Posted on 11/28/2004 9:20:33 AM PST by Ellesu
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/11/28/MNGQ4A2RL11.DTL
Partially paralyzed, in constant pain from multiple disorders and desperate for help after trying nearly three dozen doctor-prescribed medications, the 30-year-old woman, a product of a conservative upbringing that made her recoil from illegal drugs, decided pot "might be my last shot.''
She's suffered back pain from scoliosis and pelvic pain from endometriosis since her teenage years. She became partially paralyzed from an allergic reaction to doctor-recommended birth control pills in 1995.
Since then, she's been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, a seizure disorder and a wasting syndrome. She keeps 98 to 100 pounds on her 5- foot-4 frame only by gorging on high-calorie foods and using marijuana to maintain her appetite.
There's no euphoric effect. I do not like using it.''
Still, she takes her pipe everywhere, even to the Oakland Police Department, where she's worked with officers on their encounters with medical marijuana patients. She also vaporizes the drug, mixes it with massage oils, or bakes it in zucchini bread, which she eats in large quantities before a rare and agonizing plane trip like her journey to Washington for Monday's hearing.
Raich, now 39, has a doctor's recommendation for marijuana, as required by Prop. 215, and says she needs the medication every two hours. She wakes up in pain every morning and requires help getting out of bed. She uses 8 pounds of marijuana a year and gets it for free from two caregivers -- "my heroes'' -- in thanks for her work as an advocate.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Bulls..t has exposed itself as a total idiot. If I were Bulls..t I would choose another screen name try to make a more intelligent argument next time. What an absolute and total moron.
Oh, and take your joints with you.
I don't see anything that sinister here. It looks mostly like a bunch of harmless hypochondriacs.
The only "joints" I care for are the ones connecting my body parts. I abhor smoking marijuana.
That's a good thing to tell yourself?
Call it what you will, it is still a drug that saps a persons motivations and can cause irreparable harm physically and mentally.
That's exactly what I meant, dickhead. Too bad you can't understand simple english. Now go F yourself!
It's obvious you don't understand ANYTHING that you said or meant!
1 : to reduce the violence of (a disease) : ABATE
2 : to cover by excuses and apologies
3 : to moderate the intensity of
#1 and #3 are the ones that are pertinant here:
"Palliate is just another word for alleviating ones' problems by getting high.
The way you used the word is the way I put it in context. Obviously you couldn't make the connection or perhaps I wasn't clear enough for someone who looks up a word without knowing how to use it in converstation, such as yourself.
I don't care if you're using pot or heroin for that matter, you're still an Effin' jerk.
CYA around, moron.
"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
- Plato (427-347 B.C.)
Its to bad that some bad people need to monopolize on the illness of others so they can legalize their favorite drug of choice.
"Oh, and take your joints with you."
Like Rush says folks, "more fun than a human should be allowed." I've got tears in my eyes now, thank you Bull...t.
But Bugs Bunny says it best: "What a MAROON!"
Well THIS case seems to put the lie to this assertion. If sub-high levels of pot are sufficient to do the job, WONDERFUL.
So children should be able to smoke marijuana for their pain? Why should they have to suffer and be denied this wondrous drug?
And the sadder the better. They try to portray these people as typical medical marijuana users, when over 60% use medical marijuana for simply pain.
Just look at who supports medical marijuana -- NORML, MPP, DRCNet, DPA, -- organizations that also call for legalization.
Who doesn't support medical marijuana? Oh, the AMA, the American Cancer Society, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the American Lung Association, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, -- in fact, no major medical association supports smoked medical marijuana.
Yes. But you know I can cite numerous cases where the SCOTUS ruled that possession of marijuana does. And not "in a trivial way" -- they have ruled that it has a "substantial effect" on interstate commerce.
True enough. Things are getting pretty screwed up when a self-governing nation has a government agency who's job is to keep people from changing the law.
The AMA is one of the biggest gun-grabbing organizations out there. Are you going to cite the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's opinions next?
I think not.
Hmmmm. Where do they stand on immigration? Kyoto? "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance?
Maybe you're on to something here. If an organization doesn't toe the conservative line on every issue, why, they're not credible, huh?
Is that what you're getting at? What are you getting at?
That may very well be true, but this is an issue which will test the consistency of conservatives, namely those who believe in freedom, small government, and state's rights.
I have yet to find the clause in the Constitution which grants the power to the federal government to decide which substances I may ingest legally.
If government is not responsible for providing housing, food, education, jobs, pills, or food to people, neither is it responsible to ensure the people eat healthy foods, avoid drug abuse, or exercise adequately.
Not to mention, the war on drugs is a complete failure, and at this time it accomplishes little more than driving up the price of the goods being sold by narco-terrorists, many of whom work hand in hand with the jihadis.
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