Monday, May 10, 2010
Reaction to firebombed medical marijuana shop
Posted by Matthew Frank on Mon, May 10, 2010 at 4:20 PM
As if opinions about Montana's medical marijuana law weren't fiery enough already, two medical marijuana clinics in Billings were firebombed today.
The Billings Gazette has the latest:
UPDATE 7 a.m.: A firebomb was thrown through the front door of a medical-marijuana business today, and "NOT IN OUR TOWN" was spray painted on the storefront. ...
- Larry Mayer - Billings Gazette
Ed Regele, a battalion chief with the Billings Fire Department, said the firebomb was like a "Molotov cocktail."
The bombing came on the same day the Billings City Council plans to vote on a moratorium on medical-marijuana businesses, which are being opened up around the city in increasing numbers. The city has issued more than 80 business licenses for the stores. ...
UPDATE 11:45 a.m.: A second medical marijuana store in Billings was also firebombed and vandalized with the graffiti “NOT IN OUR TOWN” on Sunday morning, according to its owners. ...
Video surveillance of the incident shows two people outside the storefront in the Rimrock Mini Mall at about 5 a.m.
More from the AP here.
Patients & Families United, Montana’s patient-rights group, called on Montanans to unite in opposition to "terrorist-styled" violence targeting medical marijuana facilities. But it also called for “more dignified and professional” behavior by facility operators.
Some actions by medical marijuana caregivers are “not what was intended or envisioned by those of us who advocated the medical marijuana law in 2004," Tom Daubert, founder and director of Patients & Families United, said in a statement. "The law needs to be modernized, with regulation and oversight designed to prevent some of the undignified and unprofessional behavior we are seeing."
Comments (6)
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This is a cowardly and shameful domestic terrorist act, and I hope most people will see it for what it is.
The decision by the people of this country concerning legalization of the marijuana medicinal plant that has been used by humans for thousands of years is based in choosing between two opinions. The first one, articulated by the "father" of marijuana prohibition in the 1930-s and the second one by Dr Grinspoon, one of the leading contemporary experts in this country.
These are the the direct quotes from the prohibitionist Harry Anslinger pushing the "Marijuana Tax Act" of 1937 that led to the demonizing of this quintessential medicinal plant:
"There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others.”
“…the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races.”
“Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death.”
“Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.”
“Marijuana leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing”
“You smoke a joint and you’re likely to kill your brother.”
“Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind.”
And this is what Dr. Grinspoon said in 2006 about Cannabis Sativa medicinal Plant:
"Cannabis will one day be seen as a wonder drug, as was penicillin in the 1940s. Like penicillin, herbal marijuana is remarkably nontoxic, has a wide range of therapeutic applications and would be quite inexpensive if it were legal".
Dr. Lester Grinspoon, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Los Angeles Times, May 5, 2006 "
These are two opinions the citizens around the country will be asked to compare and to choose from. I do not believe that the choice is exceedingly difficult one. What I believe is that the fear-tactics must be rejected once and for all, and at least medical marijuana should be legalized in all 50 States ASAP.
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While medical marijuana serves a purpose, there needs to be a year long stop to new legal growers of said product. This has gotten out of control and we have no proof that all these people who have qualified for mm cards really need them. Ban the out of state doctors, traveling clinic's. There needs to be a state datatbase, funded by the growers, to prove each persons medical need for medical marijuana. With of course full medical checkups each year to certify the continuing need for a person to ger medial marijuana.
Medical marijuana is a scam. If this drug is a wonderful pain relieving "medicine" that requires a prescription, then why is necessary to go to Joe's Marijuana Store to have that "prescription" filled? Why are pharmacists and the FDA out of the loop? And what other medicine is smoked (which causes lung damage) with no regard is given to the strength of the dosage or the frequency of the dosage? Answer--because it is a scam so that people can get high without the threat of prosecution.
If you want to have a discussion about legalizing marijuana, that is one thing, but to sneak in the back door by calling it "medicine"--Please. Don't insult my intelligence.
The State of Montana has no reason to go around deciding what medicines are legal in this state and what medicines are not.
Has the state done this with any other medicines? No? Why not? Because this whose issue is just a scam, of course
There is so much misinformation regarding medical marijuana it's pathetic. Many options exist in which to ingest the active ingredient, and in fact most doctors today that DO reccomend their patients consume cannabis recommend they do so by eating cannabis products rather than smoking it, or at the very least vaporize it rather than smoking in a more traditional sense.
The reason the Pharaceutical companies are "out of the loop" is exactly the reason it's been lobbied so hard against for the last 50 years. It's a solution that doesn't require a corporate monstrosity to produce, and in fact can be produced quite effectively by the individual. Less people buying pain killers... less people buying over the counter sleep aids... a whole slew of business fleeing from the pharmaceutical companies.
Regarding smoking dosage, that's one of the main benefits of smoking marijuana is that it is fast acting and can be administered in minutely increasing amounts until the desired level of effect is reached. Try doing that with Codeine or Oxycontin. Is this law being abused? Absolutely. News stories appear time and again regarding kids raiding their parents medicine cabinet for Soma, Vicodin, Oxycontin etc.. There is always going to be abuse. The difference is those kids can't overdose from stealing some of their parents pot.
I suggest those who are railing so hard against this law go out and start meeting the people using it. You may even know some now that you're not aware of. Talk to the cancer patient who swears it's the only thing keeping them from turning into an emaciated skeleton from nausea. Talk to the MS patient that is unable to walk or talk or perform basic motor functions without it. Talk to the Crohn's disease sufferer who's had 85% of their bowel removed but avoids flare-ups and loss of the remaining 15% by consuming cannabis. You all pretend there is no medical benefit, yet more and more studies are coming out showing concrete results from cannabis use for a wide variety of illnesses. Do some research on these things, you might be suprised at the results.
It's not necessary to go to "Joe's Marijuana Store" to get medical marijuana, the law allows patients to grow it themselves, and most do. The law allows you to brew your own beer... why do you go to bars? Convenience.
Regarding the original story, this is a terrorist act pure and simple. A hate crime that should be pursued as such. Any attempt to sway the masses through fear rather than the ballot is wrong.
To everyone who thinks Medical marijuana apparantly you have never been put on presrciption pain killers for a long period of time. I have spinal stenosis which has resulted in a pinched nerve creating excrusiating nerve damage pain. I have been on so many diffrent pain killlers and have had injections into my spine that gave me no relief what so ever. I currently live in a state that marijuana is illegal but it has been helping me more than any of the chemicals they were filling me with damaging my liver. I lived in Montana for 10 years and am planning on moving back so that I can get the medication that helps me without breaking the Law. Please there are people out there that abuse all persciption drugs that make it impossible sometimes to get the medication that people who are truly hurt get the help they need. I feel as long as you keep it in your own home and dont drive after use just like all other pain killers it should be legal. These attacks on these businesses is heart breaking .What about all of the casinos that litter Montana and destroy families lives. A business that just supplies medicine to people that need it shoudlnt be attacked like this. If you read some of the side effects of some of the perscription drugs your taking now you might think twice about saying that marijuana is such a horrible thing. Try thinking about more than just a bunch of people being lazy sitting on their couch all day smoking out and the people who get relief from their pain so that we can get up and once again be a contributing member of society.
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