Legal Drug Deaths Rise; Marijuana Deaths Remain at Zero
by Bruce Mirken
The number of fatal poisonings involving opioid painkillers more than tripled from 1999 to 2006, from 4,000 to 13,800 in one year, according to a new report from the CDC. These drugs – Vicodin, OxyContin, fentanyl, and their relatives – now account for 37 percent of poisoning deaths, up from 21 percent in 1999. And the Associated Press reports that drug deaths now exceed auto accident fatalities in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
The drugs that killed nearly 14,000 people in 2006 are, of course, legal medicines. They have been approved for sale by the same federal government that bars medical use of marijuana – for which the count of medically confirmed overdose fatalities remains zero.
This gets even crazier when you consider that – as we’ve pointed out before – there is evidence that use of medical marijuana can help some pain patients reduce their doses of these dangerous and addictive narcotics.
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Why would the pharmaceutical companies support both parties with 30 million dollars? Protection from health reform? It is true that the reform plan has not even asked them too sacrifice any profits,and
no attempt has been made to regulate their income .
The moment marijuana is legalized,they lose all their sleeping pills,mood elevators,and many of their pain medicines. Who would buy these pills when you can grow it naturally in your yard? There were over 150 pharmaceutical medicines on the market with cannibus in them in 1937,and it will be the same way again. All the old doctors and pharmacist's are gone that could remember and tell us all the uses it had,before we outlawed it by calling it marijuana instead of it's scientific name,cannibus sativa and cannibus indica. Not one of the medicines on the market called it's ingredients marijuana,so the majority of the people,and doctors of the time did not realize that they were outlawing a medicine that many people were using,in all parts of society . There were still medicines with cannibus sold until 1942,because they worked so well,no one objected to their sale.
And if marijuana does block cancers at 62%,as claimed in a study from Spain,or even 20%,how much would that reduce healthcare ?
with sites such as www.greatlakesmarijuana.com and http://www.michiganmedicalmarijuanacommunity.com popping up all over the web you will see more then ever a community that will grow and attract millions. they will share advice and come together to fight for the right!
It will only be soon if Americans like you (and I) get involved in the political process, write our elected officials, work in the campaigns of good candidates, work on petition drives in the states in which that is an avenue of change .
Marijuana in various forms, not necessarily smoked, has been used for medicine , relaxation, and introspection for centuries in many parts of the world. Marijuana appears to provide relief from pain, nausea, and other symptoms, with fewer ill effects and a greater margin of safety than many other classes of drugs . In particular, marijuana is safer than the narcotic drugs commonly administered for pain, and safer even than the non-narcotic drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen and related compounds that are responsible for a few hundred fatal poisonings each year ( http://www.acponline.org/journals/annals/15sep97/nsaid.htm ).
In 2008, the American College of Physicians stated: “Evidence not only supports the use of medical marijuana in certain conditions but also suggests numerous indications for cannabinoids. Additional research is needed to further clarify the therapeutic value of cannabinoids and determine optimal routes of administration. The science on medical marijuana should not be obscured or hindered by the debate surrounding the legalization of marijuana for general use.”
Here’s the link to the American College of Physicians paper on medical marijuana at http://www.acponline.org/advocacy/where_we_stand/other_issues/medmarijuana.pdf
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It would be wise to adopt an approach allowing individuals to grow a little marijuana for personal use. It would put the illegal drug dealers out of business if users could legally grow a small amount for themselves and/or share it with others. Limit the size of the growing area or the number of plants, and put a small user-fee on it to cover administrative costs, something like a fishing license.
One possibility:$100 per year for a permit to cultivate a dozen plants.
It's a win-win.
Why pay $100 per year for a permit to cultivate your own plants.That should be your god given right to grow your own.Don't give in to them.$100 now would be who knows later.Don't pay cash for your rights!
You know - that's what really gets me about our current system. I have to submit all sorts of documentation in order to obtain a permit to carry my weapon concealed whereas criminals can do it daily without filling out any paperwork. I exist within a system and am guaranteed my rights after jumping through loopholes.
You should be allowed to carry concealed (or open) without permits. Until you do something to harm another individual you are acting lawfully. And by removing the taboo around guns we educate folks and get more citizens arming themselves for their own defense - hopefully trained to use their best judgment.
If I grow a plant and smoke it personally then there is no exchange taking place between me and another party. Why would I need to be licensed in order to have the right to grow my own plants? It's my business; nobody else should be concerned with what I do until it affects another person's rights.
We can spend another 30 years arguing that "it should be my right" and get no where, OR we can find a way to build public support to stop putting mj users in jail.
The $100 per year permit sweetens the deal for the politicians and the public.
Would a permit system be perfect? No. Would it be a step in the right direction, a better situation than we have today?
Yes $100 to grow marijuana is better than what we got now.But I hate lining the pockets of the state.
Even though carrying a firearm is enumerated in the BOR.
Not saying that you /should/ have to pay to grow. More like adding another item to the list of rights one has to pay the state in order to enjoy.
The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'.
[List of rights one has to pay the state in order to enjoy]
Yes and it sucks!Paying for our rights.