Regarding your Aug. 10 editorial ("Do voters want to unshackle pot?" Our Views): So-called medical marijuana abuses have beneficial side effects. In California, anyone who wants a medical marijuana recommendation can get one. The recommendation allows consumers to purchase locally grown marijuana of known quality and safety from dispensaries that generate tax revenue. Is it somehow preferable that Florida consumers purchase untaxed, unregulated and potentially unsafe marijuana from criminals? As long as there is a demand for marijuana, there will be a supply. [continues 71 words]
The ignored fact about the classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug is what determines medicinal use. It is not scientific medical research. It is written in the law. Safety of use determines medicinal use. Marijuana is not dangerous. It is safer to abuse than alcohol. No one has died from over consuming marijuana. Marijuana is arbitrarily classified as a controlled substance, and that violates due process of law. The scheduling of marijuana as a Schedule I drug is required by federal law to be in compliance with United Nations' Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961, which is subjected to constitutional limitation of a party under Article 36. Police power is either reasonable or unreasonable. To be reasonable, there must be a victim. The judiciary has declared that marijuana laws are a political question. MICHAEL J. DEE, AUGUSTA, MAINE [end]
Douglas MacKinnon's sober and instructive column, "Greed fuels rally for medical pot," followed by last Sunday's editorial, "Do voters want to unshackle pot?," were an outstanding one-two punch on the side of sanity. Medical professionals oppose medical marijuana. Law enforcement professionals oppose medical marijuana. The Tampa Tribune has stepped up with integrity and intellectual honesty to oppose medical marijuana. Where, one might ask, is the political class? You know, those from whom we hear so much. Those who lie to us so often. Those who cannot resist spending and wasting so much of our money. When they run for office, they talk about "leadership." Their vaunted, experienced "leadership." When the going gets tough, we don't hear anything from them. They hide under the bed. Some might call it "leading from behind." Others would rightly call it cowardice. [continues 97 words]
The recent opinion piece on the front page of the Tribune, "Greed fuels rally for medical pot" by Douglas MacKinnon (Aug. 9), reaches more incorrect conclusions in one article than I have seen in a long time. MacKinnon calls Colorado "the poster child for all that can go wrong." I would be more apt to call Colorado a shining example. Colorado Gov. John Lickenlooper has estimated Colorado will take in $1 billion in marijuana taxation in it's first year. Colorado is a state with one quarter the population of Florida. [continues 185 words]
Regarding "Do voters want to unshackle pot?": Wrong question. The question should be: Do voters want to keep cannabis unregulated, untaxed and controlled by criminal gangs? MESA, ARIZONA [end]
Your opinion piece "Do voters want to unshackle pot?" last Sunday on medical marijuana was predictable enough, but you should really consider the use of more reality-based opinions in the future. Specifically, I refer to the statement by the OB-GYN that you relied on for your cautionary advice about voting to legalize this herbal medication: "Welcome to pill mills part two," she said. Really? You can with a straight face compare physician-approved use of marijuana to the wholesale, reckless, deadly practice of handing out, like M&Ms, opiates, which have caused countless deaths to thousands, not to mention the nonfatal societal costs. To the best of my knowledge, no one has ever died from marijuana, prescribed or not. And is a gynecological physician really an expert in this area? RANDALL GRANTHAM, ESQ. LUTZ [end]
Polls indicate Florida voters are overwhelmingly in favor of a constitutional amendment that will legalize the medical use of marijuana. That is both understandable and alarming. Although Amendment 2 is being depicted as an effort to provide relief to the suffering, it is rife with loopholes that likely will result in the wideA-spread use of an unsafe drug. Parents, in particular, should be upset be-cause the amendment includes no age limits or requirements for parental consent. Indeed, the vaguely written constitutional initiative, the entirety of which you will not see in the ballot summary, opens the door to all kinds of mischief and abuse. [continues 495 words]
Regarding "Doctors' group: Medical pot risky" (Metro, Aug. 6): The Florida Medical Association (FMA) is to be commended for taking a stand against Amendment 2. It joins many national medical associations that have continued to oppose raw, smokable marijuana as medicine. These organizations include, but are not limited to, the American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychiatric Association. The FMA recognizes that there are safer and superior options available when it comes to cannabinoid-based medications. We already have THC, the psychoA-active ingredient in marijuana, as an FDA-approved medication that can be prescribed to patients. [continues 195 words]
Fla. Physicians' Association Is Against Legalization TAMPA - The Florida Medical Association has taken a stand against Amendment 2, saying the medical marijuana initiative on this fall's state ballot carries unintended consequences that constitute a public health risk. That puts the organization of 20,000 doctors firmly in the opposition camp with many law enforcement groups, but it doesn't necessarily give those trying to derail the pot legalization effort any measurable clout. Of the seven states that have approved legal use of medical marijuana in the past two years, the prominent medical societies have opposed the measures in five - with those in two others taking no position. [continues 408 words]
Wake up, America. Medical marijuana could one day help you or your loved one. Enough studies have already proven the profound benefits for certain people with chronic conditions or diseases. The federal government's role in preventing access to reputable pharmaceuticals made from the chemicals in marijuana is absurd. I have been a medical professional for 37 years, and I believe education is the key to understanding the plant and the process. Laws need to change. D.J. Streeter, PLANT CITY [end]
One of Florida's foremost cancer hospitals takes the job of caregiver so seriously it holds a 'Caregiver Academy' for those caring for patients following stem-cell transplants. Caring for someone who is very ill is a huge responsibility that can involve addressing basic needs such as bathing, eating, continence, dressing, toileting and transferring. A major element of Amendment 2, the ballot question Floridians will vote on in November, concerns caregivers who could assist with a recipient's use of marijuana. [continues 480 words]
Regarding "Follow Florida's painkiller example" (Washington Post, Other Views, July 8): The Post's one-sided, one-dimensional exalting over the state of Florida's shutdown of so-called "pill mills" and doctors accused of over-prescribing painkillers overlooks another side of the issue that it and anti-drug crusaders are either ignorant of or choose to ignore. My wife suffers from severe and chronic pain caused by degenerative arthritis of her hips. Hip replacement surgery will hopefully alleviate the pain. In the meantime, she's in constant, unremitting pain from the damage to her hips. High concentration doses of Vicodin or similar pain-control medication used to be able to control her pain. [continues 417 words]
Florida for Care Hopes to Write Guidelines TALLAHASSEE - Florida for Care, a group casting itself as above the politics of pot, will begin work this summer crafting a set of policy recommendations that lawmakers could put in place if voters approve a constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana. The group is applying with the IRS for a specific type of nonprofit status that, if approved, would allow Florida for Care to avoid disclosing the donors fueling those policy discussions or future lobbying efforts. [continues 399 words]
There Would Be 5 Dispensaries Across State TALLAHASSEE - Winners of Florida's five, highly sought-after medical marijuana licenses could be selected through lotteries, according to a draft rule released late Wednesday by the Department of Health. The 16-page document comes in advance of an agency workshop Monday in Tallahassee that is drawing heavy attention. The draft rule, generally considered a starting point, outlines how the state intends to implement a new law, signed by Gov. Rick Scott, that made Florida one of nearly two dozen states that permit some sort of marijuana. Florida's law restricts legal marijuana to strains that are low in euphoria-inducing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and high in cannabadiol, or CBD. The low-THC, high-CBD strain is purported to eliminate or dramatically reduce life-threatening seizures in children with severe epilepsy. The law also allows patients who suffer from severe muscle spasms or cancer to be put on a "compassionate use registry" for the low-THC product as long as their doctors approve. [continues 555 words]
Regarding "=C2=80=C2=9CNot your father'=C2=80=C2=99s marijuana"=C2=80=C2=9D (Our Views, June 10): Those opposed to the therapeutic use of marijuana are out of touch with both scientific and public opinion. Over 20 states and the District of Columbia allow for the physician-recommended use of the plant. This year lawmakers in Maryland and Minnesota enacted new laws specific to cannabis therapy. New York legislators are anticipated to approve a similar measure in the coming weeks. Additionally, in recent months lawmakers in Illinois, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Vermont enacted legislation expanding their existing medical marijuana programs. [continues 152 words]
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a reliable reporter. Last August, his CNN "Weed 1" documentary showed us the heart-rending videos of Charlotte Figi, who was initially having seizures, then was virtually healed by high-CBD cannabis. Gupta followed up with "Weed 2" in March and spoke in favor of the "entourage effects" - the "synergy" discovered by Israeli researchers in the whole plant. Amendment 2 would legalize the whole plant as medicine. But the Tribune recommends a "no" vote because some people might want the whole plant only to treat back pain or relieve stress or even, God forbid, to smoke and "get high." A few people will, but what about the vast majority - the patients who now must break the law to get relief they can't get from pills? I trust their testimony long before I trust the tests funded by Big Pharma and spoon-fed to the FDA for their approval. John G. Chase Palm Harbor [end]
Amendment 2, which is up for vote in Florida in November, is not about the outright legalization of cannabis in a recreational form. It's not about the decriminalization of the growth, cultivation, harvesting, possession, distribution, sale of or consumption of cannabis outside of legal medical purposes. It's about giving real patients, who truly would benefit from the medicinal effects from the cannabis plant, safe access to medicinal cannabis - without the fear of getting thrown into the hoosegow for trying to stop their tonic-clonic (formerly known as grand mal) epileptic seizures and the debilitating side effects from the pharmaceuticals being pumped into their bodies to fight atrocious battles with deadly diseases such as cancer and AIDS. [continues 141 words]
Florida's conservative lawmakers put aside the instinct to be against any form or marijuana legalization this past legislative session and passed a bill that legalizes a low-potency marijuana strain known as Charlotte's Web. It represented a turnaround for the Republican-controlled Legislature, and this week Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill into law. It's a humane decision that will provide some relief to children and others suffering from epilepsy, cancer and debilitating conditions that cause severe muscle spasms. But support for the law should not be confused with the staunch opposition by the governor and other conservatives to Amendment 2 on the November ballot, which would make medical marijuana legal on a much greater scale. [continues 352 words]
Regarding the June 10 editorial ("=C2=9CNot your parents=C3=A2=C2=80=C2=99 marijuana,"=C2=80=C2=9D Our Views), the National Institute on Drug Abuse is not a credible authority on marijuana. Director Nora Volkow would have us believe that stronger marijuana is reason to continue criminalizing citizens who prefer marijuana to martinis. Assuming our federal government is genuinely concerned about the health of those citizens they want arrested, they should know that health-conscious marijuana consumers deliberately seek out the strongest strains of marijuana available. Potent pot means less smoke inhalation. One or two small puffs will yield the desired result. [continues 105 words]
I applaud your position on the marijuana amendment on the November ballot in Florida ("Not your parents' marijuana," Our Views, June 10). What caught my eye, though, is the fact that lawyer John Morgan is an ardent backer (as in money) of the amendment. If his intentions are pure, he should pledge that if the amendment passes his firm would not involve itself in any case involving marijuana use. Joseph Wynne New Port Richey [end]
Nora Volkow's warnings in the New England Journal of Medicine of the long- and short-term dangers of marijuana are lost on me, as long as we continue to use drugs that are equally dangerous in our lives every day. Consider a drug that leads to addiction, heart irregularities, impaired judgment, liver disease, depression and fetal damage a=C2=80" al cohol. Consider a drug that leads to addiction, nervousness, both hyper- and hypoglycemia, and sleep disorders a=C2=80" caffeine. [continues 97 words]
It was easy to dismiss marijuana use in the closing decades of the last century as a harmless pastime that, while illegal, was less destructive than alcohol and not as addictive as cocaine or other harder drugs. But medical studies now getting attention in advance of the November referendum on medical marijuana in Florida are painting a far different picture of the effects of marijuana on brain development and its potential addictiveness. Though the amendment on the November ballot would limit the legalization to medical uses, voters should still consider the studies when deciding whether to support the measure. In the two states where marijuana is now legal for recreational use - Colorado and Washington - voters had approved medical marijuana years earlier. [continues 410 words]
Pain Pill Epidemic Doubled Number of Tampa Bay Patients on Methadone in Just 4 Years TAMPA - The lobby starts filling up before dawn in the nondescript office building on Columbus Drive. Young adults, middle-aged, men, women, some poor, some not, some employed, some not, they wait patiently in the dark and as the sun breaks over the horizon and the June day heats up. Amidst their varying demographics, they share a few notable characteristics. They're addicts. They want to break the habit. [continues 1278 words]
John Morgan Has Choice Words for Wasserman Schultz TAMPA --- Top Florida Democrat Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced she opposes the proposed medical marijuana constitutional amendment, drawing an angry response Friday from another of the party's most important state figures - Orlando lawyer John Morgan. Morgan has bankrolled the amendment campaign and is a chief supporter of Charlie Crist in his bid for governor. The state Republican Party seized on the rift, accusing Morgan - and by association, Crist - of sexism for criticizing Wasserman Schultz. Wasserman Schultz is head of the Democratic National Committee and has represented the Miami area's 23rd Congressional district since 2005. [continues 570 words]
Medical Marijuana Backers Dismiss Findings As Old News TAMPA - The nation's top drug official has weighed in on the marijuana debate, publishing a paper in a prestigious medical journal this week arguing that the substance has been associated with substantial adverse effects. The paper in the New England Journal of Medicine by Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, focuses on existing research and breaks no new ground. But the document is sure to influence the debate over Amendment 2, a constitutional amendment on this fall's statewide ballot that would allow the use of marijuana for certain medical conditions in Florida. [continues 471 words]
In response to 'Highly uncertain times' (Views, May 18), I wish people would put out all of the information about these polls instead of just what they want to use. This is the whole poll about the medical marijuana amendment: Quinnipiac surveyed 1,413 registered voters, and the poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percent. This is the population for Florida last year: 19,552,860. I would like to know how they figure the poll results comprise 88 percent of the population. I also would like to know the demographics they used, because you can get a poll to state anything you want just by controlling where you poll. Personally, I think they are lying to promote legalized marijuana. They probably figure nobody would check their figures, so they could get away with lying to the people of Florida. Darryl Green, Spring Hill [end]
If Florida Voters OK Medical Pot, Businesses Will Face Complex Legal Issues This fall, Florida voters will have the ability to legalize medical marijuana. The legal impact on employers will be significant. The latest Quinnipiac University poll, released May 5, found 88 percent of Florida voters support allowing adults to legally use marijuana for medical purposes. In light of that strong support, the proposed amendment to Florida's Constitution seems certain to succeed. If it does, employers may find themselves questioning how best to deal with issues and questions related to employee use of medical marijuana. [continues 669 words]
Florida sheriffs speak out against medical marijuana because they deal every day with violent crime involving individuals who often abuse alcohol or other drugs. They rarely encounter an individual like the one who was the subject of the May 4 Letter of the Day, "Let her have a shot at a semi-normal life." They - all of us - should look outside our own experience. When Florida votes for Amendment 2 in November, we will not be the guinea pig; over one third of our 50 states already have had medical marijuana laws in effect long enough to draw conclusions. In those states, public safety actually has improved. This is documented by six research papers, either peer-reviewed or in the process. They are all good-faith attempts at apples-to-apples comparisons. Taken as a group, these states have seen reductions in property crime and violent crime, in traffic fatalities and in suicides. Equally important, there has been no increase in marijuana use by adolescents. In light of this recent data, Florida sheriffs should reconsider their opposition to Amendment 2. John G. Chase Palm Harbor [end]
BRANDON --- A child abuse investigation has been closed with a finding of innocence in the case of Renee Petro, a Fishhawk mother who's seeking to use a medical marijuana derivative to help her brain-damaged, epilepsy-stricken child. Pleased at the outcome, Petro went to see Gov. Rick Scott as he made an appearance in Brandon on Tuesday as part of a statewide re-election campaign kickoff tour. In a brief conversation with Scott after his speech, Petro thanked him for promising to sign a bill just passed by the state Legislature that would legalize the derivative and urged him to learn more about medical uses of marijuana. [continues 614 words]
I am the husband of a woman who has fought against severe fibromyalgia, scoliosis, sciatic nerve pain, degenerative arthritis, diabetes and episodes of congestive heart failure (CHF) for many years. Although she has been able to control her diabetes and CHF, the debilitating pain of her fibro, scoliosis and sciatica makes her life a fight against the odds each day. She can't stand for more than a few minutes at a time, even with her walker. She can't sit in one position for more than a few minutes, despite the comfort of a recliner. Many times I have seen her rocking back and forth, crying uncontrollably with the pain. [continues 444 words]
Campaign Cites Increase in Crime, Traffic Accidents TAMPA - Florida law enforcement authorities are set to begin a public awareness campaign to fight the effort to legalize medicinal marijuana, a question that will be put to voters in November. This winter, the Florida Sheriff's Association sent sheriffs across the state an email asking for their support of a resolution opposing the legalization of marijuana. A vast majority of the 67 sheriffs was in favor of fighting against any effort to legalize pot. [continues 653 words]
Regarding Douglas MacKinnon's April 18 op-ed ("Medical pot push driven by profit," Metro): Although 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 them feel better, then it's working. This 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. ARLINGTON, VA. [end]
Regarding "medical pot push driven by profit" (Metro, April 17): Does Douglas MacKinnon realize associating himself with the claim cannabis (marijuana) is a "Schedule I" substance is, in fact, the root of the farce? Claiming heroin is no worse than cannabis, and methamphetamine and cocaine are less harmful than cannabis, by insisting cannabis is a Schedule I substance alongside heroin while methamphetamine and cocaine are only Schedule II substances is disingenuous and dangerous. Further, the effort to /re/-legalize cannabis for sick citizens isn't motivated by profit. Motivation comes from otherwise law-abiding citizens who do not want to be caged for using a beneficial and relatively safe God-given plant. DILLON, COLO. [end]
Regarding "Medical pot push driven by profit": Speaking as a lobbyist/advocate for law enforcement in Congress, Douglas MacKinnon sounds like a lobbyist for Big Pharma. In attacking a competitive product - God's green plant - he protects the billions in profits that those wonderful pills generate. God didn't make junk. Marijuana is a low-cost, low-side-effect and highly effective medicine for millions of people. My colleagues need to accept and even embrace it. ADAMSTOWN, MD. [end]
In 1939, Frank Capra made one of the most entertaining, important and enduring political movies of all time titled "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" starring James Stewart and Jean Arthur. An essential part of the plot involved an immensely powerful and corrupt businessman by the name of "Jim Taylor" from Mr. Smith's fictional home state. "The Taylor Machine" in the movie continually manipulated a politician it had bought and paid for years earlier. Sadly, 75 years after the film premiered, many hard-working and honest Americans look at our nation's capital and even the state of Florida and understandably wonder if much really has changed. [continues 646 words]
Regarding 'Common sense needed' (Your Views, March 27): 'Common sense' is in the eye of the beholder. In 2013, I petitioned to put Amendment 2 on the ballot. I found that most supporters of medical marijuana have a close connection to someone who found it was the only drug that worked, or they trusted it would be prescribed in good faith. Conversely, most opponents have a close connection with a substance abuser, or they fear it will lead to full legalization. The key difference is that supporters want sick people to have it without fear of arrest, while opponents would use the criminal justice system to deny it to everyone. Neither side has a perfect position. [continues 74 words]
Deputy Visits FishHawk Woman With Ill Son TAMPA - A FishHawk woman who believes a medical marijuana derivative will help save the life of her brain-damaged son is being investigated by authorities, apparently over a complaint that she gave the 12-year-old child the drug illegally. Renee Petro, who was profiled in a Tampa Tribune story in January, got an unannounced visit from child abuse investigators from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's office Tuesday. The sheriff's office handles child abuse investigations for the state Department of Children and Families. [continues 936 words]
Regarding "The hype of drug legalization" (Other Views, Feb. 21): The problem with the drug war is not the hype; it's the goal: "to limit demand for drugs," as measured by annual surveys of drug use. The unstated assumption is that drug addiction will decline in proportion to drug use. It won't. When penalties rise and/or society frowns harder on drug use, large numbers of casual users quit, allowing the surveys to report success. But addicts continue to get their drug because they are, well, addicts. It is they - not the casual users - who damage society. The goal should be "to limit addiction to drugs," and the task be shifted from the Department of Justice to the Department of Health and Human Services. John G. Chase Palm Harbor [end]
It's totally inappropriate to address the complex issue of medical marijuana through a ballot amendment. Only comprehensive legislation will help ensure this is done right You don't have to talk to many people or read much of the literature to realize that a number of people have been legitimately helped by the use of medical marijuana. The folks who can be helped deserve our compassion. Of great concern, though, is that a ballot measure would be a "gateway law" to total legalization of the drug. Any safeguards in a two-or three-paragraph ballot measure will eventually die the death of a thousand qualifications and exceptions. A high-profile ballot fight might give the perception that this isn't an illegal drug, but just medicine and therefore good. Next, some judge will enshrine every American's "fundamental right" to smoke marijuana. Then we will reap what we sow. The end result might look like a scene from the sci-fi genre showing people lining up for their happy pill. [continues 207 words]
Proponents, Opponents Square Off in Front of Partisan University of Tampa Crowd TAMPA --- An audience of several hundred people, largely students, was clearly on the side of legalizing medical marijuana during an debate at the University of Tampa tonight, enlivened by heated exchanges involving the proposal's leading sponsor, trial lawyer John Morgan. The two sides got testy and the crowd got lively when the two opponents of the proposal, an antidrug activist physician from Kansas and a public policy expert from the University of Florida, accused proponents of wanting to legalize marijuana fully and advocating an untested, possibly dangerous medication. [continues 670 words]
TAMPA - Heroin deaths across the Tampa Bay area remain relatively low, but experts warn the crackdown on prescription drug abuse could reverse that trend. Hillsborough County reported two heroin deaths in 2012 and two in 2011. Pinellas and Pasco counties, which are grouped together in Florida Department of Law Enforcement statistics, reported one death each in 2012 and 2011. Law enforcement officials and drug experts, though, say they expect to see more addicts turning to heroin as Florida clamps down on prescription drug abuse, which has risen to epidemic levels in recent years. [continues 488 words]
Measures Would Tighten Law Named For Woman Killed In Mission Gone Awry TALLAHASSEE -Nearly seven years after a young Pinellas County woman was killed while acting as a police informant, lawmakers will decide whether to strengthen the state law named after her. Among possible changes is one sure to generate debate: Subjecting law enforcement officers to a felony charge if they don't follow 'Rachel's Law.' The law, in honor of Countryside High School graduate Rachel Hoffman, was passed in 2009 to protect those known as confidential informants, or C.I.s for short. [continues 781 words]
TAMPA - When the campaign for a constitutional amendment to broadly legalize medical marijuana in Florida failed in November, advocates promised they'd be back. They haven't wasted much time. United for Care, the chief proponent for medicinal pot, said earlier this month that a second petition has been approved by the Secretary of State's office and the group is collecting signatures to put the issue on the November 2016 ballot. United for Care is starting from scratch - it will need to collect 683,000 signatures - and says it has addressed some key issues that caused the 2014 measure to go down. [continues 766 words]
Regarding 'The Return of Reefer Madness:' Justice Louis Brandeis wrote approvingly of solving contentious social issues 'in the laboratory of the states.' Medical marijuana is such an issue. Rather than waiting for John Morgan's new initiative, the Florida legislature should consider the statute enacted by Maine 15 years ago. It gets high marks from 'Americans for Safe Access'(ASA), the flagship proponent of medical marijuana in the U.S. Maine is one of the 12 states with enough experience to know that it works as intended, with no impact to public safety and no increase in kids' pot smoking. ASA gives Maine a 'B', primarily for its patient rights, civil protection and access to medicine. Florida gets an 'F' for the same reasons. ASA has not graded John Morgan's newly revised Florida initiative. John G. Chase, Palm Harbor [end]
Regarding 'The return of reefer madness' (Our Views, Jan. 18): The people rewriting the medical marijuana amendment should review the adage about putting lipstick on a pig. No verbiage will ever convince me that their intentions are honorable until such time as medical marijuana distribution is done like other narcotic medications. There have to be real prescriptions, not 'recommendations,' signed by physicians licensed to prescribe narcotic drugs, and include the doctor's DEA number. Then, medical marijuana has to be dispensed by licensed pharmacies permitted to fill narcotic prescriptions. At time of delivery a photo ID has to be shown, and the prescription signed for. At all times the same tracking mechanisms used for drugs such as opiates and barbiturates have to be employed and reviewed by the proper authorities. [continues 103 words]
Regarding "For the potheads" (Your Views, Jan. 13): Contrary to what Betty Dobson and many others believe, marijuana is not a "gateway drug." The "gateway theory" is nothing but "Reefer Madness" propaganda. In 1999, Congress commissioned the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to look at possible dangers on medical marijuana - the "Gateway Theory" being one of these possible dangers. After completing the study, the Academy wrote, "... Not surprisingly, most users of other illicit drugs have used marijuana first. In fact, most drug users begin with alcohol and nicotine before marijuana - usually before they are of legal age. ... (However) ... There is no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are (even) causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs." [continues 160 words]
Supporters Say They'll Have the Required Signatures by Feb. 1 TAMPA --- Facing a tight deadline to submit signed petitions for a constitutional amendment allowing medical use of marijuana in Florida, backers are confident they'll have enough valid signatures to get the measure on the 2014 ballot. If so, that would leave approval of the amendment's ballot language as the only potential roadblock to allowing Floridians to vote on the measure in the Nov. 4 election. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has objected to the amendment language, but a state Supreme Court decision may not come before April. [continues 649 words]
TAMPA - A small but steady steam of people backing a petition to get medical marijuana on the statewide ballot next year attended a music and arts festival in Citrus Park on Saturday. The event called "Beyond the Smoke" drew a cross-section of the Tampa Bay community to The Dubliner Irish Pub at 12836 Henderson Road. It was a gathering of young and old, and people of diverse backgrounds, ethnicities and political beliefs from the Tampa Bay area and beyond. They attended to promote the cause and collect more signatures. [continues 354 words]
In response to the legalization of medical marijuana, who is anyone to question how someone would react to the medicinal effects of medical marijuana? Who are people to question how someone would react to any drug for that manner? It really aggravates me to hear how people think they know how someone would react to anything that is prescribed by a medical professional. You all have your right to your opinion, but do not try to lecture people about how they would feel after taking any medication that helps them. Stay out of other people's medical concerns -- period. Brian Schroeder Lutz [end]
