Medical Marijuana and Stem-cell Research
The Democratic radio address a few weeks ago, delivered by Claire McCaskill, Democratic candidate for the Senate in Missouri, focused on stem-cell research. What does medical marijuana have to do with stem-cell research? Well, both medical marijuana and stem-cell research spark an emotional debate wherein the moral prejudice of public officials tends to trump reason.
The morality of medical marijuana is plain enough. But some public officials still consider marijuana, even if used medically, to be the “devil’s weed.” This spiritual accusation is enough to close some minds completely. For them, it is guilt by assertion. In effect, they say, “Please don’t confuse me with the facts, because my mind is already made up.”
It is not uncommon today for a public official to decry the medical use of cannabis as a threat to public safety, as if people suffering from AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, arthritis, and chronic pain could conceivably cause “harm” to others just by privately possessing marijuana. These drug-war-politicians also accuse doctors who care for medical marijuana patients of malpractice, because they charge fees and specialize in one type of patient care, as if it were immoral or illegal for doctors to expect payment for their time and/or focus on only one area of medicine.
The patent prejudice endured daily by medical marijuana patients and doctors is reminiscent of what the Democrats face with President Bush’s stance on stem-cell research. In her radio address, McCaskill challenges Bush not to veto stem-cell research legislation: “I must admit it is hard to understand that the President’s first veto in six years would amount to saying no to doctors, researchers, patients, and families. It would be saying no to saving lives.”
From the perspective of the medical marijuana patient, Bush’s threat to veto a stem-cell research bill is no surprise. After all, Bush has overseen an administration that constantly threatens to punish an individual patient merely for using marijuana to relieve the suffering associated with a serious illness. Of course, to be fair, Bush is no original, because saying “no to doctors, researchers, patients, and families” has been standard-operating-procedure for the Federal Government for about 69-years now.
When the 75th Congress first criminalized medical marijuana, it did so over the objection of the American Medical Association and on the basis of racial prejudice (directed primarily towards Spanish-speaking immigrants in the Southwest). Thus, the 12 States that currently recognize medical marijuana under their laws have simply brought their respective jurisdiction back into the policy-model that existed prior to 1937. In other words, medical marijuana is a return to common sense.
McCaskill appears to have a sense of common sense, and maybe she will get elected to serve the people of Missouri this November. Her compassion for the doctors who perform stem-cell research for the purpose of healing the sick is commendable. If she is willing to fight prejudice for the sake of stem-cell research, then maybe she’ll fight prejudice for the sake of medical marijuana patients, too. Her principles regarding stem-cell research would seem to demand that she and other Democrats do exactly that.
Kenneth Michael White is an attorney and the author of “The Beginning of Today: The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937” and “Buck” (both by PublishAmerica 2004). For more information visit: www.thebeginningoftoday.com
The morality of medical marijuana is plain enough. But some public officials still consider marijuana, even if used medically, to be the “devil’s weed.” This spiritual accusation is enough to close some minds completely. For them, it is guilt by assertion. In effect, they say, “Please don’t confuse me with the facts, because my mind is already made up.”
It is not uncommon today for a public official to decry the medical use of cannabis as a threat to public safety, as if people suffering from AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, arthritis, and chronic pain could conceivably cause “harm” to others just by privately possessing marijuana. These drug-war-politicians also accuse doctors who care for medical marijuana patients of malpractice, because they charge fees and specialize in one type of patient care, as if it were immoral or illegal for doctors to expect payment for their time and/or focus on only one area of medicine.
The patent prejudice endured daily by medical marijuana patients and doctors is reminiscent of what the Democrats face with President Bush’s stance on stem-cell research. In her radio address, McCaskill challenges Bush not to veto stem-cell research legislation: “I must admit it is hard to understand that the President’s first veto in six years would amount to saying no to doctors, researchers, patients, and families. It would be saying no to saving lives.”
From the perspective of the medical marijuana patient, Bush’s threat to veto a stem-cell research bill is no surprise. After all, Bush has overseen an administration that constantly threatens to punish an individual patient merely for using marijuana to relieve the suffering associated with a serious illness. Of course, to be fair, Bush is no original, because saying “no to doctors, researchers, patients, and families” has been standard-operating-procedure for the Federal Government for about 69-years now.
When the 75th Congress first criminalized medical marijuana, it did so over the objection of the American Medical Association and on the basis of racial prejudice (directed primarily towards Spanish-speaking immigrants in the Southwest). Thus, the 12 States that currently recognize medical marijuana under their laws have simply brought their respective jurisdiction back into the policy-model that existed prior to 1937. In other words, medical marijuana is a return to common sense.
McCaskill appears to have a sense of common sense, and maybe she will get elected to serve the people of Missouri this November. Her compassion for the doctors who perform stem-cell research for the purpose of healing the sick is commendable. If she is willing to fight prejudice for the sake of stem-cell research, then maybe she’ll fight prejudice for the sake of medical marijuana patients, too. Her principles regarding stem-cell research would seem to demand that she and other Democrats do exactly that.
Kenneth Michael White is an attorney and the author of “The Beginning of Today: The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937” and “Buck” (both by PublishAmerica 2004). For more information visit: www.thebeginningoftoday.com
posted by Kenneth Michael White | 8:43 PM
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