Medical Marijuana - I just don't know

Many states have placed legalization of medical marijuana on their ballets. Voters in each state approved them only to have it lay stagnate due to federal legislation making it a criminal offence. One state had DEA agents address both the pharmaceutical and medical boards advising them of prosecution under federal drug laws for writing or filling a marijuana prescription.

The legality of the laws went before the U.S. Supreme Court who In June 2005, in a 6-3 vote ruled that medical marijuana is an illegal, controlled substance inappropriate for therapeutic uses such as a glaucoma treatment. This has not silenced the pro groups within the states. This week, a federal appeals court in California will hear arguments in the latest rounds of legal wrangling over the issue.

I was a teenager during the turbulent decade of the 1960 era. As many others during that period of awakening, a day seldom passed without someone offering me a share in their mind-altering substance of the moment. Although freely available and accepted well within a society wanting to expand every portion of their mind, I have never used it. My decision of avoidance had nothing to do with my moral upbringing. My choice of a career predicated a verifiable clean background and I saw no reason to place it in jeopardy.

I have been sitting on the fencepost regarding the entire issue, each time I lean towards voting for it, something happens to change my mind. As an example, I watched our local news interview an illegal medical marijuana user who saw nothing wrong with lighting a joint on television.

They interviewed a person using marijuana for his medial problems. He gave the appearance of a burnt out left over hippy from the summer of love, 1967, stringy long hair, unkempt mustache and scraggly beard, seated in a chair, busy rolling a joint and explaining he smoked the marijuana for glaucoma and the associated pain. The interviewer advised him the medical association released a lengthy study showing marijuana did nothing for glaucoma. He stated it worked for him, lit his joint and fade to black.

That was the moment I made my decision not to support the issue unless stringent regulations are included insuring the truly sick and terminally ill are the only ones to benefit from its use. Not individuals like the left over hippy using glaucoma as an excuse to smoke his weed.