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My name is Bryan Alan Krumm. I am 36 years old. I am a registered
nurse at the University of New Mexico Mental Health Center and I am
working with New Mexicans for Compassionate Use to end the damage caused
to our society by the "war on drugs". I am recognized by the New Mexico
court system as an expert on the medical uses of marijuana and the
history of medical marijuana. I have been studying the history, effects,
and uses of marijuana for over 15 years. I am the chief researcher for
the Cannabis Research Library, the largest online collection of cannabis
research in the world
I use marijuana for the treatment of depression and knee pain,
and my primary care physician has refered me to the Lynn Pierson
Therapeutic Research Program. This program was established under
the Controlled Substances Therapeutic Research Act in 1978, and allows
the medical use of marijuana in New Mexico. Under this program,
research was conducted which proved the safety and efficacy of smoked
marijuana for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and for treating the
nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy. Unfortunately,
the unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious actions of the US government
led to closure of the program when they refused to approve further
research protocols and then cut off our supply of marijuana entirely.
Therefore, I have three choices. I can to turn to an unreliable and
dangerous "black market". I can risk losing everything I have by
cultivating my own medicine. Or, I can go without a needed medication
that has unique pharmacological properties which can not be mimicked by
any other known class of drug.
The human body contains a complex system of cannabinoid receptors
and produces its own cannabinoids (1,2,3,4), forming an endogenous
cannabinod system that is involved in normal homeostasis of the immune
system (5,6,7,8), transmission of pain responses (9,10.11,12,13),
perception, and mood (1,8). It has been shown that dysfunction of the
endogenous cannabinoid system is involved in certain disease states
(14,15,16,17,18). It has also been shown that the use of cannabinoids,
such as those found in marijuana, may be effective in treating many of
those diseases (15,19,20,21,22,23). It has been shown that different
cannabinoids act synergistically to produce greater therapeutic effect
than single cannabinoid therapy. When the CB1 receptor agonist
anandamide is given at the same time as the CB2 receptor agonist
palmitoylethanolamide, they produce an analgesic effect one hundred
times greater than either substance when administered by itself (22).
The reason for this synergistic effect is that the human body
contains different types of cannabinoid receptors which react
differently to different cannabinoids, and are involved in different
aspects of the disease process. For instance, THC is available legally
in the United States as a Schedule III drug. THC is a strong CB1
receptor agonist but has minimal activity at the CB2 receptor and may
actually act as an antagonist at the CB2 receptor (14). CB2
receptor agonists may prove to be an important class of medications
for the treament of autoimmune diseases (7) and are found in whole
marijuana but not in THC capsules.
Cannabinoids have been shown to protect the brain against damage
from stroke and trauma (23,24,25) and may protect against age related
neurodegenerative disorders such as alzheimers.(25). Cannabinoids
may also protect against certain types of cancer (26) and have been
shown shown to inhibit proliferation of certain types of tumor cells
(27,28,29) and reduce tumor size. (28)
Although the federal government is aware of the therapeutic
potential of marijuana, they have routinely suppressed scientific
findings. For example, a two year study of THC was conducted on rats
and mice that found THC treated animals had significantly lower rates
of many types of cancer. This report was shelved for over two years
until a copy was leaked to AIDS Treatment News, stamped on every page
"NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION OR ATTRIBUTION" (30). Health and Human Services
quickly made a version available to the public after being being
confronted with the leaked copy (26).
Another example is the 1997 NIH Workshop on the Medical Utility
of Marijuana. The transcripts from the workshop show that the panel
of experts agreed marijuana has medical value (31). It was even found
that "the evidence is perfectly clear that smoking is an outstanding
route of administration....it's a very safe drug and therefore it would be
perfectly safe medically to let the patient determine their own dose
through the smoking route" (ibid p.28-29). The Executive Summary that
was issued to the public by NIH was far less enthusiastic than the
group of experts. It recommended further research and no smoking (32).
This comes as little surprise. For over a century, every serious
scientific inquiry into the effects of marijuana have found it to be an
incredibly safe drug that causes little harm to society. It has
routinely been found that marijuana prohibition causes more harm to
society than marijuana use (33). The US Government has routinely
ignored science, as well as the will of The People, who have passed
medical marijuana measures. They continue to persecute all marijuana
users, including those who need its important healing properties.
After all, marijuana prohibition is founded in racism and intolerance,
not science.
When the Mexican American War was ended by the Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo, it did not end the hostile feelings many Americans harbored
towards Mexicans. As Mexicans immigrated to the western states and took
scarce jobs, it created more tension. These immigrants also brought
their cultural and religious traditions, one of which was the use of
"marijuana" for medical, religious, and recreational purposes.
Within the traditions of Curanderismo, marijuana is called La Santa
Rosa, or the sacred rose. It is used as part of a religious healing
ceremony and is considered to be a piece of the heart of God (34,35).
When passing its first anti-marijuana laws in 1929, the Montana
Legislature, described such a ceremony as an "imaginary bullfight for
the favor of Spanish Rose" and went on to say it deplores these
"international complications" (36).
Numerous state legislatures described marijuana as a drug that
causes Mexicans to go insane when passing early marijuana laws. The
attitudes and intent of the people of Colorado are illustrated in a
letter from Floyd K. Baskette, City Editor of The Alamosa Daily
Courier of Alamosa, Colorado, which was read into the record of the
hearings on the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act (the first federal law
regulating marijuana) by Harry J. Anslinger, Commissioner of the
Federal Bureau of Narcotics. This letter stated in part:
While this was considered in passing federal anti-marijuana
legislation, the opinion of the American Medical Association was
ignored. Dr. William C. Woodward was Chief Counsel to the American
Medical Association. The AMA was aware of the therapeutic potential
of marijuana (or as they knew it, cannabis) and did not want it to be
removed from medical use. Dr. Woodward came to testify for the AMA
testifying that, "The American Medical Association knows of no evidence
that marihuana is a dangerous drug." One of the Congressmen said in
response, "Doctor, if you can't say something good about what we are
trying to do, why don't you go home?" The next Congressman said,
"Doctor, if you haven't got something better to say than that, we are
sick of hearing you." (38)
Early marijuana laws were intended not only to oppress Mexican
immigrants but to prevent them from the free practice of religion.
Today these laws not only prevent millions of Americans from freely
practicing religion but millions more suffer from lack of needed
medication under these oppressive policies. Millions of others have
suffered the severe legal and social consequences associated with
being arrested for marijuana use. There is no scientific rationale
to justify the criminalization and persecution of millions of
otherwise law abiding citizens.
Prohibition serves to protect the financial interests of
industries that would have to compete with marijuana in a free market.
It assures the financial success of those who responsible for waging
this war on the American People. It strips us of our inalienable
rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I live in
fear that a small army of masked gunmen may come bursting through my
door at 3 am and shoot me in the back while I'm lying in bed, simply
for being a medical marijuana user. In view of the number deaths by
drug warrior we suffer from, it's a very real fear for medical
marijuana patients living in the United States.
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