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Cannabis and Diabetes
In the interests of a family member who suffers from chronic pain and diabetes, I did some research regarding whether cannabis has any harmful effects for diabetics. Here's what I've found. The full results are also available at my personal site.
If Pawlenty Wants to Be President, He Should Reconsider His Opposition to Medical Marijuana
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has declined to seek a 3rd term, prompting speculation that he's planning to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Wouldn't it be strange if Pawlenty's presidential ambitions had something to do with his decision to veto a bill that would stop police from arresting terminally ill medical marijuana patients? Does Pawlenty think that Americans want a president who supports arresting people who are about to die?Someone should show him the polling data on medical marijuana. Is Pawlenty aware that an anti-medical marijuana candidate got crushed by a pro-medical marijuana candidate in the 2008 presidential election?Opposing medical marijuana in any way is politically risky, but Pawlenty specifically turned his back on people who are dying. In today's political climate, that's a big mistake.
States Don't Need Federal Permission to Legalize Marijuana, Part II
Oh man, look what's happening in Los Angeles. Yeah, I'd say we have all the evidence we need to conclude that the federal government can't do a damn thing to prevent states from implementing their own drug laws. Obama's position on medical marijuana may be better than Bush's was, but it almost makes no difference when the people take matters into their own hands.If California voters were to legalize marijuana by referendum, does anyone seriously think the Feds are going to stop them?
Top Anti-Drug Researcher Changes His Mind, Says Legalize Marijuana
For 30 years, Donald Tashkin has studied the effects of marijuana on lung function. His work has been funded by the vehemently anti-marijuana National Institute on Drug Abuse, which has long sought to demonstrate that marijuana causes lung cancer. After 3 decades of anti-drug research, here's what Tashkin has to say about marijuana laws:"Early on, when our research appeared as if there would be a negative impact on lung health, I was opposed to legalization because I thought it would lead to increased use and that would lead to increased health effects," Tashkin says. "But at this point, I'd be in favor of legalization. I wouldn't encourage anybody to smoke any substances. But I don't think it should be stigmatized as an illegal substance. Tobacco smoking causes far more harm. And in terms of an intoxicant, alcohol causes far more harm." [McClatchy]We've been told a thousand times that marijuana destroys your lungs, that it's 5 times worse than cigarettes, and on and on. Yet here is Donald Tashkin, literally the top expert in the world when it comes to marijuana and lung health, telling us it's time to legalize marijuana. His views are shaped not by ideology, but rather by the 30 years he spent studying the issue. He didn't expect the science to come out in favor of marijuana, but that's what happened and he's willing to admit it. Here's the study that really turned things around:UCLA's Tashkin studied heavy marijuana smokers to determine whether the use led to increased risk of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. He hypothesized that there would be a definitive link between cancer and marijuana smoking, but the results proved otherwise."What we found instead was no association and even a suggestion of some protective effect," says Tashkin, whose research was the largest case-control study ever conducted. Prejudice against marijuana and smoking in general runs so deep for many people that it just seems inconceivable that marijuana could actually reduce the risk of lung cancer. But that's what the data shows and it not only demolishes a major tenet of popular anti-pot propaganda, but also points towards a potentially groundbreaking opportunity to develop cancer cures through marijuana research.Over and over again, all the bad things we've been told about marijuana are revealed to be not only false, but often the precise opposite of the truth. So the next time someone tells you that marijuana is worse for your lungs than cigarettes, you might want to mention that the world's leading expert on that subject happens to be a supporter of legalization.
Rogue Philly Drug Cops Add Molestation to Their List of Crimes
Via The Agitator, it looks like the out-of-control narcotics unit in Philly that I keep writing about is even worse than we thought. It was bad enough when they were caught stealing from local businesses, but now one of these guys has been accused by multiple different women of groping them during drug raids. The accounts sound disturbingly consistent and credible.Really, is there any limit here? Any at all? It's time for the city to jettison these maniacs once and for all.
If There's No "War on Drugs" Anymore, Then What's the Helicopter For?
If the new drug czar wants us to stop thinking of our drug policy as a "war on drugs" maybe he should tell police to stop trying to impress school children with their noisy war machines: The students at the High Point Elementary & Adolescent Schools were greeted two special visitors who landed an Army National Guard helicopter on the school's baseball field in May.â¦Once the dust had settled and the rotor had stopped spinning, students were invited to get an up close look at the Kiowa, which is equipped with counter drug equipment for surveillance and heat sensing. Officer Chiaco explained that observation helicopters like these help fight the war on drugs by assisting the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and local police departments with counter drug operations. [Ashbury Park Press]See, this is why the drug czar's new plan to pretend there's no war on drugs is destined to fail. People who hate the drug war will find no shortage of examples of gratuitous militarized drug war excesses to point towards. And the drug soldiers themselves will always bask gleefully in the perceived glory of their epic crusade.
Yes, The Case Against Marc Emery is Political
In case anyone forgot, the U.S. Dept. of Justice is still trying to extradite famous Canadian marijuana activist Marc Emery for selling marijuana seeds to American customers. But they want everyone to know that the case has nothing to do with his political views:"We've been very clear it had nothing to do with Mr. Emery's political stand," said Emily Langlie of the U.S. District Attorney's Office in Seattle. [Forbes]Seriously? Then what the hell did former DEA boss Karen Tandy mean when she said this?"Today's arrest of Mark (sic) Scott Emery, publisher of Cannabis Culture magazine and the founder of a marijuana legalization group, is a significant blow not only to the marijuana trafficking trade in the U.S. and Canada, but also to the marijuana legalization movement."â¦"Hundreds of thousands of dollars of Emery's illicit profits are known to have been channeled to marijuana legalization groups active in the United States and Canada. Drug legalization lobbyists now have one less pot of money to rely on." [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]There's no way to spin it and I can't imagine why they'd even bother trying. The DEA said it was political, so it's political. Lying about it now serves no purpose other than to tacitly acknowledge that political prosecutions are a bad thing. The war on marijuana is considerably less popular than it was even a couple years ago when the crusade against Emery began. Now that the debate over marijuana laws is rapidly gaining acceptance in the political mainstream, the DEA's petty motivations for targeting Marc Emery have become such an embarrassment that federal prosecutors would rather lie shamelessly than admit what they're doing. Under no circumstances will the prosecution of Marc Emery bring glory or even respect to the drug war trophy-hunters that undertook this obscene vendetta. The guy sold goddamn pot seeds on the internet and making a really big deal of out it will serve only to remind everyone that marijuana grows on trees.
LAPD Raids Its Own Officer in Weird Botched Investigation
LA Times has the strange story of an LAPD officer raided by his own department. He was apparently innocent of any wrongdoing and the report suggests that he was targeted precisely because he was a good cop who wouldnât tolerate misconduct from his colleagues. What a mess. Without knowing all the facts, I'm reluctant to say too much about it, but it's a very interesting report that's worth reading.
Legalizing Drugs is an Idea That Speaks For Itself
Opponents of reforming drug laws have often tried to dismiss our argument as some sort of carefully crafted conspiracy by "well-funded", "pro-drug" organizations seeking to manipulate the public into naively embracing their nefarious agenda. But the truth is that the movement to reform our drug policy is far bigger than the organizations or individuals behind it. It is just self-evident that our approach to drug abuse is deeply defective and anyone can figure that out on their own just by looking around.Here's how New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof described his decision to write a piece on the merits of legalizing drugs:"It's been a gradual process," said Kristof about his thinking leading to the decision to confront the issue. "I think that the economy being a particular mess makes me a little more skeptical about spending vast amounts of money incarcerating people on drugs, and then I think the degree to which Mexico has been erupting also has made me wonder." [Huffington Post]This is beautifully simply and logical. Why are we spending all this money putting people in prison to stop them from using drugs? Why is Mexican drug war violence worse than ever after decades of aggressive drug war strategies that were aimed at reducing violence? Nicholas Kristof isnât the only one who's just now beginning to think about it this way. You could support the drug war your entire life and then wake up one morning asking yourself these questions.
Video: Orange County Seniors Demand Medical Marijuana Access
This video by "Drug Crazy" author Mike Gray is from Orange County, California -- not a liberal bastion, but medical marijuana has been state law there for over 12 years. Senior citizens are calling for access to medical marijuana, local authorities are sympathetic, and advocates are willing help. But they can't find a landlord willing to rent to them, presumably because of threats by the US DEA to use asset forfeiture laws to take the property away. Along with the sheer barbarism of these federal policies, the video also hints at what may be the largest tragedy, people who because of those policies never find out that marijuana could have helped them.
New Drug Czar Doesn't Care About Medical Marijuana
In an interview with National Journal, Gil Kerlikowske didn't have much to say about medical pot: NJ: Do you have plans to review potential changes to the country's medical marijuana policies?Kerlikowske: I have not had my meeting with the attorney general, who had made some statements, but I plan on following up with that pretty closely.NJ: Will you at least be conducting a study on the topic?Kerlikowske: I don't know. I think it is a little premature, and frankly, looking at the overdose deaths -- there is such a huge increase in people dying from prescription drug overdoses -- is a little higher on my priorities right now than the medical marijuana issue....Well that makes sense, but considering that there's a raging controversy in America right now over the federal government's war on medical marijuana, maybe the drug czar should at least be able to provide a little insight instead of changing the subject. Of course, it's likely that Kerlikowske's attempts to downplay the issue are actually intended to dismiss potential controversy surrounding the new administration's positive statements on the issue, i.e. medical marijuana isn't a top concern, so don't give us a hard time for not raiding dispensaries.This 'medical marijuana isn't a priority' stuff is fine for now if it means they won't be interfering with state laws, but it's a pretty weak cop-out in the long run. Eventually, Washington will have to come to terms with the deep unpopularity of the war on medical marijuana. That means declaring an end to federal raids based on firm moral and scientific grounds, rather than vague policy statements. They seem to understand that public opinion requires a new direction with regards to medical marijuana policy, but if that much is understood, why tiptoe around it? If the goal is to avoid controversy, then tell us exactly what we want to hear, follow through on it, and the matter will be closed.For starters, why not look into rescheduling marijuana so it isn't any more illegal than these FDA-approved pharmaceuticals that are killing so many people?
If Pure THC Pills are FDA-Approved, What's the Big Deal About Marijuana Potency?
NY Daily News reports that incoming CDC Chief Thomas Freidman is "in favor of developing a synthetic marijuana spray to be used for medicinal purposes." That's good news, I suppose, but what really caught my attention about the story was its repetition of the bizarre and wildly false assertion that synthetic THC doesnât get you high:Marinol is prescribed for treating vomiting in chemotherapy patients and other uses. It provides relief, not a high. Says who? The first thing anyone who's ever taken Marinol will tell you is that the stuff gets you blasted for several hours. In fact, that's one of the primary reason patients prefer the herbal alternative. With marijuana, you can control your dose more effectively to achieve the desired effect. The spray was developed for the exact same reason, thus by suggesting that Marinol doesnât get you high, the NY Daily News completely misses the point of why a spray even exists. It's ridiculous.We've heard this crap before and I just donât understand why anyone would struggle with the concept that a pure THC pill would make you high as hell. I suppose it's a convenient claim for pharmaceutical execs trying to separate their product from its controversial context and it's certainly convenient for drug warriors desperately endeavoring to explain why one is medicine and the other is poison. But it's bullshit and it shouldnât take a scientist to deduce that you will not remain sober after swallowing concentrated THC. That's like saying heroin gets you high but synthetic opiates don't. Hilariously, there's a side column of "relevant articles" on the page with the top item titled Marijuana Potency Higher Than Ever. We're actually supposed to be intrigued and perhaps alarmed by the fact that domestic marijuana potency now averages 10% THC, meanwhile the FDA has long approved a 100% THC pill that's proven to be completely safe in every way, except that some people think it's a little too strong and want weed instead. It's amazing the lengths some people will take to rationalize the mindless paradox of arresting medical marijuana patients while simultaneously trying to sell them potent THC pills.
Research Proves Marijuana is Not a "Gateway Drug"
The surging debate surrounding the legalization of marijuana has brought with it the resurrection of the "gateway theory," which alleges that experimenting with marijuana leads to the use of harder drugs like cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. The gateway debate was reborn last week, thanks to a video of FBI director Robert Mueller testifying before Congress that marijuana should be illegal because it leads to more dangerous drug use.Although the Mueller video has provoked amusement on pot-friendly websites, the unfortunate reality is that the "gateway drug" stigma continues to present an impediment to the reform of marijuana laws. A new Rasmussen poll found that a large percentage of Americans believe the gateway argument:The new survey also shows that nearly half of voters (46%) believe marijuana use leads to use of harder drugs. Thirty-seven percent (37%) do not see marijuana as a "gateway" drug.Revealingly, the percentage who opposed marijuana legalization and the percentage who believed in the gateway theory were identical, both coming in at exactly 46%. As we look for ways to persuade those who remain opposed to marijuana reform, it's clearly in our interest to work towards demolishing the pernicious gateway theory once and for all. Let's take a look at what the data shows.In 1999, drug czar Barry McCaffrey commissioned a major study on medical marijuana conducted by the venerable Institute of Medicine, which included an examination of marijuana's potential to lead to other drug use. In simple terms, the researchers explained why the gateway theory was unfounded:Patterns in progression of drug use from adolescence to adulthood are strikingly regular. Because it is the most widely used illicit drug, marijuana is predictably the first illicit drug most people encounter. Not surprisingly, most users of other illicit drugs have used marijuana first. In fact, most drug users begin with alcohol and nicotine before marijuana -- usually before they are of legal age. â¦There is no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs.In 2006, the University of Pittsburgh released a more thorough study in which researchers spent 12 years tracking a group of subjects from adolescence into adulthood and documented the initiation and progression of their drug use. The researchers found that the gateway theory was not only wrong, but also harmful to properly understanding and addressing drug abuse:This evidence supports whatâs known as the common liability model, an emerging theory that states the likelihood that someone will transition to the use of illegal drugs is determined not by the preceding use of a particular drug but instead by the userâs individual tendencies and environmental circumstances.âThe emphasis on the drugs themselves, rather than other, more important factors that shape a personâs behavior, has been detrimental to drug policy and prevention programs,â Dr. Tarter said. âTo become more effective in our efforts to fight drug abuse, we should devote more attention to interventions that address these issues, particularly to parenting skills that shape the childâs behavior as well as peer and neighborhood environments.âOf course, the simplest refutation of the gateway theory is the basic fact that most marijuana users just don't use other drugs. As the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports:More than 100 million Americans have tried marijuana; 14.4 million Americans are estimated to be "past-month" users. Yet there are only an estimated 2,075,000 "past-month" users of cocaine and 153,000 "past-month" users of heroin. [DrugWarFacts]Clearly, people who use marijuana overwhelmingly do not move on to other drug use. That's why the number of people who use marijuana will always be more than 10 times greater than the number of people who use cocaine, heroin, etc. The fact that marijuana users rarely become involved in other drug use is right here in front of us.Unfortunately, there is one important way in which marijuana use can result in exposure to other more dangerous drugs. Laws against marijuana have created an unregulated black market, in which criminals control the supply and may attempt to market more dangerous drugs to people who just want marijuana. As the Journal of the American Medical Association reported in 2003:Alternatively, experience with and subsequent access to cannabis use may provide individuals with access to other drugs as they come into contact with drug dealers. This argument provided a strong impetus for the Netherlands to effectively decriminalize cannabis use in an attempt to separate cannabis from the hard drug market. This strategy may have been partially successful as rates of cocaine use among those who have used cannabis are lower in the Netherlands than in the United States."Ironically, the only real gateway that exists is created by marijuana prohibition, yet proponents of harsh marijuana laws cynically cite the damage they've caused as evidence that the drug itself is acutely harmful. It's truly the height of absurdity, yet it persists despite the mountain of categorical data I've outlined above.The point here isnât just that marijuana isnât actually a "gateway drug," but that there really is no such thing as a gateway drug to begin with. The term was invented by hysterical anti-drug zealots for the specific purpose of linking marijuana with harmful outcomes that couldnât otherwise be established. Everyone knows marijuana is completely non-lethal, but if it leads to sticking needles in your arm, anything's possible. Through repeated use, the term began to stick and we're now confronted with a marijuana legalization debate in which 46% of the country believes an antiquated, widely-refuted fabrication that erroneously renders marijuana as deadly and unpredictable as anything a scared parent can imagine.It's perfectly typical of the unhinged drug war demagogues that one of their most popular anti-pot propaganda points doesn't even actually have anything to do with pot. Their tireless reliance on such nonsense may go a long way towards explaining why support for legalization is growing faster than ever before.
Drunk Reporter Debates Marijuana Legalization in a Bar
Ok, maybe she's just a little tipsy, but this is surreal either way:
Christian Science Monitor Advocates Teaching Kids to Support the Drug War
Pete Guither patiently sifted through all the nonsense in this epic anti-marijuana-legalization rant at Christian Science Monitor, so I'll just mention one quote from the article:Maybe parents thought they left peer pressure behind when they graduated from high school. But the push to legalize marijuana is like the peer pressure of the schoolyard. The arguments are perhaps timely, but they don't stand up, and parents must now stand up to them.They must let lawmakers know that legalization is not OK, and they must carry this message to their children, too.That's right kids! The drug war is your best friend. If it wasn't for the drug war, that nice lady at school who collects your pee samples would be out of a job.Of course, urging parents to warn their children against the horrors of legalization may sound utterly ridiculous, but it's actually perfectly ok with me. Go ahead, seriously. Tell them these laws are controversial. The sooner they learn to think critically about drug policy, the better.
The Worst Argument Against Medical Marijuana
NYT's Freakonomics Blog has a pro-con piece on marijuana decriminalization that includes this bizarre argument from USC professor Joel W. Hay:There isnât a shred of scientific evidence that marijuana is safe and effective for any medical condition. Moreover, THC, the active ingredient of pot, has been approved by the FDA and on the market in capsule form since 1985.How could you even write something like that without seeing how silly it is? If we've been selling FDA-approved concentrated marijuana pills for almost 25 years, then there's really no question how "safe and effective" marijuana is. The fact that pills made of pure THC have been approved by FDA and sold legally for decades without incident is the best proof you could ever ask for that marijuana is remarkably safe.What was he thinking when he wrote this?Update: And, of course, the claim that there's no evidence of medical marijuana's safety and effectiveness is absurd. I wouldn't even know where to begin.
Cool "History of Weed" Video from Showtime "Weeds" Program
A precisely two minute YouTube ad for the Showtime program "Weeds" offers "A Brief History of Weed." The video begins with medical marijuana use documented in China in 2727 BC -- about 2,300 years too early for the Buddha image they use to represent it, but that's nitpicking. Flamethrower imagery at 1:06, representing the beginning of federal marijuana prohibition, is very effective, and post-Prop. 215 marijuana storefront footage is downright exciting. Check it out -- check out the Weeds season premiere on June 8th too. (Via The Daily Dish blog's "Cool Ad Watch.")
Unitarian Universalist Association - Alternatives to the "War on Drugs" 2002 Statement of Conscience
It would be interesting and possibly productive if 10 or more people each day visited the ONDCP, White House and Attorney General web sites and used their email programs to paste in various morality b
New Drug Czar Doesnât Even Know What Legalization is
What better way to blow off the debate over legalization than to pretend there's no such thing?On his first trip outside Washington since assuming his new role, Kerlikowske told a law enforcement crowd Wednesday that marijuana should remain illegal, but public health officials â not police â should lead efforts to reduce illegal drug use."Legalization isn't in the president's vocabulary, and it certainly isn't in mine," he told 300 police, federal agents and law enforcement officials. [USA Today]As supremely lame as it is to find the drug czar sucking up to law enforcement by sneering at the legalization debate, there's something interesting happening here. He says legalization is a foreign concept to him, but he's talking about it onstage days after taking office.Sounds like somebody's feeling the pressure.
Tom Tancredo Calls for Legalization
Former congressman and presidential candidate Tom Tancredo is the latest prominent republican to come out in favor of ending the drug war:DENVER -- Admitting that it may be "political suicide" former Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo said its time to consider legalizing drugs.â¦Tancredo noted that he has never used drugs, but said the war has failed."I am convinced that what we are doing is not working," he said.Tancredo told the group that the country has spent billions of dollars capturing, prosecuting and jailing drug dealers and users, but has little to show for it."It is now easier for a kid to get drugs at most schools in America that it is booze," he said. [ABC7]What a simple and straightforward case he's making. This is the blueprint for how our argument can really begin to gain momentum on the right. Unfortunately, Tancredo picked up the idea somewhere that it's "political suicide" to say stuff like this and he managed to cram that silliness into the story. Whatever. He'll continue to take more heat for his notoriously extreme position on immigration than for pointing out that the drug war sucks. And for that matter, when concerns about immigration and border security begin translating into support for drug policy reform, we're really getting somewhere.