Drug Czar's Excuse Falls Short

[J.R.R. Tokin]

Drug czar Gil Kerlikowske offered a correction on Friday to the erroneous comments he made regarding marijuana’s medical value. His new statement, however, is nearly as problematic as the old.


Last month, the drug czar told reporters that marijuana “has no medical value.” During a follow-up interview with KOMO-TV in California on Friday, he corrected that statement:

Sometimes you make a mistake and you work very hard to correct it. That happens. I should’ve clearly said ’smoked’ marijuana and then gone on to say that this is clearly a question that should be answered by the medical community.

Kerlikowske continued, saying, “The FDA has not determined that smoked marijuana has a [medical] value.”


While it’s refreshing to see a drug czar who is capable of admitting a mistake, his new statement still falls short of an honest assessment of marijuana’s medical value. The FDA’s position on medical marijuana (which is derived from a statement the agency released in 2006) is largely political and was rejected by the medical community following its release. The FDA ignored the government’s own report, published by the Institute of Medicine in 1999, which states, “there are some limited circumstances in which we recommend smoking marijuana for medical uses.”


Numerous studies have found specific medical uses for smoked marijuana, and some of the most interesting research has been done since the FDA released its statement in 2006. Several studies from the University of California, for example, have found that marijuana is highly effective at treating neuropathic pain, a type of nerve pain for which traditional pain medications are notoriously inadequate.
The drug czar’s correction falls short.


(Excerpt from MPP Blog)



Politicians have played the same cards for years. But nobody plays the game like the Drug Czar. It's only a matter of time before this office is outta the big game we call politics.

[THCBandito]

Great excerpt, captures the situation quite well, thanks for posting

I'm glad to see that he's capable of admitting that he was wrong, but not too happy to see him regurgitating the same position the DEA has had for quite some time, when as the MPP can always wonderfully point out, there are some medical uses for smoked marijuana!

[tabou21]

its going to have to take over 50% of voters to support federal legalize marijuana..otherwise they will play to the majority of people who support them.

it also is reflected by celebs too...for example michael phelps...he had a great opportunity to come out and be pro mj, but he had to cover his butt because he would lose all his endorsements.

so until you see the majority of support you'll never see cannabis legalized...at least federally. States however are changing which is a good sign.

[stonedome]

Its a well known fact that Cannabis is the most Medicinally versatile plant on the earth and has been used for centuries. Though any talk about about Cannabis at the federal level usually follows with more coverage which is positive, especially since everyone knows hes lying.

[Salvial]

The pressure worked, guys! All the dictionaries, all the angry mail, it all worked to make this jackass crack a bit. Now we need to bombard him with the evidence. Keep fighting!

[THCBandito]

Originally Posted by Salvial

The pressure worked, guys! All the dictionaries, all the angry mail, it all worked to make this jackass crack a bit. Now we need to bombard him with the evidence. Keep fighting!

He's right actually, if nobody had said or done anything about the comments he made, then he wouldn't have either, great news!

[MTHonadle]

I'm so sick and tired of the fact that people find it so difficult to stand up, be who they are, and demand the right to be. We as a community cause no major issues, hold the fact the possession and consumption are in themselves illicit acts and occasionally there is a bad seed weed dealer with a gun and no brains, but that problem would be solved through legalization. It would also make people stop losing their jobs over the stigma of usage held over from the reefer madness bullshit.

I'm tired of hiding, and every self respecting individual that has to hide their illicit activities like common criminals should be tired of it too.

Fuck what the us government says. We are PEOPLE. Individuals capable of making our own choices.

Hell, I feel the same way about seat belt laws and cigarette smoking.

I just wish the community as a whole would get fed up enough to do something as a whole instead of in random, disjointed, unorganized, stoned-looking spurts. NORML has been trying semi-successfully for years, yet our governemnt turns a deaf ear and continues jailing us and shoveling us under the rug. Its exhausting, humiliating, and at times dibilitating to sociological function.

[Bubble_Bubble]

wow... all I can say... +rep MTHonadle.... awesome rant you had going there. I could see you standing in front of a flag with the marijuana insignea and spreading your words to the ratta tatta of a revolutionary drum... amazing.