Arkansas Medical Society opposes marijuana measure
By The Associated Press
This article was published November 5, 2012 at 10:23 a.m.
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Medical Marijuana in Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Medical Society has announced its opposition to a ballot item that would legalize medical use of marijuana in Arkansas.
The organization represents more than 4,300 physicians and medical students in the state. The conservative lobbying group Family Council Action Committee on Monday praised the society’s 40-member board for voting to oppose the marijuana measure.
Backers of the measure say marijuana has helped them through pain and nausea during chemotherapy and other medical conditions when other drugs failed. The group Arkansans for Compassionate Care has released a list of dozens of doctors and medical professionals who support the measure.
But, the society says, advances in conventional medications enable regulated drugs to counter the conditions cited by the marijuana backers. The society says the negative consequences of legalizing medical marijuana outweigh the benefits.
Comments on: Arkansas Medical Society opposes marijuana measure
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LevitiCuss says... November 5, 2012 at 11:35 a.m.
Because drug prohibition has everything to do with the politics and profit associated with pain control, and almost nothing to do with public safety.
And these ass-hats took an oath to "first do no harm".
Unbelievable.
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NONSHEEPLE says... November 5, 2012 at 11:49 a.m.
I'm with you on this levit...
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SPA says... November 5, 2012 at 11:50 a.m.
I am sad to say that in my experience, the medical profession has more to do with making doctors and their extensive professional support system a lot of money more that providing excellent quality medical care. I have worked in and near the medical field, and I have family members who have, and one who teaches medical office management. And my experiences continue to support my observation: it's more about the money than it is about care. Care might be a close second, but it's second.
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Drumroll says... November 5, 2012 at 11:58 a.m.
They stand to lose a TON of money as they would lose a lot of perks and kick backs they recieve from big pharma. So, this should surprise no one they would take this stance.
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Jfish says... November 5, 2012 at 12:03 p.m.
So why is that big tobacco is evil and big hemp is just compassionate? Maybe the doctors don't want to prescribe something that is going to cause additional problems years down the road. I don't see how putting unfiltered smoke of any kind down your lungs is going to have no adverse impacts.
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NancyRea says... November 5, 2012 at 12:32 p.m.
The Arkansas Medical Society has announced its opposition to a ballot item that would legalize medical use of marijuana in Arkansas. The group Arkansans for Compassionate Care has announced it has a list of 79 doctors who support the measure but Gary Fults, State Field Director: (501) 416-1274 tells me it is not on the internet to substantiate their statement and did not follow through with an agreement last week to email the list. Hmm
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Drumroll says... November 5, 2012 at 12:52 p.m.
JFish-there is no such thing as "big hemp" . It is grown by patients and small co-ops.
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Delta2 says... November 5, 2012 at 12:57 p.m.
Drumroll, that part about losing perks and kickbacks from Big Pharma is complete crap. It used to be true but those days are long gone. Even if there were such goodies being handed to docs, medical marijuana being legal would not have much if any effect. The Medical Society is just a consevative organization by its makeup, and this decision was made by its Board of Trustees. I do not believe it was the result of a vote by its rank and file membership, even though the outcome of such might have legitimized the Board's action.
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drs01 says... November 5, 2012 at 1:28 p.m.
If this amendment were better drafted I might support it. But today is allows persons located 5 miles or more from a non-profit (ha) sales outlet to GROW THEIR OWN. Grow it with very little policing or oversight and control from ANYONE. That's a license for major abuse. I believe there are better ways to provide this service to those who truly need it. This amendment is NOT the answer. Marijuana could be legalized, and severely taxed just like cigarettes and booze.
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NONSHEEPLE says... November 5, 2012 at 2 p.m.
The ONLY way they would legalize it would be if THEY could control the production... ANYTHING that can be grown so easily in a back yard takes TAXES out of Government hands... The SAME reason the GOV wont allow ethanol still in our back yards unless we jumpt through a bumch of hoops and also put POISON in it so it can only be used for fuel.... that's a bunch of BS.
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Brightvalley says... November 5, 2012 at 2:52 p.m.
The last paragraph says it all. In two words,
Pharmaceutical industry.
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LevitiCuss says... November 5, 2012 at 3:46 p.m.
The powers that be hate hemp because it presents a paradigm shift on so many levels. It's medicine. It's fuel. It's feedstock. It's a textile. It's a building material. All this from something that already grows wild in all fifty states. As do opium poppies. I think it's that easy and free part that sticks in their craw the most. They don't want us to have much of anything that's easy and free. Two hundred years ago it was a major crop in this country. Maybe time to go back to the future.
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HappytobeHere says... November 5, 2012 at 3:53 p.m.
Just a question for everyone to ponder. What happens and who pays when someone smoking legally obtained pot drives under the influence, has an accident & someone is disabled or killed? Does the smoker then go to jail as the drinker's do? If everyone is truthful, you know that this will happen.
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NoUserName says... November 5, 2012 at 6:07 p.m.
Probably the same thing that someone who has an accident while doped up on oxy or vicodin would get. What's your point?
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ericcamp says... November 6, 2012 at 12:44 a.m.
As a long-term AIDS survivor in Arkansas, it's been my experience that patients learn far more from other patients than their doctors about treatment options. When toxic medication begins shutting down your liver or kidneys, you'll sure wish you had this option for you or your loved ones walking through "the valley of the shadow of death."
When vital new blood tests were available, I had to tell my UAMS doctor what to do so that I could access them. She had no clue. She served many AIDS patients and had no clue?
When the newer effective medications came out, I had to tell my UAMS doctor how to get them for me. When Videx gave me hemorrhagic pancreatitis ( a deadly side effect), I was in horrible pain as my pancreas was eating itself. My doctor missed that it, as did the ER doctors for far too long.
My point is that I learned how to survive 20 years of AIDS and mighty toxic medication from other AIDS patients, not doctors. They don't have the time, and can't be bothered. In the last few months, I've met MS patients in severe pain, or cancer patients struggling to keep food and medicine down or nourish themselves who find great relief from marijuana. I can testify I wouldn't be alive today if it weren't available at times. I think people, patients, and voters are being educated now in Arkansas, and whether now or after two more years of education, the next time we get it on the ballot.
Replacing fear with facts for the good of the sick takes a while. A national Drug War has raised a generation on negative messages about marijuana. This stigma, deserved or not, shouldn't cause patients to suffer. Medical marijuana is a non-toxic option for symptoms suffered by real Arkansans who need every option available in desperate times. I'm just a patient doing all I can to survive and educate people about what I've learned through experiance to help out those unfortunate enough to have one of these 15 conditions and one of these politicized doctors.
I'm Eric Camp, I'm a real Arkansan with a real name, and I'm responsible for the contents of this post.
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