When drugs are illegal, only medically supervised outlaws will use drugs
May 1, 2011 12:30 AM Subscribe
History repeats itself and medical pot clubs have a historical precedence.
As this article is a year old, it comes in a 3 page, 10 ads per page format
As this article is a year old, it comes in a 3 page, 10 ads per page format
Antique prescriptions for alcohol pop up on eBay from time to time, along with prescriptions for other substances.
posted by Ad hominem at 1:46 AM on May 1, 2011
posted by Ad hominem at 1:46 AM on May 1, 2011
Does prohibition have much of a precedent before the 20th century US?
posted by pompomtom at 2:22 AM on May 1, 2011
posted by pompomtom at 2:22 AM on May 1, 2011
Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition had an entire chapter on people using alcohol for "medicinal" reasons. In fact, they threatened to put legitimate drug stores out of business because they could charge at cost prices for nearly everything else, as they made so much profit on alcohol. Such profits lead to the expansion of the Walgreen chain.
posted by zabuni at 2:23 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by zabuni at 2:23 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]
precedent
posted by Meatbomb at 2:27 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Meatbomb at 2:27 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
Most of the modern liqueurs started as medicinal treatments for a wide variety of ills.
posted by The Whelk at 2:45 AM on May 1, 2011
posted by The Whelk at 2:45 AM on May 1, 2011
Does prohibition have much of a precedent before the 20th century US?
Off the top of my head, absinthe was widely banned in the early 20th C both in Europe and the Americas. Opium was illegal in China in the 18th C. Smoking was prohibited in the Ottoman Empire in the 17th C. So, I think it is safe to say the the prohibitive urge is neither exclusively American or 20th C in nature, although we seem to have lowered it to a sort of art.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:09 AM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]
Off the top of my head, absinthe was widely banned in the early 20th C both in Europe and the Americas. Opium was illegal in China in the 18th C. Smoking was prohibited in the Ottoman Empire in the 17th C. So, I think it is safe to say the the prohibitive urge is neither exclusively American or 20th C in nature, although we seem to have lowered it to a sort of art.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:09 AM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]
Coffee was banned by the Ottomans on several occasions, to almost no success.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 3:14 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 3:14 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
Coffee was nearly banned in Christendom but one of the Pope Clements was a fan cause it kept him up during study so he said "If it's the devil drink, let us trick the devil by baptizing it" and thus Coffee became an acceptable drug for Christians.
posted by The Whelk at 3:16 AM on May 1, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 3:16 AM on May 1, 2011 [5 favorites]
Oh and Tobacco was quite taboo in the Court of the Sun King. you could do it in private, but it was looked down upon as a gross, English habit and the King hated it so you wouldn't want to get caught.
posted by The Whelk at 3:22 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by The Whelk at 3:22 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
To paraphrase a great pharmacological philosopher and mystic: 'Every culture has a small circle of drugs it enshrines and feels naked without, and makes all others taboo.'
If the previous western era beatified coffee to support its ethos of frenetic work, perhaps the new one is slowly canonizing cannabis because it pacifies us in the face of slow-motion catastrophes.
As another philosopher often says, marijuana is essentially a decaffeinated opium.
posted by clarknova at 3:35 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]
If the previous western era beatified coffee to support its ethos of frenetic work, perhaps the new one is slowly canonizing cannabis because it pacifies us in the face of slow-motion catastrophes.
As another philosopher often says, marijuana is essentially a decaffeinated opium.
posted by clarknova at 3:35 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]
As another philosopher often says, marijuana is essentially a decaffeinated opium.
In the same way that whiskey is essentially nicotine-free cocaine?
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 4:32 AM on May 1, 2011 [7 favorites]
In the same way that whiskey is essentially nicotine-free cocaine?
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 4:32 AM on May 1, 2011 [7 favorites]
Meanwhile, in the state of Washington, the DEA took out the medical marijuana dispensaries in Spokane while the governor line-item vetoed the medical marijuana law down to basically nothing.
posted by hippybear at 4:52 AM on May 1, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 4:52 AM on May 1, 2011 [5 favorites]
Quoth the wiki:
Coffee aficionados often claim that the spread of its popularity is due to Pope Clement VIII's influence. Being pressured by his advisers to declare coffee the "bitter invention of Satan" because of its popularity among Muslims and it being a sort of antithesis or substitute for wine (which was used in the Eucharist), upon tasting it he instead declared that, "This devil's drink is so delicious...we should cheat the devil by baptizing it." The year often cited is 1600. It is not clear whether this is a true story or not, but it may have been found amusing at the time. [1]
posted by The Whelk at 5:04 AM on May 1, 2011
Coffee aficionados often claim that the spread of its popularity is due to Pope Clement VIII's influence. Being pressured by his advisers to declare coffee the "bitter invention of Satan" because of its popularity among Muslims and it being a sort of antithesis or substitute for wine (which was used in the Eucharist), upon tasting it he instead declared that, "This devil's drink is so delicious...we should cheat the devil by baptizing it." The year often cited is 1600. It is not clear whether this is a true story or not, but it may have been found amusing at the time. [1]
posted by The Whelk at 5:04 AM on May 1, 2011
Ten ads per page? There are ads on web pages? Maybe I should get rid of that pesky browser addon so that I can see them.
posted by wadefranklin at 5:04 AM on May 1, 2011
posted by wadefranklin at 5:04 AM on May 1, 2011
So, Walgreens is going to start selling pot? Wal-greens?
posted by twoleftfeet at 5:38 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by twoleftfeet at 5:38 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
Raiding a marijuana dispensary on 4/20 is like taking down Santa Claus while he's handing out gifts.
posted by gman at 5:46 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by gman at 5:46 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
Why would anyone be OK with letting people use this wicked plant? This vile and dangerous plant? This plant that has killed untold millions, and driven millions of others mad? This plant that just fools people into thinking that they feel better? This plant that only has a million years of history - hardly enough time to judge its safety an effectiveness.
It's ridiculous to allow pot when we can rely on a legion of chemists and corporations who have only our best interests at heart. Chemists and corporations that can design cheap, effective medications that are safe, effective, and carry no risk of dependency. Drugs that they will hand out willingly to those in need, regardless of the patients' ability to pay.
Pot, bah.
/sarcasm
posted by Benny Andajetz at 5:49 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
It's ridiculous to allow pot when we can rely on a legion of chemists and corporations who have only our best interests at heart. Chemists and corporations that can design cheap, effective medications that are safe, effective, and carry no risk of dependency. Drugs that they will hand out willingly to those in need, regardless of the patients' ability to pay.
Pot, bah.
/sarcasm
posted by Benny Andajetz at 5:49 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
TheWhiteSkull: "Coffee was banned by the Ottomans on several occasions, to almost no success"
If I had to drink the swill known as "Turkish Coffee" I'd've banned it, too!
posted by symbioid at 7:45 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
If I had to drink the swill known as "Turkish Coffee" I'd've banned it, too!
posted by symbioid at 7:45 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
So, Walgreens is going to start selling pot? Wal-greens?
The reasons you don't see this horrible branding pun gracing the shelves of chain pharmacies are two:
1. The huge legal risk that lurks in the gray area between state and federal law.
2. No industrial supply chain.
Neighborhood buyer's clubs & dispensaries are small groups of individuals producing what they sell and sticking their own necks out. Big outfits don't and can't. Not just now.
posted by clarknova at 7:56 AM on May 1, 2011
The reasons you don't see this horrible branding pun gracing the shelves of chain pharmacies are two:
1. The huge legal risk that lurks in the gray area between state and federal law.
2. No industrial supply chain.
Neighborhood buyer's clubs & dispensaries are small groups of individuals producing what they sell and sticking their own necks out. Big outfits don't and can't. Not just now.
posted by clarknova at 7:56 AM on May 1, 2011
Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition had an entire chapter on people using alcohol for "medicinal" reasons.
Yeah, the article was written by Okrent to promote the book you linked. Seems worth checking out.
posted by serazin at 8:12 AM on May 1, 2011
Yeah, the article was written by Okrent to promote the book you linked. Seems worth checking out.
posted by serazin at 8:12 AM on May 1, 2011
Neighborhood buyer's clubs & dispensaries are small groups of individuals producing what they sell and sticking their own necks out. Big outfits don't and can't. Not just now.
On a serious note, part of me really supports the clubs but the other part thinks a lot of the clubs are playing both sides against the middle; they are making an inflated profit by playing off pot's "semi-legal" status.
While having a gray area is better than no acceptance at all, it's still nowhere near a good solution.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 8:25 AM on May 1, 2011
On a serious note, part of me really supports the clubs but the other part thinks a lot of the clubs are playing both sides against the middle; they are making an inflated profit by playing off pot's "semi-legal" status.
While having a gray area is better than no acceptance at all, it's still nowhere near a good solution.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 8:25 AM on May 1, 2011
OTOH, aren't they the perfect example of entrepreneurial spirit and "small companies creating jobs"?
posted by Benny Andajetz at 8:28 AM on May 1, 2011
posted by Benny Andajetz at 8:28 AM on May 1, 2011
From what I've heard, growing even a few plants indoors under bright lights, which is what the cannabis clubs want, requires time, knowledge and experience, and some luck. And manicuring stiff, heavy, tough and fibrous plants that took some time to grow and that are covered with crazy smelly sticky leaves and tons of resin that won't wash off your glasses is hard work that makes those elegant buds and nuggets people demand now expensive to produce.
posted by longsleeves at 9:22 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by longsleeves at 9:22 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]
Can't we come to some sort of compromise. Let's legalize Pot, and ban all public smoking. Sounds fair. Republicans should love it.
posted by QueerAngel28 at 12:15 PM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by QueerAngel28 at 12:15 PM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
Great post, had no idea. Another excellent case for legalization.
posted by jardinier at 8:33 AM on May 3, 2011
posted by jardinier at 8:33 AM on May 3, 2011
Worth a mention: Ethanol (booze) does have an actual medical use. It's an antidote for ethylene glycol poisoning. This also explains why criminals can add antifreeze to booze and usually not kill anyone.
The case for medical marijuana is much stronger than it ever was for medical booze. I used to think it takes time to change people's minds but now I think you just have to hope their children are smarter and wait for a generational shift.
posted by chairface at 4:33 PM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
The case for medical marijuana is much stronger than it ever was for medical booze. I used to think it takes time to change people's minds but now I think you just have to hope their children are smarter and wait for a generational shift.
posted by chairface at 4:33 PM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
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posted by Ardiril at 1:26 AM on May 1, 2011