@jakedduck1

You may have figured out by now that I am in support of legalizing Marijuana and it's derivatives. While much work remains to be done in terms of clearly defining what can and cannot be in the product, for the most part, producers are self regulating in California and Washington State. People don't want to get a bad reputation for selling "bad weed." Even at that, many of us take food supplements--vitamins--that are not regulated either. I don't see much difference between currently unregulated marijuana and unregulated vitamins.

I think marijuana has the potential to provide relief for a number of physical problems and possibly some mental illness issues as well. Time will tell. Fear of marijuana by the government has been forced into our psyches for many years. Some say it's because pharmaceutical companies didn't want people growing their own so they couldn't make money on it. I don't know who started the idea that marijuana should be a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it is considered the most dangerous drug along with opium and heroin, but it is nothing like opium, heroin, cocaine, etc. It is much more benign than the other Schedule 1 drugs.

Time for the government to correct the perception and illegal status of marijuana at the Federal level, in my opinion. That will free patients to be prescribed medical marijuana to help with pain while being able to continue other medications prescribed. Currently, one must choose all marijuana meds, or only prescribed meds because doctors must now test for use of Marijuana and derivatives and if they show up in the urine test, the patient loses their other prescriptions for pain. Doctors can lose their licenses if they knowingly prescribe for patients who are using marijuana too. Most are "kicked out" of Pain Clinics at that point.

Gail
Volunteer Mentor

@Gail I do agree with you about the pharmaceutical companies they could make money on it if they controlled it.It's all politics then the lobbyist wouldn't be there for?