Medical Marijuana Group Starts In Texas, We Think

• This just came up in a search about MMJ in Texas. I'm a patient in Colorado exploring what else is out there. Richard Connelly, you published this just to mock a non-profit that didn't pay a writer? If MMAG needs help, I'm sure http://mmapa.us is up to the job. Thanks for nothing, Dick.

• I am all for Medical MJ. Why not? Everyone in Texas that I know wants MMJ to be legal. The American Medical Association just released information that they now realize that Marijuana has medicinal value and it be reclassified out of a Schedule 1 drug. I think alcohol should be banned because it is much worse and has affected my family. If you want the link, here it is. http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-human-condition/2009/11/13/the-american-medical-association-reconsiders-marijuana-will-the-justice-department-follow.html

• It is great to finally see some progress in relaxing marijuana laws in California. Marijuana isn't any more dangerous than alcohol, cigarettes, or any other drug in the marketplace today. When they eventually legalize marijuana, the Mexican drug trafficking problem will fade away, too.

• Texas Coalition for Compassionate Care has be doing presentations around the state and has been working on medical marijuana for several years, picking up where Texans for Medical Marijuana left off. We have a draft bill we are shopping and would love to talk to those interested in getting involved. Our Next presentation is in Ft. Worth. You can find the flyer on our website at www.TexasCompassion.com. It is great to see the groundswell forming around this issue. Patients and veterans need protection in 2011 Sincerely, Stephen Betzen Texas Coalition for Compassionate Care www.TexasCompassion.com

• It is hard for me to imagine that grown people go out of their way to stop the very thing this country is meant to represent, liberty. Whatever happened to our right to the pursuit of happiness if nothing else. People should be able to go about their personal business as long as they aren�t a danger to others. And the glass pipes and marijuana do not seem that dangerous to me. <a href="www.sunflowerpipes.com">Sunflowerpipes.com</a>

• come on someone plz get these people down here in texas to legalize it

• To keep it short for fear of grammatical error and condemnation..one question.. This horrible illegal drug has killed how many people?

• Howie says: Am I embarrased about my spelling errors. Yes and no. I happen to be visually impared and it is hard for me to proof-read the small font in Hair Ball's comment box. ----------------- You know what could help you with that? Pot.

• <i>Howie wrote: Contrary to your pot-laced attack on me, there are plety of good reasons why marijuana should not be legalized. </i> ... and we breathlessly await you telling us what those reasons might be.

• Howie, forget the medical thing for a minute. As an adult, why am I not allowed to use a drug that's safer than alcohol? Back to the medical thing - "There are a number of analgesics available to your pancreatic cancer friend here in Houston. I'm sure our fine Medical Center here can find him one that works just fine." This is anecdotal, but I do know people with serious illnesses who've discovered that pot is by far the most helpful drug they've found. And it's less dangerous and has fewer harmful side effects than those other analgesics. So why shouldn't they be allowed to use pot?! If you say it's because doctors write phony scripts and a lot of product ends up on the streets, then that nullifies your "other analgesics" suggestion, doesn't it? I smell a troll, guys.

• There are people in this world who would not allow a person cannabis under any circumstances making a plant "illegal" by calling it a dangerous narcotic has been the greatest scam pulled on the sheeples In Ca prop 215 allows a person to cultivate collectively. IF you read the law it clearly states "any other ailment " ie hangnail This was purposely written in prop 215. The War on drugs has been a complete waste of time an money TEXANS have a right to MMj

• Steve Am I embarrased about my spelling errors. Yes and no. I happen to be visually impared and it is hard for me to proof-read the small font in Hair Ball's comment box. That aside, you are full of it! I've arrested lots of people on drug charges but I never ruined their lives. They ruined their own lives when they knowingly chose to break the law. Contrary to your pot-laced attack on me, there are plety of good reasons why marijuana should not be legalized. Pot is not the innocuous substance you and others would have us believe. And as for reality, I have a far better grip on it than you appear to have. And while we�re at it, Will Breathes is being somewhat disingenuous when he talks about the fees and taxes collected in Colorado. On August 1, there were 717 dispensaries, 271 marijuana-infused product manufacturers and 1,071 grow facilities -- in total earning the state $7.34 million in fees. Will is flat-out wrong when he says medical marijuana generates �hundreds of millions in local tax dollars.� Last year, Colorado Springs collected $111,000 total from the sale of marijuana and marijuana-infused products, such as brownies, lotions and teas. In the first four months of this year, the city has collected $123,000. The city of Denver collected $1,023,308 between December and April. In March, the city collected $226,492, the highest reported collection to date. However, both Colorado Springs and Denver officials are quick to point out that the figures represent less than 1 percent of all sales taxes collected. Sales of medical marijuana and marijuana-laced products in Colorado Springs topped $1.6 million in April alone. That and the large number of licensees just goes to prove that a law passed with good intentions has been perverted by doctors who are writing a ton of scrips for pot heads who do not suffer from any qualifying ailments.

• I would hazard to guess that Howie is actually a lobbyist for a prescription drug company. He reminds me of the gum salesman in Clerks for some strange reason...

• <i>"As a former narcotic officer from Kookfornia and a retired Professor of Criminal Justice, I can shoot down your arguments and the arguments of those proposing to leagalize pot..."</i> Howie, if you really believe that increases your credibility in this argument -- empty threats of arguments that don't exist, made by a "former narcotic officer," no less -- then you have an even more tenuous grip on the reality of the situation than your initial painfully spelling-challenged spews would indicate. Here's the deal: You've made a profession out of ruining people's lives for choosing to use possibly the safest psychoactive substance known to mankind. Don't expect any respect for that, "Professor of Criminal Justice" or not.

• <I>As a former narcotic officer from Kookfornia and a retired Professor of Criminal Justice, I can shoot down your arguments and the arguments of those proposing to leagalize pot...</I> So, shoot them down. I'm sure we'd all enjoy hearing your many insights.

• Will Breathes Will, you sound like someone who moved to Colorado from San Fransicko. Mediacal marijuana was supposed to be limited to those suffering from HIV, Glaucoma and termianal cancer. But once legalized, it is being prescribed for everything from a grown-in toenail to baldness. There is no consensus within the medical profession about the effectiveness of medical marijuana. One group of doctors says it works wonders, other doctors say it's a pipe dream. There are a number of analgesics available to your pancreatic cancer friend here in Houston. I'm sure our fine Medical Center here can find him one that works just fine. Marijuana does more for him than any drugs can? What a load of crap! How about Heroin, Cocaine and Meth? They'll do even more for him. As a former narcotic officer from Kookfornia and a retired Professor of Criminal Justice, I can shoot down your arguments and the arguments of those proposing to leagalize pot, but that would be useless because the minds on both sides of this issue appear to be set in concrete. Have a good day Will, but don't get too high.

• Howie has never traveled or smoked weed. That's obvious. And in bet het has a few dwi's.

• &#64; Will Breathes. Nice job. Howie is a douche who probably believes you go blind if you masturbate.

• I certainly appreciate the diverse and colorful opinions. We will continue to pursue the betterment of patient care and communication in the medicinal Cannabis community. High Hopes Friends, Alexander Young-President/Founder of MMAG

• The medical marijuana legalization in Colorado is hardly a joke, sir. It helps thousands of Coloradans daily, including myself. Our state legislature also takes it seriously, enacting laws to solidify the growing business (thousands of small, locally owned businesses mind you). Nobody is stupid: Yes, doctors are writing questionable prescriptions. but lets talk about that as a larger issue -- texas has a huge problem with illicit codeine use and other pharmaceutical drugs... yet, where is your outrage over that? I agree that is a problem to be addressed, but you would be awful naive or plain dumb to think that it is only medical marijuana that doctors are writing bad scrips for. this is a dumb argument to make, Howie. And if it is people simply getting a buzz that bothers you, I would hope that you are against alcohol sales in the great state of Texas too... moving on... pot pharmacists making thousands? how about the MILLIONS in tax revenue they have brought to my state? last sunday alone, Colorado collected more than $7 million in licensing fees and application fees. That's not even going into the hundreds of millions in local tax dollars this generates in small towns across this state. this is a good thing. Where's the good fiscal conservative in you, Howie?? and lets not even get into the pharmaceutical companies RUNNING this country and making BILLIONS off of Americans while farming out jobs to foreign countries... i'm talking about a LOCAL product, sold LOCALLY, that builds LOCAL tax coffers. Is this sinking in at all, Howie? I have a friend DYING of pancreatic cancer in houston right now. The chemotherapy has been worse than the disease, however, and the only thing that has helped him manage to eat and keep food down is marijuana -- illegal in your state. this is a man who has access to any pharmaceutical drug he could need for his pain, and yet this plant does more for him than any of the drugs can. Where's the good social conservaitive in you, howie? You know, the one that SHOULD be saying that the gov't has no place telling you what medicines you should and shouldn't have access to? Contrary to your opinion, it's proven FACT that this plant has medicinal benefits. so really, Howie.. i get that D.A.R.E. classes have brainwashed you a bit -- but take some time to REALLY think about what you are opposing and why...because to more and more Americans, you are simply parroting an argument you can't really support.

• Yeah, no medical marijuana. Just straight up legal pot, please. Because I'm an adult, and they're my lungs. If I want to inhale something far less dangerous than other legal substances people use to get fucked up, then the government shouldn't be able to tell me not to. Though, in doing so, it provides an extremely healthy business environment for the assholes who run the cartels to the south. So that's nice. (I actually don't want to use my lungs for that purpose, but that's beside the point.) By your logic, Howie, we should get rid of prescription pain meds as well, right?

• Extensive college backgrounds - what does that really mean? Our universities are full of educated idiots. The country is full of graduates with extensive college backgrounds and many of them are educated idiots. Comitted to the betterment of health and humanity? What a crock! Come on Mr. Young, come clean. All you and your ilk want to do is to legalize marijuana - health and humanity has nothing to do with it. The legalization of 'medical marijuana' is a joke. Just look at California and Colorado. Doctors there are writing prescriptions by the ton for all kinds of faked ailments and the pot pharmacists are making millions of dollars. Medical marijuana in Texas? No thanks!

• Just another reason why marijuana sucks....

• Don't bogart that proofreader, my friend--pass it over to me....

• "the majority of us have extensive college back rounds" - I'm guessing you are in the minority?

• I am entirely for the legalization of marijuana for any purpose. However, the "English-Lit-Major-Composed" press release - of which you seem so proud - reads like the the jabberings of a drug-addled subliterate.

• Mr. Connelly, My name is Alexander Young; the founder of MMAG. I fail to see how this release did not make sense to you. As far as our employees' credentials, the majority of us have extensive college back rounds. The gentleman that you say "...but the opening paragraph sounds like it was written by someone who was....wait for it.....not very good at English. (What did you think we were going to say?)" actually is an English/Literature major, as well as myself. I understand people's skepticism on this matter, but I request your column not be so hasty in the critique of our literary publications. This organization is here to help, not to hinder in any way. We are committed to the betterment of health and humanity. If you cannot seem to reach our Director of Public Relations, you may contact me directly. Thank you for your time. High Hopes my Friends, Alexander Young-President/Founder of MMAG Contact at 361758826 http://www.cannabisrxnow.org

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