Should Medical Marijuana be legalised at the federal level?

Should MEDICAL Marijuana be legalised at the federal level?

  • Yes, it should be moved to Schedule III so that there is no interference with states by the DEA

    Votes: 30 81.1%
  • No, we should still arrest those that distribute and/or use marijuana (regardless of reason)

    Votes: 4 10.8%
  • I'm not sure

    Votes: 3 8.1%

  • Total voters
    37

JoeTan

Well-Known Member
Oct 14, 2008
1,425
26
48
That's all it is. Nothing to do with "illegal" but let the states spend the money on enforcing it.
 

hexagram

Medicinal & Recreational.
Oct 11, 2008
2,760
97
48
Seattle, WA
14 states allow Medical Marijuana, so I don't see why they can't allow those states to enforce the policies voted in by the people.

Besides, the Federal government has a medical marijuana program already that distributes marijuana to a small handful of people.
 

Oren

Well-Known Member
Oct 13, 2008
1,863
34
48
58
NE NJ
Yes. It's starting to show a lot of promise for those that suffer from tonic clonic (or grand mal) seizures, among other things. And it has far fewer side-effects than the conventional drugs used to treat such conditions.
 

hexagram

Medicinal & Recreational.
Oct 11, 2008
2,760
97
48
Seattle, WA
I agree with you on that one, memebag. But I thought I would bring some "fair and balance" to the subject, and limit it to MEDICAL marijuana.
 

Oren

Well-Known Member
Oct 13, 2008
1,863
34
48
58
NE NJ
It's graphic...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV40H_g-NJo]YouTube - Graphic Epileptic Seizure Footage[/ame]
 

IdRatherBeSkiing

Sherbet is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
Oct 11, 2008
27,230
13,833
168
Toronto, ON
Its a waste of law enforcement resources to be prosecuting pot crimes. Make it legal and tax the shit out of it.
 

JoeTan

Well-Known Member
Oct 14, 2008
1,425
26
48
Weed kills ZERO every year yet liquor kills MANY.

It should be the same as liquor AT LEAST.
 

HecticArt

Administrator
Oct 19, 2008
49,832
17,485
168
Toledo, Ohio
This is what I'm saying. Legal = $ for Americans!
Farmers can grow it, Uncle Sam can tax it, the Mexican drug lords are out of the big picture, Twinky sales go through the roof, and the money stays right here at home.

Win/win IMO!

"Now puff puff pass mother f@cker!"
 

DAB

Mod Emeritus
Oct 9, 2008
9,434
149
63
Louisiana
Being someone that works in the treatment field, I would say YES!

But there is a big difference in legal marijuana use and going out the street buying bags of dope and smoking it. So lets be very clear about that! I think states should have the right to make those decisions about enforcing laws against it.

People that smoke marijuana are impaired just like people that take and/or abuse opiates, benzodiazepines and it should be treated no different!

Also lets not forget marijuana just like anything else has side effects for some they can be minor and others more extreme.

By the way there are statistics on marijuana which shows that people are getting killed or injured while being impaired because it slows response time down so dramatically. There are many other side effects too like mutated sperm cells that causes birth defects. These things aren't made up folks they have been proven real by researchers. Marijuana has been researched just like many other drugs that are available by prescription. There are many of them that if we took the time to read the side effects, we may reconsider taking them.
 

Oren

Well-Known Member
Oct 13, 2008
1,863
34
48
58
NE NJ
I think that because it's not a synthesized pharmaceutical, it's ok. FAR fewer side-effects than opiates, benzos, etc.

That's why people abandon those drugs in the first place. The side effects are too severe. In the end, they lower people's quality of life... and although the pharmaceuticals are effective, patients get sick of that.
 

v1ru5

Well-Known Member
Oct 24, 2008
1,690
67
48
Harrisburg PA.
How about making Marijuana legal and Tobacco illegal then Tobacco farmers will have a new cash crop to grow instead of the legal poison that is Tobacco.
 

hexagram

Medicinal & Recreational.
Oct 11, 2008
2,760
97
48
Seattle, WA
People that smoke marijuana are impaired just like people that take and/or abuse opiates, benzodiazepines and it should be treated no different

Even over-the-counter medication can impair a person's ability to drive. Being impaired is still being impaired, no one is arguing with you there.

But I still think we need to reform our laws regarding marijuana. Put laws in place that help prevent minors from obtaining the stuff (set the age limit at 21 [just like alcohol], card everyone, and enforce a DOUBLE penalty [to that of alcohol] for those that sell marijuana to or purchase marijuana for a minor).

Also, I believe it should be taxed (with the money being put to GOOD use, such as universal health care).
 

DAB

Mod Emeritus
Oct 9, 2008
9,434
149
63
Louisiana
But I still think we need to reform our laws regarding marijuana. Put laws in place that help prevent minors from obtaining the stuff (set the age limit at 21 [just like alcohol], card everyone, and enforce a DOUBLE penalty [to that of alcohol] for those that sell marijuana to or purchase marijuana for a minor).

Well I think the reason is because just like with Alcohol there are laws in place to prevent anyone from under the age of 21 from buying and possessing, but no law can prevent someone under the age from consuming. Tobacco laws were put on the books years ago too preventing those under the age of 18 from smoking? How many teens do you know, know about or even seen that are still smoking? The same can even be said of marijuana right now. Laws just create a consequence if you habitually break them over and over. In most states possession of small amounts of marijuana is a misdemeanor.

I think the bigger question here is why does anyone need to use marijuana outside of a legal prescription to begin with? We know that marijuana has some clear cut medical use, but in speaking with MD's and many others in the medical professional I can tell you that what they would prescribe isn't a bag of marijuana and some rolling papers.

I think often times the medical marijuana argument is just an attempt to try to get marijuana legalized, which is a whole other argument all together. But when you get in to folks growing it and taxing it, that is basically legalization and you started this topic off talking about medical marijuana. Those two things are not the same!

I can also tell you that as an addition professional that marijuana isn't physically addicting, but it is mentally addicting (habit forming). People use it because it changes the way they feel and long term use not only has medical consequences, but changes brain chemistry. Most people really aren't very well education about marijuana. They have used or tried it and it seems pretty tame even when compared to Alcohol, so they think hmm this should be legalized too. I personally would have no problem with them legalizing it, but then you just have another legal substance out there like alcohol, like tobacco that we know people will use regardless of the harmful and negative impact to their lives. The sad part is it doesn't just impact the individual, but the family as a whole, but in most cases this would only apply to addicts. Are their social marijuana users? Yes just like there are social alcohol drinkers? Now I don't know very many social nicotine users, because in my experience most of them are full blown addicts just using a legal very addicting substance. But we shy away from that because Tobacco is big business in America, though they have paid a lot of money out in recent years for so many people with heath problems and for all the years they lied and said it wasn't a drug and it wasn't addicting.

We've become a society that thinks we are suppose to ALWAYS feel good, never feel bad, never feel down and if we do, then there must be one of those little round things we call pills or a bottle of or something we can smoke to make us feel better. Well I hate to break it to folks, but feeling bad and feeling sad are normal and don't require a fix. Those things will usually pass unless you have a real medical or mental health issue.

I could go on and on, but you get the point. I just think this needs to be thought out and a decision made by people that really know all the facts about marijuana and not just what they believe or heard. Most of that is BS.
 

hexagram

Medicinal & Recreational.
Oct 11, 2008
2,760
97
48
Seattle, WA
Then by your standards, why don't we just bring back alcohol prohibition? What did that do for society then? What does marijuana prohibition do for our society now?

Think about that one very carefully.
 

DAB

Mod Emeritus
Oct 9, 2008
9,434
149
63
Louisiana
Then by your standards, why don't we just bring back alcohol prohibition? What did that do for society then? What does marijuana prohibition do for our society now?

Think about that one very carefully.

Evidently you didn't read what I said or you've read it from a skewed perspective. I said nothing about anything like that.

Your topic was medical marijuana, but what it should have said was just legalize marijuana because that is where you took this topic?

I even said I'd have no problem with them legalizing it. Again didn't you read what I said?
 

TheScionicMan

Last non-Hating Stern Fan
Oct 11, 2008
2,171
93
48
I just think this needs to be thought out and a decision made by people that really know all the facts about marijuana and not just what they believe or heard. Most of that is BS.

Here's a great place to start learning the facts about marijuana.

Tod H. Mikuriya, M.D.

Dr. Tod Mikuriya was one of the foremost authorities on the issue and helped write the language for CA Prop 215. He was my doctor before he passed away recently. When I first went to him, he had just gotten out of triple bypass surgery. 3 days after the surgery, he got permission from his doctor to vaporize MMJ instead of the heavy opiates they would normally prescribe and was back to work in a month. He was certain it was from not having his body blasted by the heavy drugs. He risked his license to study something that needed to be studied and not just vilified by govt propaganda. Much of this information would have been lost if not for his dedication.