Druutopia

Letter To NY Senate Majority Leader

Ξ February 22nd, 2008 | → 1 Comments | ∇ Government |

I wanted to share a letter I wrote to Joseph Bruno, The Senate Majority Leader for New York:

I first contacted your office over six months ago, after a medical marijuana bill was overwhelmingly passed by the New York State Assembly.
I was excited because I have seen firsthand the relief that medicinal marijuana can provide patients. I have also seen and read a lot of information on research that proves this is a valid medication. As a disabled veteran this issue is of great importance to me. The risk of addiction and other dangerous side effects is too great for me to take prescription painkillers on a regular basis, and my doctor believes I could be a good candidate for the medical use of marijuana.
In October, you graciously welcomed me to the Capital as a voter in your district to speak with your office about my desire to see the New York Senate pass this bill to give patients the ability to legally use the medication a lot of doctors are suggesting. I wanted to thank you for your continued support for this issue and hope to see it in front of the Senate this year with your support.
I am also aware that some have been under the mistaken impression that states are not able to act on this important issue, because of federal law. Currently there are 12 states that have passed laws to allow doctors to do a risk analysis for their patients and recommend the medical use of marijuana. Studies have shown that
some patients receive amazing results with the use of marijuana.
The earliest of the modern medical marijuana laws passed 11 years ago, and the federal government has never suggested those states lack the power to remove their own criminal penalties for medical marijuana. The only judge to decide the issue, in San Diego, agreed that states are free to enact medical marijuana laws.
Senator Bruno, I would once again like to thank you for welcoming me to speak with your staff on this issue and for your continued support. I look forward to New York becoming the 13th state to allow doctors to make this decision for their patients. Please see to it that it happens this year; seriously ill New Yorkers are suffering now.

Marijuana Tax Act of 2008?

Ξ January 23rd, 2008 | → 3 Comments | ∇ Government, History |

Govenor Spitzer had, what he would like to think, a great idea in his New York speech last night. His idea, create a tax on Marijuana of $3.50 per gram.
I would actually agree with this tax stamp idea, except it is a bad idea. First of all, in 1937 there was a Marijuana Tax Act created. (Which was disputed by a New Yorker) Each person that wanted to have marijuana in their possession was required to have a Tax stamp on the packaging. The problem was if you were caught for possession of Marijuana without the tax you would be arrested for not paying the tax. If you wanted to be legal and get a Tax stamp then you would have to have the amount in your possession so they could know how much to tax you for your Marijuana. But if you showed up with Marijuana to be a good citizen and pay your tax you would get arrested because you haven’t paid your tax yet. It was designed to be a catch 22 and make it illegal to have any Marijuana. Governor Spitzer explains that this tax stamp has been active in 29 States already and could raise an estimated $13 Million next year.
My question for Governor Spitzer is why would I pay this tax. If I was going to buy an illegal substance ILLEGALLY then I would not be to worried about the tax side of it. I am going to weigh my risk in this situation. Do I buy a gram of Marijuana and not pay to get the Tax stamp and risk getting busted for an illegal substance plus Tax evasion? Or do I buy my Marijuana and pay my tax on it, but have it on record that I am going to have Marijuana with me at some point? If someone is going to deal with the Black Market then they are not going to be worried about the ramifications of getting busted for two laws.
Then again Mr. Spitzer, if Marijuana is illegal and I am required to have a Tax Stamp then would that be considered a violation of the Fifth amendment?
Like I started this article, I agree with Taxation of Marijuana and other controlled substances as long as I can not be prosecuted for paying taxes on the substance. The way it looks to me is Governor Spitzer is trying to look like he is doing more than he actually is. Stop with the hollow promises that really can’t benefit NY, and lets see something that will help us.
Legalize Marijuana, control it, tax it, and allow the Farmers of New York grow their Hemp for industrial purposes
Now that will be a boost to the economy along with a great income for New York State.

The Super Bowl - Marijuana vs. Alzheimer’s

Ξ January 22nd, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Medical |

Since I am a football fan I am going to have my Super Bowl Punch right now. I have seen first hand the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease and it is a horrible thing to watch. This very intelligent amazing person not understanding that I am not her long lost son. How about seeing a child visit their grandmother to only realize that their grandmother does not know who they are. This is a very emotional decline for not only the patient but also those that are close to those that are inflicted with this horrible disease.
Alzheimer’s Disease is a degenerative disease that causes dementia or senility. It has also been know to effect a persons speaking and visual abilities.
In 2005 Science Daily released an article about the effect marijuana could have on Alzheimer’s Disease. This Study was released in the February 23, 2005, issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

This study was done with brain tissues used from people that have died from Alzheimer’s Disease and compared it to those that have died around the same age that did not have Alzheimer’s Disease. This study showed that those that had Alzheimer’s had reduced functioning of cannabinoid receptors.
This research expanded quickly into testing on Rats to find the effect Cannabis can have on the brain. The researchers injected the rats with proteins which leads to cognitive decline. Then in other Rats they injected the same protein and also a cannabinoid. This study showed the decline in the memory and thinking in the rats that were not given the cannabinoid.

As of October 2006, approximately 4.5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. This number is going up due to the life expectancy of Americans also rising.
With this study that was released almost 3 years ago you would assume that this is research that would have been released to the public and actually might have gotten some researcher in the US a grant to fund more extensive research. The effects of Cannabis on the brain can cause short term memory loss while under the influence but may save someones memory well into old age. If this research is extended on there might be some findings on cannabis for patients that have brain damage.

It is amazing to me to see research such as this completed in other countries hit Fox News, MSNBC, CBS News, WebMD, Live Science and a ton of other resources but not be well known by those patients and the family members of those patients that could actually benefit from it.

Medical Marijuana - List in the making

Ξ January 16th, 2008 | → 2 Comments | ∇ Medical |

Marijuana and Parkinson’s Disease

Ξ January 16th, 2008 | → 2 Comments | ∇ Medical |

I used to have a Supervisor that was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and I could see the effects on him though out the time I worked for him. Within a year after he admitted that he was diagnosed with this disease he left the work place and I have not heard from him since. I could see the effect this had on him and his family and how the medications he was on would affect him throughout the day.
I was reading about research that was accomplished in 2004 about the effects Marijuana can have on Debilitating Diseases. One of the issues that was researched was the effect on Parkinson’s Disease.
Parkinson’s Disease has been diagnosed in more that 1 million American’s, with symptoms of Slow movements, Muscle Tremors, and Muscle stiffness. This Disease destroys brain cells that create the chemical Dopamine. Dopamine functions as a neurotransmitter that has many functions in the brain, such as: important roles in behavior and cognition, motor activity, motivation and reward, regulation of milk production, sleep, mood, attention, and learning.
There are treatments available to help replenish lost Dopamine but there is currently nothing out there that can stop or reverse the effect this disease has on the brain cells that produce this chemical. Research in 2004 has shown that in mice that have received marijuana-like substance and then were given a substance that would destroy the chemical producing brain cells showed little to no difference in the brain chemistry than a healthy mouse. Now if research can be extended on this subject I am wondering if they may be able to try and get the marijuana-like substance that may reverse the effects on patients with Parkinson’s Disease.
Now there are a lot of effects on Parkinson’s patients and the most noticeable is the tremors. My old supervisor was the type that would notice the shaking hands and try to hide the fact that he was shaking. There was a study conducted in the Czech Republic for Marijuana on the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. Like here in the US doing research with Marijuana is also dangerous since it is against the law. But these studies showed that with over 300 patients with an average age of 66 and on average dealing with the disease for 9 years 46% of them showed relief from the symptoms. The research also showed that the longer the use of Marijuana for the patient the more likely they would see the reduced effects of the disease. Those that used it for more than 3 months.
These studies were years ago and I am looking for newer studies to see how far the research has gone since.

Sources:
Reuters Health Author: Paula Moyer
Society for Neuroscience