Duck and Cover

Duck and Cover 
I reported on this a couple days ago....sans Bert the Turtle.
Here is a letter I wrote in reponse to Walters claims that pharma drugs are "safer" than cannabis.


Everyone should be writing something is response to this as well as the "teen drugged driving" campaign they just launched.

EQUAL TIME
Medical marijuana not worth the risks

By JOHN P. WALTERS
Published on: 12/01/04

So-called "medical" marijuana is in fact a medical breakthrough straight from the 19th century.

Back then, Americans were exposed to a host of patent medicine "cure-alls." Most "cures" were alcohol, which explains why they made people "feel better." Marijuana was also available as an elixir for everything from migraines to gonorrhea.

Passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1907 exposed those claims, and today Americans enjoy the world's safest, most effective medical system, built on an unequaled process of scientific research and testing.

Marijuana advocates point to a thick study by the National Academy of Science as justifying the drug's medical use.

But the verdict of that 1999 report was that "marijuana is not a modern medicine." The authors described smoking marijuana as a "harmful drug delivery system."

Nor has the Food and Drug Administration approved smoking marijuana for any medical use.

It noted, "While there are no proven benefits to marijuana use, there are many short- and long-term risks associated with marijuana use."

By the standards of modern medicine, medical marijuana simply does not pass the test.

• John P. Walters is director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
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Dear Editor,

In response to Drug Czar John Walters claims that “Marijuana is not worth the risk” I’d like to point out the deaths caused by “modern medicines” just recently and challenge Mr. Walters assertion that;

“Americans enjoy the world's safest, most effective medical system, built on an unequaled process of scientific research and testing.”

Mr. Walters, by safe and effective do you mean the $825 million dollars paid to the FDA by the pharmaceutical companies in the form of “user fees” so they could push their drugs through while disregarding studies that showed them to be dangerous?

Let’s take Vioxx for example.
Despite studies which showed Vioxx to cause heart problems our “safe and effective medical system” chose to ignore those studies and place only a limited warning on the label.”
This same “system” even pressured the safety expert within the FDA’s Office of Drug Safety to “change” his conclusions on Vioxx according to testimony before the US Senate last week.

As a result as many as 139,000 people had strokes and heart attacks due to Vioxx and as many as 55,000 may have died.

So, let me get this straight.

For arthritic pain one can take Vioxx, which made it’s way through the “safest, most effective medical system”, they will not be “cured” because Vioxx is a “feel better drug” and they might to fall over dead from a heart attack or stroke.

Or one can smoke a joint for arthritic pain… and the possible side effects include a case of the munchies and a good night’s sleep.

Because if that is your definition of “world's safest, most effective medical system” then I’ll take my chances with a joint!

Respectfully Submitted,
Loretta Nall
US Marijuana Party President