MrFixit
June 8th, 2007, 04:05 PM
Pros and cons of medical marijuana
6/6/2007 3:55 PM
By: Ivanhoe Broadcast News
http://www.news8austin.com/images/750.gif http://images.news8austin.com/media/2007/6/6/images/01_pot.jpg http://www.news8austin.com/images/750.gifhttp://www.news8austin.com/images/750.gif http://www.news8austin.com/images/750.gif Estimates are that about 300,000 people in the United States use medical marijuana. In April 2007, New Mexico became the 12th state to allow it -- joining Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Maine, Nevada, Vermont, Colorado, Montana, Hawaii and Rhode Island. By federal law, however, the substance is illegal. Advocates of the drug argue it is an effective pain reliever that can work when other drugs don't. It's used by patients with a variety of ailments, including cancer, glaucoma, HIV or AIDS, multiple sclerosis and hepatitis C.
"Marijuana has been a drug or used as a medicine for 5,000 years. It's only a short period of time that it hasn't been viewed as a medicine. Yes, we have many more potent drugs, many more modern drugs that work for more people. But in somebody for whom those drugs don't work, if inhaling cannabis works to allow them to tolerate their chemotherapy, then that's important. No other drug that works against nausea also decreases pain," Dr. Donald Abrams of San Francisco General Hospital said.
http://www.news8austin.com/content/headlines/?ArID=185550&SecID=2
6/6/2007 3:55 PM
By: Ivanhoe Broadcast News
http://www.news8austin.com/images/750.gif http://images.news8austin.com/media/2007/6/6/images/01_pot.jpg http://www.news8austin.com/images/750.gifhttp://www.news8austin.com/images/750.gif http://www.news8austin.com/images/750.gif Estimates are that about 300,000 people in the United States use medical marijuana. In April 2007, New Mexico became the 12th state to allow it -- joining Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Maine, Nevada, Vermont, Colorado, Montana, Hawaii and Rhode Island. By federal law, however, the substance is illegal. Advocates of the drug argue it is an effective pain reliever that can work when other drugs don't. It's used by patients with a variety of ailments, including cancer, glaucoma, HIV or AIDS, multiple sclerosis and hepatitis C.
"Marijuana has been a drug or used as a medicine for 5,000 years. It's only a short period of time that it hasn't been viewed as a medicine. Yes, we have many more potent drugs, many more modern drugs that work for more people. But in somebody for whom those drugs don't work, if inhaling cannabis works to allow them to tolerate their chemotherapy, then that's important. No other drug that works against nausea also decreases pain," Dr. Donald Abrams of San Francisco General Hospital said.
http://www.news8austin.com/content/headlines/?ArID=185550&SecID=2