Medical Marijuana: Pro and Con

Radley Balko | October 31, 2008

Riffing off Jacob Sullum's post below on drug prohibition-related ballot initiatives up for a vote next week, here are two videos related to the medical marijuana measure in Michigan.

Thanks to Bruce Mirken for sending the videos.

For:

And against:

Comments

JLE|10.31.08 @ 1:34PM|#

I wasn't able to watch the first one, but that second video truly disgusts me. Those people are disgusting. Anyone who sees existence as a series of problems to be solved should probably shoot themselves.

hotsauce|10.31.08 @ 1:50PM|#

Their lives are on the line precisely because of the prohibition. Asshole.

|10.31.08 @ 1:50PM|#

Vid #2 is so full of lies it is disgusting in so many ways. Walters should be shot for treason! He is anti-American and anti-freedom.

|10.31.08 @ 1:52PM|#

I don't read creationist literature, my horoscope, extraterrestial visitor books or the medical marijuana opponents hysterical nonsensical rantings.

Some things just aren't worth the effort.

|10.31.08 @ 2:04PM|#

"I don't read creationist literature, my horoscope, extraterrestial visitor books or the medical marijuana opponents hysterical nonsensical rantings.

Some things just aren't worth the effort."

Elitist!

|10.31.08 @ 2:11PM|#

Sho 'nuff.

Ryo|10.31.08 @ 2:17PM|#

I haven't seen any ads (not even lawn signs) for or against this proposal. On the other hand, ads primarily against the second proposal seem to be everywhere.

|10.31.08 @ 2:45PM|#

Yes, George Soros and Peter Lewis want the children of Michigan to smoke marijuana. Too bad there are enough stupid people that believe that line of nonsense.

|10.31.08 @ 2:46PM|#

I wonder if John Walters believes the things he says, like "proponents of this initiative are using the wealth megaphone to push their untruthful and harmful views on all of us and make us out to be the bad guys." I guess it doesn't matter - if he believes it, he's stupid, and if he doesn't believe it, he's deceitful and manipulative. But I give him credit for what I imagine is very effective rhetoric: framing proponents as evil not just for wanting decriminalization but also for trying to make opponents - the unconditionally good men of law enforcement - sound like the bad guys.

|10.31.08 @ 3:03PM|#

Wes, oh yeah. Hook, line, and sinker.

Chuck|10.31.08 @ 3:08PM|#

My favorite part of this whole thing is John Walters coming to Michigan to warn the people about the out-of-staters trying to influence the people's will. With a completely straight face, and without the slightest hint of irony. Tool is far too mild a word to use for him.

|10.31.08 @ 3:45PM|#

YouTube blocked by work :(

|10.31.08 @ 3:48PM|#

John Walters is nothing more or less than a Mafia Don. He knows he's lying and everybody he's really talking to knows he's lying. But he and his organization get paid on that lie.

|10.31.08 @ 4:00PM|#

J sub D-

You have been on top of your game all week! Many very good posts on numerous threads.

|10.31.08 @ 4:12PM|#

You have been on top of your game all week! Many very good posts on numerous threads.

*Steps out of dugout. Embarrassedly tips hat*
Thank you.

|10.31.08 @ 5:09PM|#

i bet walters' breath smells like shit because he has a serious case of diarrhea of the mouth. in the press conference, he basically admits that marijuana relieves patient's pain, but because the government doesn't want people to feel the way they do when they are high (ie good/better), he thinks we must keep it illegal and force them to take drugs that don't work or don't work as well. because actually helping these patients and letting them retain some sort of quality of life with debilitating diseases, in his mind, is the lowest thing we can do for them. he then goes on to list a whole bunch of things about marijuana that are a direct result of the government's prohibition. it is all standard drug warrior propaganda. i don't know how those people in that room could sit there and listen to this shit bag's speech full of lies. and i'm sure the room didn't smell too pretty cause, as i mentioned before, he has a serious case of diarrhea of the mouth.

a name before submitting the f|10.31.08 @ 6:10PM|#

In the second video, he said they don't arrest those in chronic pain in wheelchairs for having weed. What do they do? What was he trying to say? Wink, wink, we look the other way?

Kaiser|10.31.08 @ 9:10PM|#

John Walters is a fucking dolt.

I am an avid smoker of cannabis myself, and I use it for both medical and recreational use. I am not a huge proponent for medical marijuana (although I do fight for it of course) for a few reasons:
1) I do believe more research on the topic is needed. Now beyond a shadow of a doubt you can say that marijuana is great for A) pain relief B) nausea C) anxiety D) depression but as far as for some of the more extreme claims such as cancer prevention and Alzheimer's prevention I believe more research is needed, Unfortunately there is not much incentive to do these studies. (yes I know many have been done but it is still not very widespread)
2) My main goal is legalizing for everyone to use not just MMJ patients. I realize that decriminalization is the first step towards this goal but as I said I use it more recreationaly than medicaly.

I have a huge problem though with the argument that "marijuana doesn't actually relieve pain/nausea/whatever it just gets you high." For one it is blatantly untrue but moreover isn't that exactly what pain killers do? I can't remember a time in my life where I have taken pain killers and though "Ya know what, my pain is gone." NO! It just makes you high so you don't care. The difference is pain killers can turn you into a walking zombie where as marijuana will actually allow you to function.

jsg|11.1.08 @ 8:52PM|#

John Walters is a worthless piece of fuck.

|11.2.08 @ 8:47PM|#

I sincerely believe the is a special circle of hell reserved for people like John Walters.

Nothing he said in that video remotely resembles anything scientific, well thought out, or even humanly decent. I could go point by point refuting everything that "man" said, but I'm pretty sure everyone here knows that John Walters is as worthless and foul as the shit that spews out of his mouth. I really hope he dies a horribly slow and painful death.

Wow, that was pretty dark.

|11.2.08 @ 9:01PM|#

Here are some things everyone should know about medical marijuana:

Somebody already brought up how pain killers treat pain. I would just like to add that opiates are widely abused in this country, are horribly addictive, and result in many overdoses every year(I have nothing against opiates; in fact they're pretty fuckin' fun, but the hypocrisy here needs to be illuminated).

The federal government severely restricts the distribution of research marijuana to laboratories to the point that no politically unbiased and scientific research can be done to study the health effects of marijuana. I suspect this is mainly done to keep marijuana a Schedule I drug. What this means is that there are no accepted medical uses of it, and that its use is unsafe, even under medical supervision. This stands in contrast to Schedule II drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine, which are considered to be medically safe under supervision as well as having accepted medicinal uses.

Marijuana users are the number one clients of drug rehab institutions. Why? Because these users are court-ordered to...

Jesse|11.4.08 @ 3:51PM|#

John Walters has no soul. I hope that son of a bitch loses his job damn soon.