Marijuana Blog

The Multiple Sclerosis Resources (MSR) of Central New York hosted an educational forum on medical marijuana Wednesday night in East Syracuse. The forum was in support of a medical marijuana bill - AB 7347 – that was passed by the New York State Assembly this year, but that failed to gain any traction in the state Senate.

In a letter about the forum, Board President of MSR Bill Jackson writes that "it is a shame" that MS patients are forced to risk arrest to purchase drugs which help them to live and work comfortably.

"Many of our clients already are using marijuana to lessen pain, deal with spasticity and many other physical issues," wrote Jackson. "Keep in mind that MS is not the only disease that marijuana shows results in, but it can help cancer patients, those affected by AIDS, and certainly for persons at the end of life."

Dr. Sunil Kumar Aggarwal, a graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine, spoke at the forum Wednesday night and presented his research findings on just how effective marijuana can be in helping those with MS.

Why should any patients be denied the option of medical cannabis?

On Tuesday the U.S. attorney's office in southern California sued three property owners that house pot collectives and sent warning letters to 68 others, continuing a crackdown that began a year ago in the state.

"As today's operations make clear, the sale and distribution of marijuana violates federal law, and we intend to enforce the law," U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. said.

David Welch, an attorney representing some of the Los Angeles collectives targeted by federal authorities, said he plans to file a lawsuit.

"I expected this to happen and we have planned for this contingency," Welch said. "The future is a lot less certain considering what seems to be a full press by the federal government."

This crackdown in L.A. comes in the midst of a major battle between advocates and city officials on how many dispensaries will be allowed in the city, if any at all. Estimates on how many dispensaries are in the city alone ranges from 400 up to 1,000 or more.

"The shops had an opportunity to work with the city on a path to legitimacy, but once again they chose short-term profits over long-term safe access for legitimate patients," said Michael Larsen, president of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council, despite the fact that it has been city officials who have delayed regulation and instead opted for a total ban of dispensaries, crippling supply for tens of thousands of patients.

Officials can justify it any way they want, but the bottom line is that closing dispensaries hurts patients, especially very ill ones who can’t afford to grow their own and/or are not physically able.

When did compassion become something that so many people couldn’t be bothered with? When did so many people stop caring about their fellow human beings?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com