Feds: Pot has no medical purpose

[spanone]

The federal government officially declared that marijuana has no accepted medical use and should remain classified as a dangerous and addictive drug. It will remain in the same class of drugs as heroin.

The Department of Justice declared Friday: "DHHS concluded that marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no accepted medical use in the United States, and lacks an acceptable level of safety for use even under medical supervision." (Read the rest of the ruling here.)

The decision comes almost a decade after medical marijuana supporters asked the feds to reclassify cannabis. The activists point to research that showed its effectiveness in treating certain diseases, like glaucoma and multiple sclerosis, and the side effects of chemotherapy. The LA Times spoke to advocates who criticized the ruling, but said it came with a silver lining because they could now move the issue to the federal courts.

The decision comes almost a decade after medical marijuana supporters asked the feds to reclassify cannabis. The activists point to research that showed its effectiveness in treating certain diseases, like glaucoma and multiple sclerosis, and the side effects of chemotherapy. The LA Times spoke to advocates who criticized the ruling, but said it came with a silver lining because they could now move the issue to the federal courts.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43692468/ns/health-health_care/

[Duer 157099]

1. Well I declare that the Feds have no accepted use

They are beyond useless. The fuckers.

[the_real_38]

30. I second that motion ....

... here, here.

[tomm2thumbs]

39. +1 you win, for obviousness

have to go with facts over 'opinion', any day!

[Hugabear]

2. When it comes to marijuana, the federal gov't is about as dumb as teabaggers

I mean that in the face of overwhelming evidence, they absolutely refuse to acknowledge that marijuana can have legitimate uses, so in that regards they're no better than freepers and teabaggers.

[spanone]

3. maddening...simply maddening

[crikkett]

33. Legalized marijuana leads to legalized hemp, which leads to sustainable local economies

and that just can't happen!

What would Big Pharma do? And the Prison-Industrial Complex would lose thousands upon thousands of nonviolent slave-workers! What would Big Oil, Timber, Cotton and DOW Chemicals do if we suddenly had the means to escape their death grip?

[fivepennies]

45. Bingo!

[7wo7rees]

60. +1

It would be like Kryptonite to the Amurkan Way O Life.

Why would we want it any other way?

[kestrel91316]

4. DOJ is run by RW ignoramuses. But then most of us already knew that.

[krabigirl]

10. nope, i am sure they are democrats. democrats are no better than republicans on this issue.

in most cases, that is.

[TheKentuckian]

5. Every failed war needs a SURGE!!!!

[otohara]

6. And What Happens When CO VotesTo Leagalizes It

in 2012?

We'll still be the healthiest state - shattering the munchies theory.

[Fearless]

7. The fed has no medical purpose.

[Warpy]

8. Police and politicians need to BUTT OUT OF MEDICINE

They have no reason to be there beyond regulating things like hospital safety, professional licensing, and drug safety.

[eShirl]

13. +1

[midnight]

17. I agree with warpy.

[GoneOffShore]

42. Glad I read the rest of your post and not just the subject line.

So yes. Absolutely!

[krabigirl]

9. lol, like it matters what they think. So completely disgusting, really.

[Iggo]

11. Gosh, no conflict of interest there, eh?

[RegieRocker]

12. The federal government has a evil untruthful purpose and it too is

classified and dangerous. So up yours Fed!

[XemaSab]

14. Heroin has a legitimate medical purpose. So do cocaine and speed.

We as a society have decided that the risk of addiction to heroin outweighs the drug's usefulness as a painkiller.

Saying that it has no legitimate use is BS.

[JonLP24]

50. So does Methamphetamine

but unlike those substances it is legal for prescription use.

[Sgent]

55. Cocaine

is legal for medical use (Schedule II). It's used in certain facial and eye surgeries.

[JonLP24]

57. You're right

After my post I started looking into Schedule II drugs and saw that cocaine was there. I should have updated my post when I still had the chance.

[sunwyn]

15. As long as there is profit to be made of prisoners, jails will be filled with marijuana users

[crikkett]

35. +1

[diane in sf]

16. The Feds are obviously owned by pharmaceutical cos. and the prison industry.

[no_hypocrisy]

18. Does the DOJ declaration invalidate all state medical marijuana laws?

[FlyByNight]

19. To feds: so what

Assuming the federal government's point is "valid" (politically predetermined conclusions notwithstanding), smoking cigarettes has no accepted medical purpose and THAT ACTIVITY IS LEGAL.

The prison-industrial complex needs prisoners.

:eyes:

[Fly by night]

20. EVERY medical organization and commission who've ever studied the issue disagree, ...

... as did DEA Administrative Law Judge Francis Young after two years of studying the issue.

The DHHS statement even disagrees with its own National Cancer Institute, as well as the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine.

This issue has soured many people to this administration -- people who supported Obama's candidacy in part because he stated (over and over again) that medical marijuana should be treated like any other medicine.

Eric Holder will cost Obama a second term. In fact, the way decisions are being made in direct contradiction to Obama's campaign promises on a host of issues, I am beginning to think that Obama doesn't want a second term. It would be nice for him to behave in a way that negates that sentiment, but I don't see it from here.

Mr. President, you've lost at least ten votes from my neighbors based on your cannabis flip-flop. You don't have many more votes out here to lose these days.

[theaocp]

21. And tobacco remains available to anyone over 18

at every gas station in the country. Madness. :crazy:

[theaocp]

22. Oh, and the Fedz HAVE BEEN growing and giving docs

MMJ THEMSELVES. This ought to bug out a few eyes: http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000257 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compassionate_Investigational_New_Drug_program :wtf:

[RainDog]

63. wow. from your link

Irvin Rosenfeld, who joined the program in 1983, is the most public of the remaining patients and has been using legal federal marijuana for the longest amount of time. He has been featured in numerous print articles and on the Penn & Teller: Bullshit! cable television series. Rosenfeld has had the disease Multiple Congenital Cartilaginous Exostoses since childhood. It is a painful disorder which causes bone tumors to form at the joints, stretching the surrounding tendons and veins, making movement almost impossible. Rosenfeld has had 30 tumors removed in six operations. He still has 200 tumors, some too small to remove, yet in the 30 years he has been smoking marijuana, he says, he has not had a new tumor. Irvin Rosenfeld is a successful stockbroker working and living in South Florida. He is also the author of My Medicine, a 2010 book detailing his lifetime history of medical issues, his use of cannabis to manage them, and his interactions with the legal and medical authorities.<3>

Rosenfeld is one of the medical marijuana patients that receives his medicine from the U.S. government.

[meow mix]

23. disgusting, religon-based policy

what happened to science, obama? it went the same place as my vote i guess.....

[TheKentuckian]

26. The only religion this stance is based on is the official state secular one

that says greed is good, the corporations are and must be our benign gods, and profit above all else.

I've seen nothing about marijuana prohibition in any religious text, I've seen many religious fucks for it but it isn't based on scripture or text.

[meow mix]

29. i hope you checked that with the mormons, and the rest of the entire right-wing base.

:rofl:

whose entire existance is religon-based

[Bluenorthwest]

43. I've never met any religious American whose practice was really

based on Scripture or text. Dig it, Jesus said never pray in public, yet they all do that. He said only hypocrites do that, but they all do it, in Jesus' name. So their anti-pot crap, like the bulk of their practice and teachings, are made up wholesale, the Jesus stuff is rejected in bulk, and replaced with the religion they would rather practice, the one they make up and call God's.

[RainDog]

54. cannabis is mentioned in the bible - at least one scholar made this claim in 1936

Sula Benet, from the Institute of Anthropological Sciences, in Warsaw wrote that kaneh-bosm in traditional Hebrew is kaneh or kannabus - which means "aromatic" (bosm) "hemp or cane"(kaneh.) The word "cane" in English shares the root stem "kannabus or cannabis." Kannabus is mentioned in Exodus, the Song of Songs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. The word was mistranslated as calamus in the Septuagint in the third century BC, and this error was repeated in translations that came after. However, the word denotes cannabis in all other languages in the region - cana in Sanskrit, kenab in Persian, kannab in Arabic, kanbun in Chaldean, and qunnubu in Assyrian.

Who knew that a scribe's mistake would lead to a global war on drugs... sort of like a linguistic butterfly effect.

It was used for priestly ritual, to sanctify a place and person as set apart, as incense in worship, medicinally - and was part of trade. iow, anyone who wants to disallow cannabis b/c of religious reasons is ignorant about his or her own religious texts and the culture from which their religion derived.

In the last decade, in addition to finding cannabis in other ancient cultures, THC was found in the body of a girl who died in childbirth in about 4 b.c.e. Russo (below) thinks the Hebrews were using cannabis in the same way it had been described for use in Egyptian medicine at the time.

Ezekiel 27:19 - Vedan and Javan paid for your wares from Uzal; wrought iron, cassia and sweet cane were among your merchandise. (NAS) (god was telling Tyre that they may have had all kinds of people working for them and had all kinds of the most excellent goods to trade, but he was gonna get 'em.)

Exodus 30:22-33 - Moreover, the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane two hundred and fifty, 24 and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil. 25 You shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26 With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, 27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28 and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand. 29 You shall also consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy. 30 You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me. 31 You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations.

of course, that verse isn't just talking about kannabus. it's the mixture that was set apart for the priestly class.

Isaiah 43:24 - You have not bought any fragrant calamus (kanbus) for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offenses.

(so, god was complaining that the Israelites weren't burning kanabus as a form of worship...)

Song of Solomon 4:12-14 &16: You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain. Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruits, with henna and nard and saffron, calamus (aka kannabus) and cinnamon (aka kinamon in Hebrew), With all the trees of frankincense, Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest spices... Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread abroad. Let my lover come into his garden and taste its choice fruits.

The Scythians, it is generally assumed, brought cannabis to the middle east by way of north - the Scythians were the first to become expert horse riders and were able to travel greater distances. Herodotus, considered the first historian, recorded the Scythian ceremony for the use of cannabis in the 5 century b.c.e. It was an important part of their culture - a part of the ritual for the burial of the dead. After burial, the Scythians would purify themselves by going into a tent and throwing cannabis on a fire. The smoke would fill the tent and they inhaled. Herodotus said they yelled with pleasure.

Sort of like a wake in Irish/Celtic culture, I suppose. Or a baked wake. Or, if the two got together, it would be a wake and bake. (sorry... just couldn't help myself.)

anyway, Herodotus' claims were verified with an archeological find in 1927.

Dr. Ethan Russo has also done research concerning cannabis is ancient populations, if you're interested...

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:VBslWRuONHAJ:dcsafeaccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Russo-History-of-Cannabis-Chem-Biodiversity-2007.pdf+ethan+russo+cannabis+mesopotamia&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESh-n4j11skTDRiTlH0UToZJaK-QMl6cjhBJ7RGdMc_Bhimb1i_nyIy5tDn05fmfCZ-uypS_qc_DT27M2MDmxs0RF4t2uJ-aWi97Q_rqampCyBF0SxRph6QqK3ShVrfFXLgRfHXG&sig=AHIEtbQp_Pj0bjL24C8fAuy1BATYFwLQgg&pli=1

What I find interesting is that the ancient Egyptians recommended cannabis for epilepsy, eye troubles, digestive problems, TUMORS, sadness... for forgetting pain - which is part of modern medical research and knowledge too, as an anti-convulsant for epilepsy, glaucoma, anti-inflammatory for Crone's disease, arthritis and more, as a substance that deprives tumors of blood so that they cannot grow, and as a treatment for depression and PTSD.

Pliny called it the "leaves of laughter" of Bactria found on the Borysthenes River - an area of the Ukraine that was part of the Scythian territory.

iow, cannabis was a known and used entity in "biblical times" - known for its medicinal and ritual uses, as well as its ability to lift living spirits and not just console the dead or the gods.

now... "You are a garden locked up, my sister..."

[7wo7rees]

62. Wow! Thank you for that!

Isn't it amazing how history has to get learned after you leave school?

[RainDog]

66. rather than anointing himself with cooking grease...

John Ashcroft would have been more in keeping with the rituals of his faith if he had used cannabis oil. maybe then he wouldn't have felt the overwhelming need to spend $8000 dollars for a shroud to cover (the breast of) a statue representing justice - or to arrest Tommy Chong.

...but the symbolism was so apt.

as was the use of Crisco™ instead of this plant that seems to have had a symbiotic relationship with humans for thousands of years.

I hope this answer to the request for rescheduling starts moving this issue forward at the federal level because people in states are not going to back down. The drug war is over concerning cannabis, but the Feds just cannot accept this yet. Washington D.C. has had to wait for a decade as Congress held up implementation of the medical marijuana bill the people there voted into law - Congress has the power to assign funds for the implementation and simply refused to fund what was democratically decided by people in D.C.

...again, the symbolism is so apt to describe the gap between the will of the people and the corruption of those elected to implement that will.

[kenny blankenship]

24. I don't know. They say laughter is the best medicine.

[elehhhhna]

25. IS the DOJ speaking as a Doctor, patient or researcher?

[Johonny]

46. they're speaking as a department that gets $$$$ from drug war

how much active drug research on illegal substances does the DHHS do?

[Mimosa]

49. Follow the money to arrive at the truth.

It always works.

[MH1]

27. How many Bush era 'faith based' appointees infiltrated that organization, anyway?

that's the only explanation that makes any sense to me.

[MH1]

28. oops, I missed the obvious. Too much profit to be made off prohibition.

Methinks that's the big reason.

[crikkett]

34. for a moment I had forgotten about the money that the justice system makes

off of prohibition.

Yes, legalizing marijuana would ruin everything. And - imagine the impact of a suddenly peaceful and introspective populace freed to think, relax and see the beauty of nature. They'd like, vote progressive and grow organic vegetables!!!! Oh, poor Monsanto just can't let that happen!

And think of the profits that Big Alcohol would lose, since people would rather feel high than drunk!

They just can't let it happen.

(Which is why it must, to save the planet. The hippies were right.)

:hippie:

[spanone]

31. 'no accepted medical use in the united states'

the war on drugs is a huge money machine......this is such bullshit....same as heroin?????

[KittyWampus]

32. I do think this needs to move through the Fed courts.

[crikkett]

37. That might be the very plan.

DADT wasn't ended by fiat but by legislation (and enforced by court order) - in my opinion the Obama admin did that one right.

So perhaps this is the way to end marijuana prohibition: Through legislation and the courts, rather than by executive order (which can be reversed by the next guy).

[RainDog]

40. the good thing about this is that the feds finally answered the request

before it had just been left sitting in limbo.

...the bureaucratic equivalent of Lamar Smith sitting on the recent decriminalization bill.

[kentuck]

36. That is a lie.

If nothing else, it is an anti-depressant.

[crikkett]

38. one that doesn't have suicidal tendencies as a side-effect, at that. n/t

[Upton]

41. Screw the feds...

does anybody with even a modicum of common sense believe their lies on this issue?

:smoke:

[Bluerthanblue]

44. and alcohol doesn't have all these issues? Or nicotine? or

HFC (corn sugar) or any number of other substances?

[saras]

47. It's just such a pointlessly STUPID lie - what's the point?

It's not a believable lie. It's not a politically potent lie. It's not a graceful, kind, or helpful lie.

It's just sticking his foot in his mouth and then shooting himself in the foot. WTF??

[Mimosa]

48. They LIE. n/t

[felix_numinous]

51. Well at least they have moved the issue to the federal courts.

So once again it will have to go on record whether or not science will have any sway in policy. They have no proof, only opinion, that this herb is dangerous to the public. If it is then they should revive prohibition against alcohol too.

[Cereal Kyller]

52. I need some pot right now

To keep from :puke:ing.

[Scuba]

53. What about this...

<img src="" title="Hosted by imgur.com" />

[Gabi Hayes]

65. yep...lots at these links, including a scientifically couched plea from Nature

http://www.soop.ca/potfacts/cancer.html

.......the first ever experiment documenting pot’s anti-tumor effects took place in 1974 at the Medical College of Virginia at the behest of the U.S. government. The results of that study, immortalized in an August 18, 1974 Washington Post newspaper feature, were that "THC slowed the growth of lung cancers, breast cancers and a virus-induced leukemia in laboratory mice, and prolonged their lives by as much as 36 percent."

Despite these favorable preliminary findings, U.S. government officials banished the study, and refused to fund any follow up research until conducting a similar – though secret – study in the mid-1990s. That study, conducted by the U.S. National Toxicology Program to the tune of $2 million concluded that mice and rats administered high doses of THC over long periods had greater protection against malignant tumors than untreated controls. However, rather than publicize their findings, government researchers shelved the results – which only became public one year later after a draft copy of its findings were leaked in 1997 to the journal AIDS Treatment News, which in turn forwarded the story to the national media.


Nevertheless, in the nearly eight years since the completion of the National Toxicology trial, the U.S. government has yet to fund a single additional study examining pot’s potential as an anti-cancer agent.

............

PDF, so no CandP:
http://www.fuoriluogo.it/medicalcannabis/documenti/cancertherapy.pdf

[hifiguy]

56. This is the Mount Rushmore of Bullshit

even in these BS filled times. There is only one reason to keep MJ illegal and that is to serve the prison-industrial complex.

Nothing like ignoring all of the objective facte. :grr:

[RainDog]

59. lol. it's the Mt. Everest of bullshit! n/t

[slay]

58. More like the Feds have no purpose - other than to fuck with people

n/t

[Monk06]

61. If big Pharma were given a patent on pot, medical uses would show up the next day in the hundreds.

[Canuckistanian]

64. Why do they do this? Everyone knows MJ is safe and effective

There are hundreds of thousands of people who are using it to ease suffering and the medical literature confirms it.

So why baselessly demonize it? It seems pretty blatant to me that someone has something to protect here. And it ain't the truth.

[Gabi Hayes]

67. see the post right above yours

[RainDog]

68. The Federal Govt. needs to listen to experts

not people who are invested in bad policy.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x599009