Pubdate: Wed, 13 Jul 2005
Source: Anchorage Daily News (AK)
Copyright: 2005 The Anchorage Daily News
Contact:  http://www.adn.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/18
Author: James Garhart

FEDS WOULDN'T GROW MARIJUANA IF IT DIDN'T HAVE MEDICINAL USE

I imagine that several decades ago the conversation went something
like this: "Hey, fellow pharmaceutical researchers, let's spend untold
millions to synthetically replicate something with no known medical
use, THC, the main chemical in marijuana. Then we'll get the FDA to
study our patented synthetic replicate of something with no medical
use and approve it for highly profitable sale as medicine."

Then the new guy asks, "But haven't people been using marijuana for
recreational, religious and medicinal purposes for thousands of years?"

"Well, yes," the answer came, "but we don't have clinical studies
proving marijuana is medicinally effective."

Again the new guy inquires: "But hasn't the federal government been
growing, preparing and dispensing marijuana as medicine to people such
as Robert Randall for over 30 years? And after 30 years of smoking
federal-government-supplied medicinal marijuana on a daily basis,
shouldn't they know if it is medicinally effective?"

The seasoned company man replies, "You'd think so, but if people
realize they can grow their own medicinal marijuana at minimal cost,
then they won't need to pay the exorbitant price we charge for our
FDA-approved, patented synthetic replicate of something some people
still insist has no medicinal use."

The Earth is not flat, the Earth revolves around the sun and marijuana
has legitimate, effective medicinal uses. Get over it.

James Garhart

Wasilla
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