USA - The Truth About Why Republican Candidates Oppose Medical Marijuana

[Heretic.Ape.]

The Truth About Why Republican Candidates Oppose Medical Marijuana

Posted in Chronicle Blog by Scott Morgan on Wed, 10/10/2007 - 4:35pm

McCain, Giuliani, and Romney have all attracted unwanted attention this week with their pledge to continue the federal government's unpopular war on medical marijuana patients and providers. The question is "why?" Everyone knows mainstream republican politicians are often a tough sell when it comes to drug policy reform, but given massive public support for medical marijuana, their callous position appears politically unwise and thus more difficult to explain.

First, it helps to clarify how narrow and simplistic their argument really is. The McCain/Giuliani/Romney consensus on medical marijuana is grounded in the claim that "other medications" are available and should be used instead. This one argument virtually encompasses the totality of their opposition to medical marijuana. It is their only talking point, which is why they move on quickly to the next topic after saying it.

Still, I don't believe this argument actually tells us very much about their true motivations. When Mitt Romney recommends "synthetic marijuana" to a wheelchair-bound patient, it becomes clear that he understands the medical efficacy of the drug. Indeed, these "other medications" are often derived from synthetic cannabinoids, so the debate is clearly not over whether marijuana has medical properties. We've moved beyond that, thankfully.

At this point, it becomes a question of how patients should be acquiring and administering their medicine. Giuliani and Romney both faltered when the patients they encountered explained that they were allergic to pharmaceutical alternatives to marijuana. If they take these patients at their word, they must then confront the insufficiency of these drugs and recognize the unique predicament in which certain patients find themselves. Perhaps this new information will sink in, but that is all beside the point.

Ultimately, McCain, Giuliani, and Romney have access to all the same facts about medical marijuana as everyone else. Their problem is not a misunderstanding of the issue. They've met and spoken with the patients. They know doctors are recommending it. Their real concerns have nothing whatsoever to do with the medical efficacy of marijuana. They are worried about something else entirely:

"But having legalized marijuana is in my view an effort by a very committed few to try to get marijuana out in the public and to ultimately legalize marijuana. It's the wrong way to go." – Mitt Romney "I believe the effort to try and make marijuana available for medical uses is really a way to legalize it. There's no reason for it." – Rudy Giuliani
This tells us everything there is to know about opposition to medical marijuana from republican presidential candidates, and for that matter, the Drug Czar himself. The whole anti-medical marijuana machine is merely a conspiracy to prevent the outright legalization of marijuana. Its adherents are fearful that telling the truth about the drug's medical value will pave the way for a shift in public attitudes about marijuana in general. They dread the "marijuana lobby" and will concede nothing to it, even if doing so forces them to take unpopular and transparently flawed positions on medical use.

Cynically, they focus on the role of marijuana legalization advocates in promoting medical access, while ignoring the much larger constituency of medical marijuana supporters who don’t advocate recreational legalization. That is why support for medical marijuana from mainstream organizations such as the American Nurses Association and the American Public Health Association is ignored, while the pro-legalization Marijuana Policy Project's position is cited routinely.

Of course, when the truth about medical marijuana becomes a political hostage in the broader legalization debate, it is legitimate patients rather than marijuana activists who suffer the consequences. Fortunately, the rise of internet video has given voters a front row seat in this enduring and increasingly ugly debate. The next victims in the war on medical marijuana may be those candidates who would sacrifice the seriously ill to drug war politics.

[Felonious Skunk]

There's no question that the singular reason for the opposition to medical marijuana is that the entities who profit from the "drug war"--the pharmaceutical, prison, law enforcement, and insurance industries--know that legalization of marijuana will bring the whole house of cards tumbling down.

They are terrified of this happening and it's almost funny to see the position they are now in: raiding grow-ops and chaining cripples to fire hydrants--harming sick people for a "war" allegedly being fought to protect people from harm.

lol...they are in a bind here and eventually these political jokers will have to speak out against tipping over people in wheelchairs. The marijuana policy reform lobbyists have made some very clever moves with regard to manipulating public sentiment in favor of medical marijuana.

It's nice to see the prohibitionists' tactics finally being used against them.

[FuBai]

I would say that one of the greatest reasons for maintaining the illegality of medical marijuana is that it is a massively cheap drug to produce, it cannot be patented and it will over take many existing medications because it is so efficacious - in short it would be detrimental to the pharmaceutical lobby who have far more money to throw into supporting election campaigns. In a world where a seat in the senate costs an average of 5 million dollars whether or not you get elected you can hardly blame the politicians for being inclined to a little bit of bias just to get the funding to find power. This is why all parties and election campaigns should be state funded.

[Felonious Skunk]

^^^^ Exactly. And all candidates should be required to debate.

And all citizens required to vote without risk of being called up for jury duty.

[Coconut]

The synthetic cannabinoids and opiates which are hailed as "alternatives to medical marijuana" are synthesised and mass-produced in laboratories and factories owned by multi-national pharmaceutical corporations. Why would the lying cowards that are politicians want to jeapoardise this monopoly by legalising an easily-grown medicinal plant, especially when said lying cowards are partners with pharmaceutical companies? Giuliani, for example, and Purdue Pharma: http://www.giulianipartners.com/pres...ue_052802.aspx

Purdue Pharma produces opium-derived medications. Legalising cannabis would put products such as these at risk.

Mitt Romney received US$1.4 million from the health sector for his campaign. Hillary Clinton received US$1.7 million. They are both opposed to the decriminalisation of medical marijuana.

http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/dr...tes/2007-08-27

If you want to understand the motives and goals of politicians, there are two places you have to look:
1) History
2) Their bank statements

Reputation Comments on this post:

thanks for pointing out tangible alliances like these, great point