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Where would you go if you only had a few weeks to live? Hawaii? Europe? How about New Jersey? This might not be an unreasonable option for New Yorkers suffering from debilitating illnesses such as cancer as the Garden State may (someday) legalize the use of medical marijuana. We applaud Senator Nicholas Scutari, a Democrat senator from Middlesex County, New Jersey who has long proposed legislation to legalize medical marijuana in the Garden State. The bill is scheduled for discussion next month by the Senate health panel and would make NJ only the 12th state to legalize the drug to soften suffering. While marijuana may not cure disease, it can definitely alleviate the symptoms of anorexia and nausea that come with cancer and chemotherapy. (Remember finishing off that whole bag of potato chips last night? Uh, us neither).
The FDA contends that “no sound scientific studies supported medical use of marijuana,” which seems to ignore studies that have been performed by the United States’ own Institute of Medicine, a non-for-profit arm of the National Academy of Sciences. The IUM has not only performed studies showing that medical marijuana is effective, but the biology behind why it is so.
Is anyone really against this?
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the only people who are against legalization of marijuana are drug companies. They are the ones with the money and have the lobbyists who control washington.
You would have to be a fool to be against the legalization of marijuana especially for medicinal purposes.
The fact that it is even an arguement makes me mad. We think we live in a free country, yeah fucking right.
Can't we just legalize pot? Tax revenue, less people in prison, so much less devastating physically and mentally than alcohol, and on and on.
Or is it just the big money Tobacco and Booze industries?
It wouldn’t be very wise to legalize marijuana in the United States.
Why? Because Americans don’t know the meaning of the term 'moderation' and will smoke themselves into oblivion.
Keeping it illegal but lessening the penalties will keep much needed control over the situation.
As for me? I know where to get it and how not to get caught. Follow my example, and you too can be a winner!
It's about time people woke up and legalized Marijuana for all.
With it being illegal it helps support a black market.
People should be able to get Organic regulated Cannabis instead of who knows what off the streets.
If alcohol and cigarettes remain legal with no positive attributes than there is no reason a beneficial plant like Cannabis should remain illegal.
Simply put prohibition does not work.
Kojak- holla at ya boy!
it never ceases to amaze me when someone drops a "good for me but not for thee" joint on the platter.
even on the internet.
Well, as Bill O'Reilly said, "It's Just a Plant"!
Is anyone really against this, you ask? Only the pharmaceutical companies, who would lose billions in chemical painkiller sales, if medical marijuana were legalized. Only the constipated, scotch drinking, and cigar smoking arch conservatives, who wouldn’t know how to loosen up if their lives depended on it. Only the military-minded drug-warriors, who are responsible for the incarceration of seven hundred thousand Americans on drug charges, while the real criminals ride around in limos and go free.
You mention the use of medicinal marijuana to treat anorexia and nausea. Those are only two conditions that benefit from therapeutic cannabis. Pre-menstrual Syndrome (PMS) is sometimes accompanied by cramps and depression. Medical marijuana has been proven to be helpful for both of those symptoms. The wasting caused by AIDS is another major use for the sacred herb, that has been used in healing for centuries.
Did you know that a 2,000 Chinese medical text lists marijuana as beneficial in the treatment of over one hundred diseases? Digestive disorders, rheumatism, and pain management were chief among them. Ancient Chinese doctors used to administer marijuana prior to surgery.
In addition to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, people suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) also benefit from marijuana use. Volumes could be filled with their glowing testimonials on behalf of their drug of choice. So it is only a matter of time before New Jersey and other states recognize the value of this precious medicine.
I happen to live in one of eleven states that already do. I suffer from Crohn’s disease, a very painful and debilitating digestive disorder. I not only smoke marijuana regularly to ease my pain, but have also decided to grow the stuff to ensure a safe, clean, and steady supply of my medicine.
With the help of a handy cousin, I set up a grow room in a garden shed on our property. We covered the window with black tarpaper and installed two fans on either side of the building. One is aimed in, the other one out. We also inserted a carbon filter on the exhaust side, to minimize the escape of telltale odors. Even though it is legal to do this where we live, no use advertising to possible pot thieves and nosy neighbors. Word does get around, so we’d rather keep our grow-space confidential.
I did some reading with regard to a light fixture to buy and decided on High Pressure Sodium with a Son-T agro bulb and the appropriate ballast. For my plants I bought a six-bucket ebb and flow hydroponic system. No soil is used, thus minimizing soil-borne pests and diseases. The medium of choice for us is rock wool. This system allows the plant roots to anchor themselves but still be quite free-flowing in the nutrient solution.
Our nutrient of choice is the three-part, perfectly designed Grow, Micro, and Bloom, offered by the Advanced Nutrients Medical company. They make incredibly effective plant food, as well as an organic taste enhancer, called Sweet Leaf. What more can a marijuana smoker ask for?
I’ve been growing medpot for three years now, and my grow room is in production year round. Thanks to all the great advice I’ve received from the Advanced Nutrients Medical people, I’ve become quite an expert myself. And even though the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report that you mention attested to the fact that marijuana is useful medicine, it wasn’t very keen on the delivery of the drug.
However, a more recent study refutes the allegations of medpot opponents that smoking marijuana causes lung cancer. A California researcher found the opposite to be true. Marijuana smoke is somewhat of a preventative agent, where lung cancer is concerned. Live and learn!