Centuries, it's been thousands of years. People in China used it for medicine over 6,000 years ago. Our world would rather have you hooked on pharmaceutical pain killers with all their side effects.

I was reluctant to use the 1000's of years. You know some people will tell you the world, excuse me, humanity did not exist beyond 5000 years ago.

Some folks just want to believe this nonsense about marijuana being the "gate way" drug to harder drugs. Strange that no matter how many times it is said that more and more people are abusing prescription drugs than any other drugs available on the street - it is heard with disbelief.

I had Stage 4 Lymphoma and learned first hand marijuana's medical qualities. It is for this reason that I know it works so much better than the synthetic crap [Marinol] the pharmaceutical companies push..

Epic and murderous proportion, huh? Bit of a stretch there. May I suggest that you read your prescriptions warnings and possible side effects.

May I also, suggest that if you have never had the need to use this herb, you can not know if it has any legitimacy for effectiveness? I don't believe it has been suggested that it cures anything. But then again, all those pain killers that are being used, do not claim to cure people of their pain, it simply makes the pain more manageable.

With all due respect, I don't believe you understand how helpful it can be in regards to those who suffer from diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, cancers or chronic pain sufferers.

MeanGene,

I think a few joints would go a long way of curing you of your meanness and stupidity. "MeanGene" - it is your handle, not mine.

Side effects like not being able to drive? Not being able to talk coherently? Not being able to work? Those are the crippling side effects of marijuana. Marijuana cripples the patient, destroys the patients mind and memory, causes psychotic episodes and hallucinations, and ruins any and all hope for normality for the rest of the patients natural life.

Ther e can be no worse "medicine" than marijuana. Absolutely anything else would be a superior medication to the Devil's Cane.

@ Asbestos-1127477,

You think wrong if you think any "joints" would do anything but unleash the demons I keep at bay. I'm a bad man waiting to happen, as every single one of my three brothers except for me has done hard time in prison for very bad crimes. The difference between me and them is I never smoked marijuana and that's why my inner demons have never seen the light of day.

I have a horrible temper on me. I know it, and the few people who have regretted seeing me lose my temper know it. A man like me, losing control of my faculties, unleashing the inner demons I keep in check, would likely get somebody injured or killed. I'm a nice guy, under control. If the demons cut loose, then hell breaks loose. I've seen it in my brothers, and I know that I have to maintain personal discipline. If I let myself go, then I'm going to hurt somebody and go to jail, just like all of my brothers have.

I don't want to smoke a joint. You don't want me to smoke a joint if you value life at all. I'm genetically predisposed to violence. My entire family history is all criminals and killers. I do not have even one blood relative with a clean criminal record.

I know my demons. I know my thoughts. I know my temperament. If I ever get drunk or get high, then somebody is going to get hurt badly when the inner demons become the outer demons.

So because of your personal demons - others should not benefit from the use of this herb as a form of treatment? While you were in prison, perhaps your time would have been better spent reading educational material, as aposed to just the bible.

One's temper is not instilled within DNA. It is a behavior that can be self-controlled. It is also a learned behavior, that with practice can be untaught.

There has not been any reported side effects that you have stated above. As I said before, this herb has been used as medicine for centuries. If those side effects that you mentioned were true, humanity would never have been able to evolve into what we are today.

If you have decided that this method of treatment is not for you- fair enough. However, do not try and control others who feel differently from you. As I said before, I have 1st hand knowledge of this herb's effectiveness while very, very ill. Futhermore, once I was done with my chemo treatments, I was also done using this herb. During its use I never had anything like the side effects you described. Never!

I will continue to support this endeavor to legalize marijuana based on the knowledge gained through experience and reading books that are educational.

Legitimate doctors who prescribe this are [just to name a couple] are Oncologists [cancer doctor] and Neurologist [nervous system doctor]. I believe they are much more qualified than both of us on this issue.