the medical marijuana bill

[Syrinx]

Do y'all think it stands a chance of passing? While I'm in favor of legalizing it outright (that would be a good way to solve the prison problem, imo), this would be a definite positive step.

According to last year's poll, better than 75% of the people favor the idea, but somehow I'm skeptical of it passing.

What do you think?

MONTGOMERY - A young mother in June Cleaver pearls and cardigan became Alabama's face of medical marijuana Thursday when she spoke out about how the illegal drug soothes her chronic pain.

Laura Campbell, 32, of Cullman appeared at a State House news conference held to announce the introduction of Alabama's first compassionate-use bill. In detailed and emotional terms, she talked about using marijuana to manage pain caused by years of fibromyalgia and three forms of arthritis.

"I'm not a threat to society, but I have to be criminal to get the medicine I need to survive," she said, with her husband looking on.

Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville, introduced the bill Thursday. It would allow patients with certain serious illnesses to use marijuana with a doctor's prescription.

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1112350986241610.xml

[hippiepunk]

1. Drug companies can't make money on it

therefore, no its not gonna pass.

[MrModerate]

2. Sure they can . . .

By designing expensive delivery systems that avoid the carcinogenic effects of actually inhaling smoke. Wouldn't be hard to do -- the technology is already out there for recreational use -- but they could charge up the ying-yang for "medically sound" versions.

As to whether they will or not, I couldn't say.

[hippiepunk]

3. How does that work?

aside from the good ol pot brownie?

[Syrinx]

4. he may be referring to "vaporizers," though I'm not sure

I've never seen one in the "flesh" but I've seen ads for them.

[firefox]

8. The Volcano is generally recognized as best vaporizer

The Volcano sells for about $800 so it should be very good- http://www.wbur.org/photogallery/news_marijuana1117/default.asp?counter=3
Of course with the price of pot, it still would not take long to pay for itself in savings compared to the burning methods.

And no, the measure will not pass. It is a fascist country, or haven't you figured that out yet? Four in five approve of MMJ, but do we have anyone in Congress calling for it, when it should never have been illegal to start with? Somebody sometime is going to have to come clean and say that prohibition was wrong from the inception, but that will come after the fascists are removed from power and the two-party system is history.

The ruling by the Supreme Court on the Raich case out of California could come any day. Since the fascists took away your right to sue a national bank in a state court, there is not much reason to think that the Supreme Court will break the federal hegemony needed to keep the drug war intact and continue the police state so that "the herd" does not overthrow the plutocracy. The machine is owned by the plutocracy and we are but batteries.

Just because a majority of the people in Alabama might overwhelmingly want MMJ means nothing. What do you think this is, a democracy?

[MrModerate]

5. There's a heating element . . .

With which you dock a glass tube holding the herbal substance out of which you want to extract the active ingredients. The heating element vaporizes the oils, etc. in the herbal substance but doesn't burn it. The user draws the vapor off by means of a length of surgical tubing.

Smoke free and quite deadly for recreational use (or so I'm told). The whole thing costs about a hundred bucks (precision heating element being the most expensive component).

But if the drug companies used a little imagination on pelletizing the herb and controlling temperature and rate of delivery, they could probably turn out a unit that costs $1000-2000.

[Hardrada]

6. So we end up paying more for coverage in the long run.

They always spread everything out to max their profit.

[MrModerate]

7. Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

(Points to speaker while tapping nose with other hand, indicating correct response)

I think you've got it!

[Rush1184]

9. Smoke free and quite deadly for recreational use (or so I'm told).

Not true, it is not deadly.

[MrModerate]

10. Well, "deadly" in the sense of . . .

"Wow!"

[bamacrat]

11. Any injury would benefit from Marijuana.

Back injuries are very painful, can keep you immobilized for some time.
Arthritis, migraines, stubbed toes, scrapes.
Sometimes helpful for ADD, but not in an academic setting, causes too many wierd questions to come to mind, but very in depth ones.
But if AL does allow Medical Marijuana it would be a great leap forward in this conservative state, but as we all know this will not happen.

[misanthrope]

12. BWAAHAHHHAAAAAAAA...

...In the Heart of Dixie? How many dry (alcohol) counties do we still have?

Although I do think its good for folks to see people who in every aspect seem "normal" step forward and talk about this. It helps remove the myths from the substance's image.

In retort to medical marijuana talk you often hear the statement that "It's just a way to get a foot in the door toward legalization across the board."

Why does no one make that argument about the variety of other prescription meds that are abused with widespread regularity in the nation? So then why does that appear in regards to the marijuana discussion?

Possibly because there is a grain of truth in it. I don't doubt that a great deal of folks with experience and dissenting opinions do indeed feel as if the public could see once and for all that marijuana (in and of itself) is no more likely to make someone a heroin addict than alcohol.

But Alabamians, sadly, are not even close to being ready for something like this. We're still arguing with our Ten Commandments demagogue about removing Plessy v. Ferguson-type stuff from our constitution.

[Syrinx]

13. monday, april 18th

The Birmingham News is supposed to have a big article on this Probably a hatchet job. We'll see.

[Syrinx]

14. not a hatchet job, but not very good either

If I had written it, I would've talked to some legislators.

[Syrinx]

15. approved by committee, but that's as far as it's likely to go

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Legislation to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes got approved by a legislative committee Wednesday, but neither the bill's sponsor nor the panel's chairman expect it to get any closer to becoming law this year.

"I know it's not going to move," said the sponsor, Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville.

The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill on a sharply divided voice vote Wednesday. Because of the voice vote, there is no official record of how committee members voted.

The marijuana bill now goes to the House with only three meeting days left in the legislative session.

*snip*

http://www.al.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1114627140316700.xml&storylist=alabamanews

[jody]

16. Technically, synthetic marijuana marketed as Marinol,

a THC drug, has been available since 1985.

FDA ruled that Marinol is safe, effective, and has therapeutic benefits for use as a treatment for nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy, and as a treatment of weight loss in patients with AIDS.

It's not widely used because anecdotal evidence suggests Marinol is not as effective as smoking marijuana. More importantly, it is expensive compared to the trivial cost of smoking marijuana.

I’ve found that the public doesn’t know that FDA has decided that Marinol sold by drug companies for a profit is good while still maintaining that real marijuana grown by users at very low cost is bad. :shrug:

ON EDIT ADD:
The DEA propaganda aka BS is worth reading to understand the doubletalk about MJ.
WARNING, reading the following might cause you to :puke: Exposing the Myth of Smoked Medical Marijuana

[jody]

17. A months supply of Marinol costs about $500! n/t

[taleast]

18. No Chance

Not a single solitary chance in hell.

[BamaLefty]

19. Your Description Is Too Liberal

It has less chance than what you wrote. ;)

[bamacrat]

20. If it were regulated like alcohol is the government could make tons off it

[BamaLefty]

21. Exactly n/t