If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal and there would be no medical marijuana debate. 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. Marijuana prohibition has failed miserably as a deterrent. [continues 94 words]
I strongly support the Medical Marijuana Patients' Rights Act (HB66) in the Alabama Legislature. I am a chronic pain patient and have tried all the strong drugs such as oxycontin, morphine, hydrocodone, valium and soma. Not to mention I've had 10 epidural injections and 12 nerve block injections. Nothing has helped, and I wish I had an alternative such as medical marijuana to try to ease the pain and suffering I live with daily. Not many people know what is feels like to hurt so bad you wish you were somebody else. I urge everyone to talk to politicians, business leaders, clergy, friends and family to try and get this bill passed this year to help so many like me who are tired of being in pain every minute of every day. Thank you, and God bless those of us who are suffering. Greg Phillips Oxford [end]
Rep. K. L. Brown, of Calhoun County, has filed legislation into the Alabama House of Representatives that would make medical marijuana legal. As reported by the Aniston Star, Ron Crumpton, co-president and executive director of the Alabama Medical Marijuana Coalition, is optimistic about the legislation's chances. "I don't think it will be that much of an uphill battle," Crumpton said. "Many of the Republicans who took over the Legislature in the last election are younger guys -- between 30 and 45 -- who don't associate the same stigma with marijuana that older people aE& do." [continues 377 words]
You can't look me straight in the eye and tell me weed is "no big deal." You can't, because all I can think of is walking down a hall, looking at all the other families with their arms full of gifts--simple things like new underwear, cookies or a book from home that hasn't been read in a long time. In other narratives like this people often say, "I don't know how we came to this point," or ask "How could we end up here?" But as I glanced around at the people and the building, which tried hard not to be, but so obviously was a rehab clinic, I didn't pretend to be stupid. It doesn't make me feel better. [continues 494 words]
Re "Support medical marijuana bill" (Speak Out, Jan. 21): Another reason to allow sick citizens to use cannabis (marijuana) that doesn't get mentioned is because it is biblically correct since God, The Ecologician, 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 to accept it 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). Further, many people know cannabis is the tree of life, and the last page of the Bible indicates the leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the nations. Stan White Dillon, Colo [end]
In the upcoming session of the Alabama Legislature, Rep. K.L. Brown of Jacksonville will introduce the Alabama Medical Marijuana Patients' Rights Act, which, if passed, would make the medicinal use of marijuana legal in Alabama. I believe marijuana is a better solution for chronic-pain patients than the traditionally prescribed drugs. Too many times, doctors prescribe Loritab, Percocet, Valium and Oxycotin for pain. Most of these drugs are addictive and contain acetaminophen. People on these drugs can become dependent on them, and the acetaminophen can cause deterioration of the kidneys -- not to mention that all these drugs have to go through the liver. Remember that some of these patients take these drugs for many years. [continues 97 words]
Why are so many states interested in medical marijuana? As the Alabama Medical Marijuana Coalition (AMMJC) says: "Marijuana is medicine, and it always has been." As 16 states have initiated legislation, there is a surge of interest in medicinal marijuana and the science of the endocannabinoid system. Alabamians are joining the coalition to support a medical marijuana bill that is sponsored by Rep. K.L. Brown, R-Jacksonville, and could pass in 2012. The Alabama Medical Marijuana Patients Rights Act is comprehensive legislation that would allow medical use of marijuana by verified patients. [continues 105 words]
When Mexico's president was elected in 2006, he said the war on drugs was going to be his No. 1 priority. Since then, an estimated 34,000 people have died in Mexico as a result of the drug cartels fighting over the trade routes for their illegal drugs. In September of this year, 35 bodies were dumped on a busy freeway during rush hour as people watched in horror. You don't see Purdue Pharma pharmaceuticals beheading the employees of Endo pharmaceuticals just because they are launching a generic version of all four strengths of Oxycontin, for which Purdue Pharma holds the patent. Instead, they are in court because these are legal drugs and they have to go through the legal channels. [continues 116 words]
In the upcoming session of the Alabama Legislature, Rep. K.L. Brown will introduce the Alabama Medical Marijuana Patients' Rights Act, which, if passed, would make the medicinal use of marijuana legal in Alabama. This is a valuable piece of legislation that would ease the pain and suffering of thousands of Alabama patients, but it will only be successful if people like you take the time to care. Modern research suggests that cannabis is a valuable aid in the treatment of a wide range of clinical applications. These include pain relief - particularly of neuropathic pain (pain from nerve damage) - nausea, spasticity, glaucoma and movement disorders. Marijuana is also a powerful appetite stimulant, specifically for patients suffering from HIV, the AIDS wasting syndrome or dementia. Emerging research suggests that marijuana's medicinal properties may protect the body against some types of malignant tumors and are neuroprotective. [continues 56 words]
PRICEVILLE - Mauro dashed in from the parking lot and the rain at Priceville High School. He pranced and danced down rows of lockers, stopping only momentarily to sniff around as K-9 handler Don Carr of Morgan County Sheriff's Department snapped commands. Suddenly, Mauro stopped and sat down before a locker, staring straight ahead. Carr yelled out the locker number, and Assistant Principal Dennis Morris opened it for inspection. Officers found it to be clean. Moments later, Sukie, handled by Matt Schlosser of Cullman Police Department, sat in front of a locker. [continues 545 words]
First we have the immigration law that may well make it illegal for a church pastor to minister to an illegal immigrant, but allows people who can afford maids and yard hands to skip asking about their employees' immigration status. Now, Alabama Republicans in the Legislature are considering a law that will require people who apply for welfare to take drug tests. Of course, this law is not the brainchild of any Alabama lawmaker. Our lawmakers must not have enough good ideas of their own, so they steal bad law from other states. This one comes to us via Florida. [continues 257 words]
Ron Crumpton, executive director of Alabama Medical Marijuana Coalition (AMMJC), says he has used marijuana since 2005 to treat his spinal stenosis, a condition caused by abnormal narrowing of the spinal column. Crumpton's group believes marijuana should be used in Alabama as treatment for ailments that cause severe pain and discomfort. He hopes to convince others to support the use of medical marijuana at a public picnic tomorrow (Saturday, Aug. 13) at Blue Springs State Park in west Barbour County. [continues 385 words]
ST. LOUIS =AD Police and sheriff's departments in states that produce much of the nation's methamphetamine have made a sudden retreat in the war on meth, at times virtually abandoning pursuit of the drug because they can no longer afford to clean up the toxic waste generated by labs. Despite abundant evidence that the meth trade is flourishing, many law enforcement agencies have called off tactics that have been used for years to confront drug makers. The steep cutbacks began after the federal government in February canceled a program that provided millions of dollars to help local agencies dispose of seized labs. Since then, an Associated Press analysis shows, the number of labs seized has plummeted by a third in some key meth-producing states and two-thirds in at least one, Alabama. [end]
Crystal methamphetamine, not marijuana, not crack, is Alabama's No. 1 drug of choice. It's a drug that messes up your mind, a drug from which experts say takes years of intensive rehab to recover. Unfortunately, there aren't a whole lot of solutions to the problem -- other than the obvious: Do not indulge. Lawmakers could unite next session and make products that contain ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and pheylpropanolamine -- drugs used to produce meth -- by prescription, rather than over the counter. But legislators will have to get that bill past special-interest groups, particularly drug-manufacturing trade organizations. [continues 321 words]
Re "Drug task force to begin operations in Clay County" (News article, June 30): I read this article with dismay. Will law enforcement and the public never learn that our approach to drug use has failed and will continue to fail so long as we insist on treating drug use as a criminal act instead of a health issue? The "drug war" started more than 40 years ago under Richard Nixon, and in that 40 years more than $1 trillion has been wasted. And for what? Has drug use dropped or ceased altogether? No. Has arresting and incarcerating adults for minor drug offenses stopped others from using drugs? No. Has the drug war made acquiring drugs difficult? No. Has the drug war stopped drugs from coming into or being produced in this country? No. Has the drug war increased the price or decreased the purity of drugs available? No. Has it kept drugs out of the hands of children? Certainly not. [continues 170 words]
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - When a police officer knocked on the door of Dr. Kevin Denny's home around 9 one morning in 2009, Denny opened it barefoot and bleary eyed, wearing a terry cloth robe. Cars were being broken into in his Pinellas County beach neighborhood, said the officer. Could Denny come out and check his? Within seconds, a dozen federal and local cops swarmed around the doctor who had once treated the powerful and prominent, guns aimed. He was under arrest, they told him, for illegally prescribing pain pills. [continues 1929 words]
CULLMAN - Area law enforcement agents got the attention of Cullman County's drug culture when they rounded up 96 people on charges ranging from manufacturing to possession last week. Will the sweeping arrests bring illegal drug activity to a close in Cullman County? No. But perhaps this is the beginning of a tireless effort to do something about a problem that destroys the lives of far too many people in our area. Cullman County Sheriff Mike Rainey and Cullman Narcotics Enforcement Team director Joey Cone led a press conference after the arrests were announced and discussed the planning that was required to make such a large impact on the drug trade. A lot of people are grateful to see the arrests, and plenty of support exists in the community for law enforcement agencies to continue this cooperative effort in attacking the drug dealers across the county. [continues 225 words]
HB386, The Michael Phillips Compassionate Care Act, would protect physicians who recommend and patients who use marijuana as medicine from arrest and prosecution under state law. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have already passed similar laws. It's time Alabama joined them. In 1979 the Alabama Legislature passed the Controlled Substances Therapeutic Research Act and established rules for medical marijuana. The law states that medical marijuana can be used in the treatment of cancer and glaucoma. Sadly, due to drug war politics, that law was never implemented. [continues 126 words]
Regarding Loretta Nall's thoughtful Sunday guest column ("Drug war politics hurt medical marijuana in state," Viewpoints), while there have been studies showing marijuana can shrink cancerous tumors, medical marijuana is essentially a palliative drug. If a doctor recommends marijuana to a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy, and it helps him feel better, 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 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]
The Michael Phillips Compassionate Care Act, introduced in the Alabama House late last month, will protect from arrest and prosecution physicians who recommend marijuana and patients who use marijuana as medicine. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have already passed similar laws. It's time Alabama joined them. While some Alabama legislators consider this a controversial bill, it is important to point out that the bill passed the House Judiciary Committee last session, although too late to progress any further, and Alabama already has a medical marijuana law on the books. [continues 566 words]
Alabama
