amitriptyline, Butriptyline, Clomipramine, Desipramine, Dosulepin, Xanax, Adderall……
Patient:You’ve been talking for about a minute now about all these drugs that may be effective for my condition, but also have potentially serious side effects for the small malady that I have. Could you please write me a prescription for a more of a light drug, such as marijuana? Everyone knows that it has barely any, if not any, negative side effects and a drug such as that seems like a better choice over the more powerful drugs that you’re suggesting.
Doctor: The devil’s weed? bah humbug!!!!!!!!!!!! leave the office or I’m calling the cops!!!!!!!!!
Patient:…………………..
To post Number 114:
The way the government is going, they’re going to have a full scale revolution on there hands if they keep it up with having laws that make no sense (even though most of the politicians are supposedly “educated”). I would never partake in one, but they better get this country back on track to keep their power. In fact, I don’t even care about giving government some control IF they use common sense when making and enforcing laws.
Reading this article was like being at a party and having someone with a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other telling me how bad smoking pot is.I have been on morphine for chronic back pain and muscle spasms but didn’t like the side affects or how I felt and getting off of this for surgery was a bitch. I am now on percocet and valium still don’t like the side affects or how much i have to take to get relief. Every now and then I get a little weed to smoke and my outlook on life is so much better. Not so much pain and I feel like I can function without feeling like I am in a mental fog. Unfortunatly the only way for people like Mr. lane to ever find out the true benefits of such treatment is to have to live the experience of pain and what works best to releve it.
# 120 = That’s what I’ve been saying all along…..
i was watching Jay Leno Monday and he and Dr. Phil were putting down marijuanna legalization. I will never watch Jay Leno again. I don`t support people who like seeing people put in cages for getting high, no matter who they are. So please don`t watch Jay Leno anymore. HE NOW SUCKS!!! (added by Mobile using Mippin)
The only people who are against it are religious conservitives and Those in “the bussiness”.
For the religious consider this; Jesus’s first miricle was turning water into wine, and not just any wine, it was kick ass wine, according to weding guest. Cannabis is one of the ingredients in the anointing oil that Jesus was anointed with, hence the name Christ, whinch means the anointed one. It was called Kanna Bossum. Ancient Greek for cannabis. If that’s not enough then turn to the first book and first chapter of the bible. Genises 1:29 says that God created all plants bearing seed for food ( hemp seed is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet) and it has plenty of seeds, at least when in it’s natural habatat.
As to the other group I mentioned. Get a life. The drug dealers and DEA, are against legalizing for the same reason. Profit. A better use of the DEA would be to go after the faux companies ripping off medicare and medicade to the tune of millions a week.