Today’s Congressional hearing

David Murray has absolutely no shame. Get this from his prepared statement:

Funded by millions from those who want to legalize marijuana outright,
marijuana lobbyists have now been deployed to Capitol Hill and to States across the
Nation to employ their favored tactic of using Americans‰ natural compassion for the sick
to garner support for a far different agenda. These modern-day snake oil proponents cite
testimonialsÖnot scienceÖthat smoked marijuana helps patients suffering from AIDS,
cancer, and other painful diseases ‹feel better.Š Unfortunately for America‰s sick, the
same scenario our Nation dealt with a century ago has returned, and a number of states
have passed voter referenda or legislative actions making smoked marijuana available for
a variety of medical conditions upon a doctor’s recommendation under state law.

Let me explain it once again. Even if you forget all the myriad studies that demonstrate significant value from medicinal use of marijuana, the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is primarily used as a symptom reliever. This doesn’t just mean “feeling better.” It means reducing the pain so you can work or function. It means reducing the nausea so you can take the healing medicine. It means reducing the spasms so you can walk, or read, or hold a pencil. The only measurement of whether it works is… whether it works. If it relieves the symptom so you can function, then it’s effective. The only question is, then, whether it’s safe. And to that question I say: “Show me the bodies.” Marijuana is arguably the safest drug known to man. If a doctor and a patient agree that it’s the best course, then there is no moral or constitutional justification for David Murray’s job to exist.
And, of course, he pushes the “smoked” marijuana meme to hysterical lengths:

In light of these scientifically proven medicinal alternatives, the idea of telling suffering patients that the best we can do for them is to encourage them to inhale the hot smoke of a burning weed, of unknown dose and purity, seems medieval at best.

It would be simply ridiculous if his asshole approach wasn’t hurting so many people. How dare he? He is a despicable traitor to the human race.
And it gets worse. Check out these bizarre ‘reasons’ medical marijuana laws “do not work”

• Medical marijuana laws lead to drug-related violence. […]

His reasoning? Because there have been thefts of the medical marijuana — more a result of the conflicting state and federal laws that prevent developing a secure system.

• Medical marijuana laws protect drug dealers […]

No. Prohibition protects drug dealers.
Fortunately, while I have not yet seen the transcripts, it appears that the subcommittee may have been on the job (although this is a very limited report).
I’m anxious to get more information. I’ll probably be talking about this hearing for awhile.