First Medical Marijuana Ad Airs in California: Is it Wrong?

By: David W Freeman
Topics: News

Will medical marijuana ads on television give the right or wrong idea? (istockphto)

(CBS) Is opposition to medical marijuana going up in smoke?

No one seemed out of joint earlier this week when a California TV station broadcast what is believed to be the first-ever paid spot for medical weed. Or were they just keeping a lid on their feelings?

"I answer my phone, and I have received nothing directly," acting general of Fox affiliate KTKL in Sacramento, told ABC News. "I expected more."

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The 30-second ad, for Sacramento, Calif. Medical marijuana dispensary "CannaCare," didn't show images of pot or even use the word "marijuana." Instead, it showed a series of brief testimonials on the benefits of medical marijuana, referring to marijuana as "cannabis."

Marijuana is now used to treat a variety of illnesses, including diabetes and HIV.

California was the first state to legalize marijuana for medical use, according to ABC News. In November voters will decide whether recreational use of marijuana should be permitted.

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by Conservative_1976 September 9, 2010 1:12 PM EDT: Register. Vote. Share the links. Change the world.

As a Christian who takes seriously Jesus command to do unto others what I would have them do unto me, I know that if my child were using marijuana, I?d want to work with him or her as a parent rather than seeing him or her with a criminal record, in jail with the sexual predators, lose their college financial aid, and all of the very real harm that would be caused, not by the marijuana, but by the law. I would hate for that to happen to anyone?s child, but it does, every day. Every single day. It?s the law.
Likewise, if my aging parents were to try a little marijuana to ease the aches and pains of growing older, I would not want to see the police confiscate their home and sell it under the property forfeiture laws. I?d hate for that to happen to anyone?s parent, but it does. Every day. Every single day. It?s the law.
All the anti-prop-19 arguments boil down to ?it?s better to put people in jail than to let ordinary Americans grow a little marijuana in their own back yards.?
The key to putting an end to this mess: Register to vote. You?ve got to register well in advance of election day; it only takes five minutes (even if you have to download a form and take it downtown, it?s well worth the effort). All of these links use the usual h t t p : / / w w w prefix:

California:
sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm or to vote by mail
sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_m.htm

Vermont
vermont-elections.org/elections1/registertovote.html

South Dakota:
sdsos.gov/electionsvoteregistration/registrationvoting.shtm

Arizona:
Voter info:
azsos.gov/election/VoterInformation.htm
Register: azsos.gov/election/voterregistration.htm

Michigan: michigan.gov/documents/MIVoterRegistration_97046_7.pdf

Oregon: oregonvotes.org/votreg/vreg.htm

Others: Google your state name and ?voter registration.?

College students: You can usually register as a citizen of either your hometown or your college residence town. Share the voter registration info through your student newspaper, twitter, etc.

Everybody: Most states allow early voting and/or vote-by-mail, so once you?re registered, go ahead and request a ballot (at the voter info site for your state). Save a trip to the polls and get it done while you?re thinking about it.

5 minutes. Change the world. Share the links.; Reply to this comment


by Conservative_1976 September 9, 2010 12:15 PM EDT: Register. Vote. Share the links. Change the world.

As a Christian who takes seriously Jesus command to do unto others what I would have them do unto me, I know that if my child were using marijuana, I?d want to work with him or her as a parent rather than seeing him or her with a criminal record, in jail with the sexual predators, lose their college financial aid, and all of the very real harm that would be caused, not by the marijuana, but by the law. I would hate for that to happen to anyone?s child, but it does, every day. Every single day. It?s the law.
Likewise, if my aging parents were to try a little marijuana to ease the aches and pains of growing older, I would not want to see the police confiscate their home and sell it under the property forfeiture laws. I?d hate for that to happen to anyone?s parent, but it does. Every day. Every single day. It?s the law.
All the anti-prop-19 arguments boil down to ?it?s better to put people in jail than to let ordinary Americans grow a little marijuana in their own back yards.?
The key to putting an end to this mess: Register to vote. You?ve got to register well in advance of election day; it only takes five minutes (even if you have to download a form and take it downtown, it?s well worth the effort). All of these links use the usual h t t p : / / w w w prefix:

California:
sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm or to vote by mail
sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_m.htm

Vermont
vermont-elections.org/elections1/registertovote.html

South Dakota:
sdsos.gov/electionsvoteregistration/registrationvoting.shtm

Arizona:
Voter info:
azsos.gov/election/VoterInformation.htm
Register: azsos.gov/election/voterregistration.htm

Michigan: michigan.gov/documents/MIVoterRegistration_97046_7.pdf

Oregon: oregonvotes.org/votreg/vreg.htm

Others: Google your state name and ?voter registration.?

College students: You can usually register as a citizen of either your hometown or your college residence town. Share the voter registration info through your student newspaper, twitter, etc.

Everybody: Most states allow early voting and/or vote-by-mail, so once you?re registered, go ahead and request a ballot (at the voter info site for your state). Save a trip to the polls and get it done while you?re thinking about it.

5 minutes. Change the world. Share the links.; Reply to this comment


by scl12345 September 9, 2010 12:14 PM EDT: Medical marijuana is the biggest sham in the history of the USA. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that has medicinal qualities. And the prescription medicine for this is available from a REAL doctor which you can get from a REAL pharmacy. The name of the prescription medicine is dronabinol or marinol. Dronabinol and marinol are essentially the same as cannabis because they came from cannabis. The Compassionate Use Act with Medical Marijuana is the biggest SCAM law that was passed by potheads who want a legal gateway to smoke pot to get high. Medical Marijuana is not even regulated so any person including teens can get a medical marijuana ID card.

Teens at California school getting high on medical marijuana
http://www.wbir.com/news/national/story.aspx?storyid=43141; Reply to this comment

by scl12345 September 8, 2010 1:33 PM EDT

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. Medical marijuana should be prescribed by real doctors and bought from pharmacies. This MM law is total anarchy with mostly quack doctors and quack patients.

Reply to this comment


by antisoccermom420 September 8, 2010 9:08 PM EDT: Look at the poll tea bagger MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS HERE TO STAY we win you lose.


by edixope4842 September 5, 2010 5:15 AM EDT: The economy is crashing. People don't have jobs. What to do? Easy, go to South Florida to get your RXs for Oxycontin and amphetamines. Then take the RX to your local chain pharmacies where your local "professional" gets a yearly bonus for an increase sales for the previous year. Guess what class of drug brings a very large profit to your "Local professional"?

Now, guess which chains are engaged in drug trafficking-That's easy, the local professional pushers are the ones having to compete with grocery and Walmart stores that use "professional pharmacy services" as a loss leader just to get the customer in the store. Kinda hard to compete with free and four dollar prescriptions. What is the professional going to do in order to get the bonus this year?

Oil spills, tourism decline, hurricane damage-What's a state to do to bring in revenue-look the other way? No, that would not be professional or legal. ROFLMFAO; Reply to this comment

by Myopinion046 September 3, 2010 6:12 PM EDT

It's most certainly wrong.

Reply to this comment


by AttentionDeficit September 4, 2010 10:48 AM EDT: why?


by eddom9492 September 3, 2010 1:53 PM EDT: Have I got an ad for you.; Reply to this comment


by militia36 September 3, 2010 1:40 PM EDT: tennessee!; Reply to this comment


by dave407fl September 3, 2010 1:18 PM EDT: I think this is GREAT. Bring this to Florida!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!; Reply to this comment


by jameslp25 September 3, 2010 11:53 AM EDT: Cannabis is the proper term to be used. "Marijuana" or "marihuana" were slang terms taken from the Mexican community during the first attempts at federal regulation of cannabis to harness racial prejudices against Mexicans to further the anti-cannabis agenda. In fact the American Medical Association objected to the criminalization of cannabis but didn't show up at the Congressional hearings until the very end because they didn't realize that "marijuana" was cannabis.; Reply to this comment