An activist in South Dakota forwarded this email on to NORML. He was trying to find out how the members of his legislature felt about medical marijuana:
Today I called So. Dak. Sen. [sic] Gordon Howie in Rapid City SD. I asked if he’d support a medical cannabis bill. He said, “I’d need to see double-blind studies so the proof would be there conclusively.”
“Proof of …?” I said.
“Proof that it would be good for someone.”
“Good for someone not to suffer pain?” I said.
“There are other medicines for pain,” he said.
“They work for some people. Some people only get relief from cannabis.”
He said, “Look, if I had a medical condition that could only be helped by marijuana, I’d make a connection and get some marijuana. If it led to a problem, I’d just deal with it.”
“You mean, if you got arrested?” I said.
‘That’s right. I’d deal with it. They can too,” He said.
Well, there’s nothing quite like having your state elected officials endorsing criminal activity, huh? If you’re arrested for taking care of your health, and you lose your liberty, your property, your student loans, your job, your licenses, your children, and your housing, just “deal with it”.
Representative Howie, it would be wrong of me to wish that you would suddenly suffer a debilitating disease or injury for which marijuana is an effective treatment so you would be forced to just “deal with it”, so I won’t wish that.
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Rep. Howie, I would be glad to give you airtime to discuss medical marijuana issues in South Dakota. I can call you at any time convenient to you and we can record the conversation.
I am always eager to engage people in constructive dialog.
To bad this conversation wasn’t recorded. Then perhaps it would have been reported accurately, and not been embelished. The cause would be much better served by means other than villifying those with whom you may find agreement with on some issues.
Of course he would just deal with it. Our politicians are above the law. So, him dealing with it would consist of a phone call to a prosecutors office and the charges would be dropped. Problem solved.
I heard on the radio last night that the FDA doesn’t test whether a drug is better than existing ones on the market, it just tests whether it meets the manufacturer’s claims and it’s within specified levels of safety.
So why does EVERY prohibitionist say “there’s better drugs out there”??? That isn’t what the FDA tests!
If the FDA doesn’t test other drugs to see if they’re better than everything else then why should marijuana be forced to meet this standard?
Marijuana is a GREAT drug at some things, and as safe as hell! That’d be enough to allow other drugs to pass the FDA’s testing, so why isn’t enough to allow marijuana to pass???
Send marijuana back to the FDA and get them to test it right this time!
Vote him out of office and let him “deal with it”.
It is kinda curious how easy it is for a state rep to recommend breaking the law! What kinda message does this send to the children?
I am dealing with it. I pay outrageous prices for my weed, I live in fear of arrest or eviction, forfeiture of property and loss of benefits for using the safest, most theraputically active substance known to man since 5,000 years before Christ to control chronic nausea and vomiting from gastroparesis (paralyzed stomach.) But I am forced to smoke schwag i.e. mexican cheap black market pot with pesticides and mold just like people drank bad liquor during alcohol prohibition and died or went blind. I just get that mexican brown headache but that is way preferable to being chronically nauseated. My Dr gave me a prescription for Regalen/Metoclopramide for chronic nausea control then told me, ‘Do not take Regalen on a regular basis for it causes Irreversible Parkinson like shakes and tremors, and this is legal?!?!? Explain this to me if anyone can. Marinol, forget about it. I have been on it for years, it is worthless and more expensive than black market medical marijuana. I sure am glad the government is willing to pay over $800 a month to keep me in Marinol (yeah right.) They would save a ton of $$$, and I would be much healthier, if they just let me get marijuana legally where they control it and profit from it.
This is absolute ludicrous Radical Russ!! Did you by any chance record this phone call? Even if not, you should defiantly report this to the mainstream media in some way. It really only solidifies why patients need MMJ laws in place, as they are being urged to deal illegally to receive medicine. Horrible, and disgusting to say the least!