Looks like the Justice Dept has decided not to prosecute people for possession, use, or sale of marijuana for medicinal purposes. About time.

The war on drugs is a waste of money and manpower.

The number of people doing time for possession of that stuff is a national embarrassment, and a real drag on the system both in terms of wasted court time, and prison space.

So far, 13 states have laws on the books concerning medical marijuana. This sort of message from the White House and Justice Dept will almost certainly encourage other states to follow suit.

Now of course, we need to elaborate on what is meant by "medicinal marijuana." We need a more clear definition. I'm interested to know if "It calms me down at the end of a stressful day" qualifies as medicinal use. Very curious about that.

This is why Obie deserves his Nobel.

In new guidelines circulated Monday, the Justice Department told prosecutors and federal drug agents that they have more important things to do than to arrest people as long as they are obeying the laws of states that allow some use or sale of medical marijuana.

Gee whiz!

Ya THINK?

answer the door.

(let's hope). In the meantime, grab a beer, and report back on why you hate America.

Let's not go too fast, however.

A couple observations: one of the as-yet unresolved issues related to marijuana use relates to the pesky fat-soluble nature of THC, and all the things we don't really know about what it does over time. With alcohol, intoxication while driving is rather easy to determine/prove. But what about pot? Is Spiccoli safe to drive without six months (give or take) of abstinence?

The other (related): the side effect profile for pot is pretty grim, particularly at high usage levels. How long do you think it'll take people on the pro-legalization side to begin acknowledging this? Isn't that rather like asking active alcoholics to acknowledge the problematic consequences of their drinking?

Last, does a medical marijuana certificate work like a prescription? Does it afford legal protection in employment situations, ala the American with Disabilities Act? Or can employers still do their own regulatory thing, insisting their cab drivers, pilots, heavy equipment operators and train operators abstain from Cannabis, prescription or not?

certainly ought to qualify. Not that I'd know anything about that, as it's against the law, you know...I'm just sayin'.

I agree that marijuana should be decriminalized or legalized for all uses--it's not any worse than alcohol, maybe better.

Setting aside the legal issue, are people that use mood altering substances weak or is use of substances to alter the mood or mental processes totally neutral from a moral standpoint?

The most commonly used psychoactive substance is caffeine, and the evidence there is more favorable than not.

Lower suicide risk. [People with chronic anxiety probably self-select out, but still goes to your point.]

25 reasons you should drink more coffee.

There's reason to believe that people who exercise active control over their mood are better off, but moderation is, of course, a critical issue. [Alcohol use being one obvious example, cost/benefit-wise.]

I can say from experience that Drinky Smutty is much more dangerous behind the wheel than Smokey Smutty. But I'm not talking about legalization TK. The DoJ has been directed to step back on aggressive pursuit of users, growers, and sellers in the states that have medicinal marijuana laws on the books. Baby steps Dr. Marvin. Baby steps onto the elevator, baby steps of off the elevator.

I am certainly interested in hearing much more definitive language about what is medicinal use.

As for your last graph, I can imagine it being treated very much like alcohol viz drivers, pilots etc. If you want to drive an 18 wheeler for my company, these are our rules....random whiz quiz, automatic whiz quiz if you're involved in a wreck, and if it's shown that you had x level of blood in your THC stream then you're terminated, prescription or not.

More and more states are allowing sale/use of medical marijuana. I wonder if more and more are also allowing use of drugs in religion, the kind that were at the center of Employment Division v. Smith.

I've been watching Marijuana Inc on THC Keifus. (Actually it premiered on CNBC but I like THC better)

Most of the people I've seen so far are cancer victims/chemo patients. Last night was a single father, I believe he said he's a veteran of the first Gulf War, who has breast cancer.

6 months, maybe a year to live and to care for his autistic son. Watching this guy drag his tired bones into a free pot clinic was painful to watch. Talking about worrying for his son after he's gone, and how he wants to lay off the heavy pain meds because he wants to have a clear head for the last months of his life. Tellin' ya dude, it was heartbreaking. And there's no way this guy's a criminal by my definition.

You think if I'm the RA we're going to have trouble in the dorms, is that what you meant over there Lono?

Well let me tell you a thing or two Mister....

Forgot what I was going to say.

in my considered medical opinion. In combatting pain, nausea, and other deleterious effects of chronic diseases and conditions, it is highly effective, and superior to pharmaceuticals for all sorts of good reasons. Big Pharma relentlessly and piously lobbies against this inexpensive plant ("Against The Law"!) in favor of its shiny, overpriced, psychoactive synthetics with horrible side-effects (those known, anyway) which cause more damage to lives than marijuana ever did. How many Ritalin kids move on to street amphetamines and methamphetamines as a result of those scorched-earth ADD diagnoses? Gosh, that boy is Fidgeting In Class and Indifferent to Teaching! Remember when half the kids in the late seventies early eighties suddenly had Scoliosis, when that branch of the medical profession needed a fear-based cash infusion? Those who view medical marijuana as a front for illegal sales (mostly law enforcement types) are mistaking symtoms for causes, or letting the tail wag the dog. You might as well say Prohibition was conceived to enable the bootlegging industry.

The guy on Marijuana Inc last night said almost that exact thing about the meds he'd been given. The meds actually made him nauseous, not to mention making him feel like a walking zombie.

There was some discussion with one grower from Northern Ca (who knew?) who was doing sort of a call-out top post to his fellow growers. His point is that some of the people who are against "legalization," even for medicinal purposes, are his fellow growers. Their fear, obviously, is that if we begin moving towards decriminalizing pot they're going to be in the same situation as the bootleggers were following the repeal of Volstead. The man being interviewed was totally pragmatic. Angry at his fellow growers for being so selfish.