LF: Washington Tells DEA to Shove It, Will Conduct Cannabis Research in Violation of the Law

Title: Washington Tells DEA to Shove It, Will Conduct Cannabis Research in Violation of the Law
Source: Activist Post
URL Source: http://www.activistpost.com/2016/08 ... research-violation-of-law.html
Published: Aug 27, 2016
Author: Justin Gardner
Post Date: 2016-08-27 17:11:00 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 6408
Comments: 42

Earlier this month, the DEA proved its utter detachment from reality – and its subservience to Big Pharma – by maintaining the classification of cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug. This means, according to their classification system, it has “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”

The decision was a surprise to many who were expecting the agency to acknowledge the 21^st century body of scientific evidence on cannabis’ medicinal value, and the real-life stories of people cured through this plant. The Free Thought Project has documented many examples of children suffering from constant epileptic seizures, who, after receiving CBD treatment (an extract of cannabis), experience a dramatic reduction in seizures and gain a quality of life like never before.

The DEA’s tyrannical chokehold on the wondrous potential of medical cannabis is downright criminal.

In a review of the evidence, published on the U.S. government’s own National Institutes of Health, researchers concluded:

Based on evidence currently available the Schedule I classification is not tenable; it is not accurate that cannabis has no medical value, or that Information on safety is lacking.

The good news is, hardly anyone really cares what the DEA thinks. Civil disobedience is happening all over the country as individuals and even state governments recognize the injustice of cannabis prohibition. In a heartening example, one brave Georgia lawmaker admitted that he goes to Colorado to secure medical grade cannabis and brings it back to treat sick children in his own state.

Soon after the DEA gave its decision, Washington state – which has legalized the recreational and medicinal use of cannabis – announced perhaps the boldest act of defiance yet.

As The News Tribune reported:

Washington state is moving ahead with its plans to allow scientific research of marijuana, sidestepping federal rules that critics say have hampered study of the drug for decades.
The state has a new marijuana research license that will allow laboratories to grow marijuana for scientific study. State officials expect to start accepting applications for the new license by January.

The DEA says they “don’t have enough research” to say cannabis has medicinal value, but their own impossibly strict regulations have stifled research for decades. So Washington is directly addressing this disingenuous claim by paving the way for more research – and, very satisfyingly, giving the DEA the middle finger.

As Sam Méndez, executive director of the Cannabis Law & Policy Project at the University of Washington School of Law, points out: “It can take up to two years just to get the federal licenses in the first place, because the process is so long and onerous.”

And, when a researcher finally does get a federal license, the only place they can get research-grade cannabis is from the University of Mississippi. Further, when discoveries are made about the medicinal properties of cannabis, they cannot be applied to state-level systems.

Washington’s state licensing program will bypass these absurd hurdles, and will open the door for private research facilities to conduct research as well as state universities. Research-grade cannabis can be sourced from within the state from a variety of qualified producers.

The state Liquor and Cannabis Board is now setting up a scientific review panel to scrutinize applications for the new marijuana research license, a first step toward opening the door to applicants, said board spokesman Brian Smith.
The scientific review panel — made up of officials from Washington State University and the University of Washington — will evaluate the quality of proposed research projects, as well as whether applicants have the expertise and facilities to carry out the work.
After developing rules to govern the application process, the LCB expects to start soliciting applications at the start of 2017, with the first licenses to be issued sometime after that.

On the issue of cannabis, Washington gets full commendations for the rare act of “legislating” freedom by allowing recreational use of cannabis, and for breaking tyrannical barriers to a research on a plant with such medical promise.

It will soon join Israel as one of the world’s leading areas of medical cannabis research, and open the door for a thriving multi-million dollar industry which also serves the benefit of humanity.

"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."

-- A majority of doctors say that medical marijuana should be legalized nationally and that it can deliver real benefits to patients, a new survey by WebMD/Medscape finds.

WebMD’s web site for health professionals surveyed 1,544 doctors as more than 10 states consider bills to legalize medical marijuana. It is already legal in 21 states and Washington, DC.

The survey found solid support for those legalization efforts, with most doctors saying medical marijuana should be legal in their states. They agreed that medical marijuana should be an option for patients. The survey included doctors from more than 12 specialties and 48 states.

Sulak has recommended various forms of marijuana to his patients and has seen striking results. Patients with chronic pain needed fewer prescription pain meds. Patients with multiple sclerosis had less painful muscle spasms. Patients with severe inflammatory bowel disease began to eat again.

“These responses are the most impressive to me,” says Sulak, who practices at Maine Integrative Healthcare in Manchester. Maine is one of 20 states, along with the District of Columbia, where medical marijuana is legal. “With inflammatory bowel disease, we’ll see patients who were at death’s door turn around dramatically.”

Sulak’s experience is powerful and adds to the large body of personal stories -- dating from 5,000 years ago -- about the therapeutic value of marijuana.

"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."

I do not go to church every time the doors are opened, but I love Jesus Christ. I am only human and fail Him daily. I believe Jesus is the Son of God, was born of a virgin, was crucified on a cross, died for my sins and rose from the dead and that He loves us dearly, and is faithful to forgive us of our sins. But He says that if you deny me in front of your friends I will deny you in front of my Father. Can I get an Amen!

It is foolish to place any credence in this survey from WebMD since WebMD pockets millions to stimulate $1 trillion in drug sales?

According to the Washington Times, WebMD, the second most visited health site on the World Wide Web, received a $4.8 million government contract to educate doctors about the ins and outs of Obamacare. A similar contract for the public portal to educate consumers might also be in the works. However, the lack of transparency and disclosure of the contract has raised questions about potential conflicts of interest.

WebMD has positioned itself as a primary source of independent and science-backed health information yet is financially dependent on pharmaceutical companies, and now the US government, which is trying to promote a widely contested and unpopular health care plan.

Take what you will from this WebMD survey, but also take with you the fact that the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Society of Addiction Medicine are both against medical marijuana laws. The American Medical Association doesn’t support them, either. Groups representing patients aren’t behind these laws. The American Cancer Society hasn’t demanded them, and the Glaucoma Foundation even warns patients against using the drug.

"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."

No profits in cures. Only profits are in treatments. Check out the salary of the American Cancer Society chief at Charity Watch.

Don’t change the subject. I am discussing WebMD with you. You used as expert source with reliable information. Let’s continue that discussion.

In a shocking report published earlier this year, BNET exposed how WebMD's online test for depression is rigged for profit:

But that's just the beginning. A number of questions about just how 'independent' a source WebMD is have since surfaced, and the answers are not what you'd expect.

Be that as it may, The American Cancer Society does not advocate the use of inhaled marijuana or the legalization of marijuana.

The DEA’s tyrannical chokehold on the wondrous potential of medical cannabis is downright criminal.

In a review of the evidence, published on the U.S. government’s own National Institutes of Health, researchers concluded:

"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."

If I made money like this I would not advocate anything that might help a sick patient either.

if you look around, we have gone so far down the the rat hole, the almighty is going to have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah, if we don't have a judgement come down on us.

President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people. --Clint Eastwood

"I am concerned for the security of our great nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within." -- General Douglas MacArthur

While the American Cancer Society does not advocate the use of inhaled marijuana or the legalization of marijuana, John R. Seffrin, CEO American Cancer Society, has not problem with these treatments for cancer lised on their Website:

"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."

You have become so strongly devoted to your Paultard libertarian set of ideas and beliefs which have generally come to you over a long period of time from biased source materials that your brain now operates as a dam. You live in fear that if the dam breaks, then you will have to question everything you’ve learned and believed to be completely true for the last many years. While I fully realize that you don’t care and the facts I rebuke your misinformation articles with don’t necessarily have the power to change your mind, I will however be around for a long time to hammer them at you….for I am the Canary Clan.

If you are trying to prove that marijuana is effective and should be made available for medical purpose from anecdotal statements, then I cannot understand why the approval process needs to be different from those used for all other medications. I believe that all evidence justifying marijuana for various medical conditions must require the normal conduct of adequately powered, double-blind, randomized, placebo/active controlled clinical trials to test its short and long term efficacy and safety. I can easily see that most of the conditions you attempt to qualify for medical marijuana use fails to meet FDA standards. I will consider giving creditability to your posts when all of that happens. In the meantime, I will not give credence to any anecdotal reports, low-quality scientific information or individual testimonials you continue to post. I can only imagine how poor health practices would be if all other drugs were approved through the similar approach you advocate.

Because if it did it would have been a major f**king announcement and dopers everywhere would be shouting it to high heaven.

It was an online survey. As "accurate" as any online survey. Plus, we have no access to the questions or how they were framed.

Considering your low moral character with a total lack of the virtues of empathy, courage, fortitude, honesty, and loyalty, or of good behaviors or habits….I accept that as a compliment since it is perfectly sensible for you to count such a claim as warrantable assertible but entirely false.

I'll say. "Dr. Sulak holds the distinction of being a Diplomat of the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine."

Plus, he's a DO (Doctor of Osteopathy). That's an MD with a quack factor built in.

Two years ago, Sharon Gagne of Greenbush discovered she had two herniated disks in her neck. Her doctor told her surgery was not an option and instead encouraged physical therapy and prescribed a painkiller. “I didn’t like that,” she said. “I know too many people who got hooked.”

Gagne, 44, eventually asked about other options. Her doctor referred her to Dr. Dustin Sulak, a Hallowell osteopath who has become known throughout Maine for his willingness to certify patients for medical marijuana. Gagne’s physician sent her medical records to Sulak, who then spoke twice on the phone with Gagne.

Without ever having met her face to face, Sulak certified Gagne as a medical marijuana patient. Now, whenever she feels pain, she smokes a little or nibbles a baked good fortified with cannabis.

Gagne’s case illustrates the seeming ease with which Mainers with certain conditions can receive medical marijuana. Gradual changes to state law in the past three years have deregulated medical marijuana to the point that there is no way to know how many people are using it, how many doctors are certifying patients for it, and whether the number of users is growing.

Indeed, some doctors are actively recruiting patients. Sulak’s practice recently placed an ad in a weekly newspaper offering a $50 discount to students for medical marijuana evaluations.

I'll bet they don't get the prescription/recommendation until their payment clears.

A government strong enough to impose your standards is strong enough to ban them.

Sulak in among the doctors actively recruiting patients. Sulak’s practice recently placed an ad in a weekly newspaper offering a $50 discount to students for medical marijuana evaluations. He speaks on the phone with “patients" and without ever having met them face to face, Sulak will certify them as a medical marijuana patient.

Now, are you a little embarrassed you used this individual to substantiate the medical use of marijuana. You should be....you should be humiliated.

You are a disgrace to mankind and a prime example of a stupid Paultard libertarian.

Cannatonics v. City of Tacoma, No. 45999-0-II (Ct. App. Wash. Div. II, 15 Sep. 2015) at 14:

Contrary to what some addle-brained potheads believe, marijuana is an illegal, Schedule I drug under Washington state law.

Dopers once again proved their utter detachment from reality. The United States has been a party to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs for more than 50 years, along with almost the entire United Nations. As it is part of the Supreme Law of the United States, no agency can constitutionally regulate in violation of its terms. It cannot be made legal, or removed from the schedule of controlled substances except by act of Congress. DEA stated they lacked the authority to make the requested change.

The U.S. acceded to the original text of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, an international treaty, on 25 May 1967. The U.S. acceded the 1972 Protocol on 1 November 1972.

As Amended by the 1972 Protocol amending the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961

Canabis and Canabis resins are Schedule I drugs on the Revised Schedules including all amendments made by the Commission on Narcotics Drugs in Force as of 5 March 1990.

A government strong enough to impose your standards is strong enough to ban them.

This was simply a review of the evidence and was supported by the University of California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research.

“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul

"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."

“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul

"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."

“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul

"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."

“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul

"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."

“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul

"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."