The Mississippi State Board of Health issued the following statement.
Mississippi’s voters will directly decide our state’s marijuana laws, via a proposed constitutional amendment that will be on the ballot in November 2020. As members of the State Board of Health, we write to share our concerns about the potential harmful consequences to the people and health of our state if this amendment is approved and to urge a “no” vote.
Don’t be fooled, this proposal is not about medicine, and it’s not about parents with cancer or kids with epilepsy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved several drugs derived from marijuana and its CBD or THC components and they can be used legally in Mississippi today. Epidiolex, which contains purified CBD, can be used to treat seizures. Marinol and Syndros (which contain THC) are used by AIDS and cancer patients. Cesamet, which has a chemical structure similar to marijuana, is used to treat the nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy. You can get these with a doctor’s prescription, they come in pill form, and there has been research conducted to make sure these drugs work and are safe. We are hopeful that other drugs can be researched, developed and approved. At a board hearing in December, we were made aware by experts of some of the positive steps that could be taken to make additional safe medicines available.
But the proposed amendment to Mississippi’s constitution would allow marijuana use for broad and nonspecific reasons and would allow for much more marijuana use than the limited examples often cited by the amendment’s proponents. Studies have shown that marijuana use negatively affects individuals’ processing speed, reasoning, executive function and memory. A “no” vote on this amendment would keep Mississippians safer at work and on our roads.
There is much we don’t know about marijuana. For instance, a decade ago, there appeared to be a decrease in opioid use in states that legalized marijuana. But recent research from the National Institutes of Health shows that states with medical marijuana laws have a higher overdose death rate. Moreover, unlike FDA approved medicines, marijuana is not consistent; one ounce may be stronger or weaker than the next. But this constitutional amendment enshrines the assumption that up to 2.5 ounces every 14 days is what a patient needs.
Contrary to the cited health goals of the amendment’s proponents, the proposed constitutional amendment would allow marijuana to be smoked or vaped. We justifiably spend millions of taxpayer dollars to discourage smoking and with a “no” vote on this amendment, smoking and vaping would not be sanctioned by our state constitution.
When we learn more about a health issue, our elected representatives should be able to change laws to make them work better for our people. Legalizing marijuana via a constitutional amendment would essentially prevent that, as any change would require another statewide ballot initiative.
Beyond public health issues, we recognize there are other concerns about the amendment. These include furthering racial or income disparities, negative impacts on local government control, and a lack of normal government accountability measures. As members of the State Board of Health, we were appointed, not elected, to our positions; this constitutional amendment would put the Board of Health in charge of everything from setting and collecting taxes on marijuana to deciding where it can be grown and how the tax revenue is spent. This would all be done without any oversight, either from a governor or the legislature. This is not appropriate under our system of government.
On January 8th, the State Board of Health unanimously passed a resolution to voice our strong opposition to the 2020 Medical Marijuana Ballot Initiative. On November 3rd, we urge you to vote “no” on the marijuana constitutional amendment.
Ed D. "Tad" Barham, MD (Chairman)
Clinton, MS
Thad Waites, MD (Vice-Chairman)
Hattiesburg, MS
Elayne H. Anthony, PhD
Madison, MS
J. Edward Hill, MD
Tupelo, MS
Lucius M. Lampton, MD
Magnolia, MS
Edward J. "Ed" Langton
Hattiesburg, MS
Robert "Bobby" J. Moody
Louisville, MS
Jim Perry
Jackson, MS
Sammie Ruth Rea, RN
Jackson, MS
Dwalia Sherree South, MD
Ripley, MS
Thursday, January 9, 2020
Board of Health Stands Against Med Marijuana
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37 comments:
I’m not sure what other position they would have...?
Sounds like the Cannabis lobby forgot to out spend the Opioid lobby on the MS board of Physicians.
Pot stocks are a big investment. The grown-Ups and dispensaries need to step up their game and make some monetary contributions to grease the right palms.
AMEN!!
Well written and accurate.
The idea of legalizing pot is a slippery slope expounded by nefarious people with a profit/power motive.
Look at them very closely.
One unnoticed danger is the pulmonary damage from the inhalation of the smoke deep within the lungs; in a generation we will be taking care of many pulmonary cripples from this alone.
This is a move towards sanity; the medical board should be thanked for doing what it is charged with, namely taking care of the rest ofus.
To be fair, the governing authority on this issue is the 100% accurate and water-tight documentary titled “Reefer Madness”. It shows just exactly what can happen if this powerful weed can get into the wrong hands. Next thing you know, we’ll be legalizing gay marriage or doing business with the Germans!!
AMEN!!
Well written and accurate.
The idea of legalizing pot is a slippery slope expounded by nefarious people with a profit/power motive.
Look at them very closely.
One unnoticed danger is the pulmonary damage from the inhalation of the smoke deep within the lungs; in a generation we will be taking care of many pulmonary cripples from this alone.
This is a move towards sanity; the medical board should be thanked for doing what it is charged with, namely taking care of the rest ofus.
Another self-righteous conservative comes spewing this nonsense. But then wants the government to stay out of his business!?
If a person wants to smoke the Devils Lettuce! Then freakin' let'em smoke the sh*t! Louisiana, Arkansas, are already way ahead of the curve in regards to medical marijuana! Mississippi better bat clean-up on passing the legislation!
You hippies need to learn to accept that government approved Pharmaceuticals and Government Taxable Liquor are the only intoxicants permitted!
I'm 10:15 and that should be GROW-OPs not grown-ups.
That shit makes you stupid.
@ 10:17
Fewer users would smoke it if it were readily available. Edible forms are popular where it's legal.
Besides this isn't about the recreational use of marijuana. It's simply making it an option for medical treatment if your doctor thinks it's appropriate and writes a prescription.
Wonder how many vacations the pharmaceutical lobbyists paid for to get them to write this statement?
This is all about Joel Bomgar and his investors making money.
Board of Health = Conflict(s) of Interest
Meanwhile, it is ok to smoke cigarettes, cigars, etc. while drinking straight whiskey, vodka, etc. ruining your lungs, liver, etc. If we are going to force good health on everyone, let's be consistent and ban all unhealthy shit, including donuts.
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved several drugs derived from marijuana and its CBD or THC components and they can be used legally in Mississippi today."
Translation: If people self medicate, DR's won't see these patients, which means they can't bill the patients, which means they lose money.
11:19 AM, I was right there with you on your list of items detrimental to our health...UNTIL you got to DONUTS.
Have you no humanity, sir?
Mississippi will be the last state to legalize recreational marijuana. The reasons will be the same as liquor.
Too many well connected and corrupt individuals make a lot of money off the black market. And their income will disappear as soon as licensed dispensaries are located in every city.
We might get legal weed sooner if a high ranking state politician gets busted flying back from Colorado with a bunch of edibles and high grade THC in a MS Gov chartered jet.
Just like the historical liquor raid on the Governor's Christmas Party did for alcohol sales in MS.
Like John Dowdy said on the radio, even if Mississippi passes this, the state can stall and complicate it so much that those in need will never see a puff.
It's legal in Illinois now. RECREATIONALLY. Screw getting a prescription. We will soon be surrounded by the stuff. I mean more surrounded than we already are. All this referendum is good for is to keep chemo patients from being criminalized and to prevent cancer survivors from being life long opioid addicts.
Any 15 year old can already get it today in any state.
Keep in illegal in all forms. That will create more law enforcement jobs.
11:19 ? Joel Bomgar has plenty of money. And who are these investors to which you refer?
they oppose cannibusi legalization and sale because they fear that they might get put to work, and god forbid should any government bureaucrat have to do that.
medical marijuana is used to treat
Muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis
Nausea from cancer chemotherapy
Poor appetite and weight loss caused by chronic illness, such as HIV, or nerve pain
Seizure disorders
Crohn's disease
What's the alternative? High priced medicine that nearly bankrupts families.
The hypocrisy. MD's clearly have no problem pushing drugs in MS. In fact, it seems they encourage it.
Most of what the Doc's are pushing is/are far more dangerous than marijuana. The U.S. is losing the war on drugs and funding cartels, human trafficking and death. Might as well make it legal and let LEO concentrate on more serious crime.
This is more about money than it is about safety. If we were concerned about safety we would be more worried about the ingredients in legal drugs.
Medicinal and soon there after recreational weed is coming to MS. Probably not now, it’ll be opposed by the same hypocrisy that stalled the gambling industry. There’s simply too much $$ behind this machine to stop it. We will be last.. just behind Alabama as with most things...
In the Board's manifesto, they state, "this is not appropriate in our form of government'" That's rich! They certainly can't trust the voters of MS to decide what they want, we'll tell them what is best. The deal has already been made. The legislature will put this off on the Medical Board, they'll come out against it and the voters will feel like they had a voice.
Same song second verse...beer, liquor, gambling, nurse practitioners, open carry, lottery, medicaid expansion, hemp, ......We're 50th and we like it that way!
MS needs money for infrastructure, tax the heck out of it and bring the state into the 21st century!
It us much more lucrative to keep it illegal and keep the prices high. Bootlegging is still a highly profitable business in half of the state where the bible thumpers and bootleggers have worked together to keep it illegal. They will do the same with ma
rijuana.
Didn’t Mississippi pass an initiative referendum years ago requesting a lottery? And didn’t the legislature ignore it for years til they ran out of bridge money?
What we need is a state constitutional conventional do-over.
This is how it will play out in Miss-A-sip-ee. It will legalize in Tenn, Alabama, & Louisiana than Tater Tot will say we need to legalize it to pay for the infrastructure.
They legalize it all the want, I a m still getting my stash from Gloria.
The plant will grow in the wild in North America with no cultivation. That alone should exempt it from classification as a controlled substance.
make no mistake about it, any board member, or politician that is against medical marijuana is on the take from big pharmasutical companies.
What's the Hospital Association's position? That's where the money changes hands.
Natural plants that provide medical benefits to people should be banned and we should all be put on the (((kosher approved))) pharmaceuticals. If you disagree you are an anti-Semite!
Hey 7:48 I get mines from Joey in Madison. It's straight out of Colorado Springs.
Hey, John Dowdy, you are a crook. Legal medical cannabis is a no brainer. Why are we throwing people in jail for this? This is a NO BRAINER.
Actually, maybe if we just send more people on jail everything will work out perfectly.
7:16 - You fell for that bullshit? It's OK, I remember when we thought all weed came straight from Colombia. Gold they said. Guaranteed. Right. By the way - It was $20 an ounce with free papers.
"There is much we don’t know about marijuana"
I thought Ole Miss was doing decades of research on marijuana. I guess it was all classified or either they have been getting paid a lot with no deliverables.
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