US Gov't knows benefits of cannabinoids ... and holds patent

i swear bro ... thanks for sharing that.

Personally I find drunken idiots a lot more annoying than "potheads"...by the way what is your definition of "pothead"? cuz i'm pretty sure it's changed in the last 30 yrs or so.........your neighbor could be a "pothead" and you might not even know it...legalize it, and let's take the money the gov't is wasting on the "war on drugs" and go after the crap that really hurts, like coke, heroin, e, meth,
How would you feel if you got caught smoking a joint, say, the first one you've smoked in a year, and you end up in jail with all kinds of nasty people like rapists, murderers, child molesters? Why is it rapists can go free repeatedly but a person smoking a joint or getting caught with a small amount is looking at a fine, possible jailtime and their reps are ruined? I find attitudes like yours annoying, only because I really hate the word "pothead"...it smacks of the old days when they used to show us films in schools of people going crazy after smoking a joint....funny, no one ever, ever told me to stay away from alcohol in school tho...
Also I notice a few posts here that claim they use it for spiritual reasons...it may sound funny but it is true...
quite a few religions out there use it for "raising conciousness"....I get tired of these arguments when there is just so much other crap going on this world that we could be focusing our attention on...as for the drug czar comments, legalize it, put them out of business and that's one less bunch of nasties we have to deal with..hell they'll find something else illegal to do anyway............

hell, i think prohibition should be considered unconstitutional because it prevents you from practicing your religion.

(from wikipedia) "For Rastas, smoking cannabis, usually known as ganja or herb, is a spiritual act, often accompanied by Bible study; they consider it a sacrament that cleans the body and mind, heals the soul, exalts the consciousness, facilitates peacefulness, brings pleasure, and brings them closer to Jah." (Jah is their 'God incarnate')

some native americans have won the right (from the US gov't) to use peyote in their religious ceremonies, and so what should prevent a practicing rastafarian from enjoying his/her cannabis for religious ceremony?

anyone who even remotely feels like the drug war is failing should sign up for the petition.

this is a huge start to a big change. lets start now!

So old, that no one knows about it except a few of the folks that are interested in changing our medieval laws about cannabis. When the wire services carry the story, and it is archived in every new outlet, and it begins to affect public opinion, and you hear about it on radio and television, and every public official has a copy of the patent in their hands, and the laws are changed . . . then it will be old news.

not old news because serious debate about medicinal benefits of pot are happening NOW! (and it sure seems quite a few people may not have known about it ...)

The answer to 99 questions out of 100..........MONEY!

ha ha yeah your right, but it is nice to have some bull shit government stuff saying its healthy too

it's only irresponsible if you make it irresponsible. just like anything else.

My goodness Tgarius, is it not more troubling to you that the United States is lying when they say that cannabis has no medicinal value? I am curious, which is worse, folks who relax through the use of cannabis, or a government that tells you how you can relax, in the privacy of your own home, without doing harm to another. Where does the interference of the government rightfully stop. Or do you not mind having your life controlled by authorities (with gun power) who are not accountable to you? And for that matter who rationalize their position based on an outright lie?

People who smoke cannibis are not such a "sad" lot as posted here...many people in this country partake of the herb, and you can bet that it's not just drug addicts doing it....i know of many hgh level execs who regularly smoke, they seem to be able to function quite well.... why is it ok for people to go out and get drunk?? alcohol is a much more lethal drug than cannibis (other than the smoking factor).it affects your liver, your colon, your heart, your kidneys, everything..it affects your judgement, it kills people every day...never saw anyone get into a fight cuz they were high on weed, (they might however eat themselves into a stupor lol) however have witnessed many a drunken brawl......of course the gov't is aware of it's medicinal purposes.....they always have been....they just don't have the cahonies to legalize it...study other countries where it is decriminalized or legalized....you don't find any more pot smokers in those countries than you do here...i personally abhor alcohol i have seen first hand what it can do to people how it destroys lives.......i've never met a pot smoker who has gone onto harder drugs (i'm sure they are out there, and i'd wager it has more to do with their addictive personalities than the weed itself)....this is a natural herb...grows freely in most countries...if the gov't wants to raise some money, legalize it and tax it........just like alcohol (a drug) and tobacco (a drug)...oh, and it's ok to advertize legal drugs on tv such as prozac, lexapro, etc? i prefer to get my information on prescription meds from my dr, not the media...the fact is this country does push drugs, only they are legal because they are prescription........

*if* you retire ...

i think that's a long lost thing for anyone under 40 these days ...

yeah thats a good point.

thank you, SDLN.

why does that statement surprise anyone? it's typical gov't bs........

i'm sure that was their plan all along. i just wonder why it's taking so long.

i don't mind them making some money off of it, but shit, can we get the show on the road so i can give them my money without accumulating a criminal record?

The only reason you can't go to a hash house today and purchase some pineapple express is because the government is not getting its cut. I have heard the comment that if you legalize it then people will abuse it and drive under the influence. Well, alcohol consumption is legal and people drive drunk daily. This is America. We have the right to be free and if we step out of line by breaking the law, then we pay the price. Cannabis is not the answer and its defiantly not the problem.

im with u on that.........

i wouldn't doubt it. essentially, by allowing the government to do these things, we're allowing 'the big corporation' to be created and continue to thrive and grow.

scary thought!

gosh, i hope. good point, though. i agree 100%. the reality in the thought control argument, though, is that i believe people would be more likely to honor the wishes of a government that, at least, grants them the freedoms they wish.

because the cash isnt going in Uncle Sams pocket. it will be legalized when they find a way to make more money "dealing" it than they make arresting people smoking it.

my question exactly. i would think this could easily be used in court proceedings to substantiate that the government, in fact, does (or must) recognize the medicinal benefits of cannabinoids.

i was curious how this was able to be patented. i'm no patent attorney, and the only thing i could think of is that the specific use of cannabinoids to treat these specific conditions (i.e. the protocol to do such) MAY constitute a patent.

why would they get one? to make the $$$!!!!

Patent law says you cannot patent a plant or nature or anything alive, but you can patent any nonliving part of that thing- ie the chemicals that compose said thing. The Us has the patent so a company cannot use it to produce life saving medicines without approval from the Us.