March 24, 1998(Ed.
note: Prohibitionist editorials generally fall in to three major categories. The Wall
Street Journal is more extreme than the DEA and actually uses Gabriel Nahas, whose work is
so bad that the DEA tries to keep him in the background. [See Nahas versus Kassirer] The Portland Oregonian is so orthodox that they just recycle DEA
handouts without considering whether they are even relevant, much less true.
[See How
The Oregonian Cribs Its Editorials from DEA Handouts]
But the Dallas Morning News does not even seem to know what the
line is. They just make it up as they go.)
Medical Marijuana
California's ban on pot selling is a plus
Editorial Page March 23, 1998
(All emphasis added)
http://www.dallasnews.com/editorial-nf/edit21.htm
"Walk down the seediest blocks in the country's worst inner
cities, and it's hard not to find a bar open early in the day. Enter one, and it's
likely that a patron will explain the drink in his hand by saying he feels
"sick" if he doesn't start the day with a shot of rye or vodka. (Ed. note: The DEA line is that physical withdrawal from marijuana usually
occurs only with the injection of a synthetic blocker. This is said to prove that
marijuana is physically addictive, but this is not the same thing that goes on in seedy
bars where newspaper editors hang out.)
The supporters of California's medical marijuana movement say the
sickness they wish to alleviate goes way beyond satisfying a craving for cannabis. In
the wake of a recent state judicial ruling banning the sale of pot by so-called cannabis
clubs, the mayors of West Hollywood, San Francisco, Oakland and Santa Cruz wrote President
Clinton to see if there is any way to allow marijuana sales for medical purposes only.
Mayor Willie Brown of San Francisco is especially adamant about opposing recreational drug
use but argues there is a compelling medical need. See Have City Health Dept. Distribute
Medical Marijuana If Clubs Close -- San Francisco D.A. Hallinan
and West
Hollywood Mayor to Participate Tomorrow in Pro-Medical Marijuana Rally in San Francisco
The problem arose when the state Supreme Court agreed with an appellate court that
cannabis buyers' clubs are not primary caregivers. That means they cannot legally sell or
dispense marijuana, even under the medical marijuana initiative approved by state voters
in 1996. According to California Attorney General Dan Lungren, the clubs have been under
an injunction requiring them to close down as of two weeks ago.
Some cancer patients believe, for example, that
smoking marijuana helps them overcome the nausea associated with chemotherapy. (Ed. note: Even the DEA does not deny that marijuana is an anti-emetic.)
Other patients insist that smoking the weed relieves the pain
associated with cataracts. (Ed. note: No, it’s not
cataracts, it is glaucoma, for God sake! The Federal government even supplies some
glaucoma patients with free medical marijuana, but these editors who are giving advice to
the people of Dallas can’t be bothered even to know which disease they are talking
about. They literally do not know what they are talking about!)
But science is still divided, and large studies about the
effectiveness of marijuana for medicinal purposes are still under way. (Ed. note: No they are not! There are no "large studies under
way." The government continues to block them.) It also bears noting that the
main chemical in marijuana can be ingested in pill form with similar medical results, but
without adverse effects on a patient's lungs. (Ed. note: And do we
need large scale studies to tell us that when someone is vomiting, it may be hard to
swallow a pill?)
The strict regulation of marijuana as recognized by the California Supreme Court is
imperative. Even if medical science validates the claims of those who desire to smoke the drug for medicinal purposes, that should
not be allowed to serve as a pretext for outright legalization."
(Ed. note: In the meantime, could the ever so learned editors
please tell us what they believe would be the appropriate jail term for someone who
chooses to ignore their advice and uses marijuana for medical purposes with the approval
of their doctor.
After reading this editorial, I am convinced that medical marijuana should be approved
for the pain and nausea caused by reading the editorial page of the Dallas Morning News.
RCC)
Supported