This is my response from my state rep

[dano420]

I GOT THIS EMAIL IN LESS THAN 24 HRS AFTER SENDING LETTER TO HIM:




Dear Mr. Libert,



Thank you for allowing me to listen to your support for the use of medical marijuana. I appreciate your taking time to share your views with me.



As a physician and a researcher, I have done extensive research on the impacts of marijuana. Twenty-six years ago, during my training as an allergy and asthma specialist, my colleagues and I studied marijuana at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. We found that all marijuana leaves were contaminated with inhalable molds, and most importantly, these disease-causing molds survived the smoking process. In fact, we never found any marijuana samples that were not contaminated with fungi capable of inducing either asthma attacks or even death from overwhelming fungal infections in immune-suppressed patients.



For this reason, I did not support the Hinchey medical marijuana amendment to H.R. 3093, the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Act for FY2008, which failed to win approval.



Thank you again for sharing your concerns with me. By working together, we will build a better future for everyone.

Sincerely,

Steve Kagen, MD
Member of Congress

dano420 Reviewed by dano420 on 08-14-2008. This is my response from my state rep I GOT THIS EMAIL IN LESS THAN 24 HRS AFTER SENDING LETTER TO HIM: Dear Mr. Libert, Thank you for allowing me to listen to your support for the use of medical marijuana. I appreciate your taking time to share your views with me. Rating: 5

[Psycho4Bud]

I copied this over to this forum for ya. Thanks for the information my friend!! Being a Wisconsinite this disgusts me to no end!!!

Have a good one!:jointsmile:

[GreenDestiny]

In fact, we never found any marijuana samples that were not contaminated with fungi capable of inducing either asthma attacks or even death from overwhelming fungal infections in immune-suppressed patients.

So whomever supplied them for their study didn't dry, cure, and store the "leaves" right so they got moldy... and for that reason he doesn't support mmj at all? That's very unscientific, and he is a freakin doctor... that's scary.

[Mississippi Steve]

So whomever supplied them for their study didn't dry, cure, and store the "leaves" right so they got moldy... and for that reason he doesn't support mmj at all? That's very unscientific, and he is a freakin doctor... that's scary.

Thats why they call it "practicing" medicine......they haven't gotten it right yet.

[veggii]

wow those are some pretty big statements !! from the congressman

[We found that all marijuana leaves were contaminated with inhalable molds, and most importantly, these disease-causing molds survived the smoking process. In fact, we never found any marijuana samples that were not contaminated with fungi capable of inducing either asthma attacks or even death from overwhelming fungal infections in immune-suppressed patients]

I would send him a reply and ask for some proof of his claims!!
some of his case study files or reports on his tests on cannabis would do !!
ask if he can find proof of a case,or cases that someone died from cannabis.

and remember know everyone because the congressman said it it is true !!
all cannabis had mold on it!!

shame shame shame on you !! mr. fat lier pants

[theforthdrive]

I would send him a reply and ask for some proof of his claims!!
some of his case study files or reports on his tests on cannabis would do !!
ask if he can find proof of a case,or cases that someone died from cannabis.

i was kinda thinking that! if there is mold on EVERY smoked piece of cannabis then this mold must be benign just by the fact the no one has reaction from it! isnt medical practice just that.. trying to figure out how the body works with different substances. seems to me that penicillin is a good form of mold!

[the image reaper]

mail him a bumper-sticker of his next election opponent :thumbsup: (after smoking pot heavily for 40+ years, I better go lie down, and wait for the mold spores to finish me off :wtf ...

[birdgirl73]

At least the guy gave his reasons. Write him back and ask him for his research data if he based his denial of support for the legislation on "extensive research" he supposedly did. We'd be curious to know just how extensive it was because permission isn't being given for people in American research facilities to study the stuff, and that was even more true 26 years ago. Research is what is needed.

Reaper, you're lucky to be alive! Actually, I know you really are after your medical history. I think in the case of that doctor's reaction, at least from what he said, he was feeling particularly worried about how the molds could affect immuno-compromised patients. I'm pretty sure you've done chemo and you obviously made it through fine with smoking. But if someone with AIDS or a chemo-suppressed immune system in preparation, say, for a bone marrow transplant got a mycotoxic (mold-borne) disease, that could make him or her sicker than he was to begin with and possibly kill him. A regular person might just get wheezing or allergies or no reaction at all, but someone without an immune system could easily die. That's enough to scare a physician. They always err on the side of caution, sometimes at the expense of compassion, which is sad. I'm sure Congressman/Dr. Kagen would use that as his reason especially if he's one of those people whose mind's already made up. He's one of the mainstream docs who's probably never going to come around on the subject. I do think the fear about mycotoxicity in immune-suppressed patients was the reasoning behind what he told Dano, though.

Dano, he needs to reconsider and he needs to send you his data. Ask him for scientific proof. He may not send it, but at least you'll be keeping him on his toes.

Then start pushing him to learn more so he'll be better educated when it's time for this next bill to come up for a vote: House Resolution 5843, the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008. Right now it's in committee, which means it's basically under early consideration. That's the Barney Frank/Ron Paul-sponsored resolution to take away criminal penalties for small amounts of cannabis, and according to NORML, decriminalization is the first step toward legalization. If we can get it decriminalized, then we can set the stage for all-state medical access.

This is all a long way of saying keep writing. Keep being a squeaky wheel. Explain your reasons. That's what'll ultimately change these attitudes and help educate people. They may sometimes have their minds made up, but medical people are used to ongoing education and they're more capable of changing their minds and attitudes about medicines they previously objected to than you might realize.

For more info about the bill:
H.R. 5843: Act to Remove Federal Penalties for the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults (GovTrack.us)
Legislators aim to snuff out penalties for pot use - CNN.com

[Mississippi Steve]

Birdgirl,
Another point is that if those toxins and molds exist on marijuana plants, then they are naturally occuring, and will be found on *ALL* vegitation.......OMG!! We're all gonna die!!!

[BlueDevil]

Another point is that if those toxins and molds exist on marijuana plants, then they are naturally occuring, and will be found on *ALL* vegitation

Um... what?

I hate to say it, but that is one hell of a generalization, one with no scientific foundation I'll wager. There is simply just far too much variation in plant chemistry and local conditions for there to be a whole group of omnipresent molds and toxins out to contaminate everything! I'm no botanist (just play one on TV) but I'd love to see something along those lines that preys on both MJ and sayyy... rosemary, or neem for instance. Never heard of a cactus getting mold, but they're plants, right?


Having said that, I also think this rep is painting his position with too wide a brush. We've moved a lot of science in the last 26 years, and it's not like the anti-MJ camp doesn't have an established history of shall we say, "augmenting" test controls and data to agree with their agenda. But yeah, least this guy answered in an adult fashion. I'd throw some studies his way and hope his rational side would consider info a bit more current.

my $0.02...