FDA says marijuana has no medical value

[quaoar]

NY Times has this story. Not on their site yet.
But the FDA's press release is here:

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01362.html

By GARDINER HARRIS
New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration declared Thursday that “no sound scientific studies” support the medical use of smoked marijuana. The statement, which contradicts a 1999 review by top government scientists, inserts the health agency into yet another fierce political fight.

Susan Bro, an agency spokeswoman, said that the statement resulted from a combined review by federal drug enforcement, regulatory and research agencies that concluded that “smoked marijuana has no currently accepted or proven medical use in the United States and is not an approved medical treatment.” She said that the FDA was issuing the statement because of numerous inquiries from Capitol Hill but would likely do nothing to enforce it.

“Any enforcement based on this finding would need to be by DEA, since this falls outside of FDA’s regulatory authority,” she said.

Eleven states have legalized medicinal uses of marijuana, but the Drug Enforcement Administration and the nation’s drug czar, John Walters, have opposed those efforts. A Supreme Court decision last year allowed the federal government to arrest anyone using marijuana, even in states that have legalized its use.

[babylonsister]

1. It's still safer than booze, despite people wanting to capitalize

on it eventually, when I'll probably be dead. Damn!

[quaoar]

40. OK, the NYTimes link is now up

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/21/health/21marijuana.html?hp&ex=1145592000&en=8e9d2dc5bc070645&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[OKthatsIT]

101. The Billion-Dollar Crop

"In 1938, hemp was on
the verge of becoming a
billion dollar crop, which
threatened key industrialists."

http://www.parascope.com/mx/hemp01.htm

-----------------------------------------
The wonder plant

biofuel, biodegradable, reseeds
seeds have highest omega3s levels, more than fish oil
fibers, different strengths and softness
natural sleep aid
natural appetite enhancer
cures nausia
rapid grower, replenishing oxygen levels

[proud patriot]

2. Bullshit

:think:

[Born Free]

62. They sell fish oil capsules

The fine print on the bottle says the FDA found no benefit but tests are inconclusive, so the big print says it MAY help your heart. Let us buy and use the marijuana because it "May" help as well.

[Tight_rope]

77. LOL....I agree!

[BuddhaGirl]

78. good point!

n/t

[Ediacara]

3. LOL!

Another instance of Bush's reliance on "faith based science."

[OldLeftieLawyer]

4. As with all things FDA under this administration,

fuck 'em.

RU-486 doesn't work, either, does it, you filthy, smarmy, faux-Christian pricks?

[rodeodance]

20. same agency that has delayed the 'morning after' pill for years.

[Triana]

53. tell us how ya really feel OLL!

..."filthy, smarmy, faux-Christian pricks?"

I LOVE it! :) Couldn't have said it better myself. The FDA is useless. Why do they bother?

[MadMaddie]

5. Anything that comes out of the current Gov agencies FDA

is suspicious......

There is always a political agenda...if pharmaceuticals can't make money off of a product then the FDA says there is not medical use....

[acmejack]

21. The VA Shrink today told me I was "delusional about the Government"

Because I said everything they have told us for the last five years has been lies. One of us is damn sure delusional alright...

[Matariki]

74. you need a new shrink

one with her/his eyes/mind open. not some opinionated asshole.

[Bridget Burke]

82. The current FDA rushes to OK questionable drugs...

From Big Pharm. You know, the ones later withdrawn from the market after people start dying.

If we'd had the same regulatory standards years ago, there would be many adults showing the effects of prenatal thalidomide.

[Patiod]

84. Nonsense. Big Pharma wants a cannabinoid-based painkiller

But they believe there's too much public hysteria about it. Doctors would love a cannabinoid-receptor agonist for cancer patients, but both MDs and Pharmacos are afraid people would freak out "but doctor, it's pot!". They would have no problem with marijuana becoming more mainstream as treatment for neuropathies and cancer pain, and they'd compete with home-grown dope by saying "with our drug, you'll get the same dose every time, and it will be covered by your insurance."

I've worked on projects that look at the viability of these drugs - Big Pharma might have its faults, but they are NOT behind any nixing of medical marijuana.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

6. When it comes to controlling severe, chronic pain . . .

. . . there is absolutely nothing to touch it.

The White Album also sounds particularly good while on it . . .

[Selteri]

34. Living with permanent back pain...

I have to completely agree, nothing works as well for removing my back pain without nausea, losing control or being unable to work.

[shadowknows69]

71. Another back pain sufferer here

5 bong hits or a handful of tylenol which would you rather take.

P.S. added bonus, it replaced my prozac regimen and kept me from killing myself in my early 20's

[Patiod]

85. and which one is going to destroy your liver? Definitely Tylenol.

Sadly, it's a toss-up -- hurt your lungs or hurt your liver. Neither is the optimal choice.

[genieroze]

110. You can make marijuana tea.

[Pastiche423]

47. The only thing that has given me relief from

paralytic central pain, is marijuana.

That "study" is pure bullshit.

[htuttle]

7. "Pentagon says Iraq has WMD"

"FDA says Mercury in your drinking water is A-Okay."

"EPA says there is no global warming."

"Dept of Commerce says outsourcing good for America."

"There is no spoon."

:eyes:

[quaoar]

11. Don't forget

EPA says WTC site perfectly safe.

[movonne]

8. Yes, I really trust the FDA !! bush runs that ...

[Kagemusha]

9. So there's been studies but they're not 'sound'.

And not encouraged, either.

[silverweb]

10. Studies sponsored by...

Merck, Abbott Labs, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Aventis, Bayer, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, CIBA, Eli Lilly, and many others on _this list_.

Duh!

:silly:

[rodeodance]

26. you are right on I bet-although the Release gives no information.

[azurnoir]

55. Which one makes

Marinol? An anti-emetic (anti-nausea) drug given to cancer patients? It's active ingredient is -----
THC so that in it self would prove the study is pure BS

[silverweb]

57. Solvay Pharmaceuticals.

http://www.marinol.com/hcp.html

[Mz Pip]

73. Bingo!

The drug companies are completely behind keeping marijuana illegal. If something cheap and easy to grow became legal or was proven to have health benefits then their profits could be in serious jeopardy.

The drug companies will not do anything to sabotage their bottom line - neither will our government.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[EFerrari]

12. In other news, rain isn't wet!

BushCo: Because you're stuck with us.

[TexasProgresive]

13. Proper studies can't be done

because the Feds won't allow it because the say it has no medical uses- your typical vicious circle - no studies show worth so no studies allowed. But just ask someone on chemo or that has glacoma - oh wait, those are anecdotes and count for nothing.

[Selteri]

35. It is the same logic for why Hemp is illegal and not being allowed

For study. The idea - It looks like weed so it must be weed and therefor is illegal.

[silverweb]

39. And besides that...

Hemp fiber would challenge the dominance of cotton for textiles...

and hemp seed would challenge the dominance of flax seed for nutrition and oils...

and hemp pulp could challenge the dominance of wood pulp for paper...

and hemp cultivation would challenge the petroleum-based fertilizer industry because it needs little in the way of fertilization...

and hemp growing would challenge the pesticide industry because it is naturally resistant to many or most pests...

and on and on and on.

Hemp is much too useful a crop and could challenge too many entrenched industries. Its future in this country is therefore pretty much doomed.

[Tellurian]

98. The challenge is posed to the old family TRUSTS

who are the benefactors of BIG industry..

Rockefeller's, Duponts, Posts, Firestone's etc.

OIL, LUMBER, PAPER, all our natl resources.

[bliss_eternal]

14. When the asshole that made this claim starts chemo--

treatments, I'd like to see him make the same assertion. :eyes:

Seriously, what an asshat!

[shain from kane]

15. I always thought you could believe a Bro to tell the truth. n/t

[rodeodance]

16. fools. -tell that to the people who feel the benefits.

[rodeodance]

17. n.

[HuffleClaw]

18. gee, now that is a real surprise

just what the hell ELSE are they gonna say? ANYONE who opposes bush policy is punished. what a joke. with this administration i wouldn't be suprised to see an FDA study 'proving' the 'health benefits of CHRISTIAN prayer'.

[rodeodance]

19. the 'science' will be looked at up and down and inside out

[rodeodance]

22. this is an 'interagency advisory"--I wonder what is up-WHY NOW?:

Inter-Agency Advisory Regarding Claims That Smoked Marijuana Is a Medicine

Claims have been advanced asserting smoked marijuana has a value in treating various medical conditions. Some have argued that herbal marijuana is a safe and effective medication and that it should be made available to people who suffer from a number of ailments upon a doctor's recommendation, even though it is not an approved drug.

Marijuana is listed in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the most restrictive schedule. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which administers the CSA, continues to support that placement and FDA concurred because marijuana met the three criteria for placement in Schedule I under 21 U.S.C. 812(b)(1) (e.g., marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and has a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision). Furthermore, there is currently sound evidence that smoked marijuana is harmful. A past evaluation by several Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA), concluded that no sound scientific studies supported medical use of marijuana for treatment in the United States, and no animal or human data supported the safety or efficacy of marijuana for general medical use. There are alternative FDA-approved medications in existence for treatment of many of the proposed uses of smoked marijuana.

FDA is the sole Federal agency that approves drug products as safe and effective for intended indications. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act requires that new drugs be shown to be safe and effective for their intended use before being marketed in this country. FDA's drug approval process requires well-controlled clinical trials that provide the necessary scientific data upon which FDA makes its approval and labeling decisions. If a drug product is to be marketed, disciplined, systematic, scientifically conducted trials are the best means to obtain data to ensure that drug is safe and effective when used as indicated. Efforts that seek to bypass the FDA drug approval process would not serve the interests of public health because they might expose patients to unsafe and ineffective drug products. FDA has not approved smoked marijuana for any condition or disease indication.

A growing number of states have passed voter referenda (or legislative actions) making smoked marijuana available for a variety of medical conditions upon a doctor's recommendation. These measures are inconsistent with efforts to ensure that medications undergo the rigorous scientific scrutiny of the FDA approval process and are proven safe and effective under the standards of the FD&C Act. Accordingly, FDA, as the federal agency responsible for reviewing the safety and efficacy of drugs, DEA as the federal agency charged with enforcing the CSA, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy, as the federal coordinator of drug control policy, do not support the use of smoked marijuana for medical purposes.

####

[Beam Me Up]

93. They are going to go after pot, pot laws and pot smokers. It has already

started. I live in "the Amesterdam of the West" (Oakland CA) which probably has the most liberal pot laws in the country. And yet, even here, the noose is tightening. The Berkeley cops, for example (yes, BERKELEY!), are on a crusade and doing everything they can to eradicate pot growing that does not follow municipal guidelines. Why? Why now?

This is just one more of their attacks against our liberties -- a fight we should have won 30 friggn years ago.

[zulchzulu]

23. A bag of Yamba vs. The New Unpronounceable Drug As Seen On TV

Do you really think the FDA, firmly in the hands of the corrupt pharma industry, would say that toking on a splif is about as good as buying Qxckitzela((R) at $200/hit...I mean bottle.

[AzDar]

24. Perhaps if my father hadn't succumbed to the lung cancer, from which

smoking marijuana gave him the only relief he knew, he could tell the FDA what misguided fools and liars they are.
WTF is WRONG with these people???

[MissB]

25. Sideways attempt at destroying medical marijuana laws (such as Oregon's)

Just a guess.

[SeveneightyWhoa]

27. Tell that to this Canadian company:

Cannasat Therapeutics (http://www.cannasat.com/home/). Lots of good info on that page.

[leftchick]

63. another reason yo love Canada!

thank you for the link! Very good info...

http://www.medicalmarijuanainformation.com/home/

[MagickMuffin]

28. Oxymoron Alert:

The government says it is not a drug, yet they always refer to it as a drug.....

Marijuana is NOT a drug.

It is an Herb/Plant.

Marinol is a Drug.

Processed from Marijuana.

GOT IT:grr:

If you are suffering from an illness and cannot swallow pills or keep anything on your stomach, then.......

I knew someone who was an AIDS victim, who was in his last stages of his life. He informed his doctor he used marijuana. She told him that was what probably had kept him alive for the last five years of his life. She gave him Marinol (after he became hospitalized) and he couldn't kept it down.

We should be allowed as Free American Citizens to self medicate the way We see fit....

[mcscajun]

29. Hmmm... a press release involving scientific matters...

...issued by the Bush Administration?

:rofl: Oh yeah, I'm definitely going to give it credence.

Somebody pass the bong, please. This is FUNNY.

[wicket]

30. Bullshit!!!!

:grr: :grr: :grr:

[northofdenali]

31. Alaska just rejected (Yes, Repubs voted against it)

a bill recriminalizing pot. It is not a medical pot issue here, it's a privacy issue that has shot down every attempt to recriminalize since the 70's.

The Feds don't have a lot of standing up here.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

36. Decriminalizing it on the state level........

would be the only way the Feds could be convinced to drop the issue. If enough states insisted on decrim/legal medical marijuana, they'd move due to fear of backlash. Right now, the numbers aren't there.

[Vidar]

37. Congratulations. Way to hang tough.

[Selteri]

32. It os so much easier to live with your head in the sand

denying the evidence as not being viable, reliable or real, the truth is, they are lieing and they know it to cover their butts.

[HeeBGBz]

33. 4/20

Screw you, FDA. Who the hell are you to say what works and what doesn't.

[file83]

46. No doubt, they sure picked a heckuva day to release that report!

[leesa]

38. Blah...blah...blah...the FDA, what a bunch of corporate whores.

No proof because you ignore the independent studies that have shown over and over positive medicinal qualities and no ill effects.

[dysfunctional press]

41. if it were legal, it'd be cheap enough to EAT it...

notice how they specify "smoked" marijuana.

although- even THAT is bullshit- cigarettes contain various carcinogens and works as a VASCULAR CONSTRICTOR...pot, on the other hand, when smoked- works as a BRONCHIAL DILATOR- there was a time when asthmatics were prescribed SMOKED marijuana.

[Bridget Burke]

87. Ah, the famous White Cookie of Marrakesh!

I remember the days of Afghan hash. I know that opium poppies are more profitable, but legal cultivation of the better crop could be encouraged in that troubled country.

[genieroze]

111. On that note, the heroin is flowing into this country from Afghanistan

at alarming rates. Our police department won't go after dope heads just pot heads. I wonder who gave that order and I wonder who is profiting from those poppies. Gee wiz whose family in the past has profited from opium. I bet they still are profiting from it.
:tinfoilhat:

[babylonsister]

42. It's very nice to see there's no cynicism here! You all crack me up! nt

[bluestateguy]

43. You mean the BUSH FDA says marijuana has no medical value

and that should be enough for us to weigh the credibility of their quack report.

[killbotfactory]

44. Yeah, sure it doesn't...

Until a drug company finds a way to make a profit of it.

[fishnfla]

45. hey FDA ask any oncologist

[chookie]

52. or ask a cancer patient

Marijuana is an effective remedy for the effects of chemotherapy and AIDs-- and I thank God for this.

Hospices are extremely cool about allowing access to this sweet drug and I commend them for it. (I am not a smoker, but if I would become disastrousfully ill, I would turn to this ancient remedy).

May the afflicted find peace and solace, dear God....

[BooScout]

61. Don't forget Glaucoma patients....n/t

[Wise Doubter]

48. The KEY statement is this...

"The statement, which contradicts a 1999 review..."(pre-bush)

In the immortal words of Bill Hicks

Truth to power, truth to power

[Zorra]

49. More Bu*hit science. There's no global warming, cigarettes are

good for you, and Iraq has WMD.

Yada, yada, yada.

[sweetheart]

97. really, more monkey spank

The government has become a laughing stock...

Bullshit science for a bullshit government.

Bullshit by the Bullshit for the bullshit, made of bullshit. :-)

[WindRavenX]

50. they're just wrong . Period.

There is a lot of solid empirical evidence that completely contradicts this blatant propaganda.

[chookie]

51. For chemotherapy patients and AIDs sufferers, it is God's mercy

Whoops, sorry -- I don't buy this. This is a political, not a pharmacological evaluation.

[DemInDistress]

54. FDA needs to review some American History..

George Washington smoked and grew Hemp (marijuana). Hemp also was a vital part of US Commerce for 200 years.
Abe Lincoln had 2 loves in life.. 1. rocking in his rocking chair,. 2. smoking Hemp (marijuana) from his corncob. Jefferson,Hamilton,cowboys and Indians smoked Hemp (marijuana) no doubt these people had "no drug problems" I believe in 1937 when Hemp was outlawed big businessmen like Hearst,Dupont and JP Morgan saw Hemp as a threat to their livelihood. Most products made from crude (petroleum) could be made from environmentally friendly and renewable Hemp (marijuana).
In all my 44 yrs. of smoking weed,hemp (marijuana) I never o'deed..I always laughed,felt good,and ate well (munchies). It comes as no surprise from this lying government that hemp is not therapeutic,meanwhile we allow kids to take Ritalin (powerful upper) yet we can't enjoy a joint. Mom and dad take Prozac,Valiums. Doctors also promote,Vicodin,Percocet,and other powerful narcotics, yet we can't smoke a joint. Am I surprised? Hell no for back in the 60's our government sold me the same bullshit story,marijuana is a drug,its addicting,(lol)
WRONG FDA ITS NOT ADDICTING,I RECENTLY STOPPED SMOKING WEED AFTER 44 YRS (FINANCIAL REASONS) WITH NO DETRIMENTAL ILL EFFECTS.
anyway a good study was done back in the 40's by Fiorello La Guardia which concluded marijuana was a safe medicine http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/lag/lagmenu.htm


Proven: Marijuana is a Safe Medicine http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_medical_info2.shtml

High Times magazine estimates their are up to 30,000,000 million connoisseurs of marijuana

[Bridget Burke]

89. Years ago, I met country music legend Floyd Tillman

He wrote "Slipping Around" & was one of the first country artists to play electric guitar. Thus beginning the evolution from "Hillbilly" to "Honky Tonk."

He said that a fan, a WWI vet, helped them learn to improvise on the new instrument. Because he often gave the band a few of the "special cigarettes" the government provided as treatment for Shell Shock.

[DemInDistress]

104. special cigarettes (rotf) for shell shock no less..

thanks for that tidbit. did you know our government has a farm to grow hemp (marijuana) for those few people with glaucoma. a debilitating eye disease,I heard they pay someone several hundred thousand dollars to produce "grade A" weed. Its funny and sad, our government allows and distributes "methadone" a highly addictive drug for those with heroin habits yet wont allow marijuana for those who obtain some beneficial results,not to forget the millions who enjoy a good joint daily (me) (lol)..

thanks again btw I am in NYC. home to an empty pit where once 2 mighty towers stood.

jimmy from the bronx.. :hi:

[tom_paine]

56. FDA is now as believable as Soviet Dept. of Agriculture

Just that, plain and simple.

It is an organizations that exists now (as opposed to in the Old United States 1776-2000... RIP) soley to protect Imperial Cronies from the Imperial Subjects of Amerika, and the truth.

It, like the EPA which lied about NYC air quality to brave 9-11 rescuers who are now dying by the carload, is a corrupt and fully politicized organization who's every pornouncement is 90% likely to be a lie.

Just like the Soviet Union.

The sad truth is that ALL Bushevik pronouncements, like all Soviet pronouncements, should be considered lies until proven otherwise. That's how bad things have gotten in this country since the downfall of Old America.

I don't like it, I don't wish it, any more that I wished for the greatest country ever, the Old United States (for all it's faults and flaws) to turn into a Third-World Nation more reminiscent of the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany or Imperial Rome (minus the violence and brutality, for the moment) than of the country that preceded it for 224 years until 2000.

If The Leader says it, it probably is a lie.

[chookie]

59. Indeed

Some of us remember the claims of 1234% yearly growth in agriculture, the tractor races, the happiness and prosperity of peasants, etc.

Unfortunately, when Reagan knocked down the Berlin Wall -- agitprop Ideological bullshit made its way to America and infects our culture.

[Frank Cannon]

69. You are correct, sir

I never, ever dreamed that within just a couple of decades, we would go from ridiculing the USSR's one-party rule, their BS media, their Lysenkoist pseudoscience, their endemic government corruption and lying, and their yen for fascism to actually ADOPTING all that! Even referring to one's self as "red" is now considered by some in this fucked-up country to be a good thing!

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

58. Need more ...

...proof?



Born in the USA - still made in the USA with the wired attitude that can only be American! Our popular pouch package.

[OneBlueSky]

60. I call bullshit! . . . deep, gooey, smelly piles of pure bullshit . . n/t

.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

64. That's exactly why a neurologist I used to work for

told patients that he couldn't tell them to use marijuana because it is illegal, but he could tell them that marijuana would help them deal with their symptoms.

[LeftHander]

65. Report I read some time ago...

That even though there were indeed benefits from marijuana the noticiable side-effects of euphoria, disorientation and changes appetite that it was deemed not a suitable drug because other drugs were the availalbe that still accomplished the benefit without the sideffects.

Many people in the study found that after smoking a marijuana cigarette the euphoric side-effect was not welcome and made them feel uncomfortable and paranoid.

Maybe they should of only had a few hits and not bogarted the entire fatty.

Ha ha...

[rodeodance]

66. I think it works for some and not for othes. Choice should be available!

[formercia]

67. I know a guy that has Crohn's Colitis

without pot he would probably have killed himself. It was the only thing that worked for pain management short of nearly lethal doses of oxycontin.

The FDA is full of it. They don't want it legalized because people can grow their own. Drug companies can't make a profit.

[noonwitch]

68. It stimulates appetites, for people taking chemo

It does so without injesting more chemicals orally or through an IV.

When my little sister had ulcerative colitis, it was the only thing that worked on both the pain and the lack of appetite. Pain pills sometimes contributed to the stomach problems.

[bitchkitty]

70. No sound scientific studies because they won't study it -

until they reclassify cannabis, those studies won't happen.

[stepnw1f]

72. It's Ok We Consume Poisoned, Genetically Altered Foods

but no way are we allowed to use Marijuana. Absolute bullshit. The FDA is nothing more than a tool of the corpo-christian freakish right.

[Mr. Mojo Risin]

75. Did Anybody Else Notice the Complete Irony...

...of this news article being released on 4/20?

Hidden meaning somewhere. I just can't concentrate long enough to figure it out.

[Tellurian]

90. I know what you mean...

same impression here.

The gist of the article designates the jurisdiction that will be used
for upcoming arrests.

The DEA is the designated doer decided by the 'decider'! :hi:

[Demeter]

76. Another Faith-Based, Politically Motivated Agency

Is there any part of the government that has not been corrupted, perverted or destroyed, aside from (I hope) Patrick Fitzgerald and his colleagues?

[slay]

79. Slay says "FDA full of shit"

Can't the government just stay the fuck out of our lives? If I have cancer, I WILL smoke marijuana. Assholes. :mad:

[Fovea]

80. I think it is important to remember that this government

was the same one that pronounced NYC air fit to breathe unmasked on 9-11.

After that, anything they say is more than suspect as far as I am concerned.

[JVS]

81. But it's fucking sweet, so ok it already!

[kestrel91316]

83. My dad died of lung cancer in 1980, at the ripe old age of 47.

He had recently retired from the USAF. When he was having chemo HIS MILITARY DOCTOR recommended smoking pot to help with the chemo side effects and my dad decided to try it. He went nextdoor to the high school kid, who got him some pot. He rolled his own joints and smoked it (mom made him do it outside) and it really helped him, got his appetite back, stopped the nausea, made a big difference in his quality of life. And he didn't smoke enough to get very high, just used a little.

The FDA has got their heads up their patooties.

My only experience with pot personally is recreational - I always ranked it right up there with a few beers. A little buzz, plus the added bonus of the munchies. And a really great night's sleep.

Have I mentioned lately how much I HATE THESE PEOPLE????? Go suck an egg, Georgie.

[ShortnFiery]

100. That's because the FDA

are horses' patooties LOL <---love that word!

A friend of my Dad's died of lung cancer believed to be caused by agent orange exposure. I was just a child when he visited us and he was also "young" - in his forties.

My heart goes out to you and your family. :hug:

Yes, you are absolutely right - marijuana (THC) lessens nausea thereby assisting chemotherapy patients in the ability to keep nourishment within their system.

How can the people who publish such LIES look themselves in the mirror each morning.

[ktlyon]

86. no scientific studies because

it was against the law to do any studies on marijuana
and now any studies use very low grade pot that doesn't prove anything

[Scriptor Ignotus]

88. in other news

there is no global warming, civil war in Iraq or lack of transparency in our electoral process.

[LisaLynne]

94. Good point, Scriptor.

:thumbsup: And welcome to DU!!! :hi:

[Beam Me Up]

91. The ONLY drugs the FEDS want us to use, are the ones produced by

the PHRAMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY. That is, don't smoke or eat an HERB that might get you HIGH. Instead, BUY their synthetic crap made in labratories and sold to you at GREATER PROFIT to select corporations that make substantial political contributions regardless of the side effects or potential health hazards. Buy only those products which have 'transparent' effects and make your more likely to 'fit in' to their 9-5 production/consumer world view.

WHY is marijuana illegal? This is the one question that no one can answer. It isn't because it is that dangerous. Yes, it is a drug and it does have some dangers associated with its use, as does alcohol and tobacco--only far less so. So WHY is it illegal? The answer is, BECAUSE THEY WANT IT TO BE. It is, after all, the #1 illegal substance used. That comes in real handy as a statistic to justify the arming of policing agencies to fight the 'war on drugs' (tm) with hundreds of billions from the treasury -- and which was the precursor to our 'war on terrorism' (tm) which is gotten hundreds of billions more into the hands of the military-industrial complex.

It is all a scam.

[Jazz2006]

109. Nailed it.

That's exactly right.

Edit: notice that they refer only to "smoked" marijuana as having no health benefits - but of course whatever synthetic crap they come up with (with billions of dollars going to pharmaceutical companies) will have incredible, revolutionary, and amazing health benefits. The bastards.

[Habibi]

92. From the folks that brought us

Vioxx.

[Canuckistanian]

95. This is pure BS

There are "no sound scientific studies" because the FDA has refused to sanction any studies!

Of course there are no studies showing any benefits. There are no studies showing that it's harmful, either!

Remember, marijuana was criminalized with absolutely no input from any medical authority.

[zara]

96. intelligent design is science; and the globe is NOT warming.

: (

[ShortnFiery]

99. I'm feeling nauseous after Chemo and my Glaucoma's acting

up. So STFU and pass the bong will ya. :sarcasm: :P

[Marnieworld]

102. The FDA just needs to find some better shit

It's wonderful for cramps. That alone should put it on the shelves in a sane world.

[tandot]

103. Yes, and Saddam was trying to buy Yellow Cake from Niger...

:eyes:

[zann725]

105. Yet most FDA"approved" drugs have little "medical value."but side-effects

IMMEDIATE dangers instead. And of course, the HUGH "financial value" that FDA-approved drugs have, no doubt bias, conflict-of-interest...FDA's view of a plant that FDA would NOT profit from.

Tell Truth to authority, and give PAIN CARE that works...at least a little...to those who are dying or chronically ill, IF they so choose. Instead, FDA would rather continue to approve drugs for elderly pain (such as Vioxx-related drugs)...which will KILL them by heart attach or stroke by the hundreds...PROVEN in research.

Yeah, THAT "medical value" (death) the FDA is aware of, and yet continues to endorse such drugs, and its HUGE profits to FDA.

[Zhade]

106. Lies.

For one, the pain relief.

Two, it's a bronchial dilator - it used to be prescribed to asthmatics.

More bullshit lies. How many will fall for them?

[norml]

107. FDA Allows Politics to Trump Science by Denying Medical Benefits of Mariju

FDA Allows Politics to Trump Science by Denying Medical Benefits of Marijuana

FDA Sides with Law Enforcement over Medical and Scientific Communities
Bush Administration’s Fantasies Continue: Human Activity Doesn’t Cause Global Warming, Iraq Was Involved in 9-11, and Now Marijuana Has No Medical Benefits

WASHINGTON - April 21 - In a shocking announcement, the Food and Drug Administration ignored an overwhelming body of evidence to the contrary in its announcement on Thursday that “no sound scientific studies” support the use of medical marijuana. In doing so, the FDA sided with the Drug Enforcement Administration in its escalation of its war on medical marijuana – and the sick and dying who use cannabis to treat various ailments.

The FDA’s announcement flies in the face of the 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science, which found that “marijuana’s active components are potentially effective in treating pain, nausea, the anorexia of AIDS wasting and other symptoms, and should be tested rigorously in clinical trials.”

In 1988, the DEA’s own administrative law judge, Francis Young, concluded after extensive testimony that “marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man.”

Considering the voluminous research and anecdotal evidence that indicate the medical efficacy of cannabis, scientists and advocates were outraged and appalled by the FDA’s politically-motivated pronouncement.

“Not withstanding persistent and illegitimate efforts by the federal government to block scientific research into the medicinal benefits of marijuana, dozens of studies, volumes of anecdotal evidence and the authoritative Institute of Medicine, all demonstrate the medical benefits of cannabis,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. “It is shameful to see the FDA talking out of both sides of its mouth on this issue by declaring there is no sound research on the medical benefits of medical marijuana but at the same time, denying researchers the opportunity to study the efficacy of cannabis.”

Several mainstream organizations have reviewed the evidence and determined that medical marijuana does indeed have clear medicinal value. These include: the Institute of Medicine; American Academy of Family Physicians; American Public Health Association; American Society of Addiction Medicine; New England Journal of Medicine; American Bar Association and Consumer Reports Magazine.


snip


http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0421-07.htm

[Agony]

108. The M****F******

over religious ignorant assholes. One more frigging way republicans are screwing over people. can't let this one slide, I have friends that use MJ to control chronic pain.

Jeeez...I was just starting to get my blood pressure down today!

[station agent]

112. Marijuana is prover to dull the

psychological effects of this administration's abuses.

[RedStateShame]

113. Which dealer would YOU trust?

Sure, but Prozac, Zoloft, Vioxx, and various other gems to have received the FDA Receipt of Approval are doing bang-up jobs on people. "No really, that stuff's no good for you. Try what I'm selling....."