Rayvyn, I hope this helps you in formulating a reasoned response
to Mr. Keller’s concerns / email.

(I have also shortened article-links to display properly on NORML-blog).

#20 Rayvyn Says:
May 6th, 2009 at 5:21 pm

AN EMAIL I RECIEVED FROM PENNSYLVANIA REPRESENTATIVE
MARK KELLER AFTER I EMAILED HIM URGING SUPPORT FOR HB 1393….

“Dear Amoura,

… In fact, a recent report issued by Dr. Robert DuPont,
from the Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc. in Rockville,
MD cites that “marijuana smoke is known to contain harmful chemicals,
which adversely affect all body systems from the brain and the immune system
to the lungs and the reproductive system.”

RE:
HERBAL-VAPORIZERS COMPLETELY ELIMINATE THE
HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH SMOKING BY GENTLLY
HEATING THE HERB TO RELEASE ITS USEFUL COMPOUNDS
INSTEAD OF BURNING IT….

NORML-MAPS Study Shows Vaporizers
Reduce Toxins In Marijuana Smoke

…medical benefit to be derived from marijuana can be found in the
synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). In 1985, the FDA-approved
drug known as Marinol and is available to physicians to prescribe to their patients.

RE:
- MARINOL CONTAINS ONLY ONE OF THE SEVERAL
EFFICACIOUS CANNABINOIDS FOUND
IN WHOLE CANNABIS HERB.

IS AKIN TO ONLY ALLOWING SYNTHETIC VITAMIN C,
(ASCORBIC ACID),
YET BANNING CITRUS-TREES!

Marinol Versus Natural Cannabis

New NORML Report

Marinol vs Natural Cannabis – PDF

Cluster Headaches Responsive to Smoking Cannabis

MARINOL INFO – NORML search-results

Marinol vs Natural Cannabis – NORML search-results

Dr. DuPont maintains in his report that “it is inconceivable the that
FDA would approve burning marijuana leaves for any illness given
the fact that marijuana smoke is known to be toxic and that smoking
is not accepted as a route of administration for any medicine since
it is an unhealthy and unreliable drug mechanism.”

RE:
Mr. Keller, Dr. DuPont,
SMOKING’S NOT THE ONLY MEANS OF CONSUMING / INGESTING
MEDICAL-CANNABIS!!!
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF HERBAL-VAPORIZERS,
TINCTURES, SALVES / OINTMENTS AND / OR EDIBLE PREPARATIONS?

Pennsylvania legislators, myself included, have worked hard to
establish laws that support strict drug law enforcement.
At this time, I do not feel that supporters of this legislation have produced
adequate evidence to substantiate their argument;
and therefore, I will not be supporting H.B. 1393.

RE:
MARK,
THESE LAWS WERE ORIGINALLY PREMISED
IN IGNORANCE, UPON RACISM AND GREED,
NOT UPON THE ACTUAL DANGERS OF MEDICINAL-CANNABIS
COMPARATIVE TO ALREADY LEGAL MEDICATIONS.

Again, I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to contact me and
voicing your opinions on this matter.
Please do not hesitate to continue to do so in the future.

Sincerely,

Mark

Mark K. Keller
State Representative
Perry & Franklin Counties
1-800-959-8119
FAX – 717-582-8979

I AM WORKING ON A RESPONSE TO THIS EMAIL.
ANYONE IN PENNSYLVANIA CONTINUE TO WRITE
YOUR REPRESENTATIVES!!! EVEN IF THEY REFUSE SUPPORT!

Mr. Snyder:

Thank you for contacting by office with your interest in House Bill 1393, which would provide for the medical use of marijuana and repeal those provisions of law that prohibit and penalize marijuana use. I appreciate knowing your views on this controversial issue.

I do not support the legalization of marijuana to treat medical conditions. Marijuana use is illegal under both federal and Pennsylvania state law. Even if the General Assembly were to pass House Bill 1393, marijuana use to treat medical conditions would still violate federal law. As such, I cannot support this legislation.

Again, thank you for contacting my office with your interest in this issue. If you have any other state-related questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

JEFFREY E. PICCOLA

I am now an outcast from my former life, my family thinks I am the crazy one, the church I used to go to thinks Pot is bad, even though their GOD made it. These are not the worst of it, I am now a career criminal due to my use, although I have never been busted. I live in a state with no medical marijuana loop holes, and have had to grow my own or find swag on the streets.

I have seen my friends get busted, families seperated, while real crimes go unpunished. In my little town we spend over 5 million a year for cops, but all they do is drive around stopping people. The town used to be called Plover, but we call it Pull Over.

So I got a question.

Now that the Federal Government says that they will no longer arrest users in states with Medical Marijuana laws, and that the Federal Laws have not changed, they are just not going to be enforced, then is the government guilty of discrimination against the millions of Medical Cannabis users who live in states with no laws? It seems like it to me. Where are the lawyers on this one? Either we have equality for all or we do not.

Do I kill people? Do I rape your daughter? Am I kidnapping you? Will I burn your house down? I could because those crimes have less time to serve if caught doing them. For the weed I grow and have grown for twenty years they suggest life imprisonment. Do you want to create more criminals who do not have my self control?

I learned all my cloning, growing, harvesting tactic while I was in jail for a crime I did not commit. And since no one will hire me,even though I have two degrees and graduated in the top of my class. what can I do except grow Cannabis, smuggle Cannabis, and sell Cannabis. I am now the expert Cannabis Chef in the area and instruct new users on correct ways to consume Cannabis goodies.

I want to pay taxes on my weed, but can’t. I want to be part of my county, but they still lie. How come I can take pills to get a hard-on, restore hair, or slip into a coma, but I can’t legally smoke a non-toxic plant?

Man my back is screaming in pain today, percocets don’t help enough. My other medications have stopped working. I don’t know what to do. If I wasn’t so afraid of getting fired or caught I’d just buy it. But I’m so lame I wouldn’t even know where to go to get it.

I am very confident that medical marijuana would hugely improve my wife’s quality of life. It angers me that we risk prison for the rest of our lives, and I risk my job, if she were to use marijuana so she continues to suffer.