After Cancer Treatment, Utah Attn. Gen. supports legal medical marijuana

[RainDog]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/06/12/utah-attorney-general-shurtleff-approves-of-medical-marijuana-after-battling-cancer/

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said he would support the legalization of medical marijuana after experiencing months of intensive cancer treatment.

"Until you've experienced chemo, you can't describe exactly how it feels," he said Thursday on KSL Newsradio's Doug Wright Show. "It's kind of like having the flu because you ache all over. But it's worse than that... Everything feels awful."

Shurtleff said never used marijuana himself, but had talked to other patients who had traveled out-of-state to receive marijuana treatment.

"They give you pills to help you with the nausea, but if you can't keep those down, then what do you do?" he said. "You just suffer. That's one of the reasons I understand why people who are going through chemo are prescribed medicinal marijuana in states where it is legal."

This is why the DEA must reschedule cannabis and stop preventing people from using medication that alleviates their suffering. This travesty has gone on long enough. Cancer patients should not be denied access to medication just b/c they live in a state that will be among the last to change their laws. The federal govt is making it possible to do this by maintaining cannabis as a substance with no medical value. This is a lie. Everyone knows it - at least everyone who is paying attention knows this.

[KittyWampus]

1. It's the humane thing to do. Allow people to use it. I hear it may help insomnia.

[RainDog]

2. It is the humane thing to do

chemo is a long way from insomnia.

[Warren DeMontague]

4. I don't care if people want to smoke it for chemo, insomnia, or to watch a Judd Apatow film

it should be legal.

[RainDog]

6. that's my opinion, too

however, if people need to get over their fears after long years of propaganda, AT THE VERY LEAST make it possible for cancer patients to be able to obtain cannabis from a legal source.

If you've ever cared for a family member undergoing chemo - it's really, really hard on people. And their loved ones. While my step-mother underwent chemo, my sisters and I took turns traveling to where my parents lived in order to take care of her. My father had a stroke while my step-mother was undergoing chemo. My step-mother had marinol but she couldn't stand it. I wish I had known someone at the time who could have given her some whole-plant cannabis. She wasted away to nothing - all food tasted like metal.

[Warren DeMontague]

18. It is APPALLING that folks in Chemo can't get whatever they need -especially cannabis- that can help

I agree 100%.

I had a girlfriend who had hodgkin's, I was with her when she underwent a limited, low dose regimen of Chemo. That was bad enough. I hear you.

[Warren DeMontague]

3. Welcome to the other side. The nightmare world where terminally ill people can't get medicine

because someone, somewhere, might get high off it.

It's fucking ridiculous, and honestly it's simply time to legalize pot for consenting adults to use for WHATEVER fucking reason they choose.

Legalize it, regulate it, tax it. Enough.

[angel823]

21. ding ding ding!

We have a winna, folks!

Angel

[LadyHawkAZ]

5. A lot of his longtime supporters here are in total shock

about this. As for me, I'm just sorry it took such a horrible experience like cancer for him to see the light.

[RainDog]

Really?

really - that's what I thought - I'm sorry it took something like stage 3 cancer for someone to overcome prejudice against a plant. even if he didn't use it - it appears he got information from those who did and saw something there that made him change his mind.

[Scuba]

7. Whatever happened with this....

<img src="" title="Hosted by imgur.com" />

[RainDog]

10. Is that the information that got scrubbed from the National Cancer Institute website?

http://blog.norml.org/2011/03/30/national-cancer-institute-scrubs-anti-tumoral-effect-of-cannabinoids-from-website/

now lying by omission, here:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabis/healthprofessional/page2

[Scuba]

11. Exactly. I heard rumors of a minor revolt among scientists who were ....

...being censored by politics.


Here's another good source...

http://www.marijuanamovie.org

[RainDog]

23. I finally got to watch your link

I think I'd seen parts of it before - but the interview with the doctor who spoke about the healthy lungs of cannabis users is pretty amazing b/c it goes against conventional wisdom.

the sad thing is that we now see the DEA has been trying to bypass their own regulations to allow pharmaceutical cos the right to sell synthetic THC - while continuing to lie about whole-plant cannabis.

as the doctor noted, also - it's better to inhale/vaporize for immediate pain and nausea relief rather than ingest a pill or a brownie or whatever b/c the cannabis changes when it goes through the liver.

this is probably just too onerous for those who want to make money off cannabis medicine to accept - the simplest and cheapest way of using this plant is also the best way to provide relief from symptoms of a variety of illnesses.

it also allows patients to titrate their intake to provide pain relief immediately - one little bit. then another if that's not sufficient - unlike a huge dose of something that doesn't take effect until half an hour later and lasts longer than necessary.

[jberryhill]

8. "You just suffer"

Yeah, that's right, asshole.

What is it with people who cannot understand a damned thing about the suffering of others until it happens to them?

[RainDog]

9. it's crazy, isn't it?

seems to be that puritan streak on the skunk. or something like that.

[mitchtv]

12. I wish they would study its effects on Parkinson's symptoms

It provides great relief

[RainDog]

13. for cerebral palsy, too, so it seems

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAL28jOxRJI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y--pjK2sdqM&feature=related

[Lucinda]

15. I didn't know that!

I'm glad you posted.

[spanone]

14. duh

[Lucinda]

16. I'm glad he's taking this stand. Hopefully some others will rethink the issue now

:hi:

[RainDog]

17. I hope so, too

if the differential between crack and cocaine can be acknowledged and changed, the false scheduling of whole-plant cannabis can also be rescheduled so that people can use it legally for medicine.

[Lucinda]

19. Yep. It's long overdue.

[felix_numinous]

20. Yeah that'll do it....

awake in pain and nauseated every day. Pills they give you don't work, then smoke and ahhhh. Then :) :think: EUREKA!!!

Thank you for your efforts to keep up with MMJ, RainDog

[RainDog]

22. thanks for the kind words

I've really learned a lot.

The more I've read about this issue, the more I see how outrageously our govt has acted.

It's too bad our representatives, etc. cannot experience for themselves the value of cannabis for people with a variety of illnesses. The next time one of them gets a split-your-head open, can't be around light, puke-up-your-guts migraine - it's too bad someone can't provide some immediate relief for them that would allow them to function (because, unlike all the stories, some people can do a variety of things if they're using cannabis for pain relief that they wouldn't be able to do while in pain.)

and I'm sure that pain is no where near what someone with cancer goes through for long periods of time.

[RainDog]

24. "I guess this makes chemo the gateway drug to marijuana"

ouch.

just saw that in a comment at the rawstory link.