May 11th, 2008 by Peter Bonginelli
filed under: Medical Marijuana, News
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USA — Each month Irvin Rosenfeld goes to his pharmacy and picks up a special prescription, supplied to him by the U.S. government: a canister containing roughly 10 ounces of marijuana in pre-rolled cigarettes.
Rosenfeld, a Boca Raton, Florida stockbroker, suffers from a rare illness called multiple congenital cartilaginous exostosis, a painful genetic disease that causes tumors to grow at the ends of his long bones, causing unbelievable pain. He is also one of four surviving patients receiving government-supplied medical marijuana, in a program that was closed to new applicants by President George H.W. Bush in 1992.
That program marks its 30th anniversary May 10. That’s right, our government has been supplying medical marijuana to a small number of patients — the program peaked at 34 approved participants in 1991 — for three full decades.
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March 25th, 2008 by Peter Bonginelli
filed under: Medical Marijuana, Opinion
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Marijuana Is A Non-Toxic Medicine – It is undisputed among the medical community that marijuana contains medicinal value to patients of multiple degenerative illnesses, and the American College Of Physicians (ACP) told the government just last month to back off states that have approved medical marijuana, as well as demanding further research be done. (ACP Endorsement)
Marijuana For The Economy – Although marijuana and hemp are fundamentally different, both are currently illegal to cultivate and both hold much potential for our struggling economy. Hemp is a great alternative to plastics and textiles in many industries, as well as having a high yield-per-acre for ethanol production (more than corn). Marijuana, on the other hand, is the biggest cash crop in the United States that is not taxed. We lose an estimated $42 billion a year (article) to marijuana prohibition alone, with $10 billion going to law enforcement and $32 billion in lost tax revenue (don’t be surprised to see double that number to double in the case of legalization). At a time our economy is struggling, we need all the new streams of revenue we can get.
Marijuana Prohibition Is Destroying Lives – Unlike the Drug Czar John Walters’ anti-marijuana commercials tells you it is marijuana prohibition that is destroying lives. In 2006 almost 800,000 people were arrested on marijuana related charges, with about 730,00 being for mere possession. Due to limited funding, pro-legalization organizations don’t have the money to air ads on the story of Will Foster, Weldon Angelos, or any of the other victims on the marijuana policy project’s victims page.
The People Want It – In the Barney Frank article referenced above, even Frank acknowledges that politicians are way behind the public in their support for marijuana. I suggest anyone that is interested in the statistics of support for decriminalization check out this article. 47% Of Americans admit to trying marijuana at least once, 80% support its medical use, and 76% support decriminalization for personal use.
Civil Liberties – There seems to be something fundamentally wrong and unconstitutional about the government regulating drugs in the first place. At the very least, many, including US Rep. Barney Franks feel that the matter should be left up to the states (article). Frank also made a comment on the show Real Time about how many believe that decriminalizing or legalizing pot would be sending the message of “pot is ok” to children. He asked if you would rather send them the message “we are hypocrites”.
In conclusion, I hope you will at least rethink your position on marijuana, and read some of the sources I have provided. , From protecting our civil rights, to easing the pain of an aids patient, or saving an 18 year old kid from getting rejected for financial aid, there are many benefits that both decriminalization and legalization will bring. The only way the laws will change is through education and taking action. To e-mail your district US Rep. in support of Barney Franks planned legislation you can contact them through a quick and easy e-mail form here.
February 19th, 2008 by Peter Bonginelli
filed under: Medical Marijuana, Opinion
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Vaporizers: Why It Is Time To Legalize Marijuana
There may finally be no reason for the government to keep marijuana a criminal act, as the defense for the drug war has completely fallen apart over the past couple years. Each argument that John Walters (the drug czar) and his predecessors have put forth for the criminalization of marijuana has no merit. Below I will go over each argument that the federal government has put forth for the criminalization of weed, and prove to you that the only reason marijuana is still legal is corrupt media officials and politicians with ties to big business.
1.Claim: The main ingredient delta9-tetrahydrocannibinol is a mind-altering substance. Most recently, Josh Walters has been spending millions of dollars on advertisements claiming Marijuana causes schizophrenia.
Actually, Marijuana is only mind altering for a short period of time, after which the brain returns to a normal state. Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan as recently as a month ago found that marijuana increases brain cell growth. Synthetic cannabinoid was injected into mice and there was actually growth in the hippocampus, which is crucial in forming memory and is believed these cells help fight depression and mood disorders. So if anything about the mind is being altered, it is for the better. The schizophrenia argument has been shot down by every psychologist in the field that I have talked to. If you want to read more about why this article is false read here.
2.Claim: Marijuana today is 25 times stronger than that of the 1960s, and can be cut with dangerous chemicals that may cause cancer.
There is no lethal dose of marijuana. While, taking 25 times your recommended Tylenol amount will kill you, smoking marijuana with 25 times as much THC will just cause you to feel a more intense high. In fact, the numbers are more like 4 to 6 times stronger and this is largely due to advancements in cultivation technology over the years. Dangerous chemicals may or may not make it to the marijuana before it gets to the smoker, however it is only because marijuana is illegal and unregulated that this is the case. In fact, marijuana itself has been shown in studies that date back to the 1960s that marijuana slows and may even help prevent cancer. Read about how cannabis can slow cancer.
3.Claim: Marijuana is harmful to your lungs.
This is only true when cannabis is consumed by smoking. Over the past couple years vaporizers have been an emerging technology in the herbal smoking world. Vaporizers heat the herbal substance to between 350-380 degrees and therefore it eliminates 99% of carcinogens. So smoking with a vaporizer basically refutes the one and only scientifically sound argument that supporters of cannabis prohibition have.
So how with no scientific basis is marijuana still illegal? The answer lies in the media. Frankly, articles like this don’t get this same kind of exposure that fox news can have. They are quick to promote studies showing marijuana increasing gum disease, but will never promote one that shows positive benefits. In fact fox news has a history of censoring and altering news in the favor of big business. Here is one example where fox censored news that Monsanto’s cow growth hormone causes cancer.. The oil, paper, and cotton industries all benefit from the legalization of hemp and marijuana because hemp can replace plastics, paper, textiles and fuel. In addition cannabis has a much higher yield per acre than any other ethanol producing plant.
Politicians are responsible for this too. They are not listening to the people. In national polls, 60& of people want marijuana decriminalized and 80% support its medicinal use. 45% Support the legalization for use by adults. The only explanation for this is that the politicians controlling marijuana policy have interests with big business.
So in attempt to take a stand and challenge the status quo I want you to read this, and think about what I have presented you. If you find an argument for a reason you feel marijuana should be illegal, post it on this blog and I will respond in this article. If you support what I am trying to say, then digg this article or feel free to reproduce and submit this article* anywhere you can so that we can try to combat the propaganda mainstream media is spreading. With the power of the internet we have the potential to dispel propaganda no matter how much money the government spends!
Get involved however you can, I propose a toast to the cause of marijuana legalization!
-Peter Bonginelli
*If you want to reproduce the article on your own blog please credit this website.
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