Okay after yesterday's bit of a puff piece on medicinal marijuana, a few of you decide to take a stab at lighting up the issue. The local daily even rolled out the issue today. Seems like while most favored the concept, we are a bit divided about whether the facilities to make the vote work are the types of joints people want.
If voters didn't fully under stand the high points on the adverse side effects of such a law, well it doesn't negate the fact that it is now a law. The voters truly lit up the ballot on this one. The information against the ballot question and the open issues left unresolved was out there.
Indeed many of the concerns being expressed against the process of implementation were in fact reasons given against supporting the ballot question.
To its credit, the state has itself rolled about 52 pages of regulations to cover this new law and the infant industry created by it. If you weed through the verbiage, you can find the answers to most, if not all the questions people seem to be raising. There is enough info in there to fill a bag to provide everyone with what they need to chime in their nickle's worth of opinion.
Some info on a point or two that will not be covered. Why not dispense the medicine from a pharmacy? My first guess is the pharmacies don't want to touch the stuff with a ten foot poll. While medicinal marijuana is legal in Massachusetts, it is not a legal drug on the federal level. I am pretty sure no established outfit is going to risk seeing their operation go up in smoke for the new drug.
Additionally, the concerns John Q. and Mary J. Public are now expressing wouldn't dissipate by putting the drug into the pharmacy. I imagine the same safeguards against dispensing would be demanded from the pharmacies. That would make an interesting trip to the drugstore for sure.
Many people thought it was high time for such a law. I absolutely agree that a drug with medicinal value should be available to those who need it. The level of evidence for the benefits to certain patients is substantial. The fact it has potential side effects to society at large is a red herring argument. That is exactly why most legal drugs require a prescription. As for potential side effects, well listen to an legal drug ad on t.v. or the radio. The required side effects listing should be enough to scare off any rationale person for most of them.
Another point, having isn't going to get you off from driving high. Also, it doesn't give you the right to emulate Oliver Wendell Douglas and rename your house "Green Acres".
Will the law nonetheless be abused, absolutely. It is going to be a somewhat painful process in implementation and application. Experiences elsewhere shows it is likely that pot will leap to the top of the list as the prescription drug of choice falling into the hands of minors, and the general public.
Whether you like it or not, I tend to agree with the comment that it is only a matter of time before it is available over the counter. Phase II in ten years or less, more likely five or less, will be the ballot question for that.
Heck we all ready have the rules in regs. in place in that instance. Just copy the package store stuff, scratch out alcohol references and insert marijuana.
Enough on that for now ...
The forum at West Island was interesting. Town Government Study Committee made its presentation, a decent crowd was there, more people than I expected.
whether Town government is broken or not obviously depends on your perspective. From my point of view, we have a very old vehicle in need of a major tune-up. If there isn't some serious work done, that vehicle will brake down. We have gotten some high mileage out of what we have, but it is not going to continue that way indefinitely.
People need to read thoroughly the information available. They need to try and understand the present structure. They need to try and understand not only the strong points, but the weak points of that structure.
The Town Manager concept is coming. Be it a result of the recommendations of this committee, or through the fallout that occurs within two to three years the natural process of employee attrition takes place.
If you don't see the foundation crumbling slowly, by bits and pieces I am sorry, you aren't paying attention.
More on that another time, because I don't have enough time to do more right now.
Be safe.
Thanks for providing the link to the regulations. Now I understand where our tax money goes- into creating 52 page documents explaining the details about distribution of A SINGLE "drug."
ReplyDeleteI'm going to read all 52 pages later with high expectation of understanding half of it. And try to convince myself that this will ONLY be available for the most critical cases, and not for the masses with a paper cut.
Oh, aren't we creative this morning? Puff piece, lit/lighting up, rolled out, joints, high points, weed through, enough to fill a bag, nickel's worth, go up in smoke, trip to a drugstore, high time, high mileage...did I miss any?
ReplyDeleteInstead of wasting all of your time trying to be comical in your word choices, you might consider that some people really need this for legitimate medical reason. Making fun of this situation is not going to help anyone. You might be surprised to find out that someone you know is actually in pain and in desperate need to have help. For some people and some illnesses this is the only remedy that works. I don't believe the moratorium is a good idea, it just puts off the inevitable and causes more problems for people who need legal access to this medicine.
ReplyDeleteThere is no one complaining about the state of the art new medical facilities that have opened up in the last two years in Fairhaven. They provide very highly addictive drugs to many people that have far greater side effects than marijuana ever will. I don't hear complaints or moratoriums for them or anyone saying that they will be bad for the town or the neighborhoods.
For what it is worth, very little time was wasted in doing the segment for today.
DeleteBesides, I never find it a waste of time when I write something that gets a reaction on matters. Perhaps create a spark that may help hash things out; maybe strike a match to light up the brain; even get some to leaf through papers for the information; or sift through the tea leaves and help weed out the arguments. Nothing wrong with anything that gets us on a higher plain.
All I can tell you is if you don't appreciate the humor, don't read the blog. Sorry if you don't find me a good doobie.
No one is making fun of the situation. The 34% who voted against it aren't laughing. It's true, some may honestly benefit from marijuana therapy, but we'd be naïve to think this process is strictly to aid those who really need it. Wait until this drug is not only more widely distributed, but subsidized by all of us. Do you know who will be laughing then?
ReplyDeleteit really is a joke,because when the government puts there hands on anything it is always comical.The people who need this weed an use it for medical purposes obtained it with a few problems ,but they did get it.Albeit the state didnt get there fair share ,they coudnt collect on the tobacco tax,now they have an avenue to collect what is due..MAYBE??
ReplyDelete