Monday June 16, 2008, 2:04 pm

I support legalizing medical marijuana. Actually, I support legalizing marijuana in general and handling it as we do alcohol. I also support decriminalizing all drugs. Not only would it alleviate our over crowed prison system, but it would allow treatment for addicts and management
of continuing drug addiction.

Working with the courts, I have seen many adults that are meth addicts that actually function as well, and many times, even better, than functional alcoholics. Unfortunately, we label the drug addicts "criminals" and stick them in prison as opposed to actually working with them and allowing them to continue providing for their families and contributing to society.

Thank you Jacolin. I better stop before I get into a full rant here.

Monday June 16, 2008, 2:17 pm
Full rants welcome here!

"Social change is inevitable, go with the changes or get caught in the quagmire, I see pot being legalized in my lifetime." "First they came for the 18-20 year old adult drinkers. I said nothing because I was 22 at the time. Then they came for the people who don't use their seatbelt. I said nothing because I always buckle up. Then they came for the business owners who choose to allow smoking in their business. I said nothing because I don't own a business. Then they came for the people who use marijuana. I said nothing because I don't use marijuana. It just occured to me: who will be here to speak up for me when they decide to come get me?"

Prohibitionists love to confuse correlation with causation in order to muddy the issue. Its not surprising that most hard drug users have used marijuana. People who are inclined to try drugs start with those that are the most common usually tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana. But the vast majority of marijuana users do not move on to use hard drugs. Nearly 100 million Americans have tried marijuana, and almost 15 million use it monthly, yet only 3.5 million have ever tried heroin, and only 136,000 use it monthly. Do the math: Of those who try marijuana, less than one percent 0.17% become regular heroin users! Not much of a gateway, huh?

No drug is harmless, including marijuana, and we've never said it is. But its also true that independent scientific and government reviews have concluded that the health risks of marijuana are much lower than those of alcohol and tobacco, and that those risks dont justify arresting and jailing responsible, adult marijuana users. What prohibition has done is guarantee that society has no control over marijuana. Producers and sellers are unlicensed and completely unregulated. Unlike licensed businesses that sell liquor or tobacco, marijuana sellers operate virtually anywhere and have no incentive not to sell to children or teens. Prohibition guarantees that marijuana will not be inspected for purity or labeled for potency. And it ensures that the only people selling marijuana will be criminals. According to estimates by Harvard University economist Jeffrey Miron, replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of taxation and regulation would save between $10 billion and $14 billion per year in reduced government spending and increased tax revenues. Another researcher recently estimated that the revenue lost from our failure to tax the marijuana industry could be as high as $31 billion!

Wednesday June 18, 2008, 4:37 pm
This is a really good excuse for those who would love to use drugs. Now it will be legal for Marijuana, later something else would be legal, and so forth. Where will we get with all this?

Let's be smarter than that and find something healthy to help us with our medical problems.

There are many other alternatives out there, you don't have to use Marijuana to get treated. Why not do a little research, instead of hurting yourself further with the Marijuana, it would be better to use something healthy and that will actually heal you.

Thursday June 19, 2008, 8:37 am
I have enough pharmaceuticals to kill 12 large men- I am referring to schedule 2 narcotics that I prefer not to take, so frankly from experience
it is the preferred choice. Narcotic withdrawal it terrible- but comes with the territory with some fast acting opiates, so 24/7 morphine- YUCK.
I am in the same boat. I had one Doc come right out and say, if I can get it, go for it, [but I didn't hear it from him]...and another doc...well he said the same thing = Round about because we can not discuss it as a medical option.
Yet, I have so much morphine, vicodin, muscle relaxers, valium. I was tired of sleeping all the time so they gave me amphetamines- what is wrong with this picture? For me its not about taking drugs, I want to wake up and function and not have screaming pain. See, I don't like to take all those drugs!!!
Frankly I get a hell of a lot more done with just a little hemp.

Thursday June 19, 2008, 9:16 am
Let's make it happen people....