SB 192, introduced by Sen. Tallian, would require the criminal law and sentencing policy study committee to study marijuana & its effect on the Indiana criminal justice system, whether marijuana should continue to be illegal in Indiana and, if so, the appropriate penalties, whether medical marijuana should be implemented in Indiana, whether marijuana should be treated and controlled like alcohol, with controlled and regulated sales, and special taxation. It also gives the committee authority to study any other issue related to marijuana.
Deanna Martin, writing for the AP (h/t Joh Padgett) has an article about the bill.
A state senator is asking a question she hopes will spur debate about sentencing laws and possibly save Indiana millions of dollars: Should the state legalize marijuana?
Democratic Sen. Karen Tallian of Portage wants a criminal law and sentencing study committee to examine Indiana’s marijuana laws next summer and come up with recommendations. Other states have already decriminalized small amounts of marijuana or created programs to allow medical marijuana, and Tallian says it’s time for Indiana to have the discussion.
Seems like a reasonable step to me. Probably it’s just the crowd I hang with (overly educated, left-leaning, youngish (but aging)), but I can’t say I really know a lot of people who have any serious problems with legalization of marijuana. In college, I went so nuts with alcohol, it didn’t strike me as a great idea to venture beyond that particular drug; but it wasn’t because of any moral objection. From everything I’ve heard, marijuana is no more problematic than alcohol and, in a number of respects, less so. Convicting or imprisoning people for nothing other than possessing or using marijuana seems like a waste of our resources and the type of thing that diminishes peoples’ respect for the criminal justice system. So, based on the limited information I have, I suppose I’m in favor of legalization.
That said, I’m not a huge fan of medical marijuana. Where it is called for medicinally, I think it should be available. But, I wouldn’t like it if medicinal marijuana was sort of a fig leaf for general use; where the medicinal need is tenuous or fictitious. I think that kind of thing does more harm than good.
My name is Debra Parrish. I am a nurse, patient advocate and activist for hemp production whether it be industrial, agricultural, medical or recreational. As a user of legally prescribed pharmacutical Marinol (dronabinol) or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. I am very concerned re: upcoming bills HB1207, HB1267, SB005, and SB0022.
Marinol has been used for years to ease pain, nausea, and vomiting, situational depression and decreased appetitie as a result of a chemo-cocktail to aggressively treat cancer. This medication is also used to treat anorexia nervosa and AIDS. Dronabinol is the principle active ingredient in Cannabis sativa which can produce a positive test of cannabis in the urine.
My daughter was one of the first children at Riley Children’s Hospital to use this drug as a last resort in the fall of 1990. Her doctors and nurse practioner knew of the therapeutic studies done with cannabis and cancer patients. They encouraged the Moms in the day hospital to write President Bush ( W’s daddy) and encourage hin to continue the experimental drug program. This failed and there are now only four patients left in the original program that receive a government stipen of 300 cannabis cigarettes a month. I fully believe it was the use of the endocanabinoids that saved my daughters life and helped put the leukemia into remission.
My husband Jim, also took oral cannabis for his Stage IV esophageal cancer. He died in April of 2006. Mariinol helped ease his pain. It helped his appetite. He was not able to eat much, only for oral gratification, after having six inches of his esophagus, gall bladder and half of his stomach removed. Having been a nurse for 20 years I know of the theraputic results of cannabis (Marinol).
Research has shown that cannabinoids eases nerve pain. This medication, Marinol, helps relieve my neuropathy in my left foot after having major reconstructive surgery of my foot and ankle. As a result of this injury, I am not a “viable marketable” nurse: I can no longer tolerate standing for greater than 45 minutes because of foot and back pain. I have worked at St. John’s Hospital, a part of St. Vincent Health, for over eleven years and am now receiving by unemplyment benefits. I am offended by the introduction of these bills. Because of my medication, I could loose a job, my nursing license and my unemplyment benefits by the language of these bills.
SB005 states that “sythetic cannabis is equivelent to possession, dealing or manufacturing.” Does this bill intend to include Marinol (dronabinol that is legally manufactured by pharmacutical companies in the U.S. and prescribed by educated doctors to their patients?
I am not a criminal. The doctor who prescribes this for his patients is not a criminal. If man can take a God given plant and reproduce it for profit, the people who need and use this medication are not criminals. I do hope you consider this when these bill are introduced. I am a registered voter who believes these bill are wrong and an infringement of my civil rights.
Bravo to Senator Tillian.
Lots of research on MMJ. AMA wants the United States to change the 72 year ruling against it.
Did my thesis on MMJ; let me know if you would like to read it.
I agree with your assessment, Doug. This measure will certainly help to ease the overcrowding of Indiana prisons while giving taxpayers much-needed relief. The “war on drugs” is a farce, not to mention a lost-cause.
I got no dog in this fight, but I do know that we flirted with decriminalization of MJ back in the ’70s, and stepped back from it. Why did that happen?
We also have good examples of different states with different laws. Evidently Indiana is rather draconian. I would imagine that California is rather lenient (although, with the prison guard union being so powerful, perhaps not). Can we look at the results in the different states and see how decriminalization will work and what the results will be?
Looking at other states’ experience would certainly seem like a reasonable place for the study committee to start. As for why we might have backed away, I suspect it’s just a matter of the political expediency of being “tough on crime” and the related backlash against hippies in the 80s.
BTW, everything I know about weed I know from watching “Weeds”. I would not say that that show is exactly pro-pot (on the surface it is, but then you notice that everyone who uses it is an addict/ loser).
The other funny thing I’ve noticed is that while it treats pot very leniently, every time a harder drug comes up (heroin, ecstasy), they treat THAT drug very harshly. “I may be a pot dealer, but I recoil at the use and dealing of heroin”.
Considering that roughly 30,000 people are killed in DUI related crashes each year, it would be hard to argue that any drug is worse than alcohol. But that is hardly an excuse that it is acceptable.
I generally lean in favor of legalization of pot, but have questions on how that legalization would be handled. If anyone can answer them, I would be appreciative:
(1) Can we accurately tell if someone is presently under the influence of marijuana, or just smoked it days or weeks previous?
(2) Currently, if someone is under the influence of marijuana while watching their child, they are typically charged with neglect of a dependent. Would that change? If so, why?
(3) Can you be “partially” under the influence? If I have a drink, I am not intoxicated and won’t blow .08. But, if I take one hit off of a joint, would I be considered stoned?
As for why we might have backed away, I suspect it’s just a matter of the political expediency of being “tough on crime” and the related backlash against hippies in the 80s.
So there was no actual massive increase in crime from the 60’s to the 80’s, to which the “tough on crime” folks were reacting? It was just good marketing by Republicans?
I’ve been told there was a big increase. I don’t know whether that was actually the case. Democrats went in for the tough on crime political bonanza too. But, I think the key here is that there seems to be a tendency to be tough regardless of whether the toughness actually makes things better and whether the benefit is worth the cost. For example, I have trouble believing much of the crime problem ever had much to do with the use or possession of marijuana.
I also have no “dog in the fight”, but I think the idea of allowing the sale of marijuana for smoking is a bad one, simply because we’re already spending tons on the effects of tobacco smoke. If you light something on fire and put the smoke in your lungs, be it dried leaves or coffee grounds, it is going to be bad for you. We don’t need another thing like that approved for general use.
All of that said, from what I understand of marijuana, I have no issue with it in a medical form, such as a oral capsule or even an IV drip.
Senator Tallian is a very dedicated public servant, and I have no doubt she has put a lot of effort and research into the subject. I know her work with Unemployment Insurance has been exhausting as she tries to expose the Department of Workforce Development for what they are (fiscally irresponsible), and I would imagine her work with the marijuana issue is also heavily-focused on doing what is right fiscally.
Jason: I have read (possibly at Posner’s blog, but I’m not sure) that the amount we spend on health care for smoking related issues is actually less than the savings we receive on Social Security not paid out due to diminished lifespan. Does that change your view?
(All: I’m also still hoping for answers to my questions above).
But, I think the key here is that there seems to be a tendency to be tough regardless of whether the toughness actually makes things better and whether the benefit is worth the cost.
I totally agree. Now if only you would take the same attitude towards all the other things that liberals push, like regulation, programs to fix this or that, etc.
Regarding whether we would know a crime increase or decrease if we saw one, there is a big push in NYC to audit their crime stats. In a not unrelated story, if we calculated inflation like we did during the Carter administration, we would have Carter Era inflation today (around 10% vs. the 1.5% (or 0.8% after stripping out food and energy) the Commerce Department says that we have).
Paul C.,
No, for several reasons. First, I don’t recall that study looking at the effects of smoking other than death (increased sickness, days off work, smoke breaks, etc). Second, the smoke isn’t restricted to the user. Other people should not have to deal with medical issues because someone else sharing air with them decides to light up. Frankly, if all smoking was confined somehow to only affect the person smoking, it wouldn’t bother me a bit.
I don’t have the experience to answer your questions above, although on 3, my answer would be no, any impairment shouldn’t be permitted by a driver. I’m also fine with doing the same for alcohol, it isn’t that hard to get a DD or a taxi. As a cyclist, I want the driver of the 3,000 lb hunk of metal to be as alert as can be.
There is no real merit to keeping it illegal because of the smoke it produces when burned. Edible cannabis and vaporization processes make that argument moot
Well, there’s no history like no history, fellas. Calls for Lawn Order has always depended on who was getting the Boot: campus radicals at People’s Park, or the bombers of the Murrah building. In fact, a lot of the Lawn Order response to that one changed between Bob Dole’s assertion that “It must be Arabs” and the Clinton administration’s proposal to give the FBI new powers.
Nixonian Lawn Order had as its genesis the defense of the excessive police reactions to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s, and in the large-scale outrage that followed Miranda. The fact that crime rates increased as the US population became more youthful in the post-war years had nothing to do with the rhetoric or the rhetorical excesses.
As for this:
I do know that we flirted with decriminalization of MJ back in the ’70s, and stepped back from it. Why did that happen?
I would like to know, Buzz, what you mean as our “flirtation”, but I’ll note that whatever it was, as with Einsteinian relativity replacing Newtonian mechanics, apples did not hang suspended in midair awaiting the outcome. There always was a large, loud, well-(government) funded anti-pot crusade which scrupled at very little, and none of that the truth. I clearly remember coming home from work one day in 1976 in time to hear John Chancellor inform me, from the NBC anchor desk, that smoking marijuana caused men to grown female breasts. This of course followed widespread claims of the addiction, chromosome damage, one-puff-and-you’re-a-heroin-addict sort. Two generations of Americans grew up getting their (bullshit) information from Harry Anslinger, the J. Edgar Hoover of Drug Crime. Wasn’t hard to convince them of anything, even something so patently ridiculous to half the population.
paul c
sorry slipped on the buttons the tests are oral dip tests they are not in production at this time only because no one is buying them all laws work off of traditional tests of which i have tested my self positive for right around 60 days i am a moderate user slightly over weight highly active person it helps with my anxiety mild depression and back spasm
2 people that test for marijuana can be charged with child neglect even if use was 30+ days earlier it needs to change to reflect there actions surrounding the incident that brought up the issue with that said i have seen lots of people go out to dinner and have a drink or two then drive there familys home i look down on this behavior more so then some one smoking a moderate amount of marijuana at home with there kids in there care
3 yes you can be partially under the influence yet no test that i know of can gauge the level but field sobriety tests work very well but not a perfect number so these limited time tests are fine i dont believe any one should drive under any influence
norml.com has vast numbers of marijuana studys if your looking for more info
Due to degenerative spinal vertebrae syndrome, I have been a chronic pain patient and have been prescribed various narcotic pain medications (Oxycontin and Percocet) for the last 5-6 years.
Several years ago while on extended vacation while visiting family in California I had the opportunity to replace my normal pain regiment with legal cannabis products offered through California’s medical marijuana providers. I was able to completely eliminate my dependence on these dangerous narcotics during my stay.
Unfortunately, I live in Indiana which doesn’t recognize the benefits of natural cannabis-based medicines and I won’t break the law. Thus, I continue to take the opiate-base medications as prescribed by my local physician even though he has confidentially told me that I could benefit from using medical marijuana. I would very much like to eliminate my dependence on pain medications completely and replace it with a more natural remedy when permitted by law.
It’s time for a change for the adults in Indiana!I will be following this issue closely…
Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, said he hadn’t heard of the bill, but was unsupportive of the idea.
“I think the study of marijuana is a waste of tax dollars,” Alting said. “In a recession … is that really where we should be spending our money?”
Read this on the story the Purdue Exponent did on bill 192, Sen. Alting was very quick to dismiss the idea… I never thought it would happen in Indy pretty much due to narrow minded thinking of the people we choose to elect (which apparently is wrong since Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage is going a great job pushing the bill :D )
I hope it passes, being a user of neither alcohol or Mj, if I had to go with one or the other-Probably Mj, since on a very basic level booze equals free radicals… And Mj does not? (Not completely sure about Mj’s absence of free radicals, it’s my guess though since there has never been a case of Mj causing cancer or other diseases like cirrhosis of the liver.)
Is there anything we can do as citizens to help push the bill? Would it be pretty much writing some letters to these people?
I don’t know where Sen. Alting stands on the Right to Harvest Game and Commercial Poultry constitutional amendment, but anyone who votes for that will have to be careful using the “we have better places to spend our time and money” dodge.
there are way to many young peoples future being dstroyed because of weed, when its used to relax and for anxiety. if its used for medical perpouses, and our state can tax it, why not? police running in ur house with guns, because of weed. legalize!!!!!!!!!!!!!! legalize!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!legalize its a plant poeple are dying everyday because of cigarretes and alcohol, u have not heard 1 time where somebody died from mj. just look how good the other states r doing from legalization. Indiana lets get together and fight for the legalization NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you Sen.Karen Tallian D-Portage, dont give up.
I’m literally dying of anorexia. I’ve had every test on the planet & taken every medication my insurance company will allow & then some. I’m 5’3″ & down to 93 lbs. I can count my ribs. I cry every night because when I eat it comes back up or down. I’m seeing a therapist, psychiatrist, pain management, endocrinologist, Rhuematologist, and Primary care. NO one knows what to do. BY the way MARINOL the drug approved by the FDA comes in a TABLET so quit that canard about ” smoke”. I guess I’m supposed to go with the Republican idea of Health care Reform and die a slow painful and cheaply as possible death.
Marijuana legislation is an anachronism of a poorly informed, or worse, misinformed legislature. A few bullet points
1. Alcohol and tobacco combined contribute to much greater morbidity and mortality worldwide than marijuana.
2. Prohibition doesn’t work, never has
3. We have a much better chance of keeping it away from minors if we regulate and tax it and treat the same as Alcohol and tobacco
4. The founding fathers of this country would cry if they knew that this potentially life saving drug was withheld due to ingnorance by our legistators. Please let’s at least allow medical testing of the plant for those in need and those seeking knowledge of it’s potential in a variety of medical disorders.
5. Interdiction of the user/low level distributers is costly and ineffective. Show me 1 unbiased study that shows our current approach to marijuana “control” has helped society, or even diminished it’s demand.
6. Many legal drugs are misused and more dangerous both from a risk to society as well as risk to the individual, yet we turn a blind eye to the rampant distribution and illegal re-distribution. Do you want your school bus driver on Valium? It’s legal, and dispensed like water at your average physicians office.
7. Marijuana suffers from historically, recent organized smear campaign rooted in racism and ignorance(redundant), as well as lack of a corporate beneficiary/sponsor. Look it up
8. Hemp is grown successfully in almost every other “civilized” country as a valuable crop. It’s cross pollinization with Cannibis plants reduces or eliminates the medical/recreational value of the cannibis when grown in proximity. As Thomas Jefferson did, we should encourage hemp production and use it’s valuable yield. Cannibis should be grown indoors by those who want to use it, or those who register to distribute it. Tax it and regulate it.
9. who will be hurt most if we legalize marijuana? The large illegal distributors, just like Alcohol in the 30’s. They may find new activities to employ themselves but will definitely be hurt by the competition of legal growers.
10. the tax dollars not spent on interdiction and rasied by regulated production can be spent on education, health care, etc. rather than money going to jails, drug dealers and helicopter fuel. No offense to our fine police, jailors or helicopter pilots intended.
I am a physician and not a marijuana user, or someone who has great desire to engage in it’s use(though do not deny having used it during high school and college). I have known patients and others who have been helped by it’s use and vehemently object to our current policies due to reasons stated above. Let’s hope that enlightenment comes soon to both our state and national legistators on this issue in time for those in need.
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” just look how good the other states r doing from legalization. ”
Hate to bust your bubble drew maladonado. But look at cali. There Econ is about to bust. And they have legalized it. If cali falls the us is in big trouble. It is very comparable to Greece and the euro Econ.
But I will save I am for the legalization of mj. I am not a user. If regulated right it could be very profitable for
The state. But what about dealers will the have to claim it on there taxes.
Would dealer be outlawed unless you have the right permits.
What about driving should it be treated like beer.
And how exactly will
The government control it. Does this put more power into big brother hands. I feel this will
Not get passed do to the stero typing. And the over whelming task of how to control it use,sale and taxing.
having just returned from a vacation in california, i can assure you that marijuana has not been legalized there.
California’s fiscal problems are not the result of not making a profit off of cannabis sales. They are a result of years and years of over-spending. Prop 19 failed because of the way the bill was written. Let’s do it right the first time. Haste makes waste. Indiana’s budget has a 3% shortfall, not bad considering other state’s woes. Taxation with responsible collection enforcement would put us in the black. Let’s legalize and tax, but there ought to be a ton of thought put into the law first. Go Colts!!!
LETTER I SENT TO Senate.
Dear Madam and Sirs,
I want to take this opportunity to address the Hoosier’s of Indiana, a state I called home for 32 years. In lieu of the new events taking place February 15th for SB 192, I simply just want to tell you my story.
I grew up in Crawfordsville, where I was a pretty well known athlete, graduating with 12 Varsity letters, having several records in all 3 sports, as well as going to and placing in state events. Sports were very important to me as I knew it could pay for my college someday. It did just that. I had several offers, but decided to take a track scholarship to Illinois State University to do the heptathlon. After 2 years, I transferred to IUPUI to graduate with a Liberal Arts degree.
After several years of in and out of jobs, one failed marriage & years of hanging out in bars and drinking, I met the one person who would save my life, twice. I met Pete watching a mutual friend’s band, as we are both musicians playing in bands at the time. We knew instantly that we had a connection and decided to start a relationship. After a year, we moved in together, got pregnant with twin boys and got married. Because of the economy decline, we both had trouble finding jobs paying us enough to justify leaving our boys with daycare and leaving us with only $70.00 a week. Welfare was barely an option as they barely gave us food stamps. After several months of saving our money as tight as we could, we saved up $700, packed up our boys, the bare necessities and moved to California where we knew we had a chance to get into the music industry, as Pete was named one of the Top 5 bassist in Indiana, a job waiting for him at Guitar Center in West Los Angeles and auditions with national acts. However, just before we moved, I had found a lump in my right armpit, but because we were moving, I decided to hold off on visiting a doctor. After settling in, I finally went to a doctor on my 34th birthday, December 17th. After several biopsies, on January 6, 2009 I was diagnosed with Stage II Breast Cancer with 2 lymph nodes positive as well. I was devastated, as most are when diagnosed. I opted to have a double mastectomy even though no cancer was in the left breast. I wasn’t about to go through this again.
The doctors recommended I do 6 months of chemotherapy and 6 1/2 weeks of radiation, and I did. During this time the doctors, of course, prescribed me with 3 different stages of nausea medication, but I didn’t need or take one, because I was consuming medical cannabis, which I had started to help with the depression and anxiety issues I had prior to moving to California. I would stand in the cancer clinic talking to people, making jokes with the nurses, watching others drinking Ensure while I was eating hamburgers and jalapeno chips and gaining weight while most of the other people were sleeping or puking, and asking me what my “secret” was because they wanted to be just like me. Or having the new cancer patients seeing me really helped ease their mind that maybe it isn’t as scary or nasty as people seem to talk about. When I would tell them my “secret” they would be scared, because of the “law”, but excited because they were seeing it work first hand and it was natural. I spent a lot of time in the bars when I lived in Indiana, drinking a lot. But scary enough, my alcohol hangovers were far worse than even what I experienced during chemotherapy. Chemotherapy was killing me, I was taking a shot to keep me alive and consuming cannabis was keeping me well mentally, and physically. I believed in cannabis before cancer, but you better believe that I am a true believer now.
Pete and I decided that we needed to start educating and advocating as much as we could. After volunteering in the dispensaries (aka collectives, co-ops) we found we had the skills and knowledge (Pete grew up in California and has been an advocate since 1997) of how the industry works and where it doesn’t. We then decided to become growers for ourselves and other cancer patients, where we donate free medicine to the ones who are in treatment or terminal.
My story is to Help Stop the Stereotypes of it being a narcotic but to start treating it as the medicine it is and has been for centuries. It was deemed by the American Medical Association as beneficial in 2009. This so called “narcotic” is killing cancers, healing epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, addiction, pain, nausea, etc., etc., the list goes on and there are millions upon millions of people relying on this medication, including me. No one has even died from ingesting cannabis. I hope as educated leaders of our state that you have done the necessary research of all the benefits Hemp alone could do for our country, as well as the medicinal benefits.
I’d love to come back to Indiana to visit my family that I haven’t seen in almost 3 years. Plus I went through breast cancer without them around and that was really tough as I’m an only child and I’m super close with my mom and family. Or consider moving back. However, I find it scary that I might be arrested and persecuted or thrown in jail or worse, have my children taken away from me for my medicine, that I have a recommendation for. Just decriminalizing it would help far many more people then you understand, even just for people who visit. The Super Bowl is coming fast. Wouldn’t it be nice or more appealing for your visitors to feel secure in knowing they wouldn’t be arrested for their medicine? Ask yourself a question Senators, why was this one plant that is so beneficial, made illegal suddenly, and a Scheduled I Narcotic when there was already an industry revolved around hemp/cannabis for centuries? One guy. Harry J. Anslinger. If you haven’t, I beg you to please do the research and find out the facts.
This issue of legalizing goes far beyond what conservative America had been taught or think is ‘right’ instead maybe we should consider the Benefits it brings to the communities like community service, raising and donating money for the local offices or specific funds which need some additional monies, helping law enforcement keep a close eye on the dispensaries with linked up cameras for safer environments and by having people get recommendations from certified medical doctors and register through the dispensary as a patients, we can verify that they are true patients that need our medication. These patients then have to volunteer at the dispensary or through fund raising events, community service or pay a monthly or yearly fee, for those who are not able to volunteer physically, in order to be a member and patient of the dispensary. Then a portion would be donated back to the community where ever it may be needed or general funds.
Pete and I would be more than happy to educate, talk or answer questions to the best of our knowledge for this industry or find the answers from colleagues and friends, if needed on how this can benefit and help the State of Indiana and its communities.
Thank you for your time and reading my story. You can read more about my journey through breast cancer at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/starlingwickes. Please help me fight to be able to come Home.
Sincerely,
Starling (Smith) Wickes
@Jason Smoking marijuana isn’t the only way of consumption. Vaporizers are gaining popularity and are smoke-free. You can also ingest and use to cook with to get the desired effects…
Ok, all of the commentators pointing out to me that smoking isn’t the only way need to read what I said in my first comment, about 9 from the top:
So, in summary, I have no issue with prescribed marijuana that has no second-hand effects. Clear enough?
Doug,
I love the point of view that you have about cannabis. One place that I would argue is that cannabis does hold medicinal merit, when injested by methods of digestion and when inhaled through the use of a vaporizer. The differance between smoking cannabis in cigarette form as opposed to vaporizing is when the flower (bud) is burnt it produces carcinogens which lead to mucus in the lungs and an irritation of the throat, not cancer, but when the cannabis flower is vaporized it is heated to the moment that the THC cannabinoids vaporize and are then inhaled into the lungs without any carcinogens what-so-ever. Numerous medical journals have aquired a lot of information as it pertains to the medical benefits from cannabinoids. I would suggest that you visit NORML.org and look back through the posted blogs, what you will learn may motivate you more. Thank you for your time.
Andrew Neal
(The above comment from Andy Neal was originally directed to the “About” page of the blog – I figured it was a worthwhile comment, but probably was more appropriate here, so transferred it.)
Debra Parrish, please tell me you just typoed that Dronabinol is the principle active ingredient. No Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol is the main active ingredient in NATURAL cannabis, Dronabinol is another name for the synthetic THC in Marinol (the actual pill). Now if your trying to say there is THC, and cannabinol, and cannabidiol. Now if you know anything you know CBD or Cannabidiol is the anti-THC substance mostly prevalent in the Indian Hemp plant not marijuana.
I believe MJ should be legolized. It makes you feel good. Actually GREAT. People who have chronic pains, because o;f surgery, need that chronic MJ to help with the pain. My brother has had hip surgery and he complains stil 2 years later about it. the doctors wouldnt proscribe him to MJ.
If MJ becomes legal the legal age to smoke it should be 18. Cigarrettes are. You should be able to have an oz on you at anytime and atleast one “piece”… Gas Mask, Bong, Bowl, and any other thing homemade or not.
The Federal Gov. owns this patent 6630507. Please Google this for yourself. I am including the abstract. The Gov. filed this patent in 1999. Their own findings confirm the positive effects of marijuana used for medical reasons. Can someone please comment on this. Anyway here’s the abstract and please check this out for yourself. Cannabinoids have been found to have antioxidant properties, unrelated to NMDA receptor antagonism. This new found property makes cannabinoids useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of wide variety of oxidation associated diseases, such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV dementia. Nonpsychoactive cannabinoids, such as cannabidoil, are particularly advantageous to use because they avoid toxicity that is encountered with psychoactive cannabinoids at high doses useful in the method of the present invention. A particular disclosed class of cannabinoids useful as neuroprotective antioxidants is formula (I) wherein the R group is independently selected from the group consisting of H, CH.sub.3, and COCH.sub.3. ##STR1##
MJ should be legal. I am for it. If the US legalizes MJ, they will be able to make bank. The US will be able to tax the shit out of it. I mean you will still have your home growers, and you cant stop em.
If someone wants to smoke they can. The US will never be able to catch every single person that smokes. You can get it anywhere. Ive gotten from people ik and people idk.
The US will be able to have gonja stores thatll sell MJ. if they do that the store will make so much money. the store will have to restock the shelves prolly every week.
I have an autoimmune disorder called sarcoidosis. The protocol for treatment is a prescription for prednisone and methotrexate. Both medicines have horrible side effects. I started using mj illegally in Indiana and risk everything everyday to do so but no longer rely on the harmful prescribed legal medications. The things I risk to feel better without destroying my liver and bone density would be eliminated by a medical mj movement. My job, kids and livelihood.
I definately enjoy the pros and cons discussions here – and yes, there are pros and cons to EVERYTHING.
I find that the laws here (Indiana) are in fact quite harsh, and that honestly doesn’t turn people away from utilizing this resource. In fact, 9 out of 10 people I know use it, and couldn’t care less how much you made it illegal. It’s true that if it were taxed and regulated it would pull in money that we could use for a good cause. There would also be a sharp decrease of users becoming injured or killed by corrupted dealers who think they got jipped by a pricing system that is completely unregulated (one guy might sell 1 gram for 20, another may sell for 45 for the same quality and strain) and introduce something into the product such as glass beads and other dangerous substances.
If the government or local headshops (or citizens, if allowed to grow your own as in CA) controlled what the person ingested and kept everything in balance, there would be drastically fewer marijuana-related hospital visits. As stated in previous posts, MMJ has never once killed a person on its own, and even has its own “you really should stop” mechanism right down to the chemistry of itself.
I know of people who could benefit from this, such as my aunt with breast cancer, and other family members since cancers run in my family; I myself could certainly benefit because of my insanely high metabolism (I struggle to break 100 lbs every other week, and have steadily been losing), and I believe it could even cure my depressive moods and (in a personal sense, and since everyone is affected differently no one can disagree on this point), it even motivates me to do work. I concentrate on things better, I get things done more efficiently (such as if I’m trying to do a hard calculus problem that’s been giving me an issue, I can finally think alternative routes to come up with the right answer and check my mistakes), and I even get motivated to go take a walk in the park.
If anyone could help me find an update as to what the committee has been working on, perhaps a few progress reports, of SB 192, I would be absolutely greatful?
I’m eager to hear any responses, for or against any of my claims. I enjoy logical discussions such as these.
Doug,
I am a 15 year veteran in the United States Army who was injured in Iraq in 2008. I have multiple herniated disc in my back and neck along with pinched/damaged nerves. I also have frequent migraines and have been diagnosed with PTSD. The VA proscribes me a very high miligram of Hydrocodone and an amount of 4-6 a day. The medication takes minimal pain away and does not allow me to function as a father/husband. The multiple other medications that the VA suggests for me cause me to sleep constantly, constipation, a great lose in appetite and I am not too sure they dont contribute to some of my pain. My former Marine buddy who is in Much worse shape than I both physically and mentally told me that he went from being on 10 medications down to 2 with one of them being Marijuana. The interesting part is that all of the side-effects of the medications can be controlled by the daily single marijuana cigarette. I am confused to why Indiana would not follow in a practice that truly helps those in need. I feel this is a great injustice to our many injured veterans who could have an improved quality of life from a natural substance that has clearly been proven to way less harmful effects than that of alcohol.
Thanks for your consideration in this life changing matter!
Fellow American