Yeah, that happens to me sometimes too :-)
In the UK, we have had several recent reports that Marijuana causes one to suffer from paranoid schizophrenia.
Don't listen to him, he is just out to get me.
No, I'm not. That's Boris, who lurks in the subconcious until he's ready to attack both of us.
Methinks we should post a largish sign on his Lordship's front lawn: KEEP OFF THE GRASS.
This one's easy. Legalize marijuana. If you're foolish enough to abuse the substance which has been proven to have averse effects on the human body, then you deserve whatever negative effects may come your way.
From a legal standpoint: All fines, penalties, and punishments are doubled when the crime is committed while under the influence of marijuana. Any and all health problems derived from abuse of marijuana are not covered by health insurance. Pay for your own problems.
I'm a Darwinist when it comes to consentual crimes. If the only person being hurt is yourself, then stop it or get hurt.
Medical Marijuana Will Be Legal Next Week in N.M.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Medical Marijuana Will Be Legal Next Week in N.M.
By Deborah Baker/
Associated Press
TESUQUE ?- Martin Walker is looking forward to the day when his marijuana smoking will be legal. Since he was diagnosed four years ago as HIV positive, Walker has used the drug to fight the nausea that frequently grips his gut and the depression that's never far away.
But the relief comes at a price: worrying that getting busted buying the illegal drug could cost him his job and forever blot his record. He's counting on a new state law to provide some peace of mind. As of July 1, patients with HIV-AIDS and certain other debilitating conditions can qualify for a new medical marijuana program.
"If there's a system in place that's going to allow me to do this treatment without having to break the law ... I'll just be able to sleep better at night," said Walker, who runs outdoor-based adult health programs for the Santa Fe Mountain Center.
New Mexico is the 12th state in the nation to legalize medical marijuana use ?- and the only one that calls for state-licensed production and distribution of the drug.
The law ?- passed in March and signed by Gov. Bill Richardson, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination ?- requires the Department of Health to issue rules by Oct. 1 for licensing marijuana producers within the state and for developing a distribution system.
"The long-term goal is that the patients will have a safe, secure supply that doesn't mean drug dealers, that doesn't mean growing their own" and that doesn't encourage profiteering, said Reena Szczepanski, director of Drug Policy Alliance New Mexico.
As of July 1, the department will take applications from patients whose doctors certify they're eligible for the program.
Within weeks, approved patients ?- or their approved primary caregivers ?- would receive temporary certificates allowing them to possess up to six ounces of marijuana, four mature plants and three immature seedlings. That's enough supply for three months, according to the health department.
The law allows the use of marijuana for specified conditions including cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and HIV-AIDS, as well as by some patients in hospice care.
An eight-member advisory board of doctors could recommend that other conditions be added to the list. The board also will likely review the department's decisions on applications.
"It keeps medicine at the heart of the program," Szczepanski said.
The distribution and use of marijuana are illegal under federal law, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2005 in a California case that medical marijuana users can be prosecuted.
Faced with that dilemma, the health department has asked state Attorney General Gary King whether its employees could be federally prosecuted for running the registry and identification card program, and whether the agency can license marijuana producers and facilities.
"The production part is unprecedented. ... No other state law does that," said Dr. Steve Jenison, medical director of the health department's Infectious Disease Bureau, who is running the new program. "So we're trying to be very thoughtful in how we proceed."
The attorney general hasn't weighed in on the issue yet.
Walker, who lobbied for the bill for three years, says he was elated when it passed.
A former drug abuser ?- his missing front teeth a testament to five years of crystal meth ?- he fights to keep his weight up but has lost 70 pounds in the past year.
"The nausea can be overwhelming. It's a feeling like somebody's inside your gut, just grabbing your stomach and just squeezing it," he said.
And depression is a serious problem for many people living with HIV, said the 31-year-old. He oversees programs including HIV prevention and testing and needle exchange, as well as adventure outings for people with HIV-AIDS.
"Though we may live longer now because of medications, there is no cure. ... You're still very conscious of the fact that you're going to die because of this," Walker said.
The other states that protect medical marijuana patients from state prosecution are Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Maryland's law doesn't protect patients from arrest, but it sets a maximum fine of $100 and no jail time for defendants who can convince judges they needed marijuana for medical reasons.
Connecticut's governor vetoed a medical marijuana bill recently.
Well, Marijuana can and does cause psychosis, but it appears that it's only in those genetically susceptible to it (in other words, it's a genetic lottery whether or not smoking marijuana will effect your mental health)
i think thye just did a double blind study with bud and i guess that its beneficial. but i lost the site so..
Law Requires N.M. to Grow Its Own Pot
Law Requires N.M. to Grow Its Own Pot
by DEBORAH BAKER
June 30, 2007
SANTA FE, N.M. ?- New Mexico has a new medical marijuana law with a twist: It requires the state to grow its own.
The law, effective Sunday, not only protects medical marijuana users from prosecution _ as 11 other states do _ but requires New Mexico to oversee a production and distribution system for the drug.
"The long-term goal is that the patients will have a safe, secure supply that doesn't mean drug dealers, that doesn't mean growing their own," said Reena Szczepanski, director of Drug Policy Alliance New Mexico.
The state Department of Health must issue rules by Oct. 1 for the licensing of marijuana producers and in-state, secured facilities, and for developing a distribution system.
The law was passed in March and signed by Gov. Bill Richardson, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Other states with medical marijuana laws are Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Maryland's law doesn't protect patients from arrest, but it keeps defendants out of jail if they can convince judges they needed marijuana for medical reasons.
Connecticut's governor vetoed a medical marijuana bill recently.
The distribution and use of marijuana are illegal under federal law, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2005 in a California case that medical marijuana users can be prosecuted.
Faced with that dilemma, the health department has asked state Attorney General Gary King whether its employees could be federally prosecuted for running the medical marijuana registry and identification card program, and whether the agency can license marijuana producers and facilities.
"The production part is unprecedented. ... No other state law does that," said Dr. Steve Jenison, who is running the program for the health department. "So we're trying to be very thoughtful in how we proceed."
In the meantime, however, patients must obtain their own supplies.
The state will immediately begin taking applications from patients whose doctors certify they are eligible for the program.
Within weeks, approved patients _ or their approved primary caregivers _ would receive temporary certificates allowing them to possess up to six ounces of marijuana, four mature plants and three immature seedlings. That's enough for three months, the department says.
The law allows the use of marijuana for specified conditions including cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and HIV-AIDS, as well as by some patients in hospice care.
An eight-member advisory board of doctors could recommend that other conditions be added to the list.
Martin Walker was diagnosed four years ago as HIV positive and uses marijuana to combat nausea and depression. He said he looks forward to being able to obtain the drug legally.
"If there's a system in place that's going to allow me to do this treatment without having to break the law ... I'll just be able to sleep better at night," said Walker, who runs HIV prevention and other outdoor-based adult health programs for the Santa Fe Mountain Center.
