Legalizing pot for SC medical use could bring ‘unintended consequences’
A state Senate panel spent much of Wednesday listening to the testimony of medical experts, who expressed support and concerns for a proposal to legalize medical marijuana in South Carolina.
It was the second of several hearings expected to take place in the coming months that are exploring a way for the Palmetto State to legalize the use of pot in a medical setting. Supporters say the plant’s chemicals could help those who suffer from chronic pain and other quality-of-life-damaging illnesses, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
More than a dozen speakers addressed the Senate panel during a marathon hearing that ran for nearly five hours. The majority advocated legalization of the plant for medicinal use, with many arguing it could help those being treated for chronic pain be weaned off opioids and other dangerous narcotics.
Among those who spoke was Uma Dhanabalan, a Massachusetts-based physician who has become a cannabis therapeutic specialist in recent years. She said she has not written a prescription for an opioid in more than eight years. Instead, she said she gets patients off narcotics.
“Cannabis is not an entrance drug – it’s an exit drug from pharmaceuticals and narcotics,” Dhanabalan said. “Further studies do need to be done, but I do believe it should be a first-line option.”
Source
Fecalityy: I have a real problem with Dare Programs because it teaches kids weed and heroin are basically the same.. they label both as bad dangerous drugs.. so when the kids finds out pot isn’t bad it could cause them to try to experiment with more drugs since they found out that authority lied to them. Be honest with your kids and let’s break the cycle of lies with the next generation.
Edit: first time I got gold.. I’d like to thank the little people for this fine accomplishment. But seriously thanks!
I’m a recovered heroin and opiate addict.. Dare just made me even more curious.. dare by theory is a good idea.. but the execution of it totally sucks. Anything spewing more govt. propaganda is bullshit.
fr3sh2332: can confirm- lived in a legal state for 3 years, everytime I went into a shop it was people ALOT older than me looking for alternative medicine to get off the pills.
Balthanos: Alcohol and tobacco are the real gateway drugs. Mostly alcohol though. If you get drunk enough you’ll take just about anything.
Wookiecookie0: I in no way disagree with the content but this site is a fraud. This week old site that is to lazy to change the default contact email in the WordPress template. As far as I can tell this copy pasted shit is actually from a March 9th article by the TheState.com. I do appreciate that the automod puts in the archive link. I’m excited when I see conspiracy on the first couple pages of all but not for this spam site giving karma to this spam account. I got suspicious after seeing “thegolder”, which I’ve never heard of, high up on all from here and the Canada subreddit. God damn, apparently this is what it takes to get me to comment after lurking for years.
Wacko90901: Im sure this will get buried, but I wanted to voice m2c on this. I have 3 herniated discs and a plethora of destroyed facet joints in my lumbar, and narcotics are the only thing that work. Ive tried plenty of different kinds of weed, in varying doses, in various forms, and it was almost always more debilitating for me than morphine. Ive taken it as prescribed, as well as everything else for 4 years, and never had issues coming off/switching/ramping up. There are plenty of us on this side of spectrum where its really our only option.
I would LOVE to see weed legalized because i know it helps plenty of people, with plenty of ailments…but dont forget about the rest of doing well with out current treatment plans, doing what were told day in and day out, and living a better life because of it.
SomethingInThatVein: The South Park episode on the “dangers” of weed is amazing and honest in a way the educational system is misleading. In the end, Randy tells Stan that weed won’t kill you or make you crazy, but it will demotivate you, and makes it much more difficult to learn a skill or building something. I love weed and have smoked it for almost 10 years, and I can absolutely agree with that criticism. If I could, I’d smoke every day, but I accomplish much more in general when I’m not high.
mrcpu: I’d say this is probably true. I have a prescription for a narcotic pain killer. I use it as sparingly as possible, often just suffering because I don’t want to get addicted to it and it also causes severe constipation (sorry for TMI!)
My doctor recommended I go to a clinic and get medical marijuana BUT then she refused to actually sign the paperwork!
Based on my research I would expect that a high CBD low THC variant of marijuana, taken in the evening before bed would probably be exactly what I’d need to provide relief and let me sleep without the side effects and addiction that my narcotics have.
OH… but wait… my narcotics are FREE! (thanks drug plan!) and if I bought medical marijuana I’d be stuck paying out of pocket!
FrostyMarijuanaBud: My story is anecdotal, but for me marijuana has definitely acted as a gateway into psychedelic drugs. I’m sure that there are at least a few others out there with a similar story.
But I would also add that the hardest drug I have ever tried would be either alcohol and MDMA, and MDMA I’ve only had once. That was four years ago and I’ve no intention of taking it again (and there’s been plenty of opportunities).
I’ve been smoking weed for six years and tripping for five and am perfectly content sticking with these far saf*er* (read: not absolutely safe) substances. Hopefully I may live to see a day where I might have access to these drugs without fear of unjust legal repercussions.
BwonkSauce: And from alcohol. So many people I know use it in place of alcohol and we’re all better off for it.
jsmoo68: THATS WHY THEY DON’T WANT US TO HAVE IT!!!!
TheRadChad: Got my dads Chemo dose to half and hopefully off soon. Lung cancer 99.999% gone and lymphnode cancer shrunk a bunch. Chemo was supposed to halt it form spreading and contain it, not reduce it by the amount it has.
Either the chemo acted differently, or the cannabis oil actually helped. The Lung cancer looked like a shot gun splatter all over the lungs, which is why it can’t get cut out. He’s supposed to take 8000$ for of chemo pills a month for the rest of his life. That dose is already cut in half (took from November-August of oil use).
I always post in these threads and the news keeps getting better.
Kirix: I see a lot of the same talking points in regards to drugs and the hypocrisy of the politicians in bed with the pharmaceutical companies and this and that.
I live in a legal state and we’ve had an increase in population and the housing market hasn’t caught up with it, increasing rent making it unaffordable for many. As a result, lots of homeless people; most of which came here to smoke weed to try to mitigate any number of physiological or psychological issue they were having or who otherwise were not self-actualized as human beings and wanted to legally smoke to make them whole.
The opioid epidemic hasn’t subsided where I live and has seemed to make worse the problem in recent years (I know everywhere is hit hard). The health care center I work at never has enough beds available for inpatient drug rehab and it is like that for other centres in the area so people end up stuck in the hospital for a long time waiting for a bed unless they want to go out of state
Not saying I’m right and everyone is wrong but there’s a bigger picture to look at in regards to socioeconomics and how people think about and take drugs than what the law says about them.
deadmanpj: Weed was a gateway for me tbh; I think it all depends on the individual, not everyone is the same.
ImSorry_ImAtheist: For the first time since I was ten I feel confident enough that I can ask my doctor to wean me off of the antidepressents that make me numb, dizzy, and nauseous. I dont even know if they help my depression, because I feel like shit anyways.
Meanwhile, smoking has lifted the suicidal thoughts from me. I can enjoy doing things again. A hard day doesn’t trigger me to want to die.
But the government would rather I be suicidal and sick than happy.
Goothings: Cannabis has made me stop alchohol and meth.
spock23: I live in the Carolinas. Pot will not be legal here unless it is legalized nationwide. Just too much ignorance here to overcome, sad to say.
Hardboiledcop: Look, I agree that everyone should be able to do whatever we want. But just like abortion, let’s not mistake a right you should have for something that’s good for you. I’m a HEAVY smoker, and if I could have never started smoking bud then I would, 100%
Forever-waved: Man made booze, nature made weed, who do you trust?
Evergreen_76: People turn to drugs to self medicate because of lack of economic opportunity, social isolation,and untreated mental problems.
We’ve known this for generations. But neolibrals and neocons want to deflect blame from failing social policies onto individuals moral failings. This political tactic was baked into Nixon’s war on drugs.
servohahn: Cannabis is a drug drug. The only reason it sandwiches other drug use is because it’s easily available and cheap. The conversation about weed is never honest; some people hail it for being a cure all while others curse it as a gateway drug. In actuality it’s just a drug that people use to get high because people like to get high. Some people self-medicate with it like they do with other drugs and alcohol and the side-effects are *relatively* tolerable including a *relatively* mild withdrawal from heavy use. It’s basically just a drug that’s not as bad as other drugs.
The only thing that really bothers me is when people advocate for others to get off their psychotropic medication and smoke weed instead. There are a tiny minority of people for whom that *might* be a good idea. For the rest of you, please stay on your meds and engage in regular communication with your doctor. If your doctor isn’t good at communicating, get another doctor.
RandyDanderson: I don’t think we should dope ourselves at all. Obviously the system is pushing hard narcotics that are killing tens of thousands of people per year but that doesn’t mean the fight back method is to smoke cannabis.
foursquare07: I was so so so sick yesterday. Nothing would stay down.
I smoked one bowl and sipped hot tea the rest of the day with no issue.
One bowl of marijuana and my nausea was gone. Good luck, Big Pharma.
sandvich: Only reason I survived Lyme disease. Doctors are garbage.
tfoge: So I have always heard if someone tries cocaine for the first time, it is such a good feeling that people almost know it can be so addicting , they won’t do it again. If you try heroin, you can become instantly addicted. If you take a hit of weed, is it the same ? Absolutely not. Is it even close to as bad as heroin or cocaine for you? Absolutely not. Do you know anybody or have heard of anybody stealing from others to feed their marijuana addiction ? Absolutely not. Smoking marijuana and being a total loser is ON the person, not the marijuana. We all control our own destiny. Can we be in control if we simply smoke marijuana and don’t do other drugs like I have listed above ? ABSOLUTELY. lets take a look at states where it IS legal and go with the ACTUAL facts and statistics. PEACEEEEE OUTTTT
saddays12345: Caffeine and sugar are the introductory drugs…
glassjawgronk: Sorry but this is such bullshit. Every single kid I know who fucked themselves up on heroin or whatever started out with Weed.
hungryhippy_: Oh the irony!!!
san_serifs: Glad to see that “Gateway” is now the exit.
user1688: Yes it’s not a miracle drug, but it does have medicinal benefits, and marijuana prohibition is a violation of natural rights…
Easy choice when you aren’t a statist cunt.
I_want_fun: Ok, lets have it drug users of reddit, is this title correct?
pokemonandpot: Alcohol is the entrance drug. Not cannabis.
wolfgang_van_stetson: I thought cannabis simply paired nicely with everything.
MetroidPrimate: It’s a gateway to the fridge.
Boochy8: And Alcohol.
cruzzyboozy: Yeah, if i didnt smoke weed everyday id probably be trying to get high in the stupidest ways. Ty weed.
kdttocs: Mom had the tip of her nose cut out for cancer. She took half a pain killer the first night, the her home grown the rest of the time. No bad narcotic side effects or addictions.
Jayalldays: I can honestly say that I’ve been on both ends of this, when I was a youngster pot was indeed a gateway drug for me. In typical fashion my weed “hook up “ was a sketchy lady that sold $5 joints to high school kids(I know that kids are using drugs much earlier nowadays but this was 1995). I smoked weed for the first time in 9th grade. This opened the door to use other drugs simply because my connect would get pills in trade for aforementioned joints. This is how I came to use amphetamines for the first time, which eventually lead to cocaine and in grand fashion the dreaded OxyContin.
These days weed is of a much higher quality of drug and This helped me to get away from using pharmaceuticals simply because thc concentrates , dabs whatever you wanna call it provides a narcotic effect for me similar to what I got from opiates. These days I just do a dab instead of a fuckin pill. Anyways thanks for listening I’m aware it’s long winded but I’m stoned!?
Xenopract: Me and every other teen I knew that smoked pot went on to do other drugs.
420_bloze_it_feggit: legalize ranch
ReverendScam: Weed was an gateway drug for me, but only because I had to buy it illegally from street dealers. The same street dealers who readily had cocaine, acid, mdma and anything else I wanted readily available. If fewer people had to seek out street dealers for weed there would be far fewer people who experiment with the harder drugs just as a baseline reduction.
rslashboord: Also an exit from alcohol under some circumstances.
Lord412: So are you saying we need drugs? What happened to just not using any. Its not cool to be constantly high off of anything weed or opioids.
Gatseul: It can be both an entrance drug, an exit drug, and just for casual recreational use.
Constanteen: I can attest that this is true 🙂
Kenethica: Just listen to Randy’s advice from south park regarding weed in case of recreational use. It was the most goddamn best advice ever. https://m.imgur.com/gallery/aKm31Yt
Sloppy_Seconds420: No shit. That’s why it’s illegal.
mosstradamus: I live in Florida. Weed was just legalized for medical purposes here, no?
My mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 Adenocarcinoma (lung cancer that metastasized to other organs).
Right now she has 3 prescriptions for high dose Dilaudid (oral morphine), a 24 microgram FENTANYL patch, and oxycodone with acetaminophen. The doctors didn’t blink an eye before prescribing it. Sadly, she needs it all. Her pain levels are bordering on extreme.
She has a 2% chance of surviving the next 4 years.
We just met with the fourth medical marijuana certified physician, because of a clause in Amendment two requiring multiple physicians who specialize in both medicinal cannabis and terminal illnesses to sign off on an oral-dose of cannabis.
It’s been 120 days. And we just got put on a 90 day waitlist for a local dispensary. She’s already dependent on opioids at this point. I’m getting ready to bring this to my congressman’s doorstep in order to fix this constitutional fucking shitshow.
To add, they require the patient to take a “test dose” and be monitored for 24 hours. This entire process has cost us $800 so far. The test costs $400.
None of it is covered by any insurance.
kidnoob3: a drug is a drug. no need to downplay it
Breezy673: I can 100% agree with this. Being able to have Cannabis has given me my life back. I got off Adderall, Lexapro, and Wellbutrin recently and have never felt better in my life. The amount of panic attacks I used to deal with using Lorazepram has decreased significantly and if I feel one coming on one hit of oil helps me let go and relax instantly. Even the medication never did that for me.
I’m off meds for good and keeping it that way ?
Cosmic808Carp: This is not a conspiracy, it is a business model. Alcohol sales are also a large factor. The monetary benefits of keeping cannabis illegal are far too large. In a government where profit is paramount over the people, cannabis will remain illegal.
PhilDGlass: Weed is also a way out from under the grip of alcohol. Alcohol is truly a horribly addictive gateway drug.
clickity-click: The real problem with using cannabis is that it opens your eyes to just how much wickedness is around as well as the good. If you are unable to stand the truth, it has the potential to depress you. On the other hand, of you are secure with yourself, it helps you see the beauty that is everywhere if you just look for it.
Chong vs. Bill O’Reilly on Medical Marijuana
Whaddaya Say?