Okay, lets be civil then. Friends??
Of course we need better funding for health, I'm all for that but I don't know about making it legal. I mean we have ciggys don't we and they cause cancer and we can't bloody get the Gov to get rid of them can we??
Yes, I have heard that it has that effect on schizophrenia, have heard the same about epilepsy. I used to smoke a fair bit of it and as soon as I stopped, I got epilepsy. Something that I have never had in my family and I have no scars on my temporal lobe. Docs have no idea where the hell it came from, I have my suspicions.... The same feeling I get right before I have a petit mal feels a hell of a lot like the feeling after you smoke dope, hard to explain unless you have them. I could be wrong about that, I am no doctor but I think the very fact there are conflicting arguments about it being safe just goes to show that the evidence really isn't clear yet.
“ "Thank you Palestrina. It’s a wonderful evening, it’s great to be here and I wanna dedicate you a super sexy song." " (last words of Mark Sandman of Morphine)
Adelaide 1998
Adelaide 2003
Adelaide 2006 night 1
Adelaide 2006 night 2
Adelaide 2009
Melbourne 2009
Christchurch NZ 2009
Eddie Vedder, Adelaide 2011
PJ20 USA 2011 night 1
PJ20 USA 2011 night 2
Adelaide BIG DAY OUT 2014
Lets just agree to disagree......... I see your points and I think you see mine but we just have two different outlooks yeah?
“ "Thank you Palestrina. It’s a wonderful evening, it’s great to be here and I wanna dedicate you a super sexy song." " (last words of Mark Sandman of Morphine)
Adelaide 1998
Adelaide 2003
Adelaide 2006 night 1
Adelaide 2006 night 2
Adelaide 2009
Melbourne 2009
Christchurch NZ 2009
Eddie Vedder, Adelaide 2011
PJ20 USA 2011 night 1
PJ20 USA 2011 night 2
Adelaide BIG DAY OUT 2014
Stop telling me what I can or can't put in my body.
If I want to smoke pot, I'll smoke it. I rarely do, and probably won't do it more if it is legalized, but the government or you should have no right to tell me what to do with my body.
If you are an idiot who can't control your addictions then I am sorry. Take the responsibility for your actions.
Loulou - I never meant to belittle your opinion at any point, just to prove it wrong ...and I'm friends with anyone who wants to be on this site...would be more than happy to have a beer with anyone here (but never a toke, cause even admitting to that could get a person fired )...
I tried looking up causual correlations between mj and epilepsy, and came up with a bunch of information on using it as a treatment. Have you ever read up on the difference between THC and CBD? Might be worth your while
And for the record...I don't think the government should get rid of ciggies either (I bet they couldn't even if they tried)....personal choice and responsibility.
I read thru this thread, and coincidently saw that this show was gonna be on:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/40150468
(check your listings, it is being replayed here this Thursday and on the 25th.)
CNBC ORIGINAL TAKES VIEWERS BACK INSIDE THE $100 BILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS OF MARIJUANA
One-Hour Documentary Reported by CNBC’s Trish Regan to Premiere on CNBC on Wednesday, December 8th at 9PM ET/PT
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., November 22, 2010—On Wednesday, December 8th at 9PM ET/PT, CNBC presents “Marijuana USA,” a CNBC Original reported by Trish Regan, that takes viewers back inside the flourishing pot industry—as the world’s most commonly used illicit drug comes out of the shadows and into mainstream. As more states pass laws permitting the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, the once vilified weed is being met with a newfound acceptance. Some hope—and others fear—the whole country may soon be going to pot.
Correspondent Trish Regan reports from Colorado, where a new and thriving marijuana industry is infusing much-needed capital and jobs into a weak economy. In Colorado, this fast growing business is attracting a new generation of marijuana entrepreneurs—savvy, young professionals emerging from the unlikely fields of finance, biotechnology, government and medicine—who are re-branding pot as a natural herbal remedy and selling it openly in dispensaries all over town. The state now has more pot dispensaries than it does Starbucks, and authorities not only sanction the drug, but also regulate, license, and tax it, like any other product.
But, even as fifteen states and the District of Columbia allow for medical marijuana, the drug remains in clear violation of federal laws. Federal law enforcement officers and anti-drug officials vow they will not surrender. CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, travels to the frontlines of America’s weed wars—from the fierce political campaign to legalize the drug in California to the ambitious air and ground campaign to search for marijuana plots deep in the mountainous terrain of eastern Kentucky. CNBC’s Regan speaks with Lieutenant Brent Roper, the commander of Kentucky’s marijuana strike force, who swears that Kentucky will be the last state to ever legalize marijuana as just another taxable commodity.
Regan also takes viewers to Portugal—the first country in the world to fully decriminalize the possession of all drugs. She speaks with Joao Goulao, Portugal’s drug czar and the chief architect of this strategy, about the country’s unique and radical drug policy.
Looking further into the business of marijuana, CNBC takes viewers inside a busy medical clinic near Denver, CO, where marijuana is almost always the doctor’s order. Dr. James Boland, a physician of twenty-five years, works for a clinic that has brought in more than a million dollars in just its first year of business, attracting patients in search of a medical marijuana license. But, although it’s a profitable business, the jury is still out among researchers and doctors as to whether marijuana really is an effective treatment option.
CNBC.com has added new stories to its comprehensive special report, "Marijuana & Money," which, through the lens of business, thoroughly examines the state of marijuana in America, including the costs and impact – both positive and negative – that legalization might have on the economy, government and, ultimately, the consumer. New topics addressed include the "Hydroponics Boom," which looks at how the manufacture, distribution and retail of hydroponics equipment has become a nearly half-billion business; the explosive growth of "Marijuana Testing Labs;" and a profile of Mile High Ice Cream, a company that has found a tasty way to capture some of Colorado's fast-growing medical marijuana market.
CNBC’s Trish Regan is co-anchor of “The Call” (M-F, 11AM-12PM ET). Regan is author of the upcoming book, "Joint Ventures: Inside America's Almost Legal Marijuana Industry," due out April 20, 2011 and published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Mitch Weitzner is the Senior Executive Producer of “Marijuana USA.” Nina Alvarez, Na Eng and Morgan Brasfield are Producers. Ray Borelli is the Vice President of Strategic Research, Scheduling and Long Form Programming.
the book is being released on 4/20... very interested in seeing the bit about Portugal.
The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.
And I never meant to belittle you as a parent, I'm sure your a great parent and I know that giving your children as much information about it is they key to stopping your kids doing stupid shit.
I have seen some information about using pot for epilepsy and I know what they are talking about because essentially Carbamazapine and pot have very similar effects except it is much harder to judge the dosage of pot to take.
I CAN see the benefits, don't get me wrong, I used to love it to relax me, I am an extremely anxious person but in my opinion, I ended up relying on it. (It's okay, I don't work at the moment, won't get fired ) I guess if adults want to take it, that's not really my beef, it's really the effects on young kids. If the gov can use that money to really show the effects to young kids, I would be all for that!
I just happened to go to a school where lots of us kids smoked heaps of dope and I have seen the consequences of chronic smoking on young kids. So yeah, in the end, I guess I COULD live with it being legal, as long as they make a bloody big effort to protect the little ones.
Loulou - I never meant to belittle your opinion at any point, just to prove it wrong ...and I'm friends with anyone who wants to be on this site...would be more than happy to have a beer with anyone here (but never a toke, cause even admitting to that could get a person fired )...
I tried looking up causual correlations between mj and epilepsy, and came up with a bunch of information on using it as a treatment. Have you ever read up on the difference between THC and CBD? Might be worth your while
And for the record...I don't think the government should get rid of ciggies either (I bet they couldn't even if they tried)....personal choice and responsibility.
“ "Thank you Palestrina. It’s a wonderful evening, it’s great to be here and I wanna dedicate you a super sexy song." " (last words of Mark Sandman of Morphine)
Adelaide 1998
Adelaide 2003
Adelaide 2006 night 1
Adelaide 2006 night 2
Adelaide 2009
Melbourne 2009
Christchurch NZ 2009
Eddie Vedder, Adelaide 2011
PJ20 USA 2011 night 1
PJ20 USA 2011 night 2
Adelaide BIG DAY OUT 2014
“ "Thank you Palestrina. It’s a wonderful evening, it’s great to be here and I wanna dedicate you a super sexy song." " (last words of Mark Sandman of Morphine)
Adelaide 1998
Adelaide 2003
Adelaide 2006 night 1
Adelaide 2006 night 2
Adelaide 2009
Melbourne 2009
Christchurch NZ 2009
Eddie Vedder, Adelaide 2011
PJ20 USA 2011 night 1
PJ20 USA 2011 night 2
Adelaide BIG DAY OUT 2014
marijuana has no withdraw effects since your body slowly weans itself from it (17 hour half life) so i'm all for legalization. moderation is the key as with anything, and there will be several who are just stoners and waste their life away as with any drug. the potential for abuse is no worse than a perscription medication. medical conditions are a risk when taking any substance, hence moderation and paying attention to your body. i'm cool with restrictions too (no driving or reporting to work if your employer cares for example).
as long as the government doesn't put a ridiculous tax on it then i'm cool. it would take a while for it to become outrageous, they'd have to eliminate the black market first.
there are some withdrawl effects for heavy users, trust me i know
what are they?
For about a week to ten days after my wife and i quit, everything was fine, then we found it hard to fall asleep and then when we did sleep it would be one intense nitemare after another, would wake up every two hours, sweating and disturbed, weirdest F'n dreams i've ever had, this lasted for about 5 weeks, tried take sleep aids, tried drinking myself into oblivion, nothing worked. Finally after 6 weeks or so sleeping slowly became normal again, Anxiety became my new best freind, all day every day, it was like your brain just never got a second to breath, you start thinking,"If only i could smoke one j, see things calmly again, i could sort my life out better". Being stuck in reality 24/7/52 is a horrible thing.
Yeah we went through that too! I thought it was just the ciggys but yeah, we had bizarre dreams and got very anxious too.
“ "Thank you Palestrina. It’s a wonderful evening, it’s great to be here and I wanna dedicate you a super sexy song." " (last words of Mark Sandman of Morphine)
Adelaide 1998
Adelaide 2003
Adelaide 2006 night 1
Adelaide 2006 night 2
Adelaide 2009
Melbourne 2009
Christchurch NZ 2009
Eddie Vedder, Adelaide 2011
PJ20 USA 2011 night 1
PJ20 USA 2011 night 2
Adelaide BIG DAY OUT 2014
“ "Thank you Palestrina. It’s a wonderful evening, it’s great to be here and I wanna dedicate you a super sexy song." " (last words of Mark Sandman of Morphine)
Adelaide 1998
Adelaide 2003
Adelaide 2006 night 1
Adelaide 2006 night 2
Adelaide 2009
Melbourne 2009
Christchurch NZ 2009
Eddie Vedder, Adelaide 2011
PJ20 USA 2011 night 1
PJ20 USA 2011 night 2
Adelaide BIG DAY OUT 2014
there are some withdrawl effects for heavy users, trust me i know
what are they?
For about a week to ten days after my wife and i quit, everything was fine, then we found it hard to fall asleep and then when we did sleep it would be one intense nitemare after another, would wake up every two hours, sweating and disturbed, weirdest F'n dreams i've ever had, this lasted for about 5 weeks, tried take sleep aids, tried drinking myself into oblivion, nothing worked. Finally after 6 weeks or so sleeping slowly became normal again, Anxiety became my new best freind, all day every day, it was like your brain just never got a second to breath, you start thinking,"If only i could smoke one j, see things calmly again, i could sort my life out better". Being stuck in reality 24/7/52 is a horrible thing.
Legalize It, Make it Mandatory!
that's the kind of shit that happened to me while i was high, especially when i smoked right before bed. pot is a hallucinogen of sorts. i also get anxious if i've smoked and i am uncomfortable or feeling insecure. the only thing i've ever felt afterwards is depression and that is not a direct result of the weed. i suffered prior to my first hit and i've gone through quitting periods several months at a time and still have depression, so perhaps marijuana aggrevates the underlying psychological condition.
i don't know if i'd consider any of those withdrawal since they also occur at various stages during the high but i have nothing to back that claim, just opinion.
Just legalize it already. I think we should leave it up to the states, and then the states should leave it up to the counties, and then the counties should leave it up to the cities/towns. There are still dry counties/towns in the U.S., so each county/town should have the power to choose its own green destiny.
An Ontario Superior Court judge has ruled that the federal medical marijuana program is unconstitutional, giving the government three months to fix the problem before pot is effectively legalized.
In an April 11 ruling, Justice Donald Taliano found that doctors across the country have “massively boycotted” the medical marijuana program and largely refuse to sign off on forms giving sick people access to necessary medication.
As a result, legitimately sick people cannot access medical marijuana through appropriate means and must resort to illegal actions.
Doctors’ “overwhelming refusal to participate in the medicinal marijuana program completely undermines the effectiveness of the program,” the judge wrote in his ruling.
“The effect of this blind delegation is that seriously ill people who need marijuana to treat their symptoms are branded criminals simply because they are unable to overcome the barriers to legal access put in place by the legislative scheme.”
Taliano declared the program to be invalid, as well as the criminal laws prohibiting possession and production of cannabis. He suspended his ruling for three months, giving Ottawa until mid-July to fix the program or face the prospect of effectively legalizing possession and production of cannabis.
The judge’s decision comes in a criminal case involving Matthew Mernagh, 37, of St. Catharines who suffers from fibromyalgia, scoliosis, seizures and depression.
Marijuana is the most effective treatment of Mernagh’s pain. But despite years of effort, he has been unable to find a doctor to support his application for a medical marijuana licence.
Mernagh resorted to growing his own cannabis and was charged with producing the drug.
Taliano found doctors essentially act as gatekeepers to the medical marijuana program but lack the necessary knowledge to adequately give advice or recommend the drug. He also found that Health Canada has made “no real attempt to deal with this lack of knowledge.”
Taliano said the issue is Canada-wide.
Twenty-one patients from across the country testified in the case, saying they were rejected by doctors a total of 113 times.
One Alberta patient was refused by 26 doctors; another in Vancouver approached 37 physicians without finding a single one to sign off on the form.
Patients also face lengthy delays — as long as nine months — in having their medical marijuana applications processed by Health Canada.
“The body of evidence from Mr. Mernagh and the other patient witnesses is troubling,” Taliano wrote. “The evidence of the patient witnesses, which I accept, showed that patients have to go to extraordinary lengths to acquire the marijuana they need.”
Lawyer Alan Young, a longtime advocate of marijuana legalization, said the ruling is a step in the right direction.
“It’s significant because it’s a Superior Court ruling which has binding effect across the province,” Young said.
“By enacting a dysfunctional medical program the government now has to pay the high cost of losing the constitutional authority to criminalize marijuana.”
He said the real test, however, will be whether the judgment stands up in the Ontario Court of Appeal.
“If the government is not successful on appeal, they are going to be caught between a rock and a hard place because they don’t have an alternative program in mind,” he said. “They don’t have a plan B. They’re in trouble.”
The medical profession has been wary of the medical marijuana program since it came into effect in August 2001.
On May 7, 2001, the Canadian Medical Association wrote a letter to the federal health minister expressing concerns with recommending a drug that has had little scientific evidence to support its medicinal benefits.
“Physicians must not be expected to act as gatekeepers to this therapy, yet this is precisely the role Health Canada had thrust upon them,” the letter stated.
Oh please let some of that
common sense flow south
across the border.
The thing is….you guys are supposedly more socially conservative than us…we have consistently polled in favour of decrim or legalization up here…our senate recommended it years ago…our courts have made rulings similar to this one (not as far reaching tho) in the past….But for some reason, people aren’t up in arms about the fact that the our government is pushing for laws similar to the draconian, 25 year old drug-war laws that have helped create a prison state in the US, in which SEVEN TIMES more people are incarcerated per capita than the next country on the list….
And yet, it’s almost exclusively the Feds holding back reforms down there….what, 13 states have decriminalized or legalized for medi use? Something like that…so your state governments are actually leading the charge (moreso than any level of govt in Canada), while your feds try to stop it, and try to influence our feds to do the same (against the public will).
The cons up here have passed a series of laws aimed at ‘getting tough on crime’….which is going to result in massive spending increases in the legal system and in prison infrastructure….and the Cons aren’t saying where the money will come from. Same old BS – passing laws designed for corporate profit, against the will and best interests of the public. Fuckin disgraceful, but no one up here is even talking about it!
Comments
Of course we need better funding for health, I'm all for that but I don't know about making it legal. I mean we have ciggys don't we and they cause cancer and we can't bloody get the Gov to get rid of them can we??
Yes, I have heard that it has that effect on schizophrenia, have heard the same about epilepsy. I used to smoke a fair bit of it and as soon as I stopped, I got epilepsy. Something that I have never had in my family and I have no scars on my temporal lobe. Docs have no idea where the hell it came from, I have my suspicions....
Adelaide 1998
Adelaide 2003
Adelaide 2006 night 1
Adelaide 2006 night 2
Adelaide 2009
Melbourne 2009
Christchurch NZ 2009
Eddie Vedder, Adelaide 2011
PJ20 USA 2011 night 1
PJ20 USA 2011 night 2
Adelaide BIG DAY OUT 2014
Adelaide 1998
Adelaide 2003
Adelaide 2006 night 1
Adelaide 2006 night 2
Adelaide 2009
Melbourne 2009
Christchurch NZ 2009
Eddie Vedder, Adelaide 2011
PJ20 USA 2011 night 1
PJ20 USA 2011 night 2
Adelaide BIG DAY OUT 2014
If I want to smoke pot, I'll smoke it. I rarely do, and probably won't do it more if it is legalized, but the government or you should have no right to tell me what to do with my body.
If you are an idiot who can't control your addictions then I am sorry. Take the responsibility for your actions.
I tried looking up causual correlations between mj and epilepsy, and came up with a bunch of information on using it as a treatment. Have you ever read up on the difference between THC and CBD? Might be worth your while
And for the record...I don't think the government should get rid of ciggies either (I bet they couldn't even if they tried)....personal choice and responsibility.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/40150468
(check your listings, it is being replayed here this Thursday and on the 25th.)
CNBC ORIGINAL TAKES VIEWERS BACK INSIDE THE $100 BILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS OF MARIJUANA
One-Hour Documentary Reported by CNBC’s Trish Regan to Premiere on CNBC on Wednesday, December 8th at 9PM ET/PT
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., November 22, 2010—On Wednesday, December 8th at 9PM ET/PT, CNBC presents “Marijuana USA,” a CNBC Original reported by Trish Regan, that takes viewers back inside the flourishing pot industry—as the world’s most commonly used illicit drug comes out of the shadows and into mainstream. As more states pass laws permitting the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, the once vilified weed is being met with a newfound acceptance. Some hope—and others fear—the whole country may soon be going to pot.
Correspondent Trish Regan reports from Colorado, where a new and thriving marijuana industry is infusing much-needed capital and jobs into a weak economy. In Colorado, this fast growing business is attracting a new generation of marijuana entrepreneurs—savvy, young professionals emerging from the unlikely fields of finance, biotechnology, government and medicine—who are re-branding pot as a natural herbal remedy and selling it openly in dispensaries all over town. The state now has more pot dispensaries than it does Starbucks, and authorities not only sanction the drug, but also regulate, license, and tax it, like any other product.
But, even as fifteen states and the District of Columbia allow for medical marijuana, the drug remains in clear violation of federal laws. Federal law enforcement officers and anti-drug officials vow they will not surrender. CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, travels to the frontlines of America’s weed wars—from the fierce political campaign to legalize the drug in California to the ambitious air and ground campaign to search for marijuana plots deep in the mountainous terrain of eastern Kentucky. CNBC’s Regan speaks with Lieutenant Brent Roper, the commander of Kentucky’s marijuana strike force, who swears that Kentucky will be the last state to ever legalize marijuana as just another taxable commodity.
Regan also takes viewers to Portugal—the first country in the world to fully decriminalize the possession of all drugs. She speaks with Joao Goulao, Portugal’s drug czar and the chief architect of this strategy, about the country’s unique and radical drug policy.
Looking further into the business of marijuana, CNBC takes viewers inside a busy medical clinic near Denver, CO, where marijuana is almost always the doctor’s order. Dr. James Boland, a physician of twenty-five years, works for a clinic that has brought in more than a million dollars in just its first year of business, attracting patients in search of a medical marijuana license. But, although it’s a profitable business, the jury is still out among researchers and doctors as to whether marijuana really is an effective treatment option.
CNBC.com has added new stories to its comprehensive special report, "Marijuana & Money," which, through the lens of business, thoroughly examines the state of marijuana in America, including the costs and impact – both positive and negative – that legalization might have on the economy, government and, ultimately, the consumer. New topics addressed include the "Hydroponics Boom," which looks at how the manufacture, distribution and retail of hydroponics equipment has become a nearly half-billion business; the explosive growth of "Marijuana Testing Labs;" and a profile of Mile High Ice Cream, a company that has found a tasty way to capture some of Colorado's fast-growing medical marijuana market.
CNBC’s Trish Regan is co-anchor of “The Call” (M-F, 11AM-12PM ET). Regan is author of the upcoming book, "Joint Ventures: Inside America's Almost Legal Marijuana Industry," due out April 20, 2011 and published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Mitch Weitzner is the Senior Executive Producer of “Marijuana USA.” Nina Alvarez, Na Eng and Morgan Brasfield are Producers. Ray Borelli is the Vice President of Strategic Research, Scheduling and Long Form Programming.
- Christopher McCandless
I have seen some information about using pot for epilepsy and I know what they are talking about because essentially Carbamazapine and pot have very similar effects except it is much harder to judge the dosage of pot to take.
I CAN see the benefits, don't get me wrong, I used to love it to relax me, I am an extremely anxious person but in my opinion, I ended up relying on it. (It's okay, I don't work at the moment, won't get fired
I just happened to go to a school where lots of us kids smoked heaps of dope and I have seen the consequences of chronic smoking on young kids. So yeah, in the end, I guess I COULD live with it being legal, as long as they make a bloody big effort to protect the little ones.
Adelaide 1998
Adelaide 2003
Adelaide 2006 night 1
Adelaide 2006 night 2
Adelaide 2009
Melbourne 2009
Christchurch NZ 2009
Eddie Vedder, Adelaide 2011
PJ20 USA 2011 night 1
PJ20 USA 2011 night 2
Adelaide BIG DAY OUT 2014
Adelaide 1998
Adelaide 2003
Adelaide 2006 night 1
Adelaide 2006 night 2
Adelaide 2009
Melbourne 2009
Christchurch NZ 2009
Eddie Vedder, Adelaide 2011
PJ20 USA 2011 night 1
PJ20 USA 2011 night 2
Adelaide BIG DAY OUT 2014
For about a week to ten days after my wife and i quit, everything was fine, then we found it hard to fall asleep and then when we did sleep it would be one intense nitemare after another, would wake up every two hours, sweating and disturbed, weirdest F'n dreams i've ever had, this lasted for about 5 weeks, tried take sleep aids, tried drinking myself into oblivion, nothing worked. Finally after 6 weeks or so sleeping slowly became normal again, Anxiety became my new best freind, all day every day, it was like your brain just never got a second to breath, you start thinking,"If only i could smoke one j, see things calmly again, i could sort my life out better". Being stuck in reality 24/7/52 is a horrible thing.
Legalize It, Make it Mandatory!
Adelaide 1998
Adelaide 2003
Adelaide 2006 night 1
Adelaide 2006 night 2
Adelaide 2009
Melbourne 2009
Christchurch NZ 2009
Eddie Vedder, Adelaide 2011
PJ20 USA 2011 night 1
PJ20 USA 2011 night 2
Adelaide BIG DAY OUT 2014
Adelaide 1998
Adelaide 2003
Adelaide 2006 night 1
Adelaide 2006 night 2
Adelaide 2009
Melbourne 2009
Christchurch NZ 2009
Eddie Vedder, Adelaide 2011
PJ20 USA 2011 night 1
PJ20 USA 2011 night 2
Adelaide BIG DAY OUT 2014
i don't know if i'd consider any of those withdrawal since they also occur at various stages during the high but i have nothing to back that claim, just opinion.
http://videosift.com/video/Mutiny-Over-Pot
"Montana Jury Stages 'Mutiny' In Marijuana Case
Judge is forced to release someone for 1/16oz of weed because no one is willing to convict him.
This is the beauty of JURY NULLIFICATION. find more at the fully informed jury assoc http://fija.org/ "
awesome
that's not my reason for the thread revival...I'm kinda skeptical how this will all play out, but check this:
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/973 ... ional?bn=1
Pot laws ruled unconstitutional
An Ontario Superior Court judge has ruled that the federal medical marijuana program is unconstitutional, giving the government three months to fix the problem before pot is effectively legalized.
In an April 11 ruling, Justice Donald Taliano found that doctors across the country have “massively boycotted” the medical marijuana program and largely refuse to sign off on forms giving sick people access to necessary medication.
As a result, legitimately sick people cannot access medical marijuana through appropriate means and must resort to illegal actions.
Doctors’ “overwhelming refusal to participate in the medicinal marijuana program completely undermines the effectiveness of the program,” the judge wrote in his ruling.
“The effect of this blind delegation is that seriously ill people who need marijuana to treat their symptoms are branded criminals simply because they are unable to overcome the barriers to legal access put in place by the legislative scheme.”
Taliano declared the program to be invalid, as well as the criminal laws prohibiting possession and production of cannabis. He suspended his ruling for three months, giving Ottawa until mid-July to fix the program or face the prospect of effectively legalizing possession and production of cannabis.
The judge’s decision comes in a criminal case involving Matthew Mernagh, 37, of St. Catharines who suffers from fibromyalgia, scoliosis, seizures and depression.
Marijuana is the most effective treatment of Mernagh’s pain. But despite years of effort, he has been unable to find a doctor to support his application for a medical marijuana licence.
Mernagh resorted to growing his own cannabis and was charged with producing the drug.
Taliano found doctors essentially act as gatekeepers to the medical marijuana program but lack the necessary knowledge to adequately give advice or recommend the drug. He also found that Health Canada has made “no real attempt to deal with this lack of knowledge.”
Taliano said the issue is Canada-wide.
Twenty-one patients from across the country testified in the case, saying they were rejected by doctors a total of 113 times.
One Alberta patient was refused by 26 doctors; another in Vancouver approached 37 physicians without finding a single one to sign off on the form.
Patients also face lengthy delays — as long as nine months — in having their medical marijuana applications processed by Health Canada.
“The body of evidence from Mr. Mernagh and the other patient witnesses is troubling,” Taliano wrote. “The evidence of the patient witnesses, which I accept, showed that patients have to go to extraordinary lengths to acquire the marijuana they need.”
Lawyer Alan Young, a longtime advocate of marijuana legalization, said the ruling is a step in the right direction.
“It’s significant because it’s a Superior Court ruling which has binding effect across the province,” Young said.
“By enacting a dysfunctional medical program the government now has to pay the high cost of losing the constitutional authority to criminalize marijuana.”
He said the real test, however, will be whether the judgment stands up in the Ontario Court of Appeal.
“If the government is not successful on appeal, they are going to be caught between a rock and a hard place because they don’t have an alternative program in mind,” he said. “They don’t have a plan B. They’re in trouble.”
The medical profession has been wary of the medical marijuana program since it came into effect in August 2001.
On May 7, 2001, the Canadian Medical Association wrote a letter to the federal health minister expressing concerns with recommending a drug that has had little scientific evidence to support its medicinal benefits.
“Physicians must not be expected to act as gatekeepers to this therapy, yet this is precisely the role Health Canada had thrust upon them,” the letter stated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJkBue2_zM4
Oh please let some of that
common sense flow south
across the border.
And yet, it’s almost exclusively the Feds holding back reforms down there….what, 13 states have decriminalized or legalized for medi use? Something like that…so your state governments are actually leading the charge (moreso than any level of govt in Canada), while your feds try to stop it, and try to influence our feds to do the same (against the public will).
The cons up here have passed a series of laws aimed at ‘getting tough on crime’….which is going to result in massive spending increases in the legal system and in prison infrastructure….and the Cons aren’t saying where the money will come from. Same old BS – passing laws designed for corporate profit, against the will and best interests of the public. Fuckin disgraceful, but no one up here is even talking about it!
Happy 420 folks