Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
There's a hearing today (going on right now in fact) in the Pennsylvania Senate where the State Government Committee is hearing testimony on medical marijuana.
There's already speculation that the House won't pass it, there seem to be a lot of technical questions along the lines of this:
Pharmacists can't legally distribute a Schedule 1 narcotic and hospitals fear losing Medicaid and Medicare funding if they violate the law, he said.
Then again, there are 23 states (plus D.C. and Guam) where medical marijuana is already legal; this wasn't an issue for them?
Testifying at today's hearing is a Berks County/Reihholds woman, Dana Ulrich, whose daughter, Lorelei, suffers from epilepsy and can have as many as 700 seizures daily. There is some research that says marijuana can help reduce seizures.
But here I'm looking at an article we ran back in 2013 in which our local state Reps said, well, it's not 100 percent proven and so sure, the girl's situation is tragic — but that doesn't mean we'd actually vote yes on a measure that could ultimately help her:
Even so, state Rep. Keith Greiner, a Republican representing the 43rd District, said he's against legalizing medical marijuana here.
"If it would come up for a vote, I would vote no," he said.
"I really don't believe that there is clear-cut evidence that medical marijuana would help solve that little girl's problem," he said Monday. "So, at this point, definitely a no."
However, he didn't slam the door on the possibility of changing his mind.
"If there's convincing evidence, maybe I'd give it a second thought," Greiner said.
Rep. Mindy Fee, a Republican representing the 37th District, said Lorelei's story "is tragic."
"I absolutely grieve for that family," Fee said Monday. However, she said, "there are a lot of other tragedies out there where families lost their children to drug abuse."
That's the bottom line for Fee when addressing the question of legalizing medical marijuana.
"I am opposed to it," she said. "I am going to stay opposed to it. ... It puts our families, our children and our communities at risk."
Our entire local delegation said basically the same thing. Which I suppose you'd expect in Lancaster County, where God knows half the population still thinks "Reefer Madness" is an accurate description of what happens when you smoke a joint.
But let's be very clear about one thing:
On the Facebook page "Legalize for Lorelei," Ulrich wrote this Feb. 22:
Had to give rectal Valium to stop the seizures. Not very logical that this is the alternative to cannabis...smh
Our local legislators think giving a 7-year-old little rectal Valium is just fine, will simply have to do, because God forbid we legalize the Demon Weed.
Viewed this way, opposition to medical marijuana is absolutely immoral.
Also from the Facebook page:
We tried to be out to play in the snow but it was short lived due to relentless seizures. We've opted instead for laying on the couch listening to music on the iPad...something she does a lot of. Praying we can avoid the ER today.
Do we understand that there is a substance that may ease this little girl's trauma, and a lot of other people's pain — and we, stuck in a prohibitionist mindset, are simply turning away?
Do we understand that here's a treatment that could let a little girl go play in the snow, and — nope. Drugs are bad! Except for oxycontin or other brand-name highly profitable substances subscribed by your local medical establishment.
Come on.
This is why, whatever the House/legislature does this year on medical marijuana, ultimately legislators will approve such a bill. Pennsylvania is ultimately going to join the other states that have legalized it for medical use because there is such an obvious moral case for it.
Drug addiction? Yeah, my colleague has written extensively on the heroin epidemic in Lancaster County and elsewhere. What does marijuana have to do with that?
Oh, right, it's a "gateway drug." But if that's the argument we're going to use — alcohol is a "gateway drug" to marijuana. Caffeine may be a "gateway drug" to alcohol.
How far down this slippery slope do you want to slide?
Sometimes attitudes need to change for practical reasons. Sometimes they need to change for moral reasons.
Sometimes you can look around at what other states have done, and conclude they haven't turned into drug den hellholes, that the legalization of marijuana for medical use has improved the lives of thousands of people.
And then you say — Pennsylvania isn't interested in that.
Which indicates, we have our own drug problem — an addiction to the past.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: It?s immoral to oppose medical marijuana | Smart Remarks
Author: Gil Smart
Contact:webmaster@lancasteronline.com
Photo Credit: Andy Cross
Website: Smart Remarks
There's already speculation that the House won't pass it, there seem to be a lot of technical questions along the lines of this:
Pharmacists can't legally distribute a Schedule 1 narcotic and hospitals fear losing Medicaid and Medicare funding if they violate the law, he said.
Then again, there are 23 states (plus D.C. and Guam) where medical marijuana is already legal; this wasn't an issue for them?
Testifying at today's hearing is a Berks County/Reihholds woman, Dana Ulrich, whose daughter, Lorelei, suffers from epilepsy and can have as many as 700 seizures daily. There is some research that says marijuana can help reduce seizures.
But here I'm looking at an article we ran back in 2013 in which our local state Reps said, well, it's not 100 percent proven and so sure, the girl's situation is tragic — but that doesn't mean we'd actually vote yes on a measure that could ultimately help her:
Even so, state Rep. Keith Greiner, a Republican representing the 43rd District, said he's against legalizing medical marijuana here.
"If it would come up for a vote, I would vote no," he said.
"I really don't believe that there is clear-cut evidence that medical marijuana would help solve that little girl's problem," he said Monday. "So, at this point, definitely a no."
However, he didn't slam the door on the possibility of changing his mind.
"If there's convincing evidence, maybe I'd give it a second thought," Greiner said.
Rep. Mindy Fee, a Republican representing the 37th District, said Lorelei's story "is tragic."
"I absolutely grieve for that family," Fee said Monday. However, she said, "there are a lot of other tragedies out there where families lost their children to drug abuse."
That's the bottom line for Fee when addressing the question of legalizing medical marijuana.
"I am opposed to it," she said. "I am going to stay opposed to it. ... It puts our families, our children and our communities at risk."
Our entire local delegation said basically the same thing. Which I suppose you'd expect in Lancaster County, where God knows half the population still thinks "Reefer Madness" is an accurate description of what happens when you smoke a joint.
But let's be very clear about one thing:
On the Facebook page "Legalize for Lorelei," Ulrich wrote this Feb. 22:
Had to give rectal Valium to stop the seizures. Not very logical that this is the alternative to cannabis...smh
Our local legislators think giving a 7-year-old little rectal Valium is just fine, will simply have to do, because God forbid we legalize the Demon Weed.
Viewed this way, opposition to medical marijuana is absolutely immoral.
Also from the Facebook page:
We tried to be out to play in the snow but it was short lived due to relentless seizures. We've opted instead for laying on the couch listening to music on the iPad...something she does a lot of. Praying we can avoid the ER today.
Do we understand that there is a substance that may ease this little girl's trauma, and a lot of other people's pain — and we, stuck in a prohibitionist mindset, are simply turning away?
Do we understand that here's a treatment that could let a little girl go play in the snow, and — nope. Drugs are bad! Except for oxycontin or other brand-name highly profitable substances subscribed by your local medical establishment.
Come on.
This is why, whatever the House/legislature does this year on medical marijuana, ultimately legislators will approve such a bill. Pennsylvania is ultimately going to join the other states that have legalized it for medical use because there is such an obvious moral case for it.
Drug addiction? Yeah, my colleague has written extensively on the heroin epidemic in Lancaster County and elsewhere. What does marijuana have to do with that?
Oh, right, it's a "gateway drug." But if that's the argument we're going to use — alcohol is a "gateway drug" to marijuana. Caffeine may be a "gateway drug" to alcohol.
How far down this slippery slope do you want to slide?
Sometimes attitudes need to change for practical reasons. Sometimes they need to change for moral reasons.
Sometimes you can look around at what other states have done, and conclude they haven't turned into drug den hellholes, that the legalization of marijuana for medical use has improved the lives of thousands of people.
And then you say — Pennsylvania isn't interested in that.
Which indicates, we have our own drug problem — an addiction to the past.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: It?s immoral to oppose medical marijuana | Smart Remarks
Author: Gil Smart
Contact:webmaster@lancasteronline.com
Photo Credit: Andy Cross
Website: Smart Remarks
