Good idea if regulated, it would be way c oool and mellow.

I SWEAR I WILL MOVE OUT OF MOUNTAIN VIEW IF THEY DO THIS!!!!

I CAN'T STAAANNDDD PEOPLE WHO DO DRUGS AND I REALLY REALLY REALLLYYY DON'T WANT STUPID POT HEADS LIVING AROUND ME!!!

It is so easy to obtain a "medical" marijuana prescription so I can guarantee there are going to be pot heads that do not have any medical problems.. and they are going to be smoking pot all day and running around Mountain View.

This country is going to hell... and it's REALLY sad..

Guess what, Hater? Pot heads already live around you. So do socially acceptable drug addicts popping pills handed out by pharmacies all around town.

Get over it, stop trying to dictate what other people do for treatment or recreation, or feel free to move. You'll find this everywhere.

To Maryjane Hater, YES, please move from Mountain View and from California altogether. If you insist on remaining in the country, then please move to West Virginia. I can't stand people like you, and I really really really don't want a stupid ignoramus like you living around me!!!

Maryjane Hater really belongs in hell... and she is REALLY sad..

If it were legalized, he said, "It would be just like alcohol is today — people dying from drinking and driving. There would be a lot of DUIs for marijuana."

...please drop the propaganda...there is scant evidence that marijuana impairs driving...how many dui's for marijuana (and ONLY marijuana) are there NOW?* not many (if any)...yes some dui suspects test positive for BOTH alcohol and marijuana, but that does not necessarily implicate the marijuana...alcohol affects the central nervous system, marijuana doesn't, it affects the limbic system...*not including those who are also charged with "driving under the influence" for another drug related arrest...

sorry, but reputable dispensaries will NOT sell to your kids (unlike the local dealer), they are assets to their communities and provide a needed service...go check out the "oaksterdam" neighborhood in oakland...

If drug addicts and lazy perverts want to do marijuana, they should buy it on a street corner or in the local junior high school or grow it in their caves. Don't give us this bull that "they need it for their health." They just want to get high.

This is absolutely ridiculous. Of course you dumb pot heads are going to come on here and defend marijuana. I am very aware of the fact that there are stoners, drug dealers, and crackheads living around me.. but instead of INCREASING this problem by adding dispensaries, we need to crack down on them and remove them. Most of you pot heads have nothing better to do but smoke pot, gain an insane amount of weight, and whine and b**ch about pot being illegal. And for the small amount of you that actually DO hold jobs and have families and smoke regularly... well, I'm pretty sure you have some problems otherwise you wouldn't waste your time smoking pot.

Let me tell all of you dope heads something you should REALLY know:

1. When you smoke pot, you don't act normal and MOST people can tell that you're high.
2. Guys and girls don't "perform" as well when they're high.
3. IT IMPAIRS YOUR JUDGEMENT REGARDLESS IF YOU BELIEVE THAT OR NOT!!
4. You smell like sh**. =)

Go ahead and defend a drug that just makes you look like a fool and act like a fool!

Dear MARY JANE HATER. Can you attend the next City Council Meeting? I'm trying to do the same thing with liquor stores in Mountain View. You're list is spot on with how I feel about alcohol. Can I count on you to be by my side?

You know who I hate? That damn pothead Bob Marley! Always singing about a "mellow mood" and "one love", keep that hippie garbage to yourself rasta man! Just look what pot did to that guy, people HATE him!

Mary Jane Hater:

I have a Master's degree, a full-time job, a family I care for, a home that I own, and personal time that I volunteer for community projects. I run 5 days a week and maintain a very healthy diet.

Guess what? I smoke cannabis every single day.

Take your hate and stereotypes and go away.

Joe Schmoe:

You advocate that "drug addicts and lazy perverts" should buy cannabis on the streets or at the local junior high school. As a parent, I do not appreciate this suggestion, as it puts my child and everyone else child at risk.

However, where do you suggest cancer, glaucoma, and Multiple Sclerosis patients should buy their cannabis? Street dealers as well? It's hard for wheelchair-bound and chemo patients to track down dealers in dark alleys, so would you support the idea of mandating wheelchair-accessible drug dealers in the city of Mountain View?

I moved out of mountain view because they have a pharmacy that dispenses drugs to people with a note from their doctor.
There's also stores that sell liquor to anyone over 21..anyone!
I HATE people who do drugs.Nothing but lazy drug addicts.
Sounds like the ravings of an idiot doesn't it?

Lets progress people.

Medical pot extended my father's life
by over a year, his doctor estimates, due to the way it gave him hunger which helped him keep body weight and strength during a long cancer battle. If you have a problem with that, you're a bad person. End of discussion.

Uploaded: Wednesday, January 27, 2010, 4:20 PM
Daniel? Coincidence or??????

This issue brings with it alot of emotions, almost exclusively derived from stereotypes, on both sides of the fence. Instead of the namecalling, the first thing we should be discussing is the effectiveness of marijuana as medicine, from a clinical standpoint.

Until there is scientific, repeatable evidence that marijuana has proven medical benefits, the issue of whether or not to have a dispensary is premature.

Let's checkout the horse, before we approve the building of a cart.

I have family members whose health is severely affect by their alcoholism, and friends whose spouses tend toward violence when drinking. Ever heard of a pot head with a bad liver, or a violent temper? 'Nuf said.

MaryJane Hater and others of that same mentality:
I myself am not a pot smoker, I am a professional person and have worked, known, and been to many a function with CEOs and many professional folks in Silicon Valley that smoke and have pot at their functions. These are all well respected and highly functional people. Many, many of these people are just like Marnie. I guess alcoholics and Rx drug addicts (stay at home moms for a sterotype)are just fine with you, why? because its legal????

Dear And I'm a Republican too,

I understand where you are coming from and I completely understand his need because of personal experience.. BUT the problem is that TOO many people out there obtain medical marijuana prescriptions that do not need it. There are stupid stoners out there who will no doubt take advantage of this and no one will stop them!!! If someone actually has a terminal illness or has chronic pain, then they should definitely be able to use marijuana for medicinal purposes. But, you have to remember that dispensaries can be run by ANYONE!!! They do not have to be a licenced doctor or even a nurse. If the person in need of medicinal pot can get it through their doctor.. then that's a different story. I do not agree with bringing "POT STORES" into our neighborhood.

THIS IS A GUY WHO HAS A "MEDICAL" MARIJUANA PRESCRIPTION... HE HAS GOTTEN AWAY WITH GETTING POT FOR YEARS BECAUSE HE HAS ABUSED AND MANIPULATED THE SYSTEM! DISPENSARIES ARE MEANT FOR PEOPLE WITH ILLNESSES AND CHRONIC PAIN, NOT FOR POTHEADS LIKE HIM!
THIS ARTICLE MAKES MY STOMACH TURN..

Web Link

To the "Republican" Mary Jane Hater

Incidentally, my mother was addicted to prescription drugs. She convinced her doctor she needed them. I have friends addicted to prescription drugs and they convinced their doctor's they needed them.

There are a zillion of these people.

Look what happened to Michael Jackson and Anna Nicole Smith.

The stupid stoners you are referring to probably get their pot illegally.

The dispenaries are not located in neighborhoods. They can't. They are also professionally run and considerate towards the Mary Jane Haters just like yourself.

You don't make any sense.

umm.. "PARENT" I did not say I was a republican.. I was writing back to "And I'm a Republican too".

And, you just contradicted yourself by saying that your mother and friends convinced their doctors to give them prescription meds even though they do not need them.. but the "so-called" pot heads I am referring to are getting their pot illegally. What makes you think that they cannot convince their doctors that they need pot?!?! Couldn't they just as easily say, "Doc, I have extremely bad back pain and physical therapy does not help.. Could you please prescribe medicinal marijuana to me?"

PLAIN AND SIMPLE.. ALL I AM TRYING TO SAY IS THAT POT HEADS(WHO DO NOT HAVE ANY PAIN OR ILLNESSES) WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THESE DISPENSARIES. They can get a prescription fairly easily and then hit up all of these dispensaries and either smoke pot all day, or better yet, SELL IT TO YOUNGSTERS! Why not? They have been doing it for years.... illegally!

To PLEASE READ!:

What "GUY" are you talking about? Just curious. Are you talking about someone from the article? One of the people who posted a comment? If it is about the people mentioned in the article, I disagree with your comments about them manipulating the system.

Hater....

if, as you say "these potheads have been getting their pot illegally for years"... then nothing you can say or do will stop them. Why not let them get it at a safe place too, where they can pay taxes on it and dispensaries can donate excess cash to local charities. I bet you drink like a fish...

I'm all for potheads getting their pot. The younger the better. The many pothead in my high school ended up doing absolutely nothing with their lives. They didn't get in the way of me achieving everything I ever wanted in this great society--the best part being, I was finally able to move out of Mountain View!

That is the best part.

Ahh, How soon we forget.... Seriously...

----> MV Voice Friday March 14, 2008
According to an affidavit filed by FBI agent Mark Dixon, Johnson was murdered on Feb. 7 during a marijuana deal in the parking lot of the Happi House restaurant at Ehrhorn Avenue and El Camino Real. The FBI agent, citing a witness who was with Johnson, reported that the murderer was one of three men who arrived to take part in the deal. Also taking part were another group of three young men in a separate car, and Johnson and a passenger riding in Johnson's white Ford Explorer.

According to the affidavit, the three suspects were acting strangely, and one claimed to be "coked up." As Johnson and his passenger, becoming nervous, tried to flee the scene, one of the three suspects shot him in the chest, the affidavit says. Johnson drove away down El Camino Real, but crashed soon after. He was pronounced dead at El Camino Hospital.

Police say the three suspects then got in their car and chased the other party of three young men, resulting in a violent car chase and shootout on city streets and Highway 85. During this encounter, one of the passengers in the fleeing vehicle was shot in the leg, police said.

The investigation seemed to move quickly at first, with the first suspect, Talarico, apprehended while getting off a bus in Mobile, Ala. thanks some investigative help from the FBI. The second suspect, Romero, was later apprehended as he exited the Jack in the Box on El Camino Real near Ehrhorn Avenue — only a few yards from where the Feb. 7 shooting took place.

This is about medicinal use, not recreational use. It would be up to the business to make sure the clients are legally allowed to purchase the marijuana. I see rage from people that have no idea what they're talking about. My mother, was diagnosed with cancer. Not long after that she couldn't eat. At the time the issue of medicinal marijuana was just a thought. I had to break the law and get it illegally for her. Much to my familys surprise she got an appetite that helped her get much needed food in her system. Which in turn made her stronger so she could continue treatment.

Abuse will happen no matter what the substance is. Alcohol is abused and laws are broken every day. Under age kids buying it from store keepers that only care about daily receipts. People drinking and driving, then getting in accidents. People leaving bars drunk and causing fights or other obnoxious things in town. Prescription drugs are abused and obtained illegally. Both of these are much more of a danger to you or your community.

I won't go on but if you'd like to educate yourself please do so by looking at how long marijuana has been used for medicinal purposes. It's been around longer than any drug you can get from your Doctor. It's all about regulation and having the right people running the program. Blame the out of control Doctors that have no ethics or morals that charge a minimal fee for a recommendation. But at least show compassion for those in need of the service. We all owe them that much.

Lastly, to clear something else up. Marijuana does not cure anything. It is simply used as an aid to those like my mother in gaining an appetite, or it is used to 'mask' over pain people are in. It takes their minds of the pain while not having to take addictive and harmful chemical drugs.

Marijuana prohibition has been a total failure and is perhaps this country's greatest mistake. Not only has it created criminals out of nearly a third of the country's populace, it costs our society billions of dollars every year, creates a strain on our prison system, and has little or no effect on marijuana use in the US. In some cases, prosecuting marijuana use has turned non-violent, middle class kids into violent and unpredictable, career criminals. Once a person has a criminal conviction on their record, they are far less likely to find a good job and become a useful member of society. Other countries with more liberal drug laws have much lower rates of drug addiction among their people. I invite you to my web-page devoted to raising awareness on the assault on our civil liberties: Web Link

Either way, potheads are potheads and a drag on society.

Advocates for legalizing and taxing marijuana in California for adults older than 21 announced they were submitting ballot initiative petitions with 700,000 signatures today, much more than is needed to qualify the measure for the November 2010 ballot. - Sacbee front page today

Web Link

Mother Earth has supplied the marijuana, which has been used for many years in many Native American rituals. If the sacred spirit for which it is intended does not get misinterpreted, then marijuana is a good thing. But, as in many cases, people take a good thing and turn it around to become evil. Pot is only one case. Take a look at alcohol abuse, weapons, the internet, etc.

From the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Ruling on Marijuana (1988)

<i>First, the record on marijuana encompasses 5,000 years of human experience. Second, marijuana is now used daily by enormous numbers of people throughout the world. Estimates suggest that from twenty million to fifty million Americans routinely, albeit illegally, smoke marijuana without the benefit of direct medical supervision. Yet, despite this long history of use and the extraordinarily high numbers of social smokers, there are simply no credible medical reports to suggest that consuming marijuana has caused a single death.</i> (p. 56)

<i>In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume.</i> (p. 57)

<i>The evidence in this record clearly shows that marijuana has been
accepted as capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very
ill people, and doing so with safety under medical supervision. It would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance in light of the evidence in this record.</i> (p. 67)

Full text: Web Link

More marijuana myths here:
Web Link

Legalize it. Don't criticize it. Legalize it, yea. Uhhuh... and I will advertise it.

I have Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. The pain in my extremities never goes away. It saps my energy; I can't do half the things I did before my injury. All of this talk has me wondering if mj would help with my pain. I will ask my doctor.

It is interesting to see the clash of ideas. I feel sad for Ms. Hater; she seems so angry and unwilling to consider other points of view. She must have a strong life experience that put her in this frame of mind.

My hope is that the community members listen to each other and consider alternative points of view and then craft a solution that may not be perfect for every one but is one that everyone can support.

A special thank you to Daniel Debolt! Writing a non-biased article and bringing attention to this very important issue is rendering a public service and you should be admired.

I would like to say that after seeing the comments posted from some within the constituency here in Mountain View its overwhelmingly apparent that we truly are surrounded by compassionate intellectuals who will not cower to unfounded falsities, accusations, and scare tactics made by those who are uneducated and lost. It is essential that we remember those who are skeptical and cynical of Cannabis have not experienced life as we know it. I am a fourth generation Mountain View resident, and even while traveling on the opposite side of the United States for almost 3 years, I have always been very proud to speak to others about this great city that my forefathers and I grew up in. I praise and applaud all those who have spoken on behalf of the sick and suffering. Some of these patients have crippling diseases and disorders and they should be embraced and accounted for instead of demeaned and neglected. May the angels around us, bless you all.

I would like convey to all those who are against a medical Cannabis facility locally please read the following. If you have any additional questions I encourage you to reply with them.

MARYJANE HATER – Your “name” screams brilliance. The statement about easily obtaining a prescription (its really a recommendation) from any doctor is inaccurate. In fact, licensed physicians in the state of California are more inclined to scrutinize patients and their conditions now, than ever before. As far as insinuating people who ingest or inhale Cannabis are going to be running amuck around our city, that’s absurd.

DAVID – I found it humorous when you encouraged moving to the south. Racism, ignorance and discrimination exist everywhere but unfortunately still seem to thrive there.

UNDRGRNDGRL – You are absolutely right, there have been countless studies that have disproved the notion that cannabinoids in ones system makes them more susceptible to getting into accidents. In addition there have even been studies that have shown quite the contrary. If a person (who is not physically handicapped) is not capable of lifting a leg up for thirty seconds or touching their nose while their eyes are closed they shouldn’t be driving in the first place and they should be given a dui. That doesn’t sound like Cannabis to me, that’s more likely a side effect of heavy narcotic prescription drugs or alcohol.

JOE SCHMOE – “If drug addicts and lazy perverts want to do marijuana, they should buy it on a street corner or in the local junior high school or grow it in their caves. Don't give us this bull that "they need it for their health." They just want to get high.” Wow Joe……First Id like to extend my hand to you and if youd ever like to sit down in person and have an academic discussion about this subject let me know and I would be happy to. Second, do you realize you just defecated and urinated on people who are consistently in distress because of their difficult and sometimes painful afflictions ranging from insomnia and hyper/hypo thyroid to multiple sclerosis and terminal cancer?? Please, cruelty has no place in our society.

MARYJANE HATER – Its “Absolutely Ridiculous” for you to imply people who responsibly medicate with Cannabis are delinquents and incapable of being beneficial components of society. I have been working since the age of 14 and have been considered an “asset”, a “jewel”, a “gem” by almost every employer I’ve ever had. I have been inhaling Cannabis periodically throughout the day, every day, since the age of 16.

DER KK – One of the many differences between alcohol and Cannabis is that almost 50,000 Americans die annually solely due to internal complications from alcohol while in thousands and thousands and thousands of year’s worth of civilizations around the world utilizing Cannabis there have been 0 documented cases of such an extreme. I appreciate your comedy, laughter is the best medicine.

BRUNO – Hilarious as well! Bob was a great man… Dying at 36 just isn’t right. Skin cancer, go figure. RIP Bob Marley.

MARNIE – Tell it like it is! There are many more professional and family oriented people like yourself all around you who are medicating with Cannabis. Its courageous of you to stand up and scream out for those incapable of doing so themselves. I commend you, well done.

AND IM A REPUBLICAN TOO – those were ignorant statements indeed.. I am sorry about your father crossing-over but its gratifying to hear that you, like many others, firmly believe Cannabis preserved and extended the life of a loved one. I am glad that it allowed more time to be together. Seeing Cancer patients raid their cupboards and refrigerators after inhaling Cannabis can still make me cry..why is the government being so dishonest?? all the while people are living and dying in pain!! I am a very proud American but some of those who have been elected to lead us are failing us, and while they fail us, people die. Yes AIART, lets progress!

B.D. – “Uploaded: Wednesday, January 27, 2010, 4:20 PM Daniel? Coincidence or??????” When I initially saw that I wondered if that was his doing, or angels… perhaps he can give us a definitive answer one way or the other. 

HARDIN – “the first thing we should be discussing is the effectiveness of marijuana as medicine, from a clinical standpoint. Until there is scientific, repeatable evidence that marijuana has proven medical benefits, the issue of whether or not to have a dispensary is premature. Let's checkout the horse, before we approve the building of a cart.” Perhaps 10,000 years of civilizations around the world using Cannabis for its medical properties should be sufficient to end that discussion, don’t you think? What about the fact that at least 28 medications had Cannabis in them here in the United States up until about 1920 when big business and our government began sleeping together??

PROPONENT – Alcoholism consumes millions of Americans. One day I realized I had never done anything that I was proud of let alone something great while inebriated from alcohol. I have very rarely ever consumed alcohol since that day.

LIVN&LVNLIFE – Yes, there are many professionals amongst us who use it for medical or recreational purposes. I do not condone abuse or addiction to anything. Prescription drugs kill at least 100,000 Americans annually and some estimates suggest over 200,000. Since the beginning of Cannabis consumption there has been no evidence of an overdose resulting in death.

MARY JANE HATER – I hope youre not a cynic….. healthy skepticism is ok, being cynical would make you archaic.

PLEASE READ – Of course there are going to be people who attempt to profiteer somewhere within the medical Cannabis system but that doesn’t justify throwing up your hands and turning your back on patients.

Parent – Precisely, prescription and over the counter drugs are killing at least 200 Americans a day.

MARY JANE HATER – You are not familiar with how thorough the vast majority of local doctors are while reviewing patients and their conditions. If someone says their feet hurt the doctor will tell them not to tie their shoe laces so tightly. If they produce documentation which clearly shows that the patient has MS and that’s why they have the burning sensation in their feet, they will be given a recommendation. “Sell To Youngsters”??? Youre naïve.. While being involved in this movement for the last several years I have never personally witnessed nor heard of any patients around me illegally selling medicine to our youths! They would be ridiculed and shunned! No more baseless statements please. And isolated cases would be a very weak defense.

CONFUSED – I believe he was referencing a grow operation that occurred in Los Banos. Achieving 900,000 dollars worth of Cannabis in one yield is an absolutely incredible amount. So incredible that its unbelievable. A very inclined green thumb individual would need at least 150-200 1,000 watt lights to accomplish that. Most growers have a hard time growing with just a couple of lights. Those numbers must be ridiculously exaggerated.

MV RES – I hope he sees the light and conforms one day. Exploiting patients and their conditions by applying a tax on top of their expensive medication which isn’t covered by insurance companies would be disadvantageous and unethical. If people are purchasing it for recreational use then it is a luxury and then could perhaps be justifiably taxed.

DAN – Goodluck…Adios!

BRUNO – I concur, have fun in Virginia Dan..

QM – What does a recreational drug deal gone wrong have to do with a secure professionally run medical Cannabis wellness center?? Oooooh you mean not allowing access for our patients forces them to contribute to the success and prosperity of our local street drug dealers??? So you really mean, lets open a facility or two that will compromise the hold that street drug dealers have on our patients which allows them to continue to operate and prey on our youths within the community? Got it! Before saying Cannabis led to this young mans death I would say cocaine led to his death. Take the cocaine out of the situation and perchance no one dies.

THOM – You my friend are quite educated about Cannabis and seem to stand by some of the same ethical principles which I do. Keep enlightening, and thank you.

DAVID – Great points! Billions of dollars have been wasted in the fight against Cannabis. Children and the average adult have been put in jail for low amount Cannabis offenses and then they come out exponentially worse off than they were when they went in. Very sad.

JUNE - I have a feeling that you have commented on this thread already but under a different “name”……… “pot heads are pot heads and a drag on society” Please approach this discussion with an open mind. “pot head” is a derogatory term that implies people who ingest Cannabis are delinquents and permanently planted on their couches. Many patients are very beneficial components of society.
QM – I am not certain how I will be voting on recreational use of Cannabis in November. As long as it doesn’t amend out medical Cannabis laws I will very seriously consider it.

EARTH – God made Cannabis. Man made beer. Who do you trust?

PEACELOVE – over 10 percent of American adults are ingesting or inhaling Cannabis regularly.

MJFTW – You mean RE-Legalize it. ; )

WONDERING – Yes many patients who have nerve issues utilize the medical properties within Cannabis. Definitely google testimonials and speak with your doctor! Ms. Hater will eventually conform. Truth Heals.

I felt an impulse to respond to some of the comments on here and then felt ultimately duty-bound to reply to all of them. Now I would like to speak about 4 different arguments which are always used by the medical Cannabis opposition.

The most important argument in my eyes is our children. Every medical marijuana initiative is combated against by groups claiming that legalizing Cannabis for medical purposes would “send the wrong message to our children” and create a “social pandemic”. The truth is, according to every medical Cannabis state Attorney General Survery and the Youth Risk Behavior Association Survey, youth usage has gone down substantially and even plummeted since the enactment of the states medical Cannabis laws (Here in California are numbers have plunged in every Cannabis category over the course of the past 13 years). If you compare medical Cannabis state declines with the increases and decreases in states that don’t have medical Cannabis laws, there really is no comparison. I will not sit here and argue that legalizing Cannabis for medical purposes has somehow discouraged usage, BUT, at the very least we can conclude that legalizing it for medical purposes did not encourage our youths illegal use of it. Dispensaries = Compromising our youth? No.

Crime is the second concern that I hear from people. A properly run wellness facility will have protocols and policies that will minimize the potential for any criminal activity. Recently there have been a few robberies and burglaries here in Mountain View. If these different establishments actually had the safeguards and security measures in place that a genuine Cannabis facility would have, it is highly doubtful that these occurrences would happen. I am not suggesting that every establishment should hire security to “check” everyone at the door or have cameras everywhere detouring would be opportunists, BUT, I am saying that the vast majority of criminals wouldn’t attempt to rob or burglarize an establishment that is more secure than a bank. A recent report clearly shows no correlation between legalizing Cannabis for medical purposes a spike in crime. In fact we have had a significant drop in most types of crimes…since when you ask?? Since the middle of the 1990’s…. hmmmm… how much of a decline you ask?? The level of violent crimes has dropped to a 40 year low here in California. Dispensaries = Crime? No.

Federal intervention was brought up repeatedly over the course of the last several years. The Obama administration has stated that the federal government will no longer intervene as long as the collective is not breaking state laws. This argument has been eradicated. Dispensaries = Federal Intervention? No.

Lastly some are concerned with the size of our city not being big enough for a facility. Some towns of less than 5,000 people have successful operating Cannabis centers. Some cities that have half our population (MV pop. 75,000 +/-) harbor more than several dispensaries. Dispensaries = Problem for cities with populations similar to ours? No.

Some things in life aren’t easy. Obstacles rarely just vanish. People will repeatedly tell you to give up. Do not listen. Strive for greatness by rising above the skeptics and cynics.

Cannabis Is Medicine! May good health, felicity, and peace be with you all..

Mr. Lustig:

You miss the point. To legalize or not should not be decided by you or any one on this board. Distribution should not be decided by the City Council with you as a vocal proponent. We are a nation of laws with a legislative process--a point you totally ignore. If you want it legalized, you should work to change state AND federal laws. That is unlikely to ever happen if you took the time to put down that joint and read up on it. If the City Council approved such a concept as yours, it would be open to massive law suits for liability. In the meantime I suggest you go find another way to solve your problems other than one centered on dependency. In my experience weak minds use illegal drugs and then come up with weak arguments that very confuse complex matters of medical science. Equating marijuana with live-saving prescriptions drugs is really irresponsible and self-serving on your part. Sorry to be blunt, but someone needed to say it. Get help. You need it.

AAAAMMMEEENNN TO "MD"... AMEN!

I could not have said it any better.
Mr. Lustig has way too much time on his hands..

Prop 215 is the path to legalization, which is the next step for the ballot box in November. All of this RX talk will be for not, when any adult in California can legally grow a marijuana plant in their house, apartment or backyard. All it needs is your vote.

MD - What are you talking about??? I am speaking on medical Cannabis!! I stated I wasnt sure how I was going to vote on the up coming re-legalization of Cannabis!! MD???? Youre insinuating youre a medical doctor???? EVERY 10 minutes in the United States ALONE, AT LEAST 1 person dies from either a horrific allergic reaction or an overdose due to prescription drugs! Every 10 minutes, of every hour, of every day, of every year, for decades now!!!! In almost 10,000 years of WORLDWIDE Cannabis consumption, 0 people have died from an allergic reaction or an overdose! Who are the intellectual and sick going to believe??? Thousands and thousands and thousands of years worth of civilizations around the world who utilized the flower for medical purposes, or you and our government?????!!!! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF TO ENCOURAGE THE USAGE OF HARDCORE NARCOTIC PRESCRIPTION DRUGS RATHER THAN ONE OF THE MOST BENEFICIAL YET BENIGN DRUGS THAT HAS EVERY EXISTED!! If you are trully a medical doctor, I ask you to do the patients a favor and stop practicing!!

FINALLY - amen??? too much time on my hands??? Actually I felt compelled to respond to all posts on this thread in an attempt to ease the minds of those who are uneducated and skeptical. I was up until after 5 am this morning. While you slept, patients and their loved ones cried themselves to sleep, and I wrote.

Shame on both of you.

Okay Mr. Lustig,

You have chronic headaches. I know many people who have chronic headaches, but they do not use marijuana. In fact, they meditate, change their diets, or use herbal remedies that are NOT illegal and NOT considered a drug. Good for you if you want to help people that actually NEED marijuana.. but you know what.. you should really leave that to doctors. Doctors DO prescribe marijuana to patients that are in dire need of it. Cancer patients do have the option to use marijuana for medicinal purposes and doctors will prescribe it to them!

What you do not understand-- same goes for the rest of you marijuana users-- is that marijuana is usually smoked.. which IS harmful. You

continuing from my last comment which got cut-off...

If you smoke marijuana for a long time, you will experience changes in your body and mind that are NOT positive. It has been proven that marijuana contains carcinogens and can increase the risk of getting cancer. I'm pretty sure there are many other long term side effects related to this drug and they will come out sooner or later.

This is going to be an endless fight against marijuana users and non-drug users. I am starting to see that there is no reason to argue with an avid pot smoker because you are not sober like the rest of us and you will argue with us until the end of time to defend a drug.

Mary Jane Hater:

Allow me to respond before someone else does more angrily. It is unfortunate that you've tried to poison what is otherwise a good and productive conversation with your invective and name-calling. Even your latter message above, which almost rose to something sensible-sounding, couldn't resist a kiss-off insult at the end.

This is why your comments are not welcome here. I do not insist that Town Square commenters agree with medical-marijuana advocates -- only that they are civil and reasonable. Overall, you are neither. Please take your own advice and quit posting here.

I apologize and please remove my comment(s) if it comes off as offensive. I strongly disagree with people who do not have medical conditions to use marijuana and I guess I just took it a little too far. To all I have offended, please accept my apology.

Thanks, Mr. Lustig, for your cogent comments. The responses are ignorant and baseless, so they resort to:

1. Ad hominem attacks (MD: "...if you took the time to put down that joint and read up on it." and "I suggest you go find another way to solve your problems other than one centered on dependency.")(Mary Jane Hater: "I am starting to see that there is no reason to argue with an avid pot smoker because you are not sober like the rest of us...")

2. Falsehoods (Mary Jane Hater: "It has been proven that marijuana contains carcinogens and can increase the risk of getting cancer."). No it hasn't. See here: Web Link

3. Wrongheadedness (MD: "Equating marijuana with live-saving prescriptions drugs is really irresponsible and self-serving on your part.")
No it's not. The DEA itself admitted *20 years ago* that marijuana was "far safer than many foods we commonly consume" and "The evidence in this record clearly shows that marijuana has been accepted as capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very ill people, and doing so with safety under medical supervision." Since then, thousands of studies worldwide have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of marijuana as a treatment for a wide variety of conditions. See the Wikipedia page for an overview: Web Link

4. Tautologies: I refer here to the "Marijuana is illegal and therefore it is bad" or "It is bad because it's illegal" type arguments. First of all, the citizens of California voted over ten years ago to allow the medicinal use of marijuana. So it actually is NOT illegal in California. State law clashes with Federal law, but any argument resting on the morality of "illegally" using marijuana in a medicinal capacity in California is bogus on its face. The people of California voted to allow it; the fact that the will of the people has been deliberately thwarted by Federal (and some State) law enforcement does not invalidate this democratically decided position.

Why is marijuana illegal in the first place? Why, with a death toll of zero, with the DEA itself admitting that it is safer than many commonly consumed foods, are we even having this argument? Here are a few possible answers:

1. Clearly, marijuana is capable of replacing a large number of expensive and patented pharmaceutical drugs. The multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry has to be pretty nervous at the thought of millions of customers treating themselves with a safe, effective and non-patentable medicine.

2. The War on (some) Drugs is very, very profitable for those who wage it, including police forces who use seizure laws to fund their operations, security companies who supply the increasingly militarized drug warriors and the vast prison industrial complex which now holds over 2.3 million of our fellow citizens, many for non-violent drug offenses.

3. Generations of dishonest "reefer madness" propaganda continues to influence people like MD and Mary Jane Hater to this day, making meaningful reform more difficult.

The battle is nearing an end. Every time the world sees the police raiding a dispensary, taking medicine away from a sick person, decent citizens come over to the side of truth.

Change is a difficult thing for people to deal with. That the world they believe in is going to be somehow different from what they've convinced themselves it is or was, from what they've been lead to believe is Right.

The irrational rants from folk clinging to "reefer madness" -like propaganda (or "drill, baby, drill" mantras) as gospel are the violent death throes of a passing ideology.

Yeah, it sucks being on the receiving end, but have a little compassion for those whose preconceived worlds are being torn apart by harsh facts and empirical evidence.

[Post removed due to disrespectful comment]

Lustig--rather than being a one-man provocateur for your smoky cause, you'd do better by getting endorsements by the American Medical Association, local PTAs, and Police Officer's Associations. When you've gotten these organizations' approval, then come back and make your argument for legalizing pot.

Believe it or not, the vast majority of doctors prescribe drugs to their patients to cure them of life threatening diseases of which marijuana would have no beneficial effect. And even if marijuana does have a beneficial effect, as mentioned above, there are many other alternative and legal ways to deliver the same beneficial effect. That is, unless you have become so dependent on pot that it's clouding your thinking. And there are prescription drugs that are very, very very effective and which deliver much less harm than marijuana. So, rather than throw the entire medical community and pharmaceutical research community under the bus, get real medical and pharmaceutical science behind your poorly-informed cause. Or, take your cause to Latin America or Africa where the there is plenty of pot to go around. There is also plenty of misery related to poor health care. And guess what? Smoking pot ain't gonna help 'em. Those peoples would love to have just a fraction of the medical care and prescription drugs available in this country that you are so quick to disparage.

This community would so much better if people took the time to educate themselves on the subject rather than throw personal opinions that are not based on facts.

I'll throw just two facts out there for you to digest. In the meantime I recommend doing some research on the subject matter before expressing your personal rage which is baseless.

Fact:
The DEA's Administrative Law Judge, Francis Young concluded: "In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. For example, eating 10 raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death. Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within the supervised routine of medical care.

And another:

There have been no reports of lung cancer related solely to marijuana, and in a large study presented to the American Thoracic Society in 2006, even heavy users of smoked marijuana were found not to have any increased risk of lung cancer. Unlike heavy tobacco smokers, heavy marijuana smokers exhibit no obstruction of the lung's small airway. That indicates that people will not develop emphysema from smoking marijuana.

And for the record, I will not be voting in favor of legalizing for recreational use but because of my knowledge and research I will be supporting the medicinal use.

i was a habitual smoker for 13 years. didn't do a thing for me. i know potheads today.it doesn't do anything for them either. well, ok they are usually pretty good at video games and know whats on t.v. at any given time of day/nite.then there is my riend dying of cancer. "steve's" dctor gave him a year at best. the good doctor threw in some chemo, and radiation for good measure.steve began losing weight and strencth at a rapid pace. steve got a weed card and started gaining his weight / stregnth back. steve has been around for 3 years past the doctors grim life expectancy, and is doing fine today. steve stopped smoking about 6 months ago. said he didn't need it anymore.i guess the point im trying to make is this: pot is here to stay. like it or not, use it or not. like the more illicit, if not lethal drugs on the street, as long as there is a demand for it , there will always be a supply. pot has positive uses and there is no denying that. doctors around the world believe it and so do i.like any drug out there it can and will be abused, although not to the extent of say methamphetimine, heroin etc...making pot legal would be a tremendous source of taxable revenue the government there is no doubt in that.when you look at alcahol related traffic fatalities in comparison to pot related fatalities i would wager to say there is no comparison whatsoever.the whole issue is really getting stale. what say we legalise it for a while and see what happens? of course maryjane hater would probably have kittens but hey! we all have to give a little right?to the maryjane hater : one of the great things about this country is that if you don't like what your seeing ....WALK AWAY! your hatred is childish.through 43 years of roaming the earth i have never met or known of anyone who has stolen , or killed to buy pot so get over yourself.

MR NICE – That’s counter-productive sir.. I highly doubt it’s the Christians and Catholics who are impeding medical Cannabis. People are sick and suffering, it’s obvious to me where Jesus Christ stands on this issue. Even though I am not affiliated with any particular religion, Jesus is permanently around my neck because of the morals and ideologies for which he stands for. The instrument that transcends all religions is unconditional love.

MARY JANE HATER - "You have chronic headaches."
Actually I was diagnosed with ADHD at 5 years old and Chronic Migraines at 8...
I was prescribed an array of medications (beginning at 5 years old!!!!) which destroyed me physically and psychologically in many fashions!! When I was a child I didnt eat breakfast, I didnt eat lunch, I walked around “confused”, I endured induced headaches, I felt nausea often, I was very depressed, and I BROKE 9 BONES!!!!!! why??? BECAUSE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS HAD ENDORSED AND PRESCRIBED FEEDING ME AMPHETAMINES EVERY DAY, MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY, FOR OVER A DECADE!!!!!!!! In my early 20's I was going through my medical files and I came across a piece of paper where my mother had written down medications which I had been subjected to when I was younger. THE LIST CONSISTED OF ALMOST 15 MEDICATIONS!!!!!!!! To this day when dental professionals do thorough examinations of my teeth they ask me very quietly and in concerned manners "do you do amphetamines??"!!! The side effects from the cocktail of drugs doctors required me to take will accompany me indefinitely.

Those "safe" medications which you refer to kill over 100,000 Americans annually and annihilate the internal organs of even more!! How can we as a civil society conclude that obliterating the lives and the insides of CHILDREN and adults in the hope of medicinal potential is acceptable but when patients with serious conditions choose to utilize Cannabis to ease their anguish (which has been used for thousands of years!) they are prohibited, persecuted, and prosecuted?!?!?!?! That is utterly preposterous, depravity, and disgusting!!

Now you understand where my passion comes from…

I have done countless hours of research online (Literally thousands). I only ask anyone in disbelief of the medical qualities of Cannabis please take 15 minutes right now to change the rest of your life and benefit the lives of many. Google: Medical Cannabis. You will see the truth.

Kevin – I am going to state it for the second time now….. I never said I wanted to legalize (its really re-legalize!) Cannabis for recreational use!! You made me realize something too Kevin…when a blind and ignorant individual refers to me as a provocateur, it doesn’t affect me. Thank You, I wish you well.

Woman’s suffrage, civil rights, ending wars, and slavery are a few momentous movements, geared towards the betterment of society, which were led primarily by the younger generation. On behalf of all those great people who contested injustices then, on behalf of all those who combat injustices now, and all those who will engage and overcome injustice in the future...People like myself fight for medical Cannabis!

Peace be with you all.

Jonathan, you clearly have had some long-term issues to contend with and, coupled with your hours of internet research hardly makes you much of a credible cause of this issue. You are far too biased to speak for the many non-users who are against this issue. I think you should stand back, along with all the other users, and let non-users and more qualified professionals and lawmakers handle this.

[Portion removed due to disrespectful comment] It has been upto our medical professionals and legislators for 40 years and they have deplorably neglected the pain and suffering of millions! No sir! I will not back down to ignorance! And you sir should educate yourself!

The statement made by Carl was perfectly reasonable and in good faith. You don't need to agree with him, but you must refrain from calling him names.

Don I called him a genius!!?? Because I was being facetious??? That's ridiculous in my opinion, you make it appear I said something dreadfully disrespectful! These individuals are belittling and demeaning patients with diseases and disorders but face no censorship... saying someone is thickheaded and uneducated about cannabis is not nearly as offensive as people dishonoring the sick and weak!! Please explain yourself Mr Francis.

Don't let them rile you up Jon. Who says, "let non-users and more qualified professionals and lawmakers handle this." anyways? Not sure you'd find too many people that agree with that statement no matter what the subject. Some people just love to judge, it makes them feel better about themselves.

Is that true Don? Is Mr. Lustig telling the truth? were the terms thickheaded and uneducated about cannabis used or did he really say something that required censorship? Or was it his sarcasm? I see many terrible things being said about sick people who smoke pot on here. Those offensive remarks shouldnt have been allowed to be posted. Yes it is only a few people but all the same. If you are going to censor Mr. Lustig for the things that he said you censored him for, you are far from being fair and balanced. I dont even think what he says he said warrants censorship. If he is lying well there goes his credibility. But if he is not there is a problem with your credibility. I would like to see what Mr. Lustig said.
My mother died of cancer and used pot to fight the pain in her body and to help her eat. I take this issue very seriously. Calling people like my mother names like "lazy perverts" is inexcusable. My mother would tell me that pot was better than any medicine she was given by doctors and couldnt believe she was lied to her entire life. Lets keep this discussion factual and be understanding of others feelings. For the record, yes I do think MV should look into a local pot club.

Bruno - Thank you. Sometimes I need to take a breath (or inhale some medication) to realize the intellectuals around me see through the falsities and absurdities surrounding this medical prohibition. Thanks for your positive contributions.

Kevin - I am not misleading you at all..I really just said those things! I see that he hasn't responded yet, I hope we get some clarity! Thanks for questioning it as well! I am sorry about your mother, she sounds like a bright woman :) I am positive she is proud of you speaking out! Be well..

Truth Heals

This thread has become a venue for Lustig to attack anyone who disagrees with him. Those against are ignorant, those for are bright and compassionate.

From what I've read here, Lustig is dealing and trafficking in marijuana to his so-called "patients" without a medical license--another term is drug dealing. The police should get involved and shut his operation down.

Also, with a statement such as "I need to take a breath (or inhale some medication)" I really wonder Lustig is taking his prescription pot for. Is someone going to tell me medical marijuana patients don't overdose as well?

Carl, why should only non-users be represented in this decision? That flies in the face of American democracy. Our voices are no more important than those who smoke pot for medicinal or any other reason.

"You are far too biased to speak for the many non-users who are against this issue."

And you (and they) are far too biased to speak for the many users and non-users who are for this issue.

That's how this whole thing works.

John, regarding the potential to OD see:
Web Link
Web Link

The worst-case scenario that can possibly be described as a marijuana "overdose" basically involves a panic attack, with no real danger or lasting damage.

More concerning is people having to purchase marijuana on the street - which is in no way regulated, may contain dangerous substances, and feeds a black-market economy that's at the heart of street gangs and other organized crime.

"This thread has become a venue for Lustig to attack anyone who disagrees with him. Those against are ignorant, those for are bright and compassionate." - Attack is such a strong word, I prefer passionately engage. Youre insinuating a lie John. I have used the word ignorant twice through this entire thread. The first time I was supporting statements made by another person. The second time I was responding to an impolite and naive person who called me a provocateur. You have an apple f or ctrl f function dont you?? I sense a slightly paranoid conscious..... The people who stand up against this barbaric medical prohibition are admirable indeed. Ethics, science, and history are against those who dont.

"From what I've read here, Lustig is dealing and trafficking in marijuana to his so-called "patients" without a medical license--another term is drug dealing. The police should get involved and shut his operation down." - Again John, misconstruing facts and encouraging the harassment by local officials is disingenuous, hateful, and shameful. Unfortunately due to the lack of federal support, medical doctors cant legally dispense cannabis to patients. I feel it to be a privilege and I am very honored to help other patients here in our county. The patients in our collective have banned together so that we can access quality medication for far more reasonable prices than when we obtain it from dispensaries in Santa Cruz or San Francisco. The collective is a not for profit model and patients within the collective acquire medication for 25-40 percent less than we would at the vast majority of facilities. Why? Because we strive towards keeping it as close to at cost as possible. The street would be the only other option but the quality, consistency, and reliability can be very poor let alone the expense of it. And quite frankly pushing patients who have Epileptic, IBD, Crones, PTSD, Multiple Sclerosis, Arthritic, Cancer, Bi-polar, OCD, Depressed, Anorexic, Glaucoma, AIDS, Hepatitis C, Alzheimer, Diabetic, Fibromyalgia, ALS, Osteoporosis, MRSA, Insomniacs, Tourettes Syndrome, and the many other mental and physical disabilities would be despicable and completely irresponsible. Again, I refuse to believe we are by and large a barbaric society. Perhaps that type of incompassionate, neglectful, and discriminatory community exists and thrives elsewhere like in the south, but not here in the Silicon Valley.

"Also, with a statement such as "I need to take a breath (or inhale some medication)" I really wonder Lustig is taking his prescription pot for. Is someone going to tell me medical marijuana patients don't overdose as well?" - Sir I have already stated that I have ADHD to combat with on a moment by moment basis. If I do not medicate I am noticeably hyperactive and can come across overbearing. Look how many exclamation points I applied to many of my words throughout this thread.. Cannabis minimizes my hyperactivity and allows me to relax and have the ability to concentrate and focus on individual tasks without contending with my mind racing off on tangents. Thats just the beginning of the benefits that Cannabis has for my ADHD/Migraines, but I'll leave it at enough to reply to your statement.

Estimates range from 5,500-10,000+ years of Cannabis consumption around the world. While in the United States alone 1 person perishes due to prescription drugs every 10 minutes, of every hour, of every day, of every week, of every month, of every year, for decades now...there has never been a single reporting of a lethal dose of Cannabis.

I do apologize for the extensively long comments. I find it to be a important responsibility to respond to people who are not fully educated about medical Cannabis. I constantly see and hear about the crippling ailments which patients are forced to live with and then I hear them talk about the magnificent benefits they find with Cannabis. It took almost 2 months for me to gain my composure and keep from always walking away from other patients without having tears in my eyes. They are not only tears of empathy, they tend to be tears of anger as well. How could we let these people down?? Everyone strives to be Jesus like right?? how could we get this one so wrong?? People are suffering while we live our lives. It just doesnt make sense to me...I lose sleep...I cant get over it.

Well I just wanted to apologize to those who find my posts annoying because of the lengths. I will attempt to be concise and refrain from carrying on in the future. Be well...

Violence, theft, and sloth exist everywhere but unfortunately still seem to thrive with colored people.

Sounds asinine, doesn't it? Yet comments like this are OK? "Racism, ignorance and discrimination exist everywhere but unfortunately still seem to thrive [in the South]."

The most insidious form of racism is not with the handful of yahoos running around in bedsheets but the with ingrained beliefs of people who believe that they are smart and well informed. The Bay Area "progressives" remind me of the old abolitionists societies that wanted to free slaves but did not allow blacks to be members of their societies because it was patently obvious that blacks were inferior.

"I do apologize for the extensively long comments"
"I just wanted to apologize to those who find my posts annoying because of the lengths"

Jonathan -- long-winded, rambling responses where you repeat yourself are a clear sign of drug abuse. Get help.

Mr. Lustig, et. al.,

I've been enjoying my weekend. How about you?

Since you demanded an explanation, here is the part of Lustig's post that I removed: "Carl are you really that thick headed and immoral???!! Leave it upto the medical professionals and our legislators????? You're a geius! Lol!"

As you get more wound up in this, your comments become no better than those on the opposing side, which I've also removed. (I would add that because you've made yourself a spokesperson for this cause, when you lose your cool you hurt your cause.)

Again, there is trouble on both sides here. For example, USA's first comment is fine ... but a condescending remark telling Lustig to "get help" is itself not helpful. I would like to see this conversation go forward without ad hominem attacks.

Yeah, you are right. The "get help" was gratuitous, though I do stand by my comment about the long term impact of drug use on the brain as evidenced by the ironic comment about the other guy being a "geius".

I won't pretend that my use of beer and JD shots is any better than other peoples use of pot, but I also won't pretend that beer and JD shots are anything other than liquid depressants that dull the mind.

I can understand marijuana being prescribed by MDs to terminally ill patients. I can't understand it being used by someone with ADHD as Mr. Lustig claims when he states, "I have ADHD to combat with on a moment by moment basis. If I do not medicate I am noticeably hyperactive and can come across overbearing." Seems a little excessive. I almost envision him walking around in a cloud of smoke like Cheech and Chong. I can just see it now. Sooner or later everyone will be claiming ADHD and smoking pot. It;s the illness du jour in public schools already for a system that can't handle undisciplined children or children who aren't used to hearing the word 'no'. I wonder if Mr. Lustig would do better to get quality medical and psychological care than argue, somewhat weakly and to the point of making a farce of the topic, I might add, for a coop in MV.

The label of medicinal vs. recreational use is just that, a label. It's like telling your kids that can of Coke you're drinking is "medicine" so that they stop asking for some.

Once someone purchases marijuana, there is no system in place, or being advocated that prevents "medicinal" marijuana from being used recreationally. That is why having this drug, if it is shown to be effective medicine, should be processed through established channels, ie doctor, pharmacist, prescriptions, etc.

The argument the pro medical marijuana group has is conflicting:

A. Marijuana is effective, safe medicine that should be used for medicinal purposes.

However,

B. It should be dispensed through a distribution that lies outside of already established channels that lack controls for ensuring non-medicinal use.

If A is true, then let it be dispensed in pharmacies, with a doctor's prescription.

Getting past the propaganda and convincing fundamentalist anti-pot forces to be open-minded is a big hurdle, if some of the comments on this board are taken as an example. Apparently, the DEA's own ruling that marijuana is extremely safe and quite effective for many conditions isn't enough. To the fundamentalists, if you defend sick people who find marijuana to be both safe and effective then you yourself must be an addict, a drain on society and (horrors!) a bad speller.

"The plural of anecdote isn't data" is a mantra for denialists of all stripes, but since medical marijuana research has been specifically and deliberately suppressed in the United States, anecdote is a big part of the data set. The mother of a friend of mine, suffering from terminal stomach cancer in her late 70s, found relief and an appetite from vaporized marijuana. She went from a frail, suffering old woman to a lively woman able to drive herself around for a while. Medical marijuana just works, for many people, and with far fewer (and less severe) side effects than almost any commercially available pharmaceutical. I assume those who deny this don't know someone who has used it.

If the word of the DEA isn't enough, how about the American Medical Association? They have called for a rescheduling of marijuana out of the class of drugs with "no medicinal value." Web Link

Quote: "The AMA has written an extensive, well-documented, evidence-based report that they are seeking to publish in a peer-reviewed journal that will help to educate the medical community about the scientific basis of botanical cannabis-based medicines."

The American College of Physicians endorsed medical marijuana back in February, 2008. Web Link

Quote: "Large medical associations move cautiously, and for the American College of Physicians to note 'a clear discord' between scientific opinion and government policy on medical marijuana is a stinging rebuke to our government. It's time for politicians and bureaucrats to get out of the way of good medicine and solid research."
- Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society also endorses medical marijuana: Web Link

The anti-pot contingent on this comment board don't seem to want to let a little thing like science get in the way of their fundamentalism. Global warming denial, anyone? Anti-evolutionists, anyone?

-----------
Jonathan, email me if you want to chat sometime. magicpeacelove at gmail dot com. I'm Jonathan, too.

The number one cause of catastrophic liver failure in this country is acetaminophen, the most popular brand of which is Tylenol. Any child can buy it in any convenience store. Think about that.

I am 45 years old and I have a broken back. I failed the fusion surgery and every year I loose more use of my spine and fail a little more.

I am on morphine and 2 other break thru narcotic mediications, 2 neuropothy medications(nerve blockers for the brain), 2 muscle spasm medications, and 5 other medications for my spine.

I am a medical marijuana user. My GP gave me a perscription that I took to a Medicann facility to get my license. Medi-cal helped pay for it.

If it wasn't for medical marijuana, I would be a blithering idiot from all the pain I'm in. Because yes, I hurt, all the time. Even with all the meds. Even the morphine.

Have you ever hurt so much that you wished you were dead? Live my life and then have an opinion on medical marijuana.

I would rather be by, live by, a pot head any day compared to an alcoholic.

Alocoholic = negative, mean and evil

Pot head = totally cool, is into peace and love, and would give his shirt off his back if he thought you would need it.

I have been using medical marijuana for almost a year. My psychiatric diagnoses are: major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder. I take medication subscribed by my doctor.

Previous to using medical marijuana, my family would come to see me because I could not visit them due to the extent of my depression and anxiety. Friends became voices on the phone and a card during the holidays. Functioning on a day-to-day level was difficult.

Medical marijuana helps me to be more self-sufficient. It has had a profound therapeutic value in that I now regularly connect with my family, and can some-times offer support to my friends.

After twenty years of treatment my doctors have found no better alternative. Having a dispensary can help lower the cost for many low-income people like myself and providing a place for more centralized distribution accountability.

So how do I go about getting my medical marijuana card? I was run over by a car about 15 years ago and no matter what kind of therapy or pills they give me...weed is the only thing that will help me go back to sleep from waking up in pain. They recently passed the bill in NJ, what is the process and does anything else improve my chances of getting one? reyaeger@live.com if anyone can help...

I'm not here to judge, but I do have a few things to say to some of you more ignorant and vulgar John Q's. My mom has MS. She isn't a druggie or pervert.. and MJH, she doesn't stink, thanks. She has an illness, one that is brutal and lasting, and some days, when she can't eat, I cry horribly. She has lost so much weight.

I think the worst sometimes is that she has bad spasms and can't eat. Sometimes we tease her about watching her weight, but it is so scary to see someone you love fight something like this. And while we have tried conventional means, some of the painkillers and such weren't very effective and damaged her organs.

When Jonathon comes to visit us, which is a blessing, he not only brings medicine that she can no longer get out to get, but he also brings intelligent conversation and a smile, which really brightens her day. He is not a "pervert" or a "doper", but is well mannered and clean. I can't thank him enough for what he has done for my mom.

All I am asking at this point is that you open your minds and maybe your heart a little. I don't smoke, but I know it helps my mom. And that is really what matters, because when you see someone you care about suffering, if you could, wouldn't you get them whatever you could to help?

The comments I've read supporting the use of marijuana as medicine are anecdotal, from personal experience. As few if any of us are qualified to unequivocally announce marijuana safe and effective medicine for public consumption, and be accepted by the medical community, any assertion of this in this forum is an opinion, not fact.

Although this is fine for a public discussion on the relative merits of marijuana in relieving symptoms, it is not adequate to address the fact that marijuana is still considered a drug, and therefore requires regulation and medical oversight like all drugs in its category to prevent misuse and abuse.

Allowing a separate dispensary (not a pharmacy) to distribute this substance, with none of the existing controls and oversight that other drugs have (prescriptions), doesn't make sense.

If marijuana is safe and effective, then it should be controlled like any other drug.

Hardin said: "The comments I've read supporting the use of marijuana as medicine are anecdotal, from personal experience. As few if any of us are qualified to unequivocally announce marijuana safe and effective medicine for public consumption, and be accepted by the medical community, any assertion of this in this forum is an opinion, not fact."
-----

Hardin: You have either missed or ignored the wealth of scientific data I and others have cited above. The assertion that smoked marijuana is "safer than many foods we commonly consume" comes from the Drug Enforcement Agency, as does the recognition that is an effective agent for treating a number of medical conditions. The AMA, the ACP and many other medical organizations have also recognized this.

As far as the contention that "marijuana is still considered a drug," you're using a tautology to avoid addressing the issue. Marijuana is a plant that has been used medicinally for millenia. Its categorization as a "drug," and subsequent restriction (which was opposed by the AMA at the time) are an artifact of the past seventy or so years, not an inherently logical stance. We don't regulate echinacha as a drug, or ginseng, valerian or any other strict botanical. Considering marijuana has never been found to cause a single death (look it up if you don't believe me), it is in fact safer than many other perfectly legal botanicals.

"If marijuana is safe and effective, then it should be controlled like any other drug."

No, since marijuana is safe and effective (according to the DEA and others) it should be available to whoever needs it just like any other naturally occurring plant.

Nearly a century of dishonest "Reefer Madness" propaganda has made it tough for even reasonable people to see how thoroughly debased the popular debate has become. Marijuana is simply not all that dangerous to begin with, and for people with a variety of health issues it is an extremely safe, very effective medicine with far fewer side effects than ANY commercially available pharmaceutical.

I don't like Marijuana because it steals time from people (mostly teens and young adults) and they can never get that back. I think anyone selling or providing drugs or alcohol to kids should go on the same registry as those who sexually abuse them. One is abuse of the mind, the other the body.

That said, there is verifiable benefit of medical Cannabis to a wide variety of conditions from AIDs to Cancer to PTSD/Anxiety. (Great links "Peacelover") There are people whose lives are ravaged by their condition on the one hand, and the side effects of their previous prescriptions on the other. Who among us has the right to deny a person whose can get their life back the ability to do so.

We changed the rules for distribution of Sudafed because people would buy it up to cook Meth-amphetamine. That was a responsible course. It has medicinal benefit, but needed controls against abuse. Why can't we logically apply the same mindset towards medical Cannabis? There are people who benefit profoundly from it.

People who want to get high are going to do it. They can pick up a buzz in cans or bottles at the corner store. A Cannabis dispensary won't change that in the least. What it will change is the cost incurred by those who rightly use Cannabis medically as prescribed by their physician. If someone is worried about people abusing the system, then fix the system. Don't take a promising medicine away from people suffering because others abuse the medicine they use respectfully, and gratefully.

Additional research into the court documents concerning the DEA that have been cited several times in this discussion reveals the following:

1. The decision was rendered by an administrative judge, who had the authority only to make recommendations. Ultimately, the DEA Administrator, who had the final authority on this matter, rejected the judge's recommendations, and instead specified the requirements (in detail) that marijuana would need to meet in order to be considered safe for medical use. To date, the official DEA's position on marijuana is that it is a Schedule 1 drug, having the highest potential for abuse and no proven medicinal value.

2. The judge's decision was based on the argument that Marijuana should be declassified as a Schedule 1 drug, to a Schedule 2 drug. Schedule 1 drugs include Heroin, Mescaline, and Peyote. Schedule 2 drugs include Opium, Methadone, and Amphetamines.

2. The decision was made in 1988, with no past decisions by any other court related to this matter, and more importantly, no similar decisions made to support this recommendation from 1988 to the present.

3. The judge ruled based on a minority opinion of doctors involved in the decision.

4. This singular decision is quoted by virtually every pro medicinal marijuana group. No other decisions are referenced. A google search will confirm this.

There are really 2 issues that have been discussed here:

1. Is Marijuana a safe and effective drug that can be used as medicine?

Aside from the anecdotal, subjective experiences from individuals, the is little in the way of documented Legal or Medical data that supports the assertion that Marijuana is safe and effective for use.

2. Should Mountain View allow the opening of a dispensary to distribute marijuana?

At best, the judicial recommendation cited by the DEA's judge would have declassified Marijuana from being considered to be the same level as Heroin, to being considered the same as Opium or Morphine. Assuming marijuana ever gets declassified to Schedule 2, it should be controlled like all other drugs in its class.

Either situation does not support the building of a dispensary for distributing marijuana.

This is today's story of medical marijuana in action, Web Link

My all time favorite medical marijuana story was about a guy who needed a prescription for marijuana to handle stress. His major cause of stress? Running out of marijuana.

Safe and affordable access to legal medicine... Is this too much to ask?
Chico, CA is taking a look Web Link

myself being a resident of Mountain View all my life. I medicate daily just like other parents medicate through prescription drugs, I medicate through a drug which is seen as BAD. Obviously the government is realizing how un-harmful marijuana really is and is finally taking a stand at doing something about it. As for MaryJaneHater you are one of those people who try to destroy something that is not yours. [Portion removed due to disrespectful comment or offensive language]

Those that oppose compassionate care should take a look at these. Looks like those that oppose are on the wrong side of the fence on this issue.
____________

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors Monday.

Two Justice Department officials described the new policy to The Associated Press, saying prosecutors will be told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state laws.

The new policy is a significant departure from the Bush administration, which insisted it would continue to enforce federal anti-pot laws regardless of state codes.

Fourteen states allow some use of marijuana for medical purposes: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington
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Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. directed federal prosecutors Monday to back away from pursuing cases against medical marijuana patients, signaling a broad policy shift that drug reform advocates interpret as the first step toward legalization of the drug.

The government's top lawyer said that in 14 states with some provisions for medical marijuana use, federal prosecutors should focus only on cases involving higher-level drug traffickers, money launderers or people who use the state laws as a cover.

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Thankfully we have people in high places that know what they're talking about. And to those that posted personal experiences I am glad you are able to cope with your pain with or without dangerous chemicals that slowly destroy organs. Marijuana is the compassionate drug that people deserve.

It seems the conversation has taken a far more civil turn. Good job to all contributors.

As a curious aside, I know demographically that the majority of people in the Bay Area are against frivolous use of animals for medical research, citing of course the issue of suffering. I wonder how many would rather a person suffer side effects from a prescription drug when they could find relief without the side effects from Cannabis. Is human suffering somehow more palatable then animal suffering? One wouldn't think so except for the fact that so many aren't even willing to accommodate those with verifiable conditions.

A person battling AIDs or Cancer has enough on their hands without having to battle for their medicine too.

Remove the stigma so physicians who feel it is appropriate can prescribe it for their patients without recriminations or negative professional implications. Right now doctors who think it might be helpful are afraid of the mixed messages between state and federal authorities. Make it so only a persons primary care physician can write the prescription. That eliminates the "Pay to Play" providers who write a scrip to make a buck for those who just want to buy the buzz.

Don't relegate people to second class care because others would abuse their prescription. Remember the changes in the Sudafed rules. That's a good model.

First off some of you should really be careful what you say online. For or against, we still need to produce intelligent, polite, thoughtful, fact based arguments.

With that said, I will say I am for it for one reason. Do you all realize how much money Santa Cruz is making off of OUR neighbors. How much tax revenue Oakland is getting that should be coming to US.

Opening up a "Club" in Mountain View will not cause your neighbors to START using. They already drive to Santa Cruz and Oakland and buy it there.

Santa Cruz and Oakland getting $100,000+ from OUR people. Shouldn't WE make tax revenue off the people that live in OUR town.

In a time where we need more jobs and money in Mountain View and you all want to TURN away very good money.

Silly Rabbit

Not to beat a dead horse (too late for that, I suspect!), but Hardin's point about the 1988 DEA ruling, and the lack of any similar ruling since, needs to be addressed. The sad fact is that marijuana research has been systematically and deliberately suppressed in this country. Medical researchers wishing to conduct properly controlled studies are denied medical marijuana by the only entity legally entitled to supply it--the Federal government. So the government is in the untenable position of claiming that "further study is needed" while also effectively making such research impossible.

The New York Times covered this very issue a few weeks ago: Web Link

"Marijuana is the only major drug for which the federal government controls the only legal research supply and for which the government requires a special scientific review.... But federal officials have repeatedly failed to act on marijuana research requests in a timely manner or have denied them, according to a 2007 ruling by an administrative law judge at the Drug Enforcement Administration."

As a more general comment, the entire War on Drugs rests on a house of cards. Virtually every major study of drug prohibition for over a century has concluded that the policy does more harm than good. Especially in the case of marijuana, the unanimous consensus is that prohibition is a costly waste of money, resources and lives. See them all here: Web Link

For instance:

* The LaGuardia Committee Report (1944): "The publicity concerning the catastrophic effects of marihuana smoking in New York City is unfounded."

* The Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs (1972): "Consumers Union recommends the immediate repeal of all federal laws governing the growing, processing, transportation, sale, possession, and use of marijuana."

* Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs (2001): "...We are able to categorically state that, used in moderation, cannabis in itself poses very little danger to users and to society as a whole.... [snip] ...In addition to being ineffective and costly, criminalization leads to a series of harmful consequences: users are marginalized and exposed in a discriminatorily fashion to the risk of arrest and to the criminal justice system; society sees organized crime enhance their power and wealth by benefiting from prohibition; and governments see their ability to conduct prevention of at-risk use diminished."

----

Finally, here is something I think we can all agree on: Web Link

Thank you to those who feel the need for safe and affordable access to Medical Marijuana. The city council has called for an emergency ordinance to stop from having dispensaries in Mountain View this TUESDAY FEBRUARY 9 2010 Please bring your comments to the Council meeting Tuesday night in order to thwart any defense these anti-compassionate folks may bring. I also invite those who appose as you may be come better educated and change your opinion after listening to real life stories on the benefits of Medical Marijuana.
Thanks in advance for your support of State Law.
Brian David
Executive Director
Shoreline Wellness Collective

Labeling people as "compassionate"/"anti-compassionate" is simplistic and inaccurate for this issue. Its no more appropriate than calling people on each side "mean"/"nice", or "good"/ "evil", and is insulting the intelligence of Mountain View residents who know better that this issue is much more complicated and nuanced than that.

The use of feel-good testimonies are fine for personal sharing with friends, but aren't enough when determining municipal policy. There are certainly pros and cons to marijuana, that need to be confirmed before formalizing any policy about how to distribute it. Promoting the pros, and ignoring the cons is short sighted, and leads to unforeseen problems and issues.

This is the major reason why we need facts and data to complete a thorough evaluation of the issue. For every feel good testimony that exists, marijuana also has a long history of abuse that needs to be addressed.

Web Link

Hardin: For every feel good testimony that exists, marijuana also has a long history of abuse that needs to be addressed.

No, it doesn't. Alcohol has a long history of abuse, marijuana does not. Marijuana has a millenia-long history of USE. Since it is largely illegal, any USE is often considered "abuse," but this is circular reasoning which debases the meaning of the term "abuse." Marijuana is not associated with increased violence (except the violence that accompanies the prohibition-created illegal drug trade), it is not particularly addictive, and it has never caused a single death. Compared to alchohol (or tobacco), marijuana is startlingly safe.

You seem to dismiss the pro-medical marijuana argument as a bunch of "feel-good testimonies." The scientific evidence for the efficacy of marijuana as medicine is good enough that--despite the official suppression of research by the U.S. government for many decades--both the AMA and the ACP have come out in favor or rescheduling the plant and encouraging further research. But because the federal government has put up such a series of roadblocks, desperate patients have had to do an end run around federal policy and take matters into their own hands.

Here's a handy comparison chart showing the relative safety of marijuana compared to 17 common FDA approved drugs: Web Link

Thousands of patients will tell you that marijuana is far safer and more effective at reducing their suffering than any pharmaceutical solution out there. No one denies that marijuana has basically no lethal doseage and has never been the primary cause of death in thousands of years of usage. So yes, I think it's fair to say that people who oppose letting patients use medical marijuana, whether through ignorance or obstinancy, are severely lacking in compassion.

PeaceLove, review of the comparison chart you provided that compares marijuana with 17 FDA approved drugs shows that it contains a disclaimer concerning the data generated:

"The information contained in the reports has not been scientifically or otherwise verified. For any given report there is no certainty that the suspected drug caused the reaction. This is because physicians are encouraged to report suspected reactions. The event may have been related to the underlying disease for which the drug was given to concurrent drugs being taken or may have occurred by chance at the same time the suspected drug was taken.

Numbers from these data must be carefully interpreted as reported rates and not occurrence rates. True incidence rates cannot be determined from this database. Comparisons of drugs cannot be made from these data."
-- July 18, 20/05 - FDA Office of Pharmacoepidemiology and Statistical Science, "Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) Brief Description with Caveats of System"

My only additional comment would be that even if true incident rates were provided, which these are not, they would have questionable value if not normalized to take into consideration the volume and frequency that common drugs are taken as compared to marijuana. Is it significantly safer to drive a Ferrari if 1000 people die in Volvo's but only 10 die in Ferrari's?

Based on the numerous data cited in this discussion thread to bolster pro-medicinal marijuana use, there doesn't seem to be enough substantial, scientific, verifiable evidence that Marijuana is safe AND effective for use as medicine, to stick a fork in.

Not to say there won't be, but it doesn't exist yet.

So any talk of distributing it in Mountain View is premature.

I've gotta laugh when I read all this pro and con discussion for medical marijuana. One group has largely been left out of the discussion. It's a group I'm a part of. I'm a habitual recreational user of marijuana and probably light up a joint at least five or six times a week. The medical marijuana scene has made it much easier and cheaper for me to buy it and use it so I can get high. That's right, get high. Anyone have a problem with that? I like to get high, and I do it not because I have some medical condition but so I can just inhale and tune out for a while. I also know for a fact that Lustig likes to get high just as well, so don't go thinking he's some sort of innocent healer. Man, I have to howl with laughter when I read the stuff he is quoted as saying. I don't know who the pro-medical marijuana users are kidding, because I also know for a fact that many of us recreational users get our fix from the loophole created by dispensaries. And let's not forget that the police no longer care if you are caught carrying a joint or two. So what's the big deal. It's been great getting high so easily, without worrying about the fuzz ruining your good time. Besides, I never liked buying my weed from the common criminals that normally used to supply me. BTW, it can get pretty dangerous purchasing it from the regular supply lines. Those guys are scary--who can forget that kid who got killed a few years back in a drug deal (marijuana) gone bad. So you all need to get off your high horses on both sides and ignore the pink elephant standing in the room. For those of you for it, you know darn well there are plenty of us using it too get high as a kite, and don't dare think that we haven't sniff a little coke along with it on special occasions. And for those of you against it, let just be real that the stuff works for some people and that more people than you imagine are using it for recreational use and really would like to see it legalized. There you go. I said what had to be said. Now please, both sides, start addressing the topic with my group in the discussion.

I flagged the above comment by "Dazed" in that it infers an unproven personal friendship or acquaintance with Mr. Lustig, and then makes negative assertions about him. I know Jon as well, and could easily make positive comments about him. Neither would have any credibility.

I invite the editor to delete this post as well. Personal attacks or statements as to the habits of another individual have no place in this conversation. Habeus Corpus et al

I would recommend that if people are proponents of legalization, they should start their own thread. One of the problems for proponents of medical use it having it confused with the stereotypical pothead that hasn't gotten of the couch to 3 years except to get more Doritos. My wife suffers a horrible spinal condition, and PTSD and Anxiety largely from the trauma that produced it.

As far as compassion having a role to play in this conversation, we are talking about medicine. We are talking about pain relief without while greatly diminishing negative side effects.

If pain and suffering are reasons to invoke compassionate consideration, there are none.

I never said I had a personal friendship with Lusting if you read my comment. I said I knew for a fact he has gotten high to get high, just like I do. How is that a personal attack? He's the one putting himself out here, yet you'd like to keep this whole discussion from addressing the obvious--people such as myself smoke marijuana to get high. No shame in that.

And I have been taking full advantage of the increased availability of medical marijuana to get high. It's cheaper, easier to get and better.

oops... that last sentence should have been "If pain and suffering aren't reasons to invoke compassionate consideration, there are none."

Anyone who would like to relegate my typo to drug or alcohol use will have a tough go. 7 years clean and sober.
-------------------------------------------

Dazed, if you're abusing the system, I hope they provide the IP address to the authorities and you go to jail. People like you make it harder for my wife to get medicine. Keep posting!

Gee thanks, Mr. All of the above. I'm just raising the point that there are plenty of users of medical marijuana using it just to get high. Lustig is the drug trafficker by definition and the one breaking the law. The police don't cite of prosecute casual users such as myself if you read my post. They let you go. Hardly makes sense that they would care if I got if through a dispensary or a dealer. BTW, your wife is breaking federal law just like I am. I hope your IP address is provided as well, thank you very much. How does it feel when the shoe is on the other foot?

Obama has stated that he wants federal law enforced to the match state law. So much for my IP... its NP. If you read my earlier post, I propose that Federal Law be formally changed to the same as the current "informal" understanding. I want a Primary Care Physician to be the only one who can perscribe Cannibis for their patient. I want to kill the "pay to play" $250 and any excuse to get a card. I want it to be MEDICINE, because I know from experience that there is no situation that can't be worse by "checking out" whether its by pot or booze.

I have medical conditions that would benefit from using medical Cannabis, but it isn't an option for me. Mainly because as a person in recovery, I take medicine by the numbers. You can't "dose" Cannabis, and it would be too easy to let it get away from me.

That puts me in a unique position here. If you want to get stoned, its all you. I know from experience where frequent/ habitual/ problem/ addictive use of mind altering substances goes to. Been there, done it, sold the t-shirt for another 5th. There is no stopping you if that's what you're about, although I hope you find sense before you live that old Pink Floyd Song, (Like I did)

"Tired of lying in the sunshine
Staying home to watch the rain
And you are young and life is long
And there is time to kill today
And then one day you find
Ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run
You missed the starting gun"

That said, I hope you'll have the decency not to give ammo to the people who want to make Medical Cannabis harder for my wife to get legally and inexpensively. If you continue to abuse the system, and continue to make a lot of noise about it, I hope you get caught at it.

Gosh, we are once again in the counterproductive cycle of arguing about casual marijuana use vs. medicinal use. Marijuana is a naturally occurring plant that is vastly safer than either alcohol or tobacco. As virtually every major scientific study in the last century has concluded, marijuana should not be illegal in the first place.

Once people recognize that our drug laws are illogical and counterproductive (and unconstitutional), the issue becomes a lot clearer. 56% of Californians now believe marijuana should be decriminalized entirely, with support for decriminalization nearing 50% nationwide. We can only hope that in ten years our kids will look back on this time with the same disbelief with which people today view alcohol prohibition. Prohibition greatly exacerbated the social problems caused by alcohol, along with creating a vast criminal black market.

In the meantime, the people of California voted 10 years ago to allow patients to use marijuana to treat themselves for a wide variety of conditions. Others have commented eloquently here about how effective marijuana is at ameliorating their suffering or that of loved ones. Continuing to deny this relatively safe botanical medicine to patients who need it is, in the words of the DEA judge, "unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious."

Well, I have heard the pros and cons. Also talks of how it is still illegal in the federal governments eyes. You want facts here they are.

Fact 1.
Federal Government issues medical cannabis to patients for the last 30 years. Its called the Compassionate Investigational New Drug (IND) program. They grow it at the University of Mississippi in Oxford and started in 1969

Fact 2. Also Federal Government researched benefits of marijuana but instead using it natural state they decided to issue pharmacies a federal contract to create synthetic marijuana also known as Marinol. However marijuana is a schedule 1 drug which claims no medical value. Doesn't make sense right?

Fact 3. Marijuana was a prominent part of the pharmacopoeia from 1870 up until 1937, when the Marijuana Tax Act effectively banned it.

If you still need facts there are plenty out there. Please open your eyes to the medical benefits of cannabis. Hear our voice

Dazed and Confused,

You are correct, the discussion so far has left out your group, the casual marijuana user, and rightly labeled as the 800 pound gorilla in the room.

Examining this issue for the city of Mountain View must take into account not only the alleged benefits for individuals that choose to use marijuana for their conditions, but also the casual marijuana user, and the greater community that will coexist with these groups and the dispensary's being proposed.

Again, focusing only on the alleged medical benefits of marijuana, without addressing the problem of abuse or misuse, is short sighted, self serving, and is the hallmark of a special interest group trying to force legislation with little regard for, and at the expense of citizens.

A well run municipal government, like the City of Mountain View will evaluate the issue on how this will affect ALL residents, not just a special interest group.

Hardin,

Respectfully, do you see people in pain, or suffering from debilitating nausea resulting from AIDS, or Chemo/Radiation treatment as a special interest group?

LAPD chief: Pot clinics not plagued by crime
By Tony Castro, Staff Writer
Updated: 01/16/2010 03:10:08 AM PST

Despite neighborhood complaints, most medical marijuana clinics are not typically the magnets for crime that critics often portray, according to Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck.
Web Link
Enjoy
BD

@BD - Oh excellent, Sir. Well played!

From the same article in the LA Daily newspaper referenced above, as quoted by the same police chief, Chief Charlie Beck:

"The statistics do not include crime at ATM machines, bank outlets in markets or crimes committed on the property surrounding banks or medical marijuana dispensaries.

He also acknowledged that banks report all their robberies to authorities, while some medical marijuana facilities may not.

"This is just a snapshot, a statistic. It doesn't reflect quality of life issues, it doesn't reflect the things the public complains about (regarding) medical marijuana locations," Beck said. "It does give you some idea of (what the) level of crime is."

Need to read the fine print folks, glossing over the details makes all the difference.

Medical Marijuana is in the proverbial between a rock and a hard place. It needs the “medical” label in order to disassociate itself from marijuana, and its questionable history in modern society. Without the label, there is nothing to distinguish between recreational use and medicinal use.

And even with the label, no system exists that effectively controls its use. Recreational users are looking forward to these dispensaries as much as patients who use it to manage symptoms are, and getting the appropriate documentation to buy medical marijuana is just a mouse click away.

At the same time, there is scant scientific, pharmacological data that supports marijuana to be classified as a legal drug. The data cited in this discussion, such as the DEA’s opinion from a dissenting judge, and the FDA comparison of marijuana with other approved medications has been taken so far out of context and glossed over that it has holes large enough to drive a Hummer through.

Hence, medical marijuana is forced to plan B, which is to setup its own system of distribution, that has no controls that traditional medicine possess, and is owned and operated by those who have a vested interest in the industry.

The simple fact is we don’t regulate drugs in this country based on their INTENDED USE. We regulate them based on their known physiological effects on the human body, generated by volumes of testing and a thorough review process, that in turn determines the amount of regulation and control needed. Something as benign as aspirin is required to go through these tests, but so far medical marijuana has escaped such scrutiny.

This is not to conclude that marijuana does not have any medical benefits or uses, but that there isn’t enough data at this time to justify it being called medicine, and certainly not enough to justify supporting its distribution on a municipal level.

Calling marijuana “medicine” doesn’t make it so, no more than slapping a kippah on a pig makes it kosher.

The dispensaries are paying now, for public policy, which in the past has let deregulated energy deals cause profiteering during WAR, since 2001, but now, we are supposed to eat bailout, and San Jose wants to quash dozens of cannabis clubs, and auction licenses. Canada sells us natural gas and petrol, but not enough to keep them from stockpiling hemp 'corn,' a product made from the stalks and leaves of hemp plants. When the time comes and Jac Siegel has scratched himself all night, Canada will sell us even MORE ethanol and other energy products, without Siegel or any other duffer admitting they were too lazy to familiarize themselves with options, as early as 1996, when Bill Clinton signed national energy deregulation, and the hedge funds took off, so look where Chelsea has a job, these days. Job creation is as job creation does, MJ 'Hater.' You move out, somebody will move in.

I would never guarantee Israel's oil, like the US does. Look at the schlemiel talking pork, when hemp is the source of 25K valuable products, from a single source. Many of those products are energy products, including ethanol. But this is lost on kosher snobs, who don't like any but wartimes, from first invading Canaan, then Palestine, while invading the USA all night long. 10 Commandments are lost on schlemiels. DON'T INVADE, Schlemmy~ you kissed pigs and more. They bred, hey!