March 29, 2005
O’REILLY: “Factor follow-up” segment tonight, last night, FOX News producer Chris Spinder told us he obtained a California doctor’s recommendation allowing him to buy medical marijuana in Los Angeles. A doctor didn’t examine Chris. He just wrote up the paperwork in return for $250 cash.
Currently, there are 11 states that allow medical marijuana to be sold legally. And since California is obviously not watching the situation too closely, we wondered what’s going on in the other states — Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.
Joining us now from Tampa, Florida, is Calvina Fay, executive director of the Drug Free America Foundation.
Now Ms. Fay, you saw a report last night, and it was a joke. I mean, he walked in, nothing wrong with him, sat down. A doctor typed out this little recommendation, $250 cash. No credit card or check. And now Chris has got this recommendation. You could buy an eighth of an ounce in any club in Los Angeles or in California. They have these little pot clubs, I guess.
Is it the same in the other 10 states that have medical marijuana legal?
CALVINA FAY, DRUG FREE AMERICA: It’s not exactly the same. It’s not as abused in the other states.
We don’t have the marijuana cannabis clubs popping up everywhere. There are a couple of other states that have, I understand, a couple of those clubs, but many of the places are going to grow co-ops, the people that want to use marijuana form these co-ops and grow their own marijuana.
O’REILLY: All right. So in most other states — we’re watching our producer, Chris Spinder now, going into one of these cannabis clubs. In most other states, you can grow — you get a recommendation from a doctor. And you can grow your own marijuana for your medical use, correct?
FAY: That’s correct. And I want to stress that it’s a recommendation. There is no such thing as a prescription for it.
O’REILLY: Right, right.
FAY: And there are no limits to how much people can possess in many cases.
O’REILLY: In some states, you can grow three acres full of marijuana plants? Are you telling me in Hawaii, you could have just a plantation full of pot?
FAY: When the initiatives were passed in these states, they were left wide open. They did not specify amounts that could be kept at one time in many of the states. And they’ve left it to various cities to kind of
create their own rules as to how these…
O’REILLY: Right. And even tonight, even as we speak, San Francisco, the mayor there, Gavin Newsom, has openly admitted that these cannabis clubs in San Francisco are out of control, that people are walking in there buying everything. And there’s nobody watching them. And now, they even
have — might have a moratorium on them in San Francisco.
So what we have here is de facto legalization of marijuana in 11states that, you know, is under the guise of medical marijuana. Now we know there are people who need marijuana for glaucoma, M.S., cancer. I have nothing against that, but this system is being abused. That’s what’shappening all over the USA, right?
FAY: It’s happening in the states where it has been legalized. And
let me point out that we actually have medical marijuana that exists,
that’s FDA approved, and legally prescribed. It’s marketed under the name
of Miranol.
O’REILLY: Yes, but let me stop you there.
FAY: OK.
O’REILLY: I had — what’s his name, the talk show host, tell me in my ear, Montel Williams, on this program. And he said the — and he has M.S. He said the Miranol didn’t take his M.S. symptoms away. He had to have the marijuana cigarette in his lungs in order to get relief.
Now I have no reason to doubt Mr. Williams. And I feel bad he’s got M.S. And I don’t care if he smokes marijuana. I think that’s, you know, humane to take my position there. Am I wrong?
FAY: Well, first, let me say that I feel bad that he has M.S. also. And it is a very devastating disease that many people suffer from. But smoking a marijuana joint is not administering a valid medicine.
O’REILLY: Yes, but he says it is. See, Williams says it is.
FAY: Well, let’s…
O’REILLY: I mean, do we have the right to tell Williams, who has a legitimate medical condition, that he can’t smoke a marijuana cigarette?
FAY: I think we do.
O’REILLY: Really?
FAY: I think as a country, as a civilized nation, we have to have rules in effect. And it’s there to protect people. You know, we went through a time when we had snake oil salesmen pushing anything and
everything, calling it medicine. That’s why we have a system in this country that requires good research behind things that we want to label as medicine. It has to go through a process. It has to be proven to have medical efficacy. It has to be proven to be safe. And it has to be administered in a logical way.
O’REILLY: All right, well I disagree with you on that. I mean, I’d give Montel Williams and everybody in his position all the marijuana they wanted, but there’s no question that people who just want to get high are abusing the system in California.
FAY: But Bill, when people use the drug, they do feel good. Itdoesn’t…
O’REILLY: I understand, but if you have M.S., I want you to feel as good as you can feel. Ms. Fay, thanks very much. And “The Factor” will be back in just a few moments.
Category: Drug News