Dying woman loses marijuana appeal. In San Francisco!

[Vektor]

By DAVID KRAVETS, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 3 minutes ago

SAN FRANCISCO - A California woman whose doctor says marijuana is the only medicine keeping her alive is not immune from federal prosecution on drug charges, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

The case was brought by Angel Raich, an Oakland mother of two who suffers from scoliosis, a brain tumor, chronic nausea and other ailments. On her doctor's advice, she eats or smokes marijuana every couple of hours to ease her pain and bolster a nonexistent appetite as conventional drugs did not work.

Article here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070314/ap_on_he_me/medical_marijuana

This is so sad. Aren't there more dangerous criminals out there we could be sticking it to? Jesus, let the dying woman with a brain tumor have her *$#@!*^$ marijuana.

As a health care worker (ICU) who knows all too well what the dying suffer through, this sickens me.

[maveric]

1. I got a "card'. From an MD. $125.00.

Why are the feds bothering her? Where I live in CA, under an ounce is a misdemeanor. And with a "card", I can smoke it legally.

[Vektor]

3. Ya know, I'm not sure.

The article didn't say very much - it was brief. I cannot imagine, unless it's considered a federal offense, despite being legal in S.F..

[MindPilot]

20. Supposedly the rule is federal law trumps state law

So as usual the federal government is going completely ignore the will of the people. The CA medical MJ referendum passed with one of the greatest majorities ever--IIRC--72%. And our leg has in fact enacted a law allowing the use of medical pot.

But the fed'l gubmint must make sure that its jackboot is firmly on our necks at all times.

[Cobalt Violet]

12. I wish I could get one.

I'm in MA and we don't have medical Marijuana laws yet. I don't know that I can or will wait.

[The Cleaner]

2. As a chronic pain patient, this sickens me too.

I say let these coldhearted lawmakers feel what it's like to have such dire pain you want to crawl on the floor, if you could. Such pain your vision is blurred, you can't talk, you can only writhe. Thankfully I only endured that pain for a relatively short time but let me tell you, I would have taken ANYTHING to ease it.

No doctor cared; no doctor that I saw would offer me any kind of pain meds. All I got was, "Oh well, it'll get better for you. If it keeps you up at night, take a couple of ibuprofens." BULL CRAP. That's like telling a migraine patient to take a couple of aspirns!

Anyway if ever I was anti-medical marijuana, I am TOTALLY PRO-MEDICAL MARIJUANA NOW. And I feel it is inhumane and unconscionable to deny this woman her meds - to me it is tantamount to MURDER!!

:(

[Vektor]

5. Especially since she is terminally ill.

What are they going to do? Let her die in a prison cell for smoking weed in order to be able to stomach a bite of food? This blows me away. I cannot imagine the logic behind this sort of lawmaking.

[slutticus]

36. I don't think anyone is denying her anything.

She sued the govt preemptively. No one is going to arrest her. Not in Oaktown.
She can still get her medicine.

[porphyrian]

4. What the fuck? Can our priorities be more wrong and hypocritical? - n/t

[Vektor]

8. Crazy isn't it?

In a country where our leaders are committing war crimes and treason on a daily basis...

But those damn terminally ill "potheads" are this nation's real problem!
:sarcasm:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. in a sad way, I am glad about this decision

The slow boil of anger at the Bushistas has finally reached a high enough point that people are beginning to ask for the heads of Cheney, Bush, gonzo and others. Pretty much every position this administration has taken has proved to be false, wrong, or worse. Medical marijuana is just one of those positions.

The putrid family values cabal has thrown their rules and regs at us for 6 yrs, including on issues like pot. As the rest of America tires of bush and Co., they will come to realize that two gays tying the knot won't be the end of the world; that letting a dying woman ease her pain through pot is the human, xtian and right thing to do; that invading and occupying Iraq is immoral and wrong, and much more. So, although I feel horrible for this woman, her example, and how the justice system treats her is precisely the kind of story that will allow Americans mobilze on these types of issues and make the necessary changes to our policies and laws.

[Vektor]

9. I see the point...

I just hate the thought of folks like this woman having to by martyrs for the cause.

She must be in so much pain...it's difficult to think about.

[Pastiche423]

13. I am NOT glad about this decision!

It is not worth a human being's misery that might allow Americans to mobolize on these types of issues, etc.

You have just said it is worth it to make me live in pain 24/7 so that the ignorant wake up.

I have very much enjoyed reading your posts, but this one sucks ass BIG TIME!

[ChairmanAgnostic]

28. I hang my head in shame, but I stand by my words.Those words even hurt me

But, with enough SILLY, INANE AND CRAZY decisions like this, and half of our work is done for us - by the dark side.

Remember what Kennedy told his baby brother (his AG) about segregationists in the deep South? They made the rest of America wake up and take notice. This decision does the same thing. To the extent that 5, 10, then 100, then 1000, then 100,000 people think about this and change their minds about med marijuana, it is a good thing. And it becomes a groundswell.

on a personal note, I agree with every emotion you express in your post.

[butterfly77]

31. I don't think that it has effected enough ...

of the bushbots yet,because they are still protecting him and his lies...How about if they outlaw them having a drink after a hard days work...

[nonconformist]

7. The problem is big pharm isn't making any money if she is treated with marijuana

That's it in a nutshell.

That poor, poor woman.

[Vektor]

10. Makes sense...

"Herbal" remedies deprive the drug companies of a profit.

[noonwitch]

11. Zoloft or Pacsil is a whole different matter, I guess.

they have a pill if you are sad, a pill if you are shy, but they have nothing to help cancer patients with their nausea, but God does and it's illegal.

[MindPilot]

22. Those drugs can have very profound side effects

which in some cases can be permanent--like liver damage.

But pot's worst side effect is it makes you feel good.

[sarcasmo]

40. BINGO. We have a winner.

[Gregorian]

14. 1100 people die each DAY from tobacco related diseases.

That's more than car accidents, aids, alcohol, heroine, cocaine deaths. COMBINED.

And it's legal.

Bullshit. It's all total bullshit. It's the same thing as this administration is doing, but for the last...who knows how many years. Probably since the beginning of this country.

[malaise]

15. Shemust do her national duty

and support big pharma to the grave. :sarcasm:

[slackmaster]

16. It's about the message we are sending to the Children

Today's message: "We're the federal government. Fear us. Don't fuck with us."

[Alexander]

17. One thing I really liked about John Kerry...

Is that he saw the insanity that is our current drug laws and vowed to end the DEA raids on medical marijuana shops.

While he's normally accused of being long-winded and nuanced, when asked if he would end the raids, he simply said "Yes".

[Vektor]

19. That was one of my favorite moments, too.

Ahhh...if only the Chimp hadn't been "selected" again....

[MindPilot]

18. There are no words to express my anger.

This is one of those times I wish I wasn't an Atheist so I could believe in hell.

[The Cleaner]

21. Well I do believe in hell,

and I believe anybody who could be this cold and callous as to let this woman die needlessly will have to give account to God for it.

What ever happened to compassion?

[MindPilot]

23. They will probably just tell God...

"Mistakes were made."

[gulfcoastliberal]

24. I'm interested how the DEA keeps cannabis schedule 1,

because I clearly remember reading about a glaucoma patient who sued the Fed. Gov't, and won the right to receive government grown cannabis for his condition. That precedent alone should at the least get cannabis moved to Sch. 2.

I love how the DEA goes after people with life threatening diseases, fuck what the doctors say. What compassion.

:sarcasm:

[Shallah Kali]

33. Remember when they raided that hospice in CA cuffing the sick & dying to their beds for hours

If marijuana was patented it would be legal long long ago.

[edbermac]

25. What federal prosecutor in their right mind would charge her?

She should just keep on using it. I can't see even a hardcore Bushite bothering to haul her into court; it'd be a lose-lose proposition IMHO.

[Hippo_Tron]

30. Gonzales probably threatened to fire him if he didn't

Apparently they fire prosecutors for not coming up with bogus charges against Democrats. So I wouldn't be surprised if they fire prosecutors for not prosecuting terminally ill patients that smoke pot.

[Shallah Kali]

34. Ashcroft had them raid hopices because of marijuana - Fiore did this animation on it

http://www.markfiore.com/animation/protect.html

[ChairmanAgnostic]

37. hardcore GOPers have no shame, ethics, morals or empathy

that should be obvious by now.

[genie_weenie]

26. The War on Doobies is the Most Important

"War" the Government is currently engaged in, as it is a central front in The War to Confescate as much money and Control as much of the lives of Americans as possible.

Stop acting like people know what's in their best interests, Americans (and all other people in the world) clearly needs must have everything in their lives planned and controlled by our betters.

Thank you for my internet time ration this day, Federal Brother.

[Arkansas Granny]

27. Someone, maybe 60 Minutes (?) did a story on her a couple of

years ago. It really is a sad story. Here's a link to the Wiki entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzales_v._Raich

[Warren DeMontague]

29. Our tax dollars at work.

woohoo! :eyes: :mad:

[OnionPatch]

32. This is just so very wrong in so many ways

Wrong, wrong, wrong!! How can they call us a "free" country when a person can't use a natural substance, an herb that people have been using relatively safely for centuries? And yet it's wonderful for us to use the brand-new, hardly-tested, synthetic chemical substances they hock to us for every symptom under the sun. "Just ask your doctor about....."

:banghead:

[Warren DeMontague]

35. Yeah, so we control the congress, now: Most Americans want the government OUT of their bodies,

bedrooms, and bloodstreams.

How about doing something about this, Nancy?

[RagingInMiami]

38. A true conservative would see how much tax money we spend on criminalizing pot

And declare it a waste of time and money.

A true liberal would not only see pot as a medicinal value, but would not find it his business to judge someone who uses it recreationally.

A true fascist would continue to support these inhumane, illogical and invasive laws.

[sarcasmo]

39. Kick. This Country is so FUCKED up.