Is marijuanathe best medicine?

by MildredMetz

staff writer

Marijuana, the flower-child drug of the '60s. has gradually increa'>ed to the fat cigar blunt used for a longer lasting high in the '90s. This popular drug is used for pleasure and could possibly hold treatment for nausea, glaucoma and wasting, a severe weight loss associated with AIDS.

The new state laws in Arizona and California allow for the medical usage of marijuana. but the Clinton administration has stated that these laws have no bearing because the drug is illegal to prescribe under federal law.

Doctors who recommend that patients use marijuana could possibly be eliminatedfrom the Medicare and Medicaid programs causing them to lose their right to prescribe drugs. Criminal charges could come up against doctors if there is any sign of an unprofessional relationship between doctor and patient, which could be interpretedas drug dealing.

Many people believe that Arizona's law was not created to go against the federal law, but simply to allow someone who has been arrested for possession of marijuana to be released if it was a doctor's prescription.

Research has shown that marijuana can be useful in treating internal eye pressure in glaucoma. It can also help relieve nausea in cancer patients who are being treated with chemotherapy,as well as those who suffer from wasting.

As these theories are being tested for definite confirmations. there are other experts who have stated there is no evidence that smoking marijuana can serve a medical purpose.

"If you legalize marijuana, people will abuse the use of it. like the legalization of alcohol. which people abuse and is one of the leading causes of deaths in the United States,"junior Agueda Lazala said.

"Marijuana should be legalized for medical purposes only which would have to be prescribed by the

Ernest, a case that garnered national attention, went to the jury. The verdict came in on accused murderers Richard Wise and Herbert Haak.

The jury acquitted the two men due to the lack of evidence presented at the trial.

The two men had signed a confession to the murder, but recanted it, saying that police coerced them into it.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the jury had a hard time believing the confessions because of the lack of evidence. The DNA, semen and blood samples of the two men did match that of Wise and Haak. The case will remain open.

0 3/17

Clinton changes schedule.

Clinton has been able to postpone his meeting with President Boris N. Yeltsin one day. Clinton is still feeling the pain of the surgery that kept him in bed for two days.

Clinton was sent home Sunday night to rest and looks to only be delayed one day but the rest of his schedule is subject to change in the upcoming weeks. doctor but, it should not be used for pleasure," first-year student Jasmine Paulino said.

While President Clinton is recovering from his injuries, Vice President Al Gore will assume the position of Clinton in his hectic schedule, until Clinton is able to move around.

0 3/17 FBI under investigation.

The National Association of Defense Lawyers filed suit against the FBI, which they hope will show the FBI has sent innocent men to jail. These allegations have followed the attacks the FBI has faced in the past few weeks.

The FBI has been accused of not having proper training and of sloppy work on major investigations. Inmates will have a year to challenge their convictions once the courts release these files.

This will affect cases such as the Oklahoma City bombing, the Unabomber and the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City in 1993.

There are many medicines that are better and more efficient in treating the symptoms mentioned earlier.

THC is the active ingredient in marijuana and can be found in legally prescribed drugs. It is monitored closely by doctors and the dosages are rationalized.

"If you legalize it under prescription use, it will still get chaotic and people will push for other drugs to get legalized under the same belief of prescription.'' sophomore Vivianna Benitez said.

All of the available research has concluded that marijuana is dangerous to our health. Marijuana harms the brain, heart, lungs and immune system.

The American Medical Association is encouraging federal funding be made available for research that will determine the validity of marijuana as an effective medical treatment.