Martha Steward Rolls Up - Marijuana News

Martha Steward, 71 years old: "Of course I know how to roll a joint..."

For some families with children who suffer from rare seizure disorders, a new form of medical marijuana is proving to be a life-changing treatment.

MPP's model medical marijuana law allows patients to obtain a medical marijuana card if they have a qualifying medical condition and a licensed physician believes they are likely to receive therapeutic or palliative benefit from the use of medical marijuana. The model bill lists the following qualifying medical conditions (although the state department of health may add others):

glaucoma; positive status for human immunodeficiency virus & acquired immune deficiency syndrome; hepatitis C; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Crohn’s disease; agitation of Alzheimer’s disease; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); nail patella; the treatment of these conditions; or a chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment that produces one or more of the following: cachexia or wasting syndrome, severe and chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures (including but not limited to those characteristic of epilepsy), or severe and persistent muscle spasms (including but not limited to those characteristic of multiple sclerosis). This list of key medical references addresses marijuana’s ability to alleviate each of these conditions, which can serve as a valuable resource when talking to your doctor about whether medical marijuana is right for you. Download a PDF of the review of medical references. Myth: There is no scientific evidence proving marijuana's therapeutic qualities. Reality: In a White House-commissioned 1999 report, the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine declared that "nausea, appetite loss, pain, and anxiety are all afflictions of wasting and all can be mitigated by marijuana." Myth: Marijuana's potential health benefits are insignificant compared to the damage caused by smoking the drug. Reality: Marijuana need not be administered by smoking: It can be taken in food, tea, or through a smokeless vaporizer. Furthermore, a 2006 study by a leading pulmonologist, Dr. Donald Tashkin, found that even regular and heavy smoking of marijuana does not lead to lung cancer. Myth: Allowing the medical use of marijuana will send the wrong message to children and lead to more youths using the drug. Reality: In the 13 medical marijuana states that have before-and-after data, studies show that state medical marijuana laws do not cause an increase in youths' use of marijuana. No medical marijuana state has shown an overall increase in teens' marijuana use outside of the confidence interval, and in several states teens' marijuana use has actually declined since medical marijuana became legal.  Myth: Marijuana is a gateway drug to harder substances, and therefore medical marijuana use will lead to dangerous drug use. Reality: In science, the distinction between cause and correlation is a crucial one. A White House-commissioned study by the Institute of Medicine found that marijuana "does not appear to be a gateway drug to the extent that it is the cause or even that it is the most significant predictor of serious drug abuse; that is, care must be taken not to attribute cause to association." Moreover, claims about marijuana being a gateway make no sense in the context of medical marijuana: Patients often use marijuana instead of highly addictive prescription medicines like morphine and Oxycontin. Medical marijuana is a safe alternative for patients whose other options are not as reliable or effective. The current legal status of marijuana in California

Despite the fact that California's medical marijuana laws and laws for simple possession are among the most progressive in the country, responsible adults are still being arrested or cited at an alarming rate for possession of a substance that is objectively safer than both alcohol and tobacco.

Proposition 19, a ballot measure that sought to end the draconian policy of arresting and prosecuting adults who choose to use a substance proven safer than alcohol by removing criminal penalties for marijuana offenses and allowing localities to tax and regulate its cultivation and distribution, was narrowly defeated in 2010, 46% - 54%. Although the measure lost, at the time it was the highest percentage a marijuana legalization measure has ever gotten on the ballot. Support has grown since then — a February 2013 Field Poll found that 54% of Californians support legalizing the sale of marijuana. Also in 2010, then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill downgrading the classification for possession of an ounce or less of marijuana from a misdemeanor to an infraction — the penalty remains a $100 fine.  

While California’s marijuana laws are not as draconian as some other states, the state is still wasting precious resources on citing, arresting, and prosecuting marijuana offenders, while ensuring the profits of marijuana sales go to criminals instead of responsible businesses and the state’s coffers. Let your lawmakers know it’s time California end their marijuana prohibition!

Sources:
www.mpp.org
www.huffingtonpost.com
www.washingtonpost.com
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