"Marijuana Isn't Medicine".ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 30, 1998--The following is an article written by Eric A. Voth, a physician and drug-treatment specialist, who is chairman of the International Drug Strategy Institute: According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. experts, marijuana has no scientific value and actually may be harmful. The saga of "medicinal" marijuana continues to unfold. A number of new chapters are coming forth which should be of major concern: Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia District of Columbia, federal district (2000 pop. 572,059, a 5.7% decrease in population since the 1990 census), 69 sq mi (179 sq km), on the east bank of the Potomac River, coextensive with the city of Washington, D.C. (the capital of the United States). will vote on November 3 on ballot initiatives which will dramatically liberalize lib·er·al·ize v. lib·er·al·ized, lib·er·al·iz·ing, lib·er·al·iz·es v.tr. To make liberal or more liberal: "Our standards of private conduct have been greatly liberalized . . . the availability of crude, smoked marijuana for individuals. Marijuana is not a safe and effective medicine. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has clearly defined that marijuana is not medicine. The National Institutes of Health have reviewed the issue and determined that crude marijuana adds nothing to the treatment of sick patients, actually adds risk to the patients and has no scientifically proven benefits over existing medicines. Neither the American Cancer Society American Cancer Society, n.pr established in 1913, this national volunteer-based health organization is committed to the elimination of cancer through prevention and treatment and to diminishing cancer suffering through advocacy, scholarship, research, nor the American Medical Association American Medical Association (AMA), professional physicians' organization (founded 1847). Its goals are to protect the interests of American physicians, advance public health, and support the growth of medical science. supports smoking marijuana as medicine. Voters should realize that the move to legitimatize marijuana or other illegal drugs as medicines is driven by organizations seeking to generally legalize le·gal·ize tr.v. le·gal·ized, le·gal·iz·ing, le·gal·iz·es To make legal or lawful; authorize or sanction by law. le drugs. The smoke screens they lay down are very similar to the deceit and misrepresentations by the tobacco industry which have drawn so much criticism from the public. To support marijuana or other illegal drugs as medicines is like suggesting that tobacco should be allowed as medicine for anxiety or weight loss. It is tragic that the proponents of medicinal marijuana and harm-reduction policies are taking advantage of cancer and AIDS sufferers to further their social agendas. Let's provide sick patients with good medicine rather than stepping back to the days of snake oils A product that has been proven to not live up to the vendor's marketing hype. The term comes from the 1800s in which elixirs and potions of all kinds, even ones that supposedly included the oils from snakes, were sold as a cure for everything that ailed a person. and witch doctors. |
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