11/11/2007 00:00:00
Medical Marijuana Misinformation: Required Reprise
---
Phillip Leveque has spent his life as a Combat Infantryman, Physician,
Toxicologist and Pharmacologist.
I must belatedly congratulate previous witch-hunter Harry Anslinger and
the Hearst Newspapers for thoroughly demonizing cannabis/marijuana which
has been used safely as medicine for at least 5,000 years.
They coined the term "Reefer Madness" and apparently the side effects of
an overdose of this medicine has stuck in the brains of many people
including DEA brainwashed robots and many physicians (marijuana is bad
because patients can grow their own but we doctors would prefer they
visit our office and use really dangerous drugs like Oxycontin, a real
"killer")
Any drug/medicine can be dangerous. Oxycontin has killed thousands and
even VIOXX, an aspirin type drug, has killed thousands and now Merck
Pharmaceuticals is about to pay out $5 billion to several thousands of
victims and their survivors.
The worst adverse side effect of medical cannabis is a temporary "high"
or euphoria, the "munchies" or long sleeping bouts. No deaths have ever
been reported. Even aspirin causes thousands of deaths by medical use.
Medical cannabis is about as addicting as a Starbucks latte or maybe
chocolate.
For disbelievers, find me ONE reference of a death from cannabis.
One disbelieving responder has accused me of "handing out medical
marijuana cards willy nilly since the program began." I must declare
that in Oregon, 2,700 doctors have "handed out" cards to about 17
thousand medical patients. Those 2,700 doctors would be mortified at
this accusation.
I was not encouraging (patients) to use cannabis. About 95 percent have
been using cannabis as medicine for up to sixty years. They just wanted
to do it legally.
Other doctors have found that cannabis is effective for psychiatric
disorders, especially war veterans with PTSD. This person also up
braided me for signing for patients with histories of drug addiction.
(they were using it as medicine.) She quoted Kathleen Haley, the
Executive Director of the Medical Board, saying that I, "recommended
cannabis for conditions that could not benefit from the drug." If the
patient said it works, it must work. Miss Haley is not a medical doctor,
but a doctor of jurisprudence, a lawyer, she should not be practicing
medicine.
All of my patients had previous diagnosis of an acceptable medical
condition, I did not make the required diagnosis. Most diagnoses
required highly trained specialists.
I am a general practice doctor but I am a toxicologist with fifty years
of experience, cannabis is NOT a poison.
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/november112007/leveque_med_111107.php
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=13010
Author:
Salem News via UKCIA
|