What is Kerry's position on Medical Marijuana & the War on Drugs?

[Eloriel]

This issue keeps coming up re Dr. Howard Dean, and I personally think it's a huge red herring.

But as long as we're on the subject -- what about Kerry?

Kerry supporters, let's hear it.

Eloriel

[jpgray]

1. He's in favor of it--you're going be sorry you asked

http://www.talkleft.com/archives/003612.html

After the opening of his New Hampshire campaign headquarters last night, U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) told medical marijuana advocate Linda Macia, who suffers from nerve damage, fibromyalgia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, and degenerative arthritis, that he favors legal access to medical marijuana for seriously ill patients and a study to determine appropriate federal policy.

That makes two of the Democratic contenders (Kucinich is the other) who support medical marijuana. On the other side....

Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who worked to kill a medical marijuana bill in Vermont last year, has said he favors an FDA study but has refused to protect patients from arrest. In May, U.S. Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) told the San Francisco Chronicle he has no objection to the Justice Department's arresting patients. U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-MO) have previously supported legislation condemning state medical marijuana laws. The rest of the Democratic field has yet to take a position.

:)

[dsc]

2. Is he a liar too

He favors "a study to determine appropriate federal policy". Isn't that what Dean said and was accused of being a liar for having said.

[jpgray]

3. Neither is a liar

They just have different positions. While Dean killed medical marijuana legislation and refused to protect people from arrest, Kerry supports it and thinks a study should be done. They're both right about the study.

[revcarol]

8. I think they said Dean was a liar because he said

there was no evidence it was medically effective...or some such nonsense.He said it "might be" effective in certain cases...

Then the proponents of medical marijuana came out with about 100 medical journal articles showing the RESEARCH that had been done and much had concluded it WAS effective for many different things, including pain and counteracting the effects of cancer chemo-therapy, and many others...and this was only the tip of the iceberg as far as the medical research that had been done.

They were saying that he was a liar for saying that we needed medical research before approving medical marijuana, when so much has already been done.

Have I got that right, guys and gals?

[dsc]

12. That isn't what he said

and you should do what I did before posting actually read the threads involved. He said that there needed to be more studies BEFORE THE FDA COULD APPROVE marijuana as a medicine. That is wholly different than there BEING NO EVIDENCE MARIJUANA IS EFFECTIVE.

[w13rd0]

5. Then I was correct in my other thread...

...when I said Kucinich and on other ;)

Why be sorry he asked, he wanted to know his position. I agree with Kerry's position, one of the many reasons I'll be happy to vote for him if he gets the nomination (along with his strong stance on renewable energy). But I'm not a one-issue voter, and this issue alone isn't enough for me to decide primary support on.

[jpgray]

7. This seemed like a deflection to Kerry-bashing

Just poking a little fun is all. :)

In reality I don't think Dean and Kerry would behave differently on the issue. Dean's efforts to get rid of the MM bill may be seen in an unfavorable light, but I don't really believe Kerry will make the legalization crowd happy either. He does say he supports medical marijuana though, so who knows?

[Pastiche423]

9. Whoa!

"In May, U.S. Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) told the San Francisco Chronicle he has no objection to the Justice Department's arresting patients."

[Eloriel]

15. No, not sorry at all

As I said, I consider the whole issue a red herring. While I'm in favor of medical marijuana myself, and I do know that there are people who are currently suffering who would be helped if there were an allowance for medical marijuana, I believe the whole issue is not at the top of priorities for most voters. Period. Yet folks here have made a major issue of DEAN's position on medical marijuana, or tried to.

Here, btw, is Dr. Howard Dean's own words, which I find perfectly acceptable, esp. given that he is an M.D. himself (YMMV):

DEAN ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA
http://www.liberaloasis.com/dean.htm
LO: In Vermont, you opposed a bill that would have given terminally ill patients access to medicinal marijuana.

What was your rationale? As President, would you direct the FDA to objectively address this issue?

HD: My opposition to medical marijuana is based on science, not based on ideology.

More specifically, I don’t think we should single out a particular drug for approval through political means when we approve other drugs through scientific means.

When I’m President, I will require the FDA to evaluate marijuana with a double blind study with the same kinds of scientific protocols that every other drug goes through.

I’m certainly willing to abide by what the FDA says.

POSTED TO BLOG:
Anyway since there seems to be some confusion over Deans stance on medicinal marijuana I thought you folks might to see a post made by the Doc himself in answer to an 18 year olds query on the subject.

"Jeremy(from previous thread). I'm impressed that an 18 year old would spend time on a political blog site. Here is a short summary of my drug policy. 1) drug abuse ought to be treated as a public health problem not a judicial problem. I do not favor legalization because we already have enough problems with the two drugs that are legal, alcohol and tobacco. I also believe that if people are dealing heroin to kids or shooting people that jail is more than appropriate. But if your "crime", is being a substance abuser you belong in rehab, not jail. 2)I will order the FDA to study marijuana to see what medicinal effects it may have. I do not think marijuana should have a process different than every other drug to evaluate whether or not it has medical value. Based on the studies I have read, my guess is that the FDA may find that is useful in patients with HIV/Aids, and various forms of cancer, but not for such things as treating glaucoma, where there are other drugs available, and where the risks outway the benefits. I';m on the way back from New York, so i got to read alot of the blogging that went on today. You folks are terrific!! Thank you for an incredible day, and an incredible quarter. Howard Dean

Posted by howard dean at July 1, 2003 12:42 AM

[imhotep]

4. Kerry has the same position as Dean

Neither will change a damn thing.

[jpgray]

6. Probably true

.

[revcarol]

10. Both want to study it to death,

IMHO.

Sounds sorta like the repug Congress, no?

[jpgray]

11. But in the meantine, Kerry supports it

and isn't out to arrest patients. That would actually be very different than the Republican Congress.

[Terwilliger]

13. How about we hear everyone's positions on the War on (some) Drugs?

I know what Kucinich's is.

I get a good read on what Dean thinks about it.

Let's get everybody to come clean!

[jpgray]

14. I know Kerry is for it, like Dean

Which is why I say above that despite their small differences, they will probably act the same. But don't forget:

Kerry releases congressional report on Contra-drug connection.

A congressional subcommittee on Narcotics, Law Enforcement and Foreign Policy, chaired by Senator John Kerry (D-MA), finds that U.S. efforts to combat drug trafficking were undermined by the Reagan administration's fear of jeopardizing its objectives in the Nicaraguan civil war. The report concludes that the administration ignored evidence of drug trafficking by the Contras and continued to provide them with aid.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/cron/

Pretty good site on drug war history.

[w4rma]

16. Dean on medical marijuana

Anyway since there seems to be some confusion over Deans stance on medicinal marijuana I thought you folks might to see a post made by the Doc himself in answer to an 18 year olds query on the subject.

"Jeremy(from previous thread). I'm impressed that an 18 year old would spend time on a political blog site. Here is a short summary of my drug policy. 1) drug abuse ought to be treated as a public health problem not a judicial problem. I do not favor legalization because we already have enough problems with the two drugs that are legal, alcohol and tobacco. I also believe that if people are dealing heroin to kids or shooting people that jail is more than appropriate. But if your "crime", is being a substance abuser you belong in rehab, not jail. 2)I will order the FDA to study marijuana to see what medicinal effects it may have. I do not think marijuana should have a process different than every other drug to evaluate whether or not it has medical value. Based on the studies I have read, my guess is that the FDA may find that is useful in patients with HIV/Aids, and various forms of cancer, but not for such things as treating glaucoma, where there are other drugs available, and where the risks outway the benefits. I';m on the way back from New York, so i got to read alot of the blogging that went on today. You folks are terrific!! Thank you for an incredible day, and an incredible quarter. Howard Dean

Posted by howard dean at July 1, 2003 12:42 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1784&mesg_id=1784&page=