Your POV on marijuana

[JWill1088]

I'm asking this question because it is a frequent conversation I have with my neighbor. Before I ask I'll tell you why I'm asking.
I'm in the Army and i have a severely injured leg. I broke my tibia and fibula in December 2009. I had 8 surgeries on my leg resulting in MASSIVE nerve damage in my foot, 60% loss of motion in the ankle, 20% loss of calf muscle, tendinitis in the knee and chronic pain on a 24/7 basis.
I've taken many prescribed medications in the form of pills, patches and injections, but nothing seems to help the pain. Now I've never been one to like taking medications because frankly, I don't know what's in it and don't like putting foreign chemicals in my body.
Now, my question is, what is your point of view on legalizing marijuana? And, if anything making medicinal marijuana legal? Now I'm not saying you can go to your doctor with a little back pain and he give you a prescription to smoke it up. I think it should be legal for those in severe and chronic pain. i.e. my situation, or those with terminal cancer, amputees, etc.

[retdetsgt]

I've never read anything that said marijuana was a pain reliever. I'm pretty sure that if opiates and other pain meds haven't worked, I seriously doubt weed will be of much value.

It's supposed to help nausea with people going through chemo, but beyond that it's value is questionable.

[Usual40Weight]

In my opinion, science needs to catch up to the 'hype' that is happening around us. When science can do the natural thing (not the synthetic route) and make it so it doesnt have to be burned to get its effects, we may see some progress and legitimacy in the 'medical' realm. I just cant get passed the fact that you have to 'smoke' your 'medicine'. When I have a headache, I dont freebase my asprin or the bark off of a tree - science has effectively (and safely) given me what I need. Nothing more, nothing less.

*EDIT* There have been *some* studies that imply the pain relief aspect of cannabis. Im ignorant to most of this, but read enough about the 'endocannabinoid' systems in our bodies that have receptors that respond to the active ingredients other than the THC.

Hence - more science. Isolate and seperate what provides pain relief from what gets you high.
I can eat the bark off of an asprin tree to cure my headache and it might work. But I would have a nasty stomach ache to accompany it.

[retdetsgt]

*EDIT* There have been *some* studies that imply the pain relief aspect of cannabis. Im ignorant to most of this, but read enough about the 'endocannabinoid' systems in our bodies that have receptors that respond to the active ingredients other than the THC.

I still bet whiskey works better.....

[MikeG]

Medical marijuana is a cure in search of a disease. FDA has found no reason to ever prescribe it. Symptoms are relieved by better and more effective drugs for nausea, glaucoma, chronic pain, etc.

The people who want to legalize it often use alcohol as a reference (i.e. marijuana is less debilitiating/damaging than alcohol). Alcohol is also not a medication. The "medical" aspect of it is just a backdoor way to make use and possession legal. Notice how they always write the laws so it's exempt from the other other dispensation methods? You can't go to walgreens and pharmicists aren't the dispensary agents. If it's a medicine, ask yourself why a pharmicist isn't the one filling the prescription. It's more like the liquor store.

Also, anything organic that is smoked is a carcinogen. There is nothing specific to cigarrettes other than it's organic matter that is burning.

That's my opinion anyway.

[Usual40Weight]

I still bet whiskey works better.....

Touche'

And a heckuva lot cheaper!

[Citicop]

Closed.

1.) This area is reserved for questions about the site itself, not general questions about LE issues.
2.) We don't discuss drug legalization on this site. It always degenerates into a flame war. We're cops. We enforce the law, and marijuana is illegal. We aren't likely to condone it as a holistic alternative to real medicine.

-Citicop.