Letter to the Editor: Medical Marijuana support
March 14, 2018
I respect and appreciate Dr. Roark for pointing out the benefits of medical marijuana, and for endorsing efforts to get its legalization onto the ballot for Missouri voters.
The history of the prohibition of marijuana might be worth mentioning here, because, as with many laws, it’s sometimes necessary to follow the money trail backward and forward.
Hemp, or cannabis, was once a commonly cultivated commercial crop in the United States, with multiple applications, including the production of paper, textiles and high-quality rope.
Cannabis oil was also once freely prescribed by physicians as a pain reliever for a variety of ailments, including “the discomfort of rabies and tetanus,” which, perhaps even then, indicated its effectiveness in the treatment of neurological disorders, although the outcome of the diseases themselves may not have been favorable.
The production of hemp and the prescription of cannabis oil began to cease in 1937 with the passage of the Marihuana Tax Act, which imposed an excise tax on anyone who handled hemp or its derivatives, including physicians who prescribed it.
The passage of the act was in the monetary interest of the lumber, pulp and newspaper industry of the William Randolph Hearst Corporation, as well as the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew Mellon, who had invested heavily in the Dupont Corporation’s new synthetic wonder-fiber, nylon.
An effective smear campaign against cannabis escalated in 1936 with the production of the infamous movie “Reefer Madness.” Used as a blatant propaganda tool, in which cannabis was called by the Spanish word, “marihuana,” or “marijuana” as a pejorative, the movie’s insinuations that cannabis instigated violent and sexually aggressive tendencies in users struck fear in the hearts of viewers. Today, both the movie and the accusations seem ridiculous, given the sedative properties of cannabis. Hearst’s newspapers helped perpetuate the propaganda campaign, as did Harry J. Anslinger, the director of the newly-formed Federal Narcotics Bureau, whose job depended upon having a protracted battle to fight.
Because of the known attributes of cannabis, the American Medical Association fought against the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, to no avail. Its stigmatization was successful, and remains within the minds of many people today.
Placing marijuana in a Title 1 class in the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, with drugs such as heroin and LSD, further closeted it, and made even the federal research of its medical applications illegal. This was an obvious boon to the pharmaceutical industry, which could freely market its plethora of synthetic drugs with no competition from a natural alternative. Sadly, many of the prescribed synthetics produce side effects more frightening than the symptoms they propose to alleviate. Even over-the-counter pain medications such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and aspirin are not without hazard, especially if taken long term.
According to a 2011 Gallup-Healthways Well-being Index, based on a survey of 353,000 people age 18 and older, about one third of people over age 50 suffer from some type of ongoing, often-debilitating knee and leg pain, and another third from neck or back pain. It’s hard to ignore the multiple positive testimonials coming in from the states where medical cannabis is legal. In my opinion, it’s unfair to withhold the effective, safe choice of legal medical marijuana from those who suffer from chronic pain and neurological disorders (including seizure disorders in children).
As Dr. Roark pointed out, our nation is experiencing an epidemic of opioid overdose deaths, often the result of addictions which quite possibly began with a doctor’s prescription for a pain reliever such as Oxycontin or Percodan. Sadly, once addicted, if a legal supply of opioids cannot be maintained, users often search out illegal, back-alley heroin in an attempt to avoid the horrendous physical withdrawal symptoms they will face. In a very real sense, the prescribing of prescription opioid painkillers can lead to the proliferation of illegal drug trafficking.
The pharmaceutical industry has a vested interest in continuing this loop, in part, by influencing legislators to continue to suppress legal medical cannabis on a federal level. According to writer Chris McGreal in a 10/19/2017 Guardian News article,* pharmaceutical companies spend more than any other industry on influencing legislators, and typically have about two lobbyists for every member of Congress. In 2016 alone, drug companies spent more than $152 million on influencing legislation.
Yes, some users of medical marijuana might “abuse it” and become too happy or relaxed, if there is such a thing when dealing with chronic pain. However, many (if not most) products which contain medical cannabis do not contain the psychoactive component, THC. Nor does cannabis need to be smoked in order to be affective. Alternative forms to smoking include oils, taken orally or baked into edible products, or topical lotions.
Substance abuse is certainly not limited to those which are currently illegal. Most of us are already “marked men,” in terms of our health, because of the quality and quantity of the food we eat and the beverages we drink.
We do a great disservice to those with infirmities when we don’t open our minds to the possibility that our long-held negative view of cannabis might, in fact, be the product of a smear campaign initiated generations ago by those who had a monetary interest in seeing it withheld from the public. We owe it to those who can benefit from medical cannabis today to educate ourselves about its attributes and the current forces at play that prohibit our access to it.
It’s a fact that most people will face a little pain before they leave this world. I, for one, would like to have medical marijuana as a safe, natural, legal choice for pain relief, should the need arise. If you, too, would like to vote for the legalization of medical marijuana on our fall ballot, please consider signing the petition available at Dr. Lisa Roark’s office on N. Main St., Cassville, Mo.
-Sheila Harris, Purdy
*https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/19/big-pharma-money-lobbying-us-opioid-crisis
I respect and appreciate Dr. Roark for pointing out the benefits of medical marijuana, and for endorsing efforts to get its legalization onto the ballot for Missouri voters.
The history of the prohibition of marijuana might be worth mentioning here, because, as with many laws, it’s sometimes necessary to follow the money trail backward and forward.
Hemp, or cannabis, was once a commonly cultivated commercial crop in the United States, with multiple applications, including the production of paper, textiles and high-quality rope.
Cannabis oil was also once freely prescribed by physicians as a pain reliever for a variety of ailments, including “the discomfort of rabies and tetanus,” which, perhaps even then, indicated its effectiveness in the treatment of neurological disorders, although the outcome of the diseases themselves may not have been favorable.
The production of hemp and the prescription of cannabis oil began to cease in 1937 with the passage of the Marihuana Tax Act, which imposed an excise tax on anyone who handled hemp or its derivatives, including physicians who prescribed it.
The passage of the act was in the monetary interest of the lumber, pulp and newspaper industry of the William Randolph Hearst Corporation, as well as the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew Mellon, who had invested heavily in the Dupont Corporation’s new synthetic wonder-fiber, nylon.
An effective smear campaign against cannabis escalated in 1936 with the production of the infamous movie “Reefer Madness.” Used as a blatant propaganda tool, in which cannabis was called by the Spanish word, “marihuana,” or “marijuana” as a pejorative, the movie’s insinuations that cannabis instigated violent and sexually aggressive tendencies in users struck fear in the hearts of viewers. Today, both the movie and the accusations seem ridiculous, given the sedative properties of cannabis. Hearst’s newspapers helped perpetuate the propaganda campaign, as did Harry J. Anslinger, the director of the newly-formed Federal Narcotics Bureau, whose job depended upon having a protracted battle to fight.
Because of the known attributes of cannabis, the American Medical Association fought against the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, to no avail. Its stigmatization was successful, and remains within the minds of many people today.
Placing marijuana in a Title 1 class in the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, with drugs such as heroin and LSD, further closeted it, and made even the federal research of its medical applications illegal. This was an obvious boon to the pharmaceutical industry, which could freely market its plethora of synthetic drugs with no competition from a natural alternative. Sadly, many of the prescribed synthetics produce side effects more frightening than the symptoms they propose to alleviate. Even over-the-counter pain medications such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and aspirin are not without hazard, especially if taken long term.
According to a 2011 Gallup-Healthways Well-being Index, based on a survey of 353,000 people age 18 and older, about one third of people over age 50 suffer from some type of ongoing, often-debilitating knee and leg pain, and another third from neck or back pain. It’s hard to ignore the multiple positive testimonials coming in from the states where medical cannabis is legal. In my opinion, it’s unfair to withhold the effective, safe choice of legal medical marijuana from those who suffer from chronic pain and neurological disorders (including seizure disorders in children).
As Dr. Roark pointed out, our nation is experiencing an epidemic of opioid overdose deaths, often the result of addictions which quite possibly began with a doctor’s prescription for a pain reliever such as Oxycontin or Percodan. Sadly, once addicted, if a legal supply of opioids cannot be maintained, users often search out illegal, back-alley heroin in an attempt to avoid the horrendous physical withdrawal symptoms they will face. In a very real sense, the prescribing of prescription opioid painkillers can lead to the proliferation of illegal drug trafficking.
The pharmaceutical industry has a vested interest in continuing this loop, in part, by influencing legislators to continue to suppress legal medical cannabis on a federal level. According to writer Chris McGreal in a 10/19/2017 Guardian News article,* pharmaceutical companies spend more than any other industry on influencing legislators, and typically have about two lobbyists for every member of Congress. In 2016 alone, drug companies spent more than $152 million on influencing legislation.
Yes, some users of medical marijuana might “abuse it” and become too happy or relaxed, if there is such a thing when dealing with chronic pain. However, many (if not most) products which contain medical cannabis do not contain the psychoactive component, THC. Nor does cannabis need to be smoked in order to be affective. Alternative forms to smoking include oils, taken orally or baked into edible products, or topical lotions.
Substance abuse is certainly not limited to those which are currently illegal. Most of us are already “marked men,” in terms of our health, because of the quality and quantity of the food we eat and the beverages we drink.
We do a great disservice to those with infirmities when we don’t open our minds to the possibility that our long-held negative view of cannabis might, in fact, be the product of a smear campaign initiated generations ago by those who had a monetary interest in seeing it withheld from the public. We owe it to those who can benefit from medical cannabis today to educate ourselves about its attributes and the current forces at play that prohibit our access to it.
It’s a fact that most people will face a little pain before they leave this world. I, for one, would like to have medical marijuana as a safe, natural, legal choice for pain relief, should the need arise. If you, too, would like to vote for the legalization of medical marijuana on our fall ballot, please consider signing the petition available at Dr. Lisa Roark’s office on N. Main St., Cassville, Mo.
-Sheila Harris, Purdy
*https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/19/big-pharma-money-lobbying-us-opioid-crisis
Disclaimer:
The editor of the Barry County Advertiser reserves the right to edit or withhold from publication any letter for any reason whatsoever. Letters to the Editor reflect the opinion of the author, not necessarily that of the Barry County Advertiser or its staff. Email your letters to editor@4bca.com
The editor of the Barry County Advertiser reserves the right to edit or withhold from publication any letter for any reason whatsoever. Letters to the Editor reflect the opinion of the author, not necessarily that of the Barry County Advertiser or its staff. Email your letters to editor@4bca.com