# Bush admin wanted to prosecute docs for even \*discussing\* marijuana! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 14, 2003, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426 "2003-10-14T18:40:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dreaming_of_Maria_Callas)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/21 "2003-10-14T22:27:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by musicguy \* > \*\*Not to mention, without opening another can of worms, how can the goverment seriously argue about the safety of marijuana while keeping tobacco and alcohol perfectly legal. \*\* It’s about the image of the various substances. Sure, your upper-middle class managerial type might secretely toke a couple of times a week, but many people think “Cheech and Chong” or high-school stoners when the matter of pot is discussed. Some forms of alcohol and tobacco, on the other hand, can be considered upper-class and commendable. Think fine tobacco and rare whiskeys. Why should the administration legalise a drug which is commonly seen as a straight path to living in a van and listening to shitty music? UnuMondo ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/22 "2003-10-14T22:34:36Z")
Well… actually, I suspect it has something to do with the pharmaceutical companies. Morphine – a vicious, deadly, addictive drug, which REQUIRES a doctor’s careful supervision to use properly – is legal, and is considered a “medicine.” Marijuana – a drug which, as far as I can determine, is not possible to kill yourself with, short of using it to ignite yourself, is not legal under ANY circumstances, and is not considered “medicine.” Morphine is not grown in the U.S. Its manufacture requires importation of the raw material and manufacture via complex chemical processes. Marijuana, on the other hand, is native to the U.S., and requires no middlemen or corporate production process. A dope-addled idiot can successfully grow the stuff in his own back yard. Moreover, he can breed and tweak the stuff to increase its potency. Allofazudden, I can see a variety of reasons politicians – particularly the Bush administration – would not want the stuff even considered for legalization… ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/23 "2003-10-14T22:42:03Z")
From [the October 22, 1999 Washington Post](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/wh2000/stories/bush102299.htm): > [@](#): > > Campaigning in Seattle on Saturday, Bush answered questions about medical marijuana laws by saying, “I believe each state can choose that decision as they so choose.” Why couldn’t you just choose to live up to your campaign promises, George? ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/24 "2003-10-14T22:54:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by neutron star \* > \*\*From [the October 22, 1999 Washington Post](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/wh2000/stories/bush102299.htm): > > Why couldn’t you just choose to live up to your campaign promises, George? \*\* who says he didn’t? the quote is “I believe that states can…” not “I think the states **should** ”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/25 "2003-10-14T23:01:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KarmaComa \* > \*\*Every time I hear something about the Bush administration, I feel edified in not considering American schools. \*\* Edified? Do you mean justified? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/26 "2003-10-14T23:14:19Z")
Let’s see:[ul][li]Listed in a Chinese medical compendium sometime around 2700 BCE as a cure for stress and depression as well as a headache remedy.[_]In Hindu texts, Cannabis sprang from Amrit (nectar) poured from heaven, to heal the heart and body, and was consecrated by Shiva.[_]1850-1942 The United States Pharmacopeia listed pot as a remedy; marijuana was prescribed for many maladies, as a cure for some and for palliative therapy for others.[/ul]The nuts came off the buggy between the 1920s and the 60s, when Harry Anslinger, then drug czar and proponent of the Marijuana Tax Act, bolstered by William Randolph Hearst’s (pissed at Pancho Villa for the theft of 800,000 acres of prime woodlands) media onslaught against reefer, begins publicizing the “evil menace” of pot and the people who smoke it. In 1970, the Controlled Substances Act, plus paraquat in Mexico, made pot a cash crop for Colombia.[/li] Flash forward through today: what’s the danger in reefer, other than to my sperm count, and to adolescent development (kids shouldn’t be using it anyway)? Oh yeah, I know. You can’t grow Travatan or Imitrex in your closet. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/27 "2003-10-14T23:31:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Revtim \* > \*\*I hadn’t noticed that part of the article until after I made the OP. > > Did you miss my post where I mention that Clinton deserves scorn as well for this? \*\* Yes - I missed grem0517’s post and yours as well; my post was typed and I didn’t hit submit until about an hour had passed, by which time it was utterly out of date. My bad - sorry about that. - Rick ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/28 "2003-10-14T23:44:24Z")
No problem **Bricker**. ---
**Author:** ![Age\_Quod\_Agis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d07c76/32.png) [@Age\_Quod\_Agis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Age_Quod_Agis)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/29 "2003-10-15T01:02:24Z")
> [@](#): > > _Mr. B:_ > Flash forward through today: what’s the danger in reefer, other than to my sperm count, and to adolescent development (kids shouldn’t be using it anyway)? [This site](http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/evidence99/marijuana/Health_1.html) lists a number of dangers, including suppression of the immune system, respiratory illnesses, and damage to mental health, brain function, and memory. In addition, I don’t mind saying that I tend to believe the FDA of today more than the “wisdom” of Chinese medical compedium from 2700 BCE, Hindu texts that say dope was poured from heaven to heal the heart and body, and the precursor to the FDA from around the same time that using leeches was cutting edge medical technology. For one, our modern FDA has fancy book larnin’ and tools like microscopes and a basic understanding of what causes illness and whatnot. Having said that, I think the Bush Admin. should mind their own business on this one. Let’s leave it to the docs what they prescribe for their patients. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/30 "2003-10-15T01:12:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Age Quod Agis \* > > I don’t mind saying that I tend to believe the FDA of today more than the “wisdom” of Chinese medical compedium from 2700 BCE… 'nuff said, then. BTW: doctors – _your doctors_ – still use leeches. Thought you should know. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/31 "2003-10-15T01:16:43Z")
Ironic that you bring up leeches, since leeches are, right now, once again cutting edge medical technology. Cite: [http://www.soundmedicine.iu.edu/archive/2002/mystery/leeches.html](http://www.soundmedicine.iu.edu/archive/2002/mystery/leeches.html) ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/32 "2003-10-15T01:43:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Age Quod Agis \* > > [This site](http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/evidence99/marijuana/Health_1.html) lists a number of dangers, including suppression of the immune system, respiratory illnesses, and damage to mental health, brain function, and memory. Hmmm. Did you even _read_ the information on this site? Are you aware your link is a student’s paper, part of a “Winter Evidence” Group Project? Further, the top of the page says _I should also add that in making these observations, I have concentrated on the risks of smoking natural marijuana, since it is the most effective method of ingesting its active cannabinoids._ You are apparently ignorant of other methods of THC ingestion, yet you just popped in to snipe, huh? Bit of advice: follow your your handle and **attend to your business** , which just so happens to be [learning](http://health.yahoo.com//health/drugs/202210/overview). This Board is about _fighting_ ignorance, not diffusing it like an overzealous bong-hit. ---
**Author:** ![LCP2972](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@LCP2972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LCP2972)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/33 "2003-10-15T04:02:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*I’ve heard a bunch of times about Bush and coke. Can I get a cite? > Thanks \*\* Unfortunately, not much of anywhere, I saw mention of it in Molly Ivin’s “Shrub” and I remember some guy, (I’ll go look it up in a bit) getting pretty shrill about how the feds were harrassing him when he as going to publish something about it, back in 2000. But as far as I know there isn’t anything solidly factual on this. I’ll see what I can dig up. ---
**Author:** ![musicguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@musicguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/musicguy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/34 "2003-10-15T04:15:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Age Quod Agis \* > \*\*[This site](http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/evidence99/marijuana/Health_1.html) lists a number of dangers, including suppression of the immune system, respiratory illnesses, and damage to mental health, **brain function** , and memory. > \*\* According to this recent study, your information is outdated. > [@](#): > > July 1, 2003 – Long-term and even daily marijuana use doesn’t appear to cause permanent brain damage, adding to evidence that it can be a safe and effective treatment for a wide range of diseases, say researchers. > The researchers found only a “very small” impairment in memory and learning among long-term marijuana users. Otherwise, scores on thinking tests were similar to those who don’t smoke marijuana, according to a new analysis of 15 previous studies. [Cite](http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/70/80972.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/35 "2003-10-15T04:24:39Z")
> [@](#): > > **Mr. B** : re you aware your link is a student’s paper, part of a “Winter Evidence” Group Project? [What the…?](http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/evidence99/) > [@](#): > > Students wishing their authorship to be acknowledged pleze email me. Thanks for your feedback. You are surely welcome to my teaching. Once again showing you can’t judge a site by its domain. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![LCP2972](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@LCP2972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LCP2972)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/36 "2003-10-15T04:26:47Z")
that was quicker than I thought it would be. * * * from [http://www.realchange.org/bushjr.htm#cocaine](http://www.realchange.org/bushjr.htm#cocaine) COCAINE: According to a new book, three independent sources close to the Bush family report that Governor Bush was arrested in 1972 for cocaine possession, and taken to Harris County Jail, but avoided jail or formal charges through an informal diversion plan involving community service with Project P.U.L.L., an inner city Houston program for troubled youths at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Houston’s dirt-poor Third Ward. (In another new book, reporter Bill Minutaglio, writes that the year of community service was arranged by the Governor’s father, ex-president Bush, after he caught Bush Jr. driving drunk.) That year certainly is out of character with the rest of Bush Jr.'s life. Before and after 1972, he was a rich, hard drinking playboy. Suddenly, and only that one time in his life, he worked for a liberal charity in an inner city ghetto. As soon as the year was over, he resumed his previous pattern and has done no charity work since. The author of this book, J. H. Thompson, has some interesting scandals of his own. Of course, his own flaws don’t disprove what Bush did or didn’t do, but the way Thompson has responded certainly undercuts his credibility. First, he admitted to a reporter from Slate Magazine that he made up at least one detail, that one of his informants spat tobacco into a styrofoam cup during their (phone!) interview. Then, reporters – or perhaps Bush campaign operatives – found that the author apparently is an ex-convict, on parole for hiring a hit man to kill a former boss. That doesn’t mean he can’t research, of course, but Thompson’s credibility suffered greatly as he claimed it was someone else, despite incredible similarities between his resume – including unexplained job gaps during the prison years – and confirmation from his parole officer that indeed, the author named J. H. Thompson is the one who did time. * * * Not neccessarily the most credible of of sources, but at least the website mentions the drawbacks of believing this guy. I’m not vouching for either, just providing links. It should be stated in all honesty, no one has ever proven this, it just looks kind of fishy if you want it to. ---
**Author:** ![Short](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Short](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Short)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/37 "2003-10-15T07:28:20Z")
Just so everyone is on the same page. Marijuana is schedule I. THC, the active ingrediant in marijuana, can be prescribed in capsule form; It’s schedule III. The brand name is Marinol, the generic is Dronabinol. [More Info\*](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/uspdi/202210.html) Perhaps someone could make a crazy theory and suggest that the main difference between the two is that one makes a drug company/campaign contributor rich, while the other does not. Unimed, the company which makes Marinol, is owned by Solvay Pharmaceuticals. Solvay Pharmaceuticals has a registered Political Action Committee. Solvay Pharmaceuticals is part of the Solvay Group. The President and CEO of Solvay America, Whitson Sadler, makes large contributions to polical causes and campaigns. For what it’s worth, Solvay Pharmaceutical PAC has yet to donate money to a campaign. Sadler donates primarily to conservative casues. Solvay America is also Headquartered in Houston Texas, and Solvay Pharma in Georgia. Maybe it is crazy, maybe not. These are the facts. ---
**Author:** ![RTA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@RTA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTA)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/38 "2003-10-15T13:00:14Z")
There was a funny moment on MacNeil/Lehrer last night. When Dr. Barthwell tried to push the idea that Marinol was very effective but the actual plant was dangerous, the guy from the Marijuana Policy Project said “This is like saying that taking Vitamin C is good for you, but eating an orange is bad.” Barthwell looked totally unprepared to stray past her “Drugs are bad M’kay” talking points, hinted that doctors who talk about marijuana are snake-oil salesmen ignorant of “how we do things in 21st Century medicine”, and basically got embarassed by that wily lawyer kid. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/39 "2003-10-15T13:19:40Z")
> [@](#): > > “There is a difference between feeling better and actually getting better,” said Dr. Andrea Barthwell, deputy director at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. “There is no scientific evidence that qualifies smoked marijuana to be called medicine.” Pehaps you folks can educate me. If a group of scientists wanted, today, to study the effects of smoked mary jane, wouldn’t they open themselves up to federal drug charges? Or could scientists get some sort of exemption? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426/40 "2003-10-15T16:06:04Z")
This issue hits a bit close to home to me. A close friend of mine was diagnosed with a malignant tumor and went through several regimens of extremely harsh chemotherapy earlier this year. Because he had no insurance, he tried to do it without anti-nausea medication, which I suppose is expensive. Occasionaly, he would take a walk outside the hospital (with his IV of chemo on one of those stands with wheels) and light up a joint. I saw first-hand how much this helped his nausea. Isn’t is pathetic that the effective anti-nausea remedy of marijuana is still cheaper than the drugs they use now, even though it’s illegal? There is something deeply, deeply wrong here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-wanted-to-prosecute-docs-for-even-discussing-marijuana/207426.md?page=3)