Another reason that doesn't get mentioned to re-legalize the plant cannabis for sick citizens (Medical Marijuana - YES: Strict Measure Would Provide Needed Relief; Press & Dakotan, Oct. 26) is because it's Biblically correct since Christ God Our Father indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page (see Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). The only Biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it be accepted with thankfulness (1 Timothy 4:1-5). And, "But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (1 John 3:17). [continues 59 words]
Medical marijuana is once again on the ballot for South Dakota voters after a narrow defeat in 2006; but this time community members think it's going to pass. Initiative Measure 13, which would allow the use and cultivation of marijuana by people with debilitating illnesses such as cancer or multiple sclerosis, was placed on the ballot in March after more than 30,000 people signed a ballot petition. Vermillion Police Chief Art Mabry, who also serves as the head of the South Dakota Police Chiefs' Association and is an opponent of the measure, said it is only a matter of time before medical marijuana becomes legal in South Dakota. [continues 530 words]
As I write this, I am listening to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" - namely the song "Time." This is no coincidence. I figured if I'm going to write about pot, I should put myself in the proper frame of mind. Word choice is important here: "frame," not "state." I am not, in fact, high right now. Now that we have established that, South Dakota voters should vote yes on Measure 13 to legalize medicinal marijuana. Marijuana has been found to be an effective remedy for a number of medical conditions. It can be used as a painkiller, a relaxant and an appetite stimulant in conjunction with everything from Alzheimer's disease to breast cancer. [continues 571 words]
For conservatives: Nation, people do not know what is best. Some cannot be trusted to make their own decisions, especially about marijuana. Think of California. Medical marijuana is a slippery slope to full repeal of marijuana laws. Yes, freedom is important but at what cost. Think of the children. Marijuana is a gateway drug. If this measure passes, it won't be long before violent crimes, hard drugs and gangs from Mexico invade our neighborhoods. As former U.S. Commissioner of Narcotics Harry J. Anslinger uncovered, "Those who are accustomed to habitual use of the drug (marijuana) are said eventually to develop a delirious rage." [continues 503 words]
Through a variety of events and a well-known speaker, those involved with the annual Red Ribbon/Character Counts Week are hoping to get the entire community involved. At least that's the goal for this year, according to Pauline Akland, chairman of the Yankton Chamber of Commerce Education Committee. For the first time at this magnitude, organizers have decided to merge the two weeks into one seven-day stretch in which the six pillars of character and drug-free themes are instilled city-wide. [continues 686 words]
If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents. The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best. White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched federal bureaucracy began funding reefer madness propaganda. [continues 105 words]
In 2009, Paul Walery was diagnosed with lymphoma and began the treatment process of chemotherapy and radiation. In 1995, Eric Kritzmire was in a diving accident and suffered from a spinal cord injury that made him a paraplegic. Walery remembers the loss of appetite, the nausea and cramps that came from the chemotherapy. Kritzmire suffers regularly from severe muscle spasms. Based on clinical definitions, both of these men know what it's like to experience a debilitating medical condition. The only difference is their way of treating the pain. [continues 843 words]
For as long as I can remember, I have been told that marijuana is a very dangerous and harmful drug that can lead me down a path to destruction. This may be true in some rare occurrences; but there are also many positive uses for this drug. The South Dakota ballot initiative 13 addresses such uses. I would be willing to bet that a fair number of the people reading this article have been forced to watch a loved one waste away in front of their eyes, knowing that nothing is within their grasp that can help this person. I personally have watched people that I care about deal with the terrible effects of advanced multiple sclerosis and also have seen the wasting away effect of cancer treatments knowing that nothing I could say or do would ease the pain. While doctors have the ability to write prescription after prescription, these prescriptions often hold side effects that are just terrible as the original cause for the medicine. This causes patients to be forced to consume, in many cases, multiple medicines to the point that their medicine cabinet begins to resemble an apothecary's shop. [continues 487 words]
Bruce Price attended Tuesday's medical marijuana rally for his father. Price said his dad was diagnosed with melanoma in 1985, and the medical treatment for the cancer made him "so sick." A military man, Price's father initially rejected his son's suggestion to try medical marijuana for relief. "His mindset was totally against it," Price said. "But at the end he was open to it." Price believes the medical marijuana was the only thing that gave his dad relief at the end of his life, and he wants to see the drug legalized for medical purposes so others can be helped as well. [continues 412 words]
Supporters cite healing benefits; full legalization next, foes argue Supporters of a measure to legalize small amounts of marijuana for medicinal use Monday sought to assure the public that it would not create pot dispensaries or open the door to full legalization. "This is about ill people. It's only about ill people. It's not a free-for-all," said Tony Ryan, a retired police officer whose wife suffers from multiple sclerosis. The assurances are being made amid concerns among some Americans that marijuana legalization will lead to addicts. Monday's Sioux Falls rally also comes in the midst of a nationwide trend of states legalizing the drug for medicinal purposes. In some of the 14 states that have approved marijuana legalization laws, shops dispensing the drug already have popped up on city streets. [continues 330 words]
In his letter in the Sept. 12 Argus Leader, Dr. Mick Vanden Bosch erroneously claims that marijuana is a "more dangerous drug" than cigarettes. Such a wildly inaccurate statement calls into question the merits of his opposition to the medical marijuana measure South Dakotans will be voting on this November. Almost 440,000 Americans die every year as a direct result of tobacco use, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 20,000 die from prescription drug overdose. [continues 145 words]
Emmett Reistroffer said he has personally witnessed the healing power of marijuana. As a 10-year-old, he watched as his grandmother wasted away from chemotherapy treatments. Sitting behind a table in a tent Wednesday at Dakotafest in Mitchell, Reistroffer said the family's difficult decision to obtain marijuana for his ailing grandmother turned out well. "She kept losing weight. They didn't think she was going to live another year," Reistroffer said. "We found some (marijuana), gave it to my grandmother and, for the first time in her therapy, she gained weight. I sincerely believe it prolonged her life." [continues 325 words]
My tongue was bound. My typing fingers were paralyzed. On July 6, 2009, these acts were performed by a circuit court judge because I am a visible and ardent advocate of informed personal discretion regarding one's choice of intoxicant or medical palliative. The Court, of course, decides such cases in favor of alcohol, without which there wouldn't be a need for much of current court time. I was convicted of possession of 3.67 ounces of cannabis. Two ounces is a felony. I was sentenced to a year in jail, with all suspended except 45 days, during which I slept nights in the work-release facility on East North Street in Rapid City. The balance of the year was spent on probation, with regular visits to a probation officer, under the constriction that I was to "take no public role in any program advocating legalization" of currently-illicit "drugs." [continues 475 words]
Vote yes for compassion. Vote yes on Initiated Measure 13. I was proud to sign the petition that circulated last year to place medical marijuana on the November ballot in South Dakota. Recently, I learned the group behind the petition, the Coalition for Compassion spearheaded by the former chairman of the South Dakota Multiple Sclerosis Society, collected twice as many signatures as was required for getting the measure on the ballot. I only can hope this is a true testament to the growth of support for patients' rights in South Dakota. [continues 133 words]
Here are some facts that substance abuse and prevention counselor Darcy Jensen overlooked in her April 19 Argus Leader column opposed to the legalization of medical marijuana. Medical marijuana is not the only drug being used in the workplace. Employers have the same liability with narcotics prescribed by physicians, which, by the way, have a long and proven history of addiction, accidents and deaths associated with their use. There are laws on the books for operating motor vehicles under the influence of drugs. If faced with the choice of meeting a driver or teacher under the influence of marijuana or prescription narcotics, I'd much rather be on the road or in the classroom with the person using marijuana. [continues 252 words]
Two self-evident truths stood out in Darcy Jensen's con essay against legalizing medical marijuana in the April 19 Argus Leader. Yes, synthetic medical marijuana exists under the trade name Marinol, and it's true that relatively few Americans are imprisoned solely for pot possession. But each of the more than 800,000 annual marijuana arrests nationwide are made on the grounds that cannabis and cannabinoids lawfully are listed in Schedule I, having "no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision." [continues 143 words]
Another reason to stop caging sick citizens who use cannabis (marijuana) that didn't get mentioned in Tony Ryan's essay in the April 19 Argus Leader regarding legalizing medical marijuana is because it's biblically correct since God indicates on literally the first page of the Bible (Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30) that he created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good. The only biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it is to be accepted with thankfulness (see I Timothy 4:1-5). "But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (I John 3:17). Jesus Christ risked jail to heal the sick. Stan D. White . Dillon, Colo [end]
I'm writing about Tony Ryan's outstanding opinion regarding legalizing medical marijuana in the April 19 Argus Leader. I'd like to add that one of the medications prescribed by my personal physician for my arthritis pain and inflammation has the rare potential side effect of death. In other words, if I take this medication as prescribed, I can die as a result. On the other hand, marijuana never has been documented to kill a single person in the 5,000-year history of its use. For me, marijuana is the more effective medication. [continues 64 words]
While there have been studies showing that marijuana can shrink cancerous tumors, medical marijuana essentially is a palliative drug. If a doctor recommends marijuana to a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy and it helps him or her feel better, then it's working. In the end, medical marijuana is a quality-of-life decision best left to patients and their doctors. Drug warriors waging war on noncorporate drugs contend that organic marijuana is not an effective health intervention. Their prescribed intervention for medical marijuana patients is handcuffs, jail cells and criminal records. This heavy-handed approach suggests that drug warriors should not be dictating health care decisions. It's long past time to let doctors decide what is right for their patients. Sick patients should not be jailed for daring to seek relief from marijuana. Robert Sharpe Policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, D.C [end]
There's been talk of legalizing marijuana and even some good arguments in favor of it for medicinal use only. California obviously made its medicinal marijuana laws so vague that it's easy to get a prescription card for it by your doctor. Allegedly, moms are using medicinal marijuana instead of antidepressants, anxiety medications and painkillers so they can be mellow when caring for their children. It's also OK to drive under the influence of medicinal marijuana as long as you carry a medicinal marijuana card with you. [continues 217 words]