Medical Marijuana

Morphine is used for extreme pain, marijuana has no such pain relieving ability, not even close to relieving the stress of physical pain in the same way. So the "drunkeness" is still there and a problem. IMO, the benefits must outweigh the adverse effects.

 

I'm not trying to start a "I used to be worse than you war", so please don't take it that way. I just want to make sure you understand my ability to speak on the subject. To keep it brief, let's just say that I also had a serious drug problem for many years of my life. I also would smoke pot from waking till going to sleep. I also sold it, in very large quantities. I had no other job and was making money hand over fist. I was making a little over 100K a year, obviously tax free. So, I have experience using marijuana, and also experience with many other users.

Ok, qualifications out of the way, I personally think your level of psychological effects are not even close to the norm. I've never met or talked with anyone else that has experienced dreams and nightmares or bulimia from marijuana use. I'm not saying you didn't have these problems, but I don't know they necessarily relate directly to the marijuana use.

Will smoking pot make you think and say dumb things? Sure. Will you be lazy and unmotivated? Sure. Is it anywhere near the same level of intoxication as alcohol? Not on your life.

For the record, I don't believe that marijuana should be legalized in any form. I also believe that alcohol should be illegal.

 

I watched my cousin die of cancer. He was on so much morphine drunkeness looked like a tea party. If it can be used medicinally, and is not had through sinful means, it is permissible.

 

I had a very large circle of users around me and knew of many that experienced the same effects; have spoke to many, especially women who began eating disorders while using. I still bump into people from that circle who are around their 50's now and still use; the stereotypical problematic aspects of this dependency in their life are very apparent to me.

It is heartening to me to see how far they have fallen and what condition their life is in today.

 

I'm not sure if you are speaking of morphine or pot, but I would agree that there may be some rare exceptions to the use of pot "if" the benefit was to outweigh the adverse for humanitarian reasons.

 

So many here are calling marijuana wrong based on what it can do when ABUSED.

Prescription drugs are also abused. Narcotic prescription drugs, stronger and with higher addictive qualities, are abused. People ruin their lives with both legal and illegal products.

The abuse of it isn't what's being questioned here. The question is why or why not when it comes to legalizing this herb for medicinal use.

It's interesting that some people take the word "illegal" the same as they would "unscriptural." The government and/or the FDA does not make 100% accurate decisions 100% of the time. Their decisions aren't always in our best physical or financial interest. I know that shocks some people, but it's true. Strip away everything and look at the issue: we have a natural herb, given by the Creator, that has been found to have certain medicinal properties and can be grown and utilized for an extremely low cost. The government has said that we cannot use it for medicinal purposes. Are they right to do so? Who gains by saying no? Who loses if they say yes?

 

The point I make is that the medicinal benefits from pot are very minimal at best (rarely might help with nausea, and any relief at all from pain is very questionable and there are better options available) and the potential for abuse is a surety to happen. I see the roots of this quest to legalize pot for medicinal purposes as little more than an opening to those who wish to legalize a recreational drug.

Aside from that, the harmful effects from legal drugs that doctors prescibe on a regular basis which are over used is already tragic, I see no need to add to the arsenal with the likes of marijuana because I certianly don't see this drug as some wonderful miracle drug with any great medicinal benefits that those trying to promote are trying to make it out to be.

So the abuse is at the center of the issue as far I'm concerned.

 

There is no convincing evidence that smoking pot helps anyone enough to legalize it as medical. And the evidence is that when it is legalized, it's used merely recreationally. If it really had proven benefits, then that might be worth the risk, but I have not seen any evidence out there for that. What I know about is all anecdotal.

 

Annsni...

Its also a remarkable nausea relief agent. Chemotherapy patients testify that it works wonderfully when the best nausea pills give them no relief at all.

Back in my pre-Christ years I was into all kinds of drugs, but my favorite was the reefer. I can testify to its incredible ability to cancel out nausea.

 

I believe marijuana should be legalized across the board. ((And before you ask, no, stating that the government doesn't have a right to regulate recreational activities - even those it deems harmful - is not the same as advovating drug use.))

I don't see any Biblical grounds to oppose it. The Bible only says to avoid drunkenness, not to avoid the medical use of intoxicants in small doses.

 

I suppose I'm a little biased about this. When I was in college, my dad was battling cancer and I, it just so happened, smoked a lot of pot.

Eventually, my sister and I convinced my dad to try some.

It relieved his pain and he actually put on about twenty pounds.

 

Where are the studies showing that marijuana is innefective? Medical studies have shown it beneficial enough to consider putting it into pillform, and personal testimonies from seriously I'll people report positive effects without the sometimes intense side effects of synthetics used for the same purpose. Just asking for credible evidence that it does not work.

 

I've read enough about it to tend to believe it may some mild benefits in relieving nausea and can see how it might, but personally, I would rather deal with the bouts of nausea than sit around stoned all day letting the marijuana spirits dance around it my mind, especially if it were my last days. As for effective pain control...all I got to say about that is...BULL! Actually, the only way I could see any pain control usage is if they were to make a pill form so strong that it would put one absolutely out of their mind...brain cells frying.....buzzzzzzzz.

Other than that, for those who think there is no biblical reason to deny this recreational drug, I would ask you to start thinking about why alcohol is often referred to as "spirits" and what marijuana is doing in your mind while you're high, then ask yourself which (S)spirit you want to be listening to and serving. The answer should be obvious.

 

The "spirits" use is one of those christianese urban legends. It is referred to that as it "gladdens the heart of man", i.e., puts one in good spirits. Why do you think God would recommend giving wine and strong drink to those who are perishing? It's to dull pain.

 

I think the reasoning goes a bit deeper than "urban legends". A couple hits of some quality dope and I would consider that "drunkeness", there are also Words about that.

 

But if the pill form works, why smoke it?

 

There's a pill form? Wow, I never knew this.

Personally I've never tried pot, never wanted to. I have had morphine after various surgeries and chose to suffer the pain rather than the terrible nightmares the morphine invoked. I had the same problem with oxycodone and refused to take it after it gave me awful nightmares, too. Why anyone would crave that stuff enough to abuse it I'll never understand!

If I had another surgery and needed a good painkiller and pot was LEGAL, I'd be willing to try it in pill form if I thought it would help the pain.

 

Praise God for giving us cannabis !!! :thumbs:

 

Who said anything about smoking it? Many of those who use it for medical purposes ingest it, and not in pill form. That seems to be a common misconception. Those against it seem to have this image in their heads of doofy looking people sitting around smoking it and eating Cheetoh's and laughing at how they duped the doctor into prescribing it.

Edited to add that it IS legal in some states. I don't think people realize that. It was legal in Oregon when I was there. It was suggested to me to take it instead of narcotics, which were causing me kidney pain. However, while it was legal to prescribe, I worked in a lockdown unit (Alzheimer's and Dementia residents) and they drug tested. You couldn't have marijuana in your system, even while prescribed. However, you COULD have narcotics in your system with proof of a prescription. Logical, huh?

 

I've seen shows on this about what's happened in CA, and most of them are smoking it. Ingesting has pretty much the same effect as smoking, from what I've heard. I have smoked marijuana before I was a Christian but never ingested it.