{"id":725,"date":"2015-05-12T12:14:43","date_gmt":"2015-05-12T16:14:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/?p=725"},"modified":"2015-05-12T12:14:43","modified_gmt":"2015-05-12T16:14:43","slug":"marijuana-seems-to-be-a-dirty-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/2015\/05\/12\/marijuana-seems-to-be-a-dirty-word\/","title":{"rendered":"Marijuana seems to be a dirty word"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Marijuana\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Marijuana seems to be a dirty word to some people. It is also called a gateway drug that will cause the user to move on to harder drugs. But for all the bad drug reputation it has, there are medical benefits attributed to it and they have been verified in many cases. So my question is in two parts, part one is why is this drug been classified as being illegal? And secondly why has the Federal Government not realized that it is hurting those who could medically benefit from the use of marijuana in its various medicinal forms?<\/span><\/p>\n

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The following is on the Office of Drug Control Policy website<\/a>–<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cSince 1996, 23 states and Washington, DC have passed laws allowing smoked marijuana to be used for a variety of medical conditions. It is important to recognize that these state marijuana laws do not change the fact that using marijuana continues to be an offense under Federal law. \u00a0Nor do these state laws change the criteria or process for FDA approval of safe and effective medications.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is important to note that Congress has determined that marijuana is a dangerous drug and that the illegal distribution and sale of marijuana is a serious crime.\u00a0 The Department of Justice (DOJ) is committed to enforcing the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) consistent with these determinations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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No where in the above statement does it mention the why of classifying marijuana as a dangerous drug. There have been many statements made about this drug, which would if taken at face value scare you away from ever using it. I will not debate the pluses or minuses in using marijuana as a recreational drug and instead talk more about the medical benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Congress does seem to see this drug as beneficial as a medicinal product. They have passed legislation for a one year ban on the pursuit of cases involving medical marijuana. In April of this year the Department of Justice (DOJ)<\/a> released a statement that it would go after those people who are users and\/or makers of the medical variety of marijuana. Even though Congress has made it quite clear that they want a one year moratorium the DOJ says it will continue doing what it thinks is right for the DOJ.<\/span><\/p>\n

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If you are not confused at this point, then you must know more than most citizens do. While the Congress seems to be leaning toward making marijuana legal for medicinal purposes and yet tremendous pressuring from lobbyists representing drug companies seem to be preventing them from changing the law. Twenty three states and the District of Columbia allow the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, yet our Federal Government does not seem to see the writing on the wall- Medicinal Marijuana is here to stay and should be legal in the entire United States!<\/span><\/p>\n

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I will not bore you with the history of marijuana in this country and direct you to Wikipedia<\/a>. What seems to be the problem with this drug is that it has been categorized as a dangerous substance without the proper studies to back up such labeling. The big pharmaceutical companies do have a lot to lose if marijuana were made legal, especially for medical use. And so do the drug enforcement agencies, both federal and state. Therefore there is no real reason for this drug not to be made legal for at least medical use.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Those who stand in the way of making marijuana legal for either medical or recreational use are fighting a losing battle. And someday soon you will see marijuana used to replace many manmade pharmaceutical products all over this country.<\/span><\/p>\n

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As far as making it legal for recreational use, just look at Colorado and what is happening there. It is not the perfect model and yet it can serve as a basis for formulating a fair and just set of federal laws.<\/span><\/p>\n

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That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike<\/span><\/p>\n

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