DEA Finally Admits-------- Marijuana is Medicine
- Thread starter Bud Hi
- Start date
C
CANNATOPIA
WTF! I got to read this! TY for the post.
Please when posting news articles, post the whole article and not just a link. Some folks don't like clicking the link, including myself.
"DEA Finally Admits Marijuana is Medicine"
by Scott Morgan, March 01, 2011, 02:04am
Posted in:
* Medical Marijuana
http://stopthedrugwar.org/files/marinol.png
If you thought they were going to issue a formal apology after decades of flagrant dishonesty, you would be mistaken. But the DEA is at long last conceding marijuana's incredible medical value…by giving pharmaceutical companies exclusive permission to make pills out of it.
"[M]arijuana has no scientifically proven medical value." So stated the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on page six of a July 2010 agency white paper, titled "DEA Position on Marijuana."
Yet only four months after the agency committed its "no medical pot" stance to print, it announced its intent to allow for the regulation and marketing of pharmaceutical products containing plant-derived THC -- the primary psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. (Alternet)
DEA can try to frame this any way they like, but the bottom line remains that authorizing cultivation for pharmaceutical companies is the end of the debate. Over. Done. Whatever nuanced distinctions the enemies of medical marijuana seek to advance from this point forward will be devastated by the simple fact that new medicines are being made out of marijuana with the blessing of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Conspiracy theories will abound, of course, regarding the potential for a widespread campaign to shut down state-level medical marijuana programs and instead shove expensive pills down the throats of patients, while arresting providers and cultivators who refuse to comply. That isn't going to happen. As much as the DEA and their corporate co-conspirators might fantasize about it, a full-scale assault on the medical cannabis industry is simply impossible from both a practical and political standpoint. These laws were put in place by the people and they won't be done away with over our objections.
On the contrary, the emergence of cannabis-based pharmaceuticals has real potential to vest corporate interests with a stake in the drug's overall reputation. Rather than distancing themselves from the origins of their products, manufacturers of THC-based medications will recognize that associating their product with marijuana is in fact a shrewd marketing ploy. Marinol has already done exactly that. People love pot and that's going to be the key to selling these pills. As a result, we could soon be witnessing a seemingly impossible scenario in which pharmaceutical companies actually share our frustration when some drug war idiot comes along claiming THC causes schizophrenia.
Obviously, it's unlikely that our goals will ever align perfectly with those of the pharmaceutical industry, but they're clearly better at working with the DEA than we'll ever be. Rather than viewing the situation as a threat to our continued progress, I think we need to recognize that various forms of industrialization will be the inevitable result of our hard work to de-stigmatize the drug. As that process unfolds, we'll encounter numerous new and interesting opportunities to reframe the conversation about the dangers of marijuana. Even if this latest move by DEA is nothing more than a cynical attempt to thwart our progress somehow, I imagine it will backfire just as surely as every other tactic they've deployed in the drug war debate thus far.
"DEA Finally Admits Marijuana is Medicine"
by Scott Morgan, March 01, 2011, 02:04am
Posted in:
* Medical Marijuana
http://stopthedrugwar.org/files/marinol.png
If you thought they were going to issue a formal apology after decades of flagrant dishonesty, you would be mistaken. But the DEA is at long last conceding marijuana's incredible medical value…by giving pharmaceutical companies exclusive permission to make pills out of it.
"[M]arijuana has no scientifically proven medical value." So stated the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on page six of a July 2010 agency white paper, titled "DEA Position on Marijuana."
Yet only four months after the agency committed its "no medical pot" stance to print, it announced its intent to allow for the regulation and marketing of pharmaceutical products containing plant-derived THC -- the primary psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. (Alternet)
DEA can try to frame this any way they like, but the bottom line remains that authorizing cultivation for pharmaceutical companies is the end of the debate. Over. Done. Whatever nuanced distinctions the enemies of medical marijuana seek to advance from this point forward will be devastated by the simple fact that new medicines are being made out of marijuana with the blessing of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Conspiracy theories will abound, of course, regarding the potential for a widespread campaign to shut down state-level medical marijuana programs and instead shove expensive pills down the throats of patients, while arresting providers and cultivators who refuse to comply. That isn't going to happen. As much as the DEA and their corporate co-conspirators might fantasize about it, a full-scale assault on the medical cannabis industry is simply impossible from both a practical and political standpoint. These laws were put in place by the people and they won't be done away with over our objections.
On the contrary, the emergence of cannabis-based pharmaceuticals has real potential to vest corporate interests with a stake in the drug's overall reputation. Rather than distancing themselves from the origins of their products, manufacturers of THC-based medications will recognize that associating their product with marijuana is in fact a shrewd marketing ploy. Marinol has already done exactly that. People love pot and that's going to be the key to selling these pills. As a result, we could soon be witnessing a seemingly impossible scenario in which pharmaceutical companies actually share our frustration when some drug war idiot comes along claiming THC causes schizophrenia.
Obviously, it's unlikely that our goals will ever align perfectly with those of the pharmaceutical industry, but they're clearly better at working with the DEA than we'll ever be. Rather than viewing the situation as a threat to our continued progress, I think we need to recognize that various forms of industrialization will be the inevitable result of our hard work to de-stigmatize the drug. As that process unfolds, we'll encounter numerous new and interesting opportunities to reframe the conversation about the dangers of marijuana. Even if this latest move by DEA is nothing more than a cynical attempt to thwart our progress somehow, I imagine it will backfire just as surely as every other tactic they've deployed in the drug war debate thus far.
Yeah, so I don't see whats new, marinol has been around for a long time even with THC still being classified as a schedule 1 drug by the DEA. I guess now the DEA is allowing pharmaceutical companies to actually grow their own vs. synthetic manufacture of THC.
nice link, ya someone posted a link the other day saying DEA is reclassifying MJ so pharmy co's could do this. And Moonshine* talked a month or so ago about how is lawyer was telling him there were 3 major pharmy co's that have applied for licensing in CO and will receive permits and licenses to build facilities this summer.
i can't figure out if having pharmy co's get involved is going to be a good or bad thing. like the article said, they know how to deal with the DEA and gov't to get what they want, but that doesn't mean what they want is what we want. i think everyone is playing out the scenario in their head... DEA lets pharmy do their thing, pharmy gets a taste and sees $$, realizes the actual market value of their product, then move to shut down mom and pop (small grower & dispensary) ops.
no one is making pills in their basement and selling them to patients.
i can't figure out if having pharmy co's get involved is going to be a good or bad thing. like the article said, they know how to deal with the DEA and gov't to get what they want, but that doesn't mean what they want is what we want. i think everyone is playing out the scenario in their head... DEA lets pharmy do their thing, pharmy gets a taste and sees $$, realizes the actual market value of their product, then move to shut down mom and pop (small grower & dispensary) ops.
no one is making pills in their basement and selling them to patients.
The hypocrisy of these government institutions is disheartening. How can an organization that is supposed to protect its people change their mind on what they had classified as one of the most dangerous drugs with their schedule 1 classification. Oh yeah, they want to make money for the government, I forgot.
I'm guessing big pharma will grow plants to take extractions and analyze each different extraction for its medicinal value. When they find one that can be used effectively they will synthesize it and offer a pill with one or maybe two specific chemicals. I don't think they will ever produce buds marketed directly to the consumer. Thats just what I think, so.
ya im sorry if i wasn't clear in my post, im a pot head. that is exactly what i feel will happen Sam. I was just saying, they may open the door for us initially, but they are probably going to slam that door shut here real soon after they realize what they got. The pills will go to market and small OP MMJ co's will be "stealing" their market share, so the pharmy co's will move to have MMJ regulated so only big co can produce it.
i was trying to use the current medical industry as an example, there are no mom and pop pill factories running in basements. thats all.
i was trying to use the current medical industry as an example, there are no mom and pop pill factories running in basements. thats all.
Z
zen_trikester
Definately not. What they want is a controlled dose delivery method that is equal to or close to the benefits of natural cannabis without the high. This is where big pharma can fit in. Some guy in the comments section touched on this (and some things that were a bit in left field), but this could be a happy coexistence. Big Pharma could conceivably produce a med only version for people who want more monitored dosage and effect, and this would potentially leave room for a legal recreational market as well. Big Pharma's version would be something not easily produced at home so they have a market based on but independent of natural cannabis.
It is hard to guess how the current medical scene would be effected if this was in fact a precursor to federal recreational mj legalization as the article implies. Would current medical and rec merge? I think the medical position on MMJ is always going to be that it is good medicine but that the inhaled smoke delivery method is far from ideal. I think if a product like sativex works, and it is available, then many doctors would prefer their patients use that.
So as much as I like the wrinkle this article sheds on this news (The article I read on NORML about it was not so up-beat), I still wonder how this might all shake out. Seems a bit of a double edged sword to me!
G
Guest 88950
insurance wouldnt cover the $800+ month cost for marinol b/c i needed cannabis for spasms and that wasnt an approved condition.
i could care less how many cannabis derived pills hit the market ill still grow my own b/c its cheaper and i love to grow.
i bet within the next year or two Cannabis will be re-scheduled to a class II. how can the plant remain a class I controlled substance and its extracts or active compounds be class II or III?
each patent for a cannabis derived medicine is evidence of the plant Cannabis having medicinal benefits and therefor qualify as a schedule II controlled substance and how long until this gets challenged in court.
Yeah now who the hell is going to SUE them for making this many ppl suffer in the meantime?? That would be when I say this shit has come full circle finally..
What about all the ppl in prison now and all the lives they wasted and all the homes they took. ppl shouldn't be happy about this they should be mad as hell... I will bet they pull a Bush and say "everything I have done in office can't be revisited as I'm a fuckin moron"! peace out Headband707
What about all the ppl in prison now and all the lives they wasted and all the homes they took. ppl shouldn't be happy about this they should be mad as hell... I will bet they pull a Bush and say "everything I have done in office can't be revisited as I'm a fuckin moron"! peace out Headband707
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R
Rabbi Reefer
I can see it now, all in the name of "big business". The DEA will claim that "smoking" is bad for you and the only legal dosage will be pill form. They will force the $$$ to the big pharmaceutical companies, leaving growers & caregivers high & dry. Oy.
People just dont understand that nationwide in the us alone this plant is a fucking uber money maker. The rich who like to stay rich implement these schemes to the pharma companys and dea allows whatevr they fucking want as long as the price is right. If they was doing it before what makes you think they aint doing it now.
So many people hate the hood, ghettos, and slums but the worst drug dealers are actually in the white house right now. Yall betta open up and get it how you live cause these reptiles been doing it for centuries.
So many people hate the hood, ghettos, and slums but the worst drug dealers are actually in the white house right now. Yall betta open up and get it how you live cause these reptiles been doing it for centuries.
dead head jed
Member
if anybody can get this done it'll be the pharm company doctors
I mean shit, they convinced the FDA that OC's were not habbit forming
They also convinced us that fluoridating water is the way to better teeth but fluoride compounds are used in rat poison and people wonder why cancer is at an all time high. your body cant digest that shit. Now they gonna put all this weird stuff in those pills and people gonna be messed up for a while off those then more nonsense is gonna surface, its funny to me now because its helpless.
@303 you already know bro
@303 you already know bro
Opiates & there derivitives are medicinal but not going to legalize anytime soon. But the article does show they want to keep up the front & remain control while admitting some therapeutic value. ...too much illegal money for them to ignore .
All that money going to Mexico & other places , just chaffs their hides ...great press , keeps the prison Industrial Complex happy (huge) , the DA's & courts happy , themselves in Jobs & Mexican Cartels happy along with the Mexican Bankers .
And peeps get to foot the bill for all the "illegals" in US prisons too...prohibition is a lovely thing , as if there were more for them to do with their resources in the 21rst century.
All that money going to Mexico & other places , just chaffs their hides ...great press , keeps the prison Industrial Complex happy (huge) , the DA's & courts happy , themselves in Jobs & Mexican Cartels happy along with the Mexican Bankers .
And peeps get to foot the bill for all the "illegals" in US prisons too...prohibition is a lovely thing , as if there were more for them to do with their resources in the 21rst century.
G
Guest 88950
propaganda and outlook.
where is the cooralation between growing Cannabis for medicine and smoking cannabis?
how do you know that my cannabis isnt consumed either via vaporization or edibles?
just because i grow cannabis doesnt mean i smoke it but by the DEA acknowledging that Cannabis has medicinal properties its only a matter of time before Barney Frank gets a bill through congress to re-schedule Cannabis to a Schedule II. jmo
