Thursday, October 2, 2003

Tell Me Again. Why is Marijuana Illegal? Via NORML today: One-Third Of Docs Back Prescription Cannabis, Survey Says (pdf) Wellington, New Zealand: One out of three New Zealand doctors say they would prescribe medicinal marijuana if it were legal to do so, according to a random survey of 500 doctors conducted by the national Green Party. Among physicians who reported their knowledge of medicinal cannabis as "high," 42 percent backed prescribing marijuana. "The more knowledge a doctor holds, the more favorable their opinion of medicinal cannabis is," the survey noted. Cannabinoids Modulate Epileptic Seizures, Study Says Administration of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC),the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, "completely abolished" spontaneous seizures in an animal model of epilepsy, according to findings published this week in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. FDA Grants "Fast Track" Status To Pot-Like Drug For Head Trauma Iselin, NJ: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will review the efficacy of the synthetic marijuana derivative Dexanabinol for the treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) on an accelerated basis, the Pharmos pharmaceutical company announced this week. The FDA grants so-called "fast track" status to drugs intended to treat life-threatening conditions for which no approved therapies exist. ... and that's just this week. -- MORE -- 11:41:12 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment [] Tell Me Again. Why is Marijuana Illegal?')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()">

Rush to Judgement One of the big stories around the net today is the revelation that Rush Limbaugh (who resigned from ESPN last night, supposedly for other reasons) is involved in a major drug case, which may include the fact that he purchased massive amounts of prescription pain drugs through the black market. His housekeeper may have been one of his suppliers, and supposedly she wore a wire during the final transactions with Rush. Reports also indicate that he is not the target of the investigation, but if the allegations are true, he could be liable to prison sentences of 25 years or more. Atrios has a lot on the subject today, TalkLeft has a good perspective, and Right Wing News has an interesting series of updates today that raise more questions than answers. I'm not a Rush fan, but I'm also not going to jump on Rush here, partly because we don't know all the facts, and partly because I believe that drug abuse is a medical problem, not a criminal one. That said, there is another issue. Rush has often vocally condemned those with drug abuse problems. He has denied on his show that drug abuse is a disease. If, in fact, the stories are true, then he has been a hypocrite, and for that I do not excuse him. He is responsible. According to Drudge, President Bush has expressed his support of Rush -- a president who is likely to have engaged in "youthful indiscretions" regarding drugs, and yet has presided over the most oppressive drug policy in U.S. history. Former President Clinton admitted that he smoked marijuana, yet his office started the persecution of medical marijuana in California, and he brought us General Barry McCaffrey as drug czar, who also focused on enforcement. Time and time again, those with power and influence (on all ends of the political spectrum) end up with treatment or simply making apologies, while the rest of the country ends up with prison. I don't believe that Bush's past cocaine use or Clinton or Gore's former pot use make them unfit to serve. I don't believe that Rush's Oxycontin use makes him unable to function as a radio host. But the people in positions of power should not be contributing to the war against the people. 8:44:03 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []