Today on CNN Newsroom
Medical Marijuana Ad on Television
Sacaramento’s Fox Affiliate KTXL broadcast what is believed to be the first paid advertisement for a medical marijuana dispensary. The 30-second ad, paid for by Sacramento-based "CannaCare" and produced by KTXL, shows various people delivering testimonials on the benefits of marijuana when used for medicinal purposes. Text at the bottom of the advertisement indicates that marijuana can be used in the relief of many diseases and illnesses, including diabetes, HIV, Hepatitis C and hypertension among others.
Marijuana is not shown in the advertisement, and the word "marijuana" is never used. Instead, patients and the ad itself refer to pot as "cannabis."
Of course, right now, this is as controversial as when cigarette, condom and Viagra commericials first hit television.
So, What do you think? Does medical marijuana have a place on television in California?
It’s legal, after all. Or are some things best left off the airwaves? Post your comments here and Kyra will read them in the 10am hour of CNN Newsroom.
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Of course, the plant should be legalized!!
Marijuana has proven medical uses. Leave it to a narrow minded few to block anything that has medical benefits. Sure, show it on TV, heck, they show alcohol on TV and it is a drug as well.
look what beer can do to you, and look what pills can do to you, i see those advertised all day, so marijuana should be able to advertise too. but no matter what there will always be hipocrits and critics. but i would choose cannibas over pills and beer anyday. way safer and less fatalities and less addiction compared to the other things advertised. hope this helps. -Brandon
Of course Cannabis belongs on television. Everyone knows that it is less harmful than cigarettes and alcohol, both of which are legal. There have been irrefutable studies that prove Cannabis has medicinal value. I could go on forever, but I am going to let the people of California speak on this issue in November.
yes , Marijuana should be made legal ALL over the Country , not just in California. it would help the Failing Ecomy by leaps and bound's . from the tax Dollar's . plus all the Money it would save the Authority's from tryin to trac down and lock up any and everyone who posses it , think of the $ saved , and they would'nt be so over crowded in the prison system... Randy From Texas
The ads are OK. For the same reasons prohibition was repealed, the majority of Amricans realize what a waste of resources it is to continue the current criminalization of pot. Do we have problem potheads? Sure, like problem alcoholics. We need to develop a rational approach to this drug.
Of course, the reefer madness generation is fading out and it's time to face reality. Anyone who knows the history of why Marijuana became illegal would see it is just a silly prohibition. Let's get with the times, it is useful and I'd rather see it help people than send people to prison/jail. It's out there, and more people do it than any of us know. They have every right to run ads that says it helps people, because it can, it does, and people should have the right to make their own decisions.
Has anyone ever been arrested for domestic violence, assault, murder, disrupting the peace, due to the effects of marijuana? How about alcohol? Please do some research on how marijuana became illegal. It all goes back to lobbyists from the alcohol industry. Crimes committed because of marijuana are all due to its illegality, not to its effect on the user.
The medicinal benefits of marijuana are well known and researched. The 'war on drugs' would like to spin it the other way but pot, when used properly, is a wonderful thing.
I am a registered nurse and work on a trauma unit at an inner city level 1 trauma center hospital. The hospital's income depends a great deal on tax dollars to pay for care and prevent many patients from costing the system countless dollars in the future if their care is not paid for right away. I work with countless patients who would prefer the use of medical marijuana over expensive alternatives including many opioid derivative pain medicines and other anti-nausea pain medicines. Medical use of marijuana with exponentially less addictive properties will lead to increased patient satisfaction, a less expensive bottom line, and less money spent on pain med addiction counseling.
I don't want any mind altering drugs advertised on TV. The antidepressants and antipsycotic drugs (like Seroquel, Zyprexa, Wellbitran, Abilify) should be taken off TV, too. The liquor and tobacco adds have been banded, but we allow these to be shown. There is no difference in any of these subsatnaces than the marijuna. They are all drugs. They are all adictive. The commericals in our homes make them seem like products we should request and puchase like laundry soap and face creme. People do not realize the side effects are often worse than their original symptom.
This should be a good time to observe what effects legal cannabis has on the flow of drugs threw California just this one state could have a grim effect on the Mexican cartel but with all the Ex-Stenze commercials along with summers breeze and Viagra this commercial is G rated to the other R and X rated .
The medical marijuana ad doesn't personally bother me at all. As you said earlier, some of the current TV ads are as equally controversial as the medical marijuana ad but they get TV time. I would much rather see all of these types of commercials, Viagra, Trojan, etc., just simply off the air. However, that's not realistic and for that reason the cannabis ad is perfectly fine with me.
Joe
Notice how Kyra acts uncomfortable when she does this story... It's that sense of "taboo" around weed that drag this debate down.
Actually there is no debate. This is the most researched and cultivated plant in the history of mankind. We knew it was safe for thousands of years and for some reason we have forgotten all that knowledge.
It's sad that a natural plant is so dangerous and yet they cannot see it's making it illegal that adds any danger to the equation. People only kill each other in illegal markets (my local farmers market hasn't had a shootout, over carrots, in years!). It's really sad.
Absolutely, medical marijuana ads belong in the public eye. Increasing numbers of studies prove the efficacy of this medicine. If pain relievers, anti-depressants, and other medications are advertised in order to inform potential patients, then why not medicinal marijuana? People need to know that this non-toxic, non-addictive medication is available as an option to potentially harmful and addictive alternatives.
Advertising medical marijuana on tv is a fantastic way to re-educate the American people. We've been bombarded by so much anti-marijuana propaganda, it's often hard for us to understand the legitimacy of sound medical science behind the healing properties of cannabis. Maybe commercials like this will help pave the way for an America that follows the advice of its first President: "Make the most of the hemp seed and sow it everywhere." – George Washington
I personally don't use marijuana, and never have. But I don't see how anyone could be soo hypocritical of this ad for using an all natural plant for your own personal prescribed use. Verses FDA approved drugs that have a list of "harmful side effects" as long as your arm, which receive billions in advertising funds internationally.
People abuse prescription drugs everyday, yet no one looks at them as "bad". I guess because a doctor in a white coat gave you permission to use it. Yet these are the same FDA aprroved medicines that are being recalled every so many years after having found to cause liver failure, kidney damage, heart problems, depression, renal failure, nausea, and more.
Why not give people the option of something natural that they want to use for their body. Besides, I never heard of anyone over-dosing on marijuana. But certainly hear of people over-dosing on prescription drugs.
About 38 years ago, I was unable to learn algebra. My algebra teacher promised me that if I was willing to stay every day after school and get some help from her, I would pass algebra. She struggled every day after school explaining algebra to me, and yes, I was able to pass the algebra tests. Thank-you Teach!!!!
In the sixties I smoked pot. A few years ago I had to do chemo. What amazed me at the time, was how the government could worry about any side effects of marijuana when I was allowed to take legally-prescribed drugs with the most unimaginably horrible side effects possible. I have no interest in smoking pot anymore but I fail to see why it is treated differently than other medically-useful substances. When I worked with the elderly, it occurred to me how much better they would be eating if there was some pot cooked into their meals.......
It's legal to use for medical purposes, so why not? Pharmeceutical companies have every right to run their ads about their "drugs", only to find out years later that it caused kidney failure or immediately after the ad, you see a long list of side effects. Marijuana had been around for thousands of years. We know the effects, side effects and I would rather smoke a joint than a manufactured pill. So I say yea, run the ad, and let the public know what benefits it can have, rather than let the plant get a bad rep for another 73 years!
Kyra,
I just saw your commentary on the Medical Marijuana add on California TV. First, I had to laugh that it appeared on a fox channel. Secondly, I would challenge that it is already mainstream. As or more mainstream than viagra. Given the current standing of California's budget, and the possible legalization I would think that getting the real truth out to the people is ok. Don't get me wrong, I do think that many people wont benefit medically from this, just like anything. I'd hope that they would run these adds late at night instead of Saturday morning. That goes for all direct to consumer pharma ads. It is time for our country to stop the political propaganda that predates president Nixon. It continues to amaze me that we spend billions on the war against marijuana, when we can't pay our teachers a good wage and most state budgets are in the dumper. Legalize it, Tax it, educate people about it. Booze is way more harmful and I don't recall any negative press on when miller lite, bacardi, coors, and every other liquor company runs their ads..............
I am bias because I believe in legalization but Californians went threw the process of voting and making it law. America claims to be a capitalist society? How many beer and alcohol advertisements run on Saturday and Sunday during sporting events? Unless you live in a dry county where can't you buy or purchase alcohol? Print ads you see cigarettes and there known to kill?
I Extenze...my Vigra... to Cannabis....
I think this is perfectly fine. Medical pot is allowed in that state, so trying to obtain customers is nothing different than the prescription drug companies advertising.
it's about time. i'm glad to see CNN covering this topic. California is going to lead once again in a sea change.
I live in Los Angeles and we have taken a step backwards in the legalization recently by shutting down most of the dispensaries.
I'm all for the advertising and the legalization.
It wouldn't affect me one way or the other. But, I do have a question. Has Marijuana been proven to CURE medical conditions, or does it just make one "feel good"?
Of course if we legalize it, which is of no concern to me, would cocaine be next, then Heroin? What after that?
Leave the pot ads. Get rid of traditional medical and doctor ads as well as Attorney ads.
I don't have a problem with marijuana at all. I've been smoking marijuana for 40 years. I've had three back surgerys and in constent pain from that and it really does help with that pain. I would much rather smoke marjiuana than take pain meds because I have many less side affects. So many keep saying how it's harmful but look at the facts or better yet compare marijuana to, lets say beer or vodka. have you ever seen some one falling over drunk from smoking a joint.
I don't see why not. Alcohol is advertised and it has NO redeeming qualities, ruins countless lives, kills those who drink and innocents in their path, causes broken families, mental abuse and physical abuse. Alcohol is evil with a capital E! AND it's the true "gateway drug" NOT pot! Those who fear a progression of drug use from a "gateway" drug should be fighting the beer, wine and spirits producers as they cause untold harm to our nation at a cost of billions and many, many lives.
Pot on the other had is pretty innocuous in comparison. I don't know of one person arrested for under the influence of marijuana (I hear of many DUIs for booze), not one broken family from pot smoking, no beatings or emotional abuse by anyone who smokes and no traffic accidents/injuries or deaths from stoned driving.
And pot helps many people get through their day with less pain and suffering using a nature produced product versus a lab concocted chemical that makes obscene amounts of money for the patent holder. THAT is the main reason we can't use pot freely! Partly it's due to big business pushing the legislation to criminalize marijuana to protect their profits. Partly to ridiculous, erroneous and easily disproved "medical" reasons like it causes insanity, murderous rages and that it turns "normal" men into wanton rapists. It's also due to racism. Fear of Mexicans was a common thing then and pot laws came down to harass their population who were perceived as "undesirable". Our harrassment of them isn't new...it's just sad. And throw in the interference of the Mormon Church and then as now you get laws that legislate personal choice and insert religious dogma into our "free" society.
If it is going to be marketed as a medical drug than it should have some disclaimer information such as:
"Medical marijuana does NOT cause bloating, constipation, lack of appetite, suicidal thoughts, or increased chance of liver or heart disease. If any of these symptoms do occur, you're probably taking FDA approved medicine and should consult with your doctor."
time to legalize it is now war in mexico would be over. also gov would make money taxing it.
It needs to be on TV so it can pass in Nov. We need more happy people in America. Everyone is so down lately. We could all use a hit.
I have a medical Marijuana prescription for my chronic pain and would happily discuss the relief it gives me. If we have to sit through viagra commercials what is the difference?
Yes, the pharmaceutical companies have bombarded us with prescription drug ads for many years and those drugs all have side effects, some deadly.
Therefore, a plant which simply doesn't kill or injure people but is very helpful for relief with many medical conditions should be advertised as well.
Even aspirin and related products kill hundreds of people a year. Check how many people die from taking prescription medications as prescribed, you'll be astounded at the huge numbers.
My mother uses medical marijuana. She has cancer and has received radiation treatment in her abdomen, which has destroyed cells in her stomach and intestines, making it quite a chore to eat. Marijuana has given her an appetite. She has lost close to 30 pounds and didn't have the weight to lose to begin with. I hate to think where she would be without marijuana. As long as the commercials are focusing on the medical aspect and not the illegal use of it, there is nothing wrong with it. I think the public needs to be more educated about the medical benefits it can provide.
If ads. about condoms and such other products can be advertised, why not medical marijuana which is legal in CA. Although it should not be advertised in other states where it is not legal. How many of the other drugs (medicines) are safe anyway that are advertised on the TV?
Medical marijuana should become accepted and mainstream. For pain it is better in every respect than some narcotic like vicodin. I used after prostate cancer radiation treatments.
CNN should be paying a lot more attention to the drugs that are actually harmful, not just giving in to the stigma surrounding (harmless and truly medicinal) marijuana.
Hello Kyra,
I think the ads for MEDICAL Marijuana are much more justified than the ads for any of the erectile dysfunction medicines. When I am watching TV with my kids (and one of them is only 9 years old), I would rather discuss the usage and importancce of MEDICAL Marijuana with her than ED medicines, which are shown during primetime. ED ads have their place but not during primetime.
Why can't we show commercials about Marijuana on television? If we can have commercials glorifying alcohol on the tube, then marijuana is fair game... I mean, a drunk is violent... what's the worst a "pot-head" will do, eat YOUR dinner? It helps people...alcohol doesn't... we need to evolve our way of thinking... and let go of bias
Marijuana has been main stream for a long time. It is a great idea to get the message out. There are for more benefits to marijuana than medial uses. People need to open up to marijuana and understand the numerous benefits that this one plant has. I challenge anyone to list on plant that can do more than marijuana.
There are ads for every medicial condition known to man on TV why should this be any different, if it helps some people feel better when they use it leave them alone you don't have to agree and you can change the channel.
No cigarettes no marijuana. Both are considered adictive inhalent sedatives regardless of ones personal reasons for using them. We should be careful not to send children the wrong message.
This is a hard one for me, My brother hung himself in Feburary cause he was in pain and was growing Medical Marijuana for his own use In New Jersey. Some one called in and had him arrested. So sad he is gone and he did not hurt anyone.....RIP DEan
Marijuana is far less destructive than alcohol. It is about time that we take a serious look at legalizing marijuana for general use. Not only is it easier to control something after it is legalized, but the US economy would greatly benefit from a new revenue stream. There would also be significant savings from the judicial system not prosecuting simple possession.
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Marijuana has been main stream for a long time. It is a great idea to get the message out. There are for more benefits to marijuana than medial uses. People need to open up to marijuana and understand the numerous benefits that this one plant has. I challenge anyone to list a plant that can do more than marijuana.
Its time to pull our heads out of the sand and admit that millions of law abiding American citizens smoke marijuana. More people have been harmed by drinking too much water than from smoking marijuana. The war on drugs is a total failure and the number one generator of crime in America.
Leave the marijuana ads alone and marijuana all together. It's a non issue issue and those that are against it are ill informed or liars. It's not as safe as alcohol, it's safer. It has a 10,000 year history and not one single recorded death from the plant. The industries that stand to lose in the path of this new wave of change are of course violently fighting with every dirty trick in the book to muddy the waters enough to confuse people on such an otherwise benevolent plant. More people die every year from prescription drugs than all other illicit drugs combined. This is going to create jobs, help people, reduce violent crimes, make law enforcement jobs easier, free up tax dollars used to cage otherwise non violent people and create revenue from taxes. You can't be stupid and grow the plant. You have to know what the hell you are doing. Something pharmaceutical companies and drug cartels have in common. They both want it to remain illegal!!
The medical marijuana ads don't bother me. If someone chooses not to smoke pot now, they aren't going to smoke pot just because of an ad on television.
Its a drug,and like other drugs it has its benefits and its drawbacks. If it truly helps alleviate suffering for some people then it should be used to do so while regulating it as we do other drugs to avoid abuse .
Of course people who are in pain should have a right to see these ad's, that's what medical marijuana is all about! I cant believe it's even an issue, considering all the other garbage ad's I see (ie: attorney's ads, viagra and all the other drugs that will take away your stuffy nose but in turn, give you cramps, diareah and heart attacks.) World, this comment is for you, MARIJUANA IS NOT COCAINE, ACID, ECSTASY...ITS A GOD GIVEN HERB THAT WAS GROWN FOR US FROM BEGINNING OF TIME TO USE FOR RELAXATION!!!!!!!!!
I'm a 9 year cancer survivor and I advocate for medical pot. It had many benefits for me. It would dull the pain until the pain meds would kick in. That usually would take about an hour. It would keep me from getting sick. The meds I was given for this made me sicker. It made me hungry when nothing else would. It also relieved the stress from having cancer. I told my oncologist I was going to smoke pot while going through treatments. He told me two things. 1) Smoking pot in my past didn't give me cancer. 2) He wished he could perscribe it for me.
I have a spine that is fused in the lumbar and cervical region which has left me with chronic pain. I have tried everything, I even have an electric stim implant in my back. Yet there are times that I am still in pain. If medical marijuana was an option in New York, I would use it at these times that nothing else works. John in New York
Medical marijuana ads should be on TV in California, as well as the rest of the country. It's time that adults be allowed to have all medical options available to them. Marijuana is illegal, but doctors are prescribing people daily regimens of Oxycontin and Xanax? C'mon – what happened to common sense?
Medical Marijuana should be in the mainstream media. The ignorance in today's society about this valuable plant can only be cured through education and exposure to the truth.
Our voices have been silenced for too long while alcohol and cigarette companies have been able to send their messages through all sorts of media.
It's time to end the oppression, especially of our ill and dying, and I applaud those running this ad.
I dont see what the problem with advertising medical marijuana on TV is. they advertise all those other deadly drugs that have vicious side affects! And they advertise for BP petroleum just fine... Marijuana never caused that kind of devastation. Face it Straight America Marijuana is here to stay! May as well grow and sell it here its one answer to the illegal immigration and contraband trade from our southern and northern borders.
of course it should be allowed we should take the vote and let the people talk ,with votes and if the peoples will is too use mary jane in public or private it should be treated identically to beer ,i.e you cant drink in public ,you have to go to a local cafe or privately in your home in order to use,it will work,,, and the majority of people dont not like it
Unlike all the ads for all these other medications that have a mile long list of side effects marijuana seems very straight forward. It's also very well known that its use benefits people with varying ailments and when you really think about it man made all of these other drugs including alcohol. God made marijuana! Who do you trust? The FDA? I think not!
I say let them advertise it all they like. Maybe this will shut up the minority in this country who try claiming it as a gateway drug rather than what it is and has been for thousands of years! A remedy for pain...
Of course it does! We advertise nationally for alcohol for no medical benefit whatsoever. We have yet to see the first overdose caused by the consumption of marijuana while there are countless stories of alcohol related deaths. Not to mention violence resulting from excessive alcohol consumption. I am truly happy to see the state of California is spearheading the quest for legalizing marijuana. I personally believe legalizing marijuana, under controlled conditions, will be of great beneficial value for the nation.
If advertisements for anti depressants can be shown on television, why not cannibus as well? The pharmacuetical company's ad says," If your antiepressant isn't working, try Ambian." Nevermind saying if your antidepressat isn't working, try counseling. Might as well advdertise the cannibus store; it isn't a National security secret that medical marijuana is legal in California. No, marijuana hasn"t been proven to be a cure for anything, but it has been proven to offer benefits as an effort to control symtoms.
I'm hoping that California legalizes marijuana for everyone age 21 and older, like alcohol. Peculiar, I can get drunk and go to work the next hung over, but I can't smoke a joint and get a job- twisted inside out, upside down, and backward
if the large pharmecutical comanies can have commercials on tv for all kinds of drugs with many side affects. then why shouldn't an ad for a plant that is used by many people in the world for 1000's of years be allowed.
medical pot= natural
pharmecuticals=Dangerous
bottom line is if you can have a ad for one. you should have a ad for either
Well kyra i guess as always people will never understand what others are going throught untill it happens to them I have cronic low back pain if i could smoke legally i would, this to me is all natural unlike other medication it doesnt have a large list of unhealthy side effects and my doctor only allows me 30 pain pills a month.
It's time we stopped demonizing marijuana. It's not a "dangerous" drug in the way cocaine or heroin or alcohol are. If it increases appetite and/or offers some comfort to ill patients, then they should have it. We need to get past the bad information coming from people who know nothing about it. When's the last time you heard about anyone overdosing on marijuana, or becoming addicted to it or killing someone while driving under it's influence? Maybe I'm missing something here, but to me it seems a lot less harmful than alcohol.
It seems about time that we are taking a good look at the reasoning behind the view that marijuana should be illegal. With all of the new medicines on the market to help with problems from anxiety to cancer, why is a harmless plant so offensive? It is a matter of control.
Medical marijuana is legal in CA and should be treated like any other natural medicine and ads are just as valid as a Viagra ad.
i see i am in great company. as others have stated, drug companies have been allowed their spots on the airwaves, even with their scrolls of nasty horrible side effects.
everyone in california realizes this is not only decent medicine but it's also going to carry us out of debt. it will be legal here soon enough. and we'll watch much of the country jump on the bandwagon. once that happens, the "drug" stigma will be no more.
just my 2 pesos
enough of the this crap please! i can sit and smoke 10 joints and get up and walk home, i drink ten beer and only God knows what will happen to me on the way. pot gives you "short term memory loss"....I'd rather forget what I did ten minutes ago than all of last night cuz I was loaded drunk!!!!!
The President can drink a beer with a cop and professor on the white house lawn and we don't worry about what that teaches our children. Its funny that many of the people who are against marijuana go home and drink alcohol on weekly or daily basis. Marijuana doesn't hurt people, the law is what ruins lives.
No one cares about smoking pot. Even people that don't smoke it agree that the only reason the government makes it illegal is because they know that they won't be able to make money off of it. We could all grow our own, but then we wouldn't have to pay the doctor, pay the pharmacy, pay the insurance companies, pay for gas, pay for the babysitter, and pay for the day off that we have to take to see the doctor. Oh, and the smuggling it in from Mexico and killing innocent people would probably end. No demand for drugs=no drug war. Seems pretty obvious to me.
Pot ads? no problem. Viagra is embarrassing but the lies of negative
political campaigning is outright ugly. The money spent by the cooperate world (big oil & insurance) is insulting to the general public that are loosing jobs to their outsourced greed. We are upside down like an inmobilized turtle. Help!
Please, no! As a baby boomer, I have watched advertisers stretch the limits of decency since I was a child. I saw, to my eternal embarrassment, the marketing of feminine hygiene products during my teen years, to the now off the charts ads for aid for men and women to improve their sex lives as they grow older. Where are those adoring women who seem to be ready to hit the sheets with their equally attentive men? Really! I have grown used to hearing how to make myself free of embarrassing odor–who writes that stuff? Too many ads for medicines, make-up that uses soft focus lenses and way too young models to worry about wrinkles, and men who slightly change their hair color in minutes to land some cute young thing. I still cringe when commercials for cleaning products are voiced-over by male voices–like the "little ladies" out there need that strong authoritative voice to tell us what is best for keeping our homes clean and laundry done to perfection. Please. Make the lawyer ads go away, the shouting salespeople and the info-mercials too expensive to continue. My mute buttons are just about worn out!! Thanks for letting me vent and keep up the good work!
Kyra, I have been paralyzed for over ten years. I have found out that with a little bit of marajuana my nausia is gone from taking all the pills that I take. It also really helps with my serious spasms that I have in the morning.
I am in a state that it is illegal take obtain it.It is to bad that it is looked down upon yet
and have been in serious pain ever since. The doctors gave me heavy narcotics and kept on increasing the dose until I was on enough to kill a man. I still hurt terribly and I could hardly stand it.
Free country? Every person on this page appears to support the ad except for one (and I agree with that person that drug company adds should be banned from tv- look kids a purple pill to eat-yummy)
PEOPLE ARE IN JAIL FOR SOMETHING HALF AMERICA CLEARLY SMOKES AND MOST AMERICANS SIMPLY DON'T MIND.
It's illegal to control people and have a reason to search you, your car, and your home.
I think it is irresponsible and ignorant for us as a nation to not tack advantage of all the proven uses and benefits of marijuana. Marijuana is proven to be a mercurial drug with countless uses and can Senegal handidly tack this nation out of det and significantly help the environment.
Every thing you can make out of oil and trees can be made from hemp. Not to mention all the wasted money spent on going after people for pot when it is not the drug we need to worry about.
It Is A Bit Late To Worry About What Commercials Are Allowed To Air On TV! Ads On Pot Have To Be Mild Copared To The Smut Weve Seen The Past Decade.
Its about time they advertise Marijuana on tv here in california. marijuana is a natural plant that has no side effects like prescibion drugs and is greatt in helping with pain, different diseases and so forth, I feel that marijuana should be legalized in the whnole country of the United States, this would cut down on crime, overrided prisions and would bring much tax dollars both statewide and fedral wide if congress would legalize this wonderful plant. It would truly help with feadral taxes for reducing the national debt.
Chad.
This should be common sense... Man made drug?? Nature made drug?? Duh I am a chronic pain suffer and Im tired of docs givin one pill then another to ease side effects of that one then another for those side effects.. No wonder cancer is growing all these man made chemicals.
I am not so opposed to medical marijuana as I am to Viagra and Cialas being advertised during prime time newscasts. I don't have children, but if I did, I would want them to watch the news and be aware of what's going on in the world. I just can't imagine trying to explain "erectile dysfunction" to a 9 or 10 year old. Such discussions will come in good time, but should not be forced on parents by TV advertilsing.
PS – I wish CNN would move you back to Afternoon.
the fact of the matter is that marijuana is less dangerous than virtually all medications advertised on television. Marijuana is legal in california with a doctors prescription and that is how it should stay. Keep the adds medical and I am fine with that.
Regarding Prop 19, I want it to fail because it will perpetuate the lie that this medicinal plant a "problem for society" when it should be respected as a medicine. The government has been lying to its citizens for decades and putting moms and pops in jail for providing safe access to the plant. They do not deserve the revenues nor will they spend the money properly. Prescribed Medicine is actually a tax write off. If prop 19 passes people will be paying endless taxes that will not benefit anyone. California is the 13th largest economy in the world, we do not have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem.
God is perfect, Man is not.
Man made liquor, God made Pot.
My daughter was diagnosed with Lupus this year and she has not been able to sleep due to the pain she is in. I suggested she try marijuana which is illegal in our state. I think it is a disgrace that it is a crime to help someone in pain using a harmless drug so yes I believe we should let them advertise and the rest of this nation needs to follow suit..
The drugs the Dr prescribe her are far more dangerous to her body then medicinal marijuana.
I'm sorry, what's the problem? Are we worried that we might finally have to face facts and admit that marijuana isn't as dangerous as we've been led to believe over the past 100 years? If marijuana is really so bad and dangerous, this ad wouldn't be so undermining to what we think we know. Ads for beer and liquor have been on our TVs for ages, where is the outrage there? Alcohol is far more dangerous than marijuana–it's more addictive, you can actually overdose, and alcohol withdrawal is the only withdrawal that can kill you. But it's legal and more socially acceptable. Learn the facts, the only danger from marijuana is chronic laziness. This is nothing more than another one of those obnoxious ads telling you to tell your doctor what's best for you.
The only people that do not want marijunana advertized are in the DRUG INDUSTRY . A drug with the potential to elliminate a good chuck of the man-made synthetic, for profit ,with a list of side effects as long as your arm,pills that they are HAWKING,that grows like a WEED.
Its time for America to tax and benifit from this .
Since I've never used marijuana, I don't have an opinion one way or another. I DO, however, have an opinion on 'sex' drugs promoted by the pharmaceutical companies. They're embarassing, and disgusting. Every time one comes on, I turn the channel. This country has fallen into a sexual abyss, and it is only due to greed. Where is the humility??
Get rid of the Marijuana add's.We tell our kid's JUST SAY NO TO DRUG'S.So what do we tell them if its on TV its ok. My Doctor wants me to use it for my cronic pain but I said no He also told me I could be a grower of 20-25 plants every 4 months,with his prescrption.so I wouldn't have to buy it I still said no I have a 11yr old daughter first of all,& I travel with her.So every place I go are they just going to except it.Could you just think being at the airport what would happen.How would they know its a real prescription. JUST SAY NO is working to help our kids they still need to more of that.One more thing what happen's to the DUI,charge, THANK YOU KEEP UP YOUR GREAT WORK ALL OF YOU AT CNN. GARY
Marijuana should have been legalized 30 years ago. Why would our tax dollars be spent on keeping it illegal. Legalize it and spend more money on homeland security!
I am a patient with a serious health issue. I'm sure my health would be more controlled with access to legalized cannabis. It would also help the government & economy with the revenue benefits if it is properly regulated.
Kyra, you mentioned in your report that critics of this ad were afraid that it would give the impression that cannabis is now mainstream in America. I have two words for them: too late. The generation that gained their only information about cannabis from "Reefer Madness"-type propaganda, and who created laws in accordance with that information, is now powerless from within their caskets or nursing homes. The truth has been told; there is no cramming it back into the box of hypocrisy it has been trapped in for the past century. The truth is, cannabis has medicinal benefits, as many herbs do. The biggest truth though is that the government has no right to put me in jail for medicating with Mother Nature, while at the same time pushing harmful pharmaceuticals (proclaimed by the same government) down my throat. The only reason it hasn't been made legal is because the government can't figure out a way to make money on a drug that people can grow for themselves. The "lock 'em up" game currently pays better, and provides many more jobs within the criminal justice sector. It hasn't been the American people that the laws have been protecting, it's the government's lucrative Drug War and all of its monetary incentives that has been protected, at the cost of innocent lives destroyed by a needless criminal record.
Marijuana as mainstream? It jumped the banks of the stream quite a while ago. It's just that the critics have been blinded by years of unbridled power in dealing with human lives. Time for them to lose the blindfolds.
The US is the only country in the world that allows pharmaceutical companies to advertise a particular medication. We're seeing the same thing here: a medication being advertised so consumers know it is there, that it is "ok" to ask for. Heck, Viagra's got a whole commercial about "get the nerve up, ask your doctor if viagra is right for you."
If we're getting upset about medical marijuana ads, maybe we should reconsider pharmaceutical advertising in general.
I also have an Army Vet that will be very Vocal on this subject, should you do a story about this medicine. He is avocating in Springfield Illinois where he sleeps in his wheel chair for days on end.
Maryann
The AD's should stay! MARIJUANA is harmeless! Kyra, why dont you do some digging and find out why it was made illegal. I think you will find that raceisam was the major factor, you see it was the best way to controll the illegal mexcian and intercity black population.
Can we switch the endless Cialis ads for medical marijuana ads nationwide? The thing that "can happen anytime" is being forced to see another of those stupid ads. I need medical marijuana (if it was available in NY) to deal with the stress of all the big pharma ads, Cialis and Viagra being the worst. Roger Stump is a close second. Thank God for the mute button!
Viva medical pot ads!!!
I agree with all the above comments about the media goes way over on promoting sexual arousement; therefore, the media should start advertising on spiritual matters, like we will not live forever, and we need to be ready to meet the almighty.
Marijuana is erroneously and deliberately misclassified as a Schedule I narcotic.
Regulation and not outright prohibition is needed to address any issues with the fact that marijuana is a drug.
***
Medical marijuana is a health issue, and the United States of America should stop confusing drugs with criminal behavior.
We have laws that give us a handle on the use of alcohol, so why can't we get a handle on marijuana?
Because it is not regulated, just prohibited. The Drug War is a big failure.
Marijuana is erroneously and deliberately misclassified as a Schedule I narcotic.
Regulation and not outright prohibItion is needed to address any issues with the fact that marijuana is a drug.
***
Medical marijuana is a health issue, and the United States of America should stop confusing drugs with crimInal behavior.
We have laws that give us a handle on the use of alcohol, so why can't we get a handle on marijuana?
Because it is not regulated, just prohIbited. The Drug War is a big failure.
so how is marijuan used in the mendical
I don't think we need commercials for medical anything. That's what we have doctors for.
The FCC should curb the medical ads, the alcohol ads, lawyer ads, and info-mercials.
I hate the info-mercials the most. There is never anything worth watching on cable tv anymore. The info-mercials are just adding insult to injury..
First let ask when was the last time you say someone falling down high on Cannabis? I agree it isn't for everyone but until Anslinger Cannabis concoctions were the most used medicines. We need to ask ourselves why is Cannabis illegal bigotry plain and simple. We know it fights cancer we know it's good medicine there's been over 10,000 studies stop the lies. Ask yourself why won't the government even discuss it here's an idea big PHARMA big textiles why not even allow hemp to be grown?? There was a slogan Hemp For Victory not to mention jobs. The Cannabis and Hemp industry could provide over 5 million jobs what would that do for us? Here is another wasted opportunity by the Obama administration
$113 billion is spent on marijuana every year in the U.S., and because of the prohibition *every* dollar of it goes straight into the hands of criminals. Far from preventing people from using marijuana, the prohibition instead creates zero legal supply amid massive and unrelenting demand.
According to the ONDCP, at least sixty percent of Mexican drug cartel money comes from selling marijuana in the U.S., they protect this revenue by brutally torturing, murdering and dismembering thousands of innocent people.
If we can STOP people using marijuana then we need to do so NOW, but if we can't then we need to legalize the production and sale of marijuana to adults with after-tax prices set too low for the cartels to match. One way or another, we have to force the cartels out of the marijuana market and eliminate their highly lucrative marijuana incomes – no business can withstand the loss of sixty percent of its revenue!
To date, the cartels have amassed more than 100,000 "foot soldiers" and operate in 230 U.S. cities, and the longer they're able to exploit the prohibition the more powerful they get and the more our own personal security is put at risk.
Kyra, I hope you're reading some of these posts. Google "why is marijuana illegal" then come back on the air and report the facts about that
As of this post...
96 total comments.
93 for cannabis ads
3 against cannabis ads
So, why do we have a prohibition against cannabis?
Time for a vote! We own the government...not the other way around.
I live with chronic pain (24/7). At times it is very extreme. My meds don't always help releive the pain that I live with. If I found that the medical marijuana would be more beneficial in releiving the pain I have from Rheumatiod Arthritis and degenerative disc disease, I would certainly as my doctor to perscribe if for me. I know what it is like to live with pain. I have lived with pain for 16 years. It is no fun to have sleepless nights when living with constant pain.
Commercials for medicine is not a new thing. So, I think it is a great idea. If for no other reason, light bulbs in peoples minds will turn on... or at least flicker a little bit. Most of us in America need a light bulb moment.
I think the add for Cannabis is OK we have TV adds for pills and other medications all day long Cannabis is only one more medication. Smoking it is not the only way you can make it into butter and use it that way, the only side effect it has is munchies, no one has ever died or overdosed due to Cannabis.
1930
U.S. Government sponsors the Siler Commission study on the effects of off-duty smoking of "marijuana" (hemp buds & leaves) by American servicemen in Panama. The report concludes that such recreational smoking is not a problem and recommends that no criminal penalties apply to its use.
We have a prohibition against cannibus because if we could all grow the herb in our sunrooms we would likely put "Big Pharm" out of business. A bit of this herb a day likely keeps alzheimers away. Think of the billions lost in drugs used on alzheimer patients, which do nothing but make the caregivers job easier.
I can't see where it would hurt a thing they can advertise other drugs that have way more side effects made by the big drug companies like the stuff for heartburn that can make you dizzy drousey and have diarea but you won't have heartburn any more, and all them sleep aids, that can make you do stuff in your sleep and not remember it, beer and licquer and all that why not advertise some thing God gave us to use. It workes better than any of those antidepressant drugs the doctors ever gave me!!!
yes i do think marijuana should be legalized. it has been proven in studies to help pain. i mean really thousands of of people have been killed by a drunk driver and you can go in a store and buy alcohol. i havent heard of anyone dying by a driver that was under the influnce of marijuana
Diabetes? The ad says "diabetes" as one of its target audiences. I have diabetes, and I guess my numbers could go down a bit for a short moment if I were to relax, but this is obviously a sign it will be abused! No diabetic NEEDS pot!
I feel sorry that the officer had lost a dear friend. But the truth is. Many very important people in our US history have used, tried or have continued to consume pot. You don't have to look very far to see want the life long effects from pot. They sit next to you everyday and some may even be your boss. People for many reasons from trying to deal with what you would call a normal life to recovering from drinking both of witch are legal. I wonder want if the officers friend was hit and killed by a drunk driver. would he try to band drinking? The biggest threat to americas drug problems are the drug corperations with their prozac and zoloft and trazadone and abilify, not to mention anything about the side effects. I kinda like the ones that say this medication can kill you
and before you die you. Pot is here to stay nomatter what the laws are.
Apparently there are some people who do not believe that medical Cannabis is a legitimate "medicine "
some city officials ,some judges,sheriffs, mostly the Archie Bunker type
That is why the TV ad is so important The media educates these people who still think medical cannabis is illegal because they voted against it.
And after the ad runs , ignorance will no longer be an excuse , but a chosen path!
Prop 19 will win by a landslide
For legalization of cannabis for recreational and medical purposes. Regulate and tax it like we do alcohol or ciggarretes and have the same age restrictions and laws for abuse.
POT POT POT how great. The use of cannabis is not bad at all. I don't understand how liquor is legal prescription drugs are legal but pot isn't. It just shows how controlling the united states truly is and simply mined. Pot does not harm the body at all if anything it makes the body better. All over the world pot is legal but yet the united states still don't agree just like everything else that should be a statement as is. My only concern with pot is that fact that it can be laced with another drug, therefor causing you to become susceptible to addition from the drug the cannabis was laced with. But other than that there aren't any major issues, and the united states I believe can pull themselves out of this recession with the money made from selling pot legally. Also if they did all the manufacturing and distributing of pot there would be no way it could be laced. Indian chiefs smoked pot and now the new generation does as well there's no getting around it we will still smoke pot rather for a medical issue or just for fun. This is coming from a person trying to receive pot for extreme cramp and migraines its the only thing that relaxes my body around that time of month (menstrual) and saves me a $500+ trip to the ER. When I don't smoke the pain causes me to vomit every 15minutes with severe cramp contractions. Pot is one of my heroes and also helps my create mind blossom. With out pot there would be a lot of alcoholics and dead beats with pot nothing but creativity will pour through the streets and over power the world with positivity and love. Peace love and Happiness, and to new beginnings with pot clouds filling the air instead of drunk homeless people roaming the streets. And ps alcohol is a gate way drug not pot.
Plants that grow in your back yard have no business being in our court systems at all!
That is all.
If big pharma can peddle thier drugs with many side effects, there should be no problem with a legal dispensary doing the same. The AD and patients have my respect for calling the plant by it's rightful name, CANNABIS!
Please tell your friends and relatives that Cannabis needs to be legalized! We need to stop locking up innocent Americans. This is a freedom of religion issue, human rights issue, and a civil liberties issue.
God gave man the gift plants to use for food, medicine, and clothing. We need to allow our people to us these gifts to fully enjoy the Miracle of Life!
Yes, it is appropriate to have this commercial. It helps medically for so many health problems. It is all natural. I have had a lot of loved ones going through cancer treatment...I know it would have helped them. It would have been nice to have this as apart of their treatments.
Alcohol kills, cannabis heals.
A personal story:
I had an unexplained seizure which got me kicked outta the army and the doctors didn’t know what caused them since I wasn’t diagnosed with epilepsy. They put me on pharmaceutical pills that made my gums bleed of all things, and I still suffered from another seizure. Eventually I said no more drugs. Ill just Vaporize good weed occasionally, since I read that it helps with seizures. It’s obviously worked for me since I have been 100% seizure-free for almost 3 years, I finished school and have a futuristic job. I thank God everyday for this miracle plant, the tree of life. And I know there’s hundreds of thousands of unfortunate people who are in the same dire situation, and they are the ones we are all fighting for. So let the Truth be known and lets all do our part to BREAK THE CHAINS. Much Love.
LET GOD DO THE WORK...MAN SO ARROGANT THINK HE CAN GOVERN THE LAWS OF NATURE... FEEL THE ENERGY
-Vincenzo Soriano
Finally! Glad to see the media is finally waking up to the benifits of medical cannabis...I'm sure having another potentially large source of revenue for the tv station doesn't hurt either...
Pat
To study the facts of cannabis prohibition (I'm 63), one must conclude that we really do live in the "Twilight Zone". I'm serious.
Marijuana and other drugs can be as dangerous as Alcohol, Coke, etc, or as recreational and safe. The 1920's showed us what happens when you make a 'drug' illegal, that people want. You put the gangs in power because they're the only ones meeting a demand with a supply. Legalize it and you take away all their power. A guy in growing weed in his apartment has power until he's competing with a company offering it legally for 1000x less the cost. The argument is that then everyone will do it? Are you high?
The people who want it already get it, and the people who don't – don't use it. That will not change. Not more than a few percent and the few who choose to do it because it's legal, will balance the few who only do it because it's 'cool' or 'dangerous'. That's a fringe. Let people do as they please so long as their freedoms don't inhibit the freedoms of another person. When THAT line is crossed, then be ready with some swift and REAL punishment. Stop wasting money trying to enforce something that is happening anyway, AND take the power away from the ones you're trying to enforce, by just legalizing it!!! It's the only logical solution.
The problem in our country isn't Pot. It's the Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton FAKE punishment system. If Jail truly punished, rehabbed, or booted people out of the country, a lot less crime would be committed. We need REAL punishment in the U.S.
Well, we all got a diagnosable condition that could benefit from an herbal remedy. Don't panic, we're organic. Just don't forget where you put that darn prescription.
Ask YOUR doctor if Cannabis is right for you. Liver tests not needed. Do not use heavy machinery. Smiling is a side effect. If this condition persists for more than 4 hours, increase use and call your doctor to thank him for his recommendation letter.
Kyra,
Honestly the ad is in bad taste and unnecessary.They might as well advertise all prescription drugs(drugs you can't buy without a prescription from the Doc).Worse still the ad may send a wrong signal or message to the most vulnerable group in the society that Cannabis, marijuana or whatever it may be called is legal just like booze or cigarrets.Only physicians should know about it.Of course Peter Tosh said so in Legalize It years back, but that doesn't mean it should be advertised on TV.It's a controlled substance remember and that's what it should remain.
I think I would really need to see the commercial to make a formal decision. But I think that an ad strictly for medical purposes is okay. I just hope that they got across that it's only for medical uses...
Dear Kyra,
I was crushed when I was on my off road motorcycle by a four wheel off road vehicle 10 years ago. Ever since then I have been in serious pain.
The doctors kept given me more and more opioids until I could not function. I had so much that I began to be a liability to them. Needless to say thay dumped me and every almost pain clicic. The ones that did take me made me go through hell.
I had to go through detox due to what the doctors had prescribed.
I am going to the Cleveland Clinic now. What a difference. I still get nausea from the drugs and what they gave me has a serious risks for you. All drugs in this catagory has the same.
I have to go against the law and use marajuana for relief when I can get it. It also halps my spasticity.
So I along with others like me wish marajuana were legalized period.
Text at the bottom of the advertisement indicates that marijuana can be used in the relief of many diseases and illnesses, including diabetes, HIV, Hepatitis C and hypertension among others.
-- what – are you stoned – lol – pot will NOT relieve any disease – especially diabetes and hbp -- hmmmm – after i torch this doob im gonna chow that half gal of extreme moose tracks with a box of oreo double stuffers – yeah thats real good for the blood sugar and hbp – thats probably how most people get these conditions – get real
MAYBE pot will help relieve the side effects of treatment of some diseases like hiv or hcv – BUT thats not whats stated in the article –
false misleading advertisement ---- you bet
Medical marijuana's place is in a pharmacy.
It has just as much of a place on TV as any other prescribed medicine. That is to say, under current laws, it should be allowed. However, the advertising of prescribed medicines to the public itself is unethical, and these advertisements should not be allowed. The pharma lobbies will never allow it to happen, but if in the future the advertising of prescription meds is banned as it should be, advertising of medical marijuana should likewise be banned at the same time.
It should not be aired when children could be watching. A safer alternative to air the ad would be when children are at school or in the late night when most of them are in bed.
Marijuana is not shown in the advertisement, and the word "marijuana" is never used. Instead, patients and the ad itself refer to pot as "cannabis." ???
Way to make this sound like the ad was trying to hide the word marijuana from the people. In actuality, YOU are the one referring to Cannabis as "marijuana" or "pot" Cannabis is the scientific name of the plant, so the ad is correct and you are bending the viewpoint to make it sound sinister. Next time do a little research before you write. Or, of you did do the research and/or already knew that the correct term is Cannabis, then shame on you for biasing your report to make the ad appear to be misleading.
It seems the only thing taboo on TV is advertising tobacco based products. Everything else from male enhancement, feminine hygene and a kitchen that magically turns into a romantic moment in the woods with a running stream seems to infiltrate every channel.
That many of the presciption drugs require disclaimers is bad enough, warning of everything from dizziness to death. The only one needed when hitting the bong or taking a toke is that you will catch a buzz.
The greatest defense against ignorance is education, not misinformation.
If there's truth in advertising, let it happen.
Actually it's not the first. I saw one here in Summit County Colorado a few months ago.
The question asked is invalid. Marijuana is not legal. It falls under Federal classification but those laws are ignored/not enforced. Of course something illegal should not be advertised on television.
We have TV ads for erectile dysfunction, boob-enhancing bras, hemorrhoid creams and adult chat and "dating" services – and you're asking if medical cannabis commercials "have a place" on television?
Slow news day, boys?
Well, this is just bad reporting: when cigarette ads first hit the airwaves, it wasn't controversial. Cigarette companies were some of the earliest, most vigorous sponsors of the new medium known as television, and so naturally they aired cigarette ad after cigarette ad. Heck, Fred and Barney hocked cigarettes in a cartoon appearance. The only controversy came decades later, when people started putting two and two together.
Unlike now, where the controversy is caused by people NOT adding 2 and 2, and somehow believing that marijuana is a harmful, dangerous substance. Studies everywhere have shown this to not be the case: not only does marijuana not cause health problems, it *ameliorates* many health problems; marijuana smokers are better drivers than not only alcohol drinkers, but non-substance-users – studies showed that people who were high followed the laws of driving more consistently and with better timing than people who had neither smoked nor drank; *and* marijuana use has been linked to higher perceived quality-of-life, even among the poor. Why would you want to make illegal something that is cheap, abundant, and makes people calm and complacent?
Of course it should be allowed. If they are allowed to advertise perscription drugs in prime time every night, even when the side effect can be DEATH, then they should be allowed to advertise a substance which has not produced one death in all of human history.
bout time ..nuff said
There are plenty of educational resources out there that are easily accessable – from books like "The Emperor Wears No Clothes" to documentary videos like "Weed". Those that have a negative or undecided view on marijuana legalization and medical use should educate themselves to the complete story – not what was fed to them by the government – and make up their own minds. There is nothing so powerful as an idea whose time has come, and the time has come to reveal the truth about marijuana.
Dopers like dope. Dopers support legitimizing dope. Fine with me as long as it's not a white powder and the $ ends up in the hands of American farmers and starves out south-of-the-border scumbags. As for commercials; how might weed adverts be any more repulsive than the steady diet of 'erectile dysfunction', tampon, birth control or personal hygiene crappola we are subjected to now?
The United States Constitution is written on Hemp not paper from trees. The U.S.S. Constitution sailboat's sail and ropes are all made out of hemp. If Hemp or Cannabis or Marijuana can have such a tremendously positive effect in society then whats all the crying foul for. Legalize and Go Green.
Yes I believe ads should be displayed. It's a political issue that needs to be disseminated in order to educate the public about its medical efficacy, and to break the stereotype of it being a dangerous drug.
Other drugs are advertised on TV and that may or may not be wrong, but although marijuana has not killed a single person (unlike many prescription drugs and alcohol) its use is criminalized in most of America. The medical marijuana community deserves a chance to correct that injustice.
Thanks.
most of you arent getting the point – the ad is false advertisement – the ad states pot can be used to relieve diseases and illnesses like hiv and hcv – duuuhhhhh – not a shread of truth there – pot may relieve some symptoms of illness or some side effects of chemo – but it cant relieve any disease – period – false advertising – get it right or dont air it
This is a misleading report that's been picked up as fact by several other outlets, including Time.
Colorado has had medical marijuana commercials for months. This should be corrected.
Cannabis is NOT illegal because it is dangerous. It's DANGEROUS because it's ILLEGAL. No one has ever died from Cannabis use. BOOZE (the 'Legal Drug') is the REAL 'Gateway Drug' and it kills MILLIONS of people each year through car accidents, liver disease, heart disease and others factors. Cannabis has been used for over 5,000 years to reduce inflammation and relieve pain. I know. When in Washington State, I used Medical Cannabis to reduce pain after 9 years of constant back pain. I hate the 'Big Business of Drug Companies' pushing narcotics on people when a simple 'God Given' plant does a better job with far fewer side effects for so many ailments.
It's a freakin plant for god sake!! Not like the poisons that they added in cigarettes by the tobacco industries.
When you think about it, the commercial itself is not that shocking. I just saw a commercial the other day for a Trojan brand "personal massager".
V ibrator adds on TV? Seriously? Why not a little pot to to it all off?
Has anyone ever been to Amsterdam? Their system works! Very relaxed atmosphere, clean and safe. And would everyone please stop saying smoke? This all natural plant is very diverse and can be taken in many ways and forms, not just the tar inducing way. How many pharmaceutical monopoly products can you say that from? Medicinal and recreational use both fall under personal integrity and responsibility. T.V ads? Please; why not? Legalize it, tax it and lets get out of this economic hole!
Marijuana for BOTH medicinal and recreational purposes SHOULD be legalized and sold under the same rules as alcohol and prescription drugs. Medical marijuana, especially in pill form, is a tremendous addition to the options for controlling pain. And let me add, "Figures lie and liars figure". Logic and statistics can easily be distorted to back whatever claim is being made. I dispute the "Findings" that relate marijuana as an entry to addictive drugs. This relationship ONLY exists because marijuana now can ONLY be purchased from the same dealers that are pushing other illegal substances. Sell marijuana legally and take the dealers off the street; AND legalizing marijuana sales WILL generate tax revenues from money that otherwise would go to the cartels and dealers.
Marijuana, for any use, is illegal under federal law. Why doesn't the Federal government raid or stop the states that approved medical marijuana? "The FDA has not approved smoking marijuana for medicinal purposes, but has approved the active ingredient-THC-in the form of scientifically regulated Marinol." Sativex, which comes from real cannabis is undergoing clinical trials. Medical marijuana programs are like total medical ANARCHY. Anyone can get a medical marijuana card. This anarchy means that the people can choose to make COCAINE to be a medical substance to snort if they voted for this. Do the Feds enforce their laws at all or they choose the laws to enforce? The Feds are powerless civil servants just waiting to collect their retirement from the taxpayers.
i think that its okay to show medical marijuana commercials as long as there are in the states that have marijuana leagalized. Alcohol is a drug and is not even MEDICAL and they have it legalized throughout the world. Marijuana is going to be used for medical purposes. If its really that bad for you the why is it LEGAL?