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February 19, 2010
Good News, Bad News
I was pleasantly surprised by a headline above the fold of this morning’s print edition of the SF Chronicle (how long can it survive? I’m always forced to wonder) reporting that “Clinical trials show medical benefits of pot.” That news wasn’t news to me, but the long-delayed recognition of pot’s efficacy in MS was gratifying, particularly because I have painful memories of sitting through two Larry King specials devoted to new developments in MS during which neither the words “marijuana” nor “cannabis” were even mentioned. I found the denial infuriating because I knew how rigorously the producers would have had to either screen or censor their not-quite celebrity guests to maintain such drug war purity.So much for the good news; the bad news was that most of the money made available way back in 1999 has been spent and a program that is finally producing results is in danger of being starved financially.
Of course, it would never occur to the “bona fide” researchers in Academia or the wannabe scientific experts from ASA and NORML that a lot of non-criminals have been breaking America’s stupid drug laws for decades to treat not only multiple sclerosis, but a lot of other conditions as well. As a matter of fact, the people who have been applying for medical legitimacy under the provisions of California's Proposition 215 for over thirteen years are a valuable resource that's been shamefully neglected by self-appointed experts in both Academia and “reform” for far too long.
What might have opened their eyes a bit sooner could have been a few more pot docs willing to take decent medical histories and publish their results.
Doctor Tom
Posted by tjeffo at February 19, 2010 03:28 AM