Thousands of stories across the country have captured the plight of Michael Phelps and his recent bong incident. Phelps has apologized for his youthful indiscretion. It seems that his apology was accepted by most Americans, including the corporate sponsors that gave Phelps lucrative contracts for his endorsements. Only one spoiler is making noise. Sheriff Leon Lott of Richland County, S.C., has said he will charge Phelps with a crime if he determines he smoked marijuana. Possession of marijuana in South Carolina is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail or a $570 fine. [continues 440 words]
LANSING -- State officials are proposing overly restrictive rules that would undo the intent of compassionate medical marijuana law that voters approved in November, backers of the new measure claim. At a hearing Monday on proposed rules to govern medical marijuana use, supporters especially objected to requirements that patients and caregivers keep inventories of the marijuana grown for medical use. Some said a tentative rule against public use could mean patients would face prosecution for smoking pot on their front porches, or in their living rooms with the drapes open. [continues 444 words]
America ended Prohibition 75 years ago this past week. The ban on the sale of alcohol unleashed a crime wave, as gangsters fought over the illicit booze trade. It sure didn't stop drinking. People turned to speakeasies and bathtub gin for their daily cocktail. Prohibition -- and the violence, corruption and health hazards that followed -- lives on in its modern version, the so-called War on Drugs. Former law-enforcement officers gathered in Washington to draw the parallels. Their group, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), has called for nothing less than the legalization of drugs. [continues 537 words]
The votes were clear: Michigan residents gave the green light Tuesday to legalize marijuana for the seriously ill and topple some barriers to using embryonic stem cells for medical research. But the implications of both may be anything but. One day after the ballot proposals passed by healthy margins -- 63-37 percent for marijuana and 53-47 for stem cells -- several questions remained Wednesday. Among them: Q: Will easing Michigan's law on embryonic stem cells lead to new jobs and find cures and therapies for juvenile diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries and other maladies? [continues 476 words]
Voters will decide whether Michigan will become the 13th state to legalize marijuana use for terminally and seriously ill people -- if a doctor certifies it could ease suffering. The Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, which is backing Proposal 1, estimates that as many as 50,000 state residents could qualify for medical marijuana. They say it could play an important role in treating patients with a variety of illnesses such as cancer, HIV/AIDS and multiple sclerosis. [continues 481 words]
I have worked as a physician certified in the field of addiction medicine for about 25 years. I have treated over 30,000 patients with drug problems. Marijuana is not a safe drug ("Vote yes on Proposal 1 for medical marijuana," Oct. 3). The side effects, both short and long term, are varied and unpredictable. Mentally they include paranoia, confusion, memory and judgment impairment for the short term. Long-term permanent effects include paranoia, memory problems, depression, panic attacks, anxiety disorders, mood swings and impaired cognition. [continues 162 words]
Proposal 1 Offers Relief, Compassion, Safeguards for the Sickest Patients Michigan voters will have the opportunity to protect seriously ill patients from the threat of arrest and jail for using their doctor-recommended medicine. Voting "yes" on Proposal 1 is about compassion, common sense and providing a measure of relief for some of our sickest friends, neighbors and loved ones. Study after study has shown that medical marijuana can be remarkably effective at treating the symptoms of certain debilitating diseases and conditions, including cancer, multiple sclerosis and HIV/AIDS, as well as countering the side effects of certain treatment regimens themselves. Indeed, medical marijuana often works for patients where conventional drugs fail. [continues 374 words]
Marijuana has proven benefits in limiting pain and reducing the side effects of other medicines used to treat certain illnesses. Proposal 1 would allow the use of marijuana for these limited medical purposes. Voters should say yes to Proposal 1. Proposal 1 would legalize doctor-prescribed marijuana. The Detroit News has reported that upwards of 500,000 Michiganians with "debilitating medical conditions" -- HIV/AIDS, cancer, Hepatitis C, Crohn's disease, Alzheimers, multiple sclerosis and the like -- will qualify. It can be useful, for example, in controlling nausea during chemotherapy in cancer treatments. [continues 378 words]
Medical Marijuana Use, Government Reform, Stem Cells May Mobilize Voters. Michigan voters will likely decide a red-hot trio of ballot questions in November: a massive overhaul of state government, a plan to ease restrictions on stem cell research, and another that would allow seriously ill people to legally smoke marijuana. In a normal year, the marijuana proposal would trigger the most controversy, experts say. But the other two ballot propositions are laced with such high emotion that the pot proposal may turn out to be the tamest of all. [continues 1339 words]
As if our military didn't have its hands full in Iraq and Afghanistan, the head of the Minuteman Project border security group seems to think they might also make good narcotics cops. Minuteman cofounder Jim Gilchrist suggested in recent radio interviews that the U.S. give Mexico 12 months to corral its criminal drug cartels and rising violence, particularly in border towns like Juarez and Tijuana -- or deploy the U.S. Army to do the job. That's the Minutemen. Their remedies for the drug war next door sound simplistic, but at least they're paying attention. [continues 655 words]
Medical Marijuana Is In, With Stem Cell Research and Government Reform Questions Likely. Michigan voters, who once faced a daunting list of potential ballot questions this November, may decide only a handful of issues after all. The deadline for turning in 380,000-plus petition signatures is only a couple of weeks away and, of the 10 ballot committees that launched campaigns, only a few remain active. Ballot watchers say just two or three are likely to make it to the finish line. [continues 898 words]
Blame government, not kids Why would we test our children? It is the government's fault that drugs are here. The Mexican border is open for the $2 billion dollars a year of dope to enter. Why blame the students or the adults for that matter? When there is money involved, there are NO rules. Bea Scalise New Smyrna Beach, Fla. [end]
Testing makes no sense We're going to institute random drug tests on students, which will cost a pretty penny in itself, not to mention the school district will possibly be defending itself in court over the inevitable legal challenges? The state is also mandating a curriculum that is going to force local districts to compete nationally to find and hire math and science teachers from an already depleted pool. Don Schmittdiel Clinton Township [end]
The Michigan Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 ruling released Wednesday, said police may use dogs to sniff outside a house for drugs without a search warrant. A Wayne County judge had suppressed evidence and dismissed marijuana charges against Detroiter Jeffrey Jones -- who had been convicted of previous drug charges -- because Jones argued the sniffing was an illegal search. The majority on the appeals panel agreed with prosecutors that police, acting on a tip, may use a trained dog to sniff the front door, and use that information to get a warrant to search inside the house. [end]
I don't see many politicians willing to support this cause and risk their jobs. Even in those few states that have legalized medicinal marijuana, federal law still trumps their decision. Advocates certainly have every right to challenge that, make their case and try to change the laws. But the very real health concerns are what scare people about marijuana, and what other "unknowns" might still lurk behind the cloud of smoke. Don Schmittdiel Clinton Township [end]
I am not a marijuana user, and I truly believe its use should be legal, at least legal for medical purposes. How can alcohol be legal and medical marijuana not? Alcohol has destroyed more lives than can ever be counted. Cigarettes are the leading cause of cancer. I also keep hearing about the long-term effects of secondhand smoke, and yet no plan to ban either. You can drink all the alcohol you want, and puff cigarettes all day long, but one bag of marijuana can land you in jail. Bryan L. Moore Detroit [end]
Marijuana should be accessible to all who need it for medical purposes prescribed by your doctor ("Michigan to vote on legalizing marijuana for medical use," April 29). Marijuana is not as harmful as those drugs they advertise on TV, where the voice says "you shouldn't use this medication if you have blah blah, or side effects. Talk to your doctor immediately if you experience nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, loss of appetite, dark urine, or yellowing of the skin." I haven't heard any side effects on marijuana yet. Samuel Allen Detroit [end]
Medical marijuana is bad medicine. There are many pain relievers available that are more effective with fewer side effects. Marijuana is a mind-altering substance. Do we, as a society, want people driving on our streets, teaching our children, building our homes and bridges, while under the influence of marijuana? I think not. David Clerebout Livonia [end]
As a conservative, I am against the legalization of any drug. Let's take a look at marijuana. From the seed to the smoke, it is not changed, manufactured or even laced with anything. It is not strong enough naturally to hurt you so how can that be a drug? It is a natural plant no different than tobacco and that has nicotine in it. Weed is not addicting, has no long-term effects and only contributes to crime because of its illegality. If marijuana were legal here, there wouldn't be drug lords running its supply from Venezuela and other communist countries. If we can regulate alcohol then we can regulate marijuana. Raymond Dubiel Lake Orion [end]
To paraphrase an old axiom, "Any patient who acts as his own physician has a fool for a physician." Marijuana should not be accessible to the general public for several reasons. First, it has not been studied thoroughly, yet, with respect to its efficacy and side effects. Second, the layperson without any medical training cannot be trusted to use it appropriately or effectively. Third, there are already on the market marijuana pills that can be prescribed by a physician on a case-by-case basis. Pradeep Srivastava Detroit [end]
