Patients in Pain Are Not a Joke
Just two days after the prestigious Columbia Journalism Review proclaimed that the mainstream media are “are acting less childish about pot,” along comes the New York Daily News to prove that childishness is alive and well.
On Wednesday, MPP began airing two new TV ads around New York state in support of medical marijuana legislation. The spots feature real patients talking about the severe pain they suffer every day and how medical marijuana helps them. Amazingly, these serious and sober ads were rejected by three New York City TV stations.
The Daily News found it all quite amusing: “Just say yes! That’s the message a national pro-pot group is taking to New York’s airwaves,” the paper wrote. After quoting me about why we did the campaign, the story concluded, “The city’s ABC, CBS and Fox affiliates harshed the group’s buzz by declining to run the ads, Mirken added.”
Uh, no, I actually didn’t say anything remotely like that. But what I really said wasn’t nearly as cute.
Tagged with: legislation and Media and Medical Marijuana and New York by the author
43 comments
Hopefully this will blow up in their faces again just like it did last time. People generally don’t appreciate their flow of information being screened and, as we all know now, most people are in support of medical marijuana. I want to see some serious backlash.
its only a matter of time… the clock is ticking…. I personally think the main problem with a lot of people is that they dont know really anything about marijuana other than “it kills your brain cells”-false “it gives you cancer”-false “it makes you lazy”-false “it makes you stupid” -false “smoking one joint is like smoking a pack of ciggs”-false “smoking it makes you sterile”-false ….it just amazes me the pure ignorance and when you give them facts and referances to those facts they yell and call you names like “dumb stoner”. Ever since I read The Emperor Wears No Clothes, I have been trying to push as many people as possible to read it. I still have yet to buy Marijuana is Safer, but im sure its just as great of a book.
Everyone needs to get people to read Jack’s book, especially since its free to read online…. http://www.jackherer.com/chapters.html and you need to remember, its not the history of “marijuana”(marijuana’s history starts in the 1930’s) its the history of HEMP or scientific name CANNABIS…. people view them very differently because of nothing more than ignorance. We can end prohibition with nothing more than education. We all need to do our part. Keep bringing the subject up to non believers…. eventually they will get the hint, they will research it, and change.
The escalating media coverage, although still small and still quite biased, will also help. It’s no longer a taboo subject
At times like this, we must remind ourselves…”all truth passes through 3 stages….”… obviously, we are experiencing the second stage….” ridiculed”….The New York Times has tarnished their own image…and to think I was considering subscribing, but I guess they nipped that in the bud, so to speak….I believe that’s refered to as “biting off your nose to spite your face”…at what point do they stop digging the hole deeper and start climbing out?
I am sorry to say this, but the unfortunate truth is that a good portion of the population will believe the “cute” re-quote by the daily news as the actual quote from Bruce. Which leads to one of the original problems of cannabis legalization, and that’s the double standard of cannabis imagery in the media and in the public’s view.
Media coverage is usually a pun-filled recount of cannabis legalization and its’ supporters then turns serious when busts and murders occur in the “drug war”. Which in turn the public view embraces the “cute” appearance of “stoners” and those puns. That instills an attitude of “Well, we have more important things to talk about right now”, until the “drug war” issue comes up in conversation, then it becomes important and serious.
What I am trying to say is that until the cuteness, puns, and “stoner” imagery is replaced with the more serious portion of cannabis legalization, we will always be fighting the media and its’ unfair portrayal of cannabis legalization.
Please note: I am not trying to remove the “stoner” image, I have laughed at it and known many people that were like that. It’s just that public media won’t let it go, and that hurts our efforts.
I am really not understanding what the issue is right now…Bruce, who cares if they miss quoted you. Its kinda like the Micheal Phelps case where he actually apologized for smoking pot. Fuck that, I would have stood up, joint in hand, and said, “HEY LOOK AT ME, THIS IS A JOINT AND HERE ARE MY RECORD 8 GOLD MEDALS….SO ALL OF YOU CAN KISS OFF, CAUSE YOUR HARSHING MY BUZZ.!”
The point here is this. MJ is a schedule 1 drug classified as not having ANY medicinal values. WHO CARES WHAT THE PROHIB”S THINK. IF there is ONE medical use for MJ, TREATMENT OF CANCER, then that makes it a schedule 3. I dont care if I walk around in a little cacoon shell, I am still not hurting ANYONE OTHER THAN MYSELF, even though we all know I am not hurting any part of my body. POINT MADE.!
Hey all…heres a question. Now I understand why most TV stations dont cover or run ads,but fox is always bitching about MSM not covering stories that matter. Does this not matter? Isnt prohibition ruining American as much as these run away poiliticians? Arent peole around the world suffering because of this communist policy? I mean FOX will tackle toxic issues in government but this isnt important? Isnt this a Huge waste of tax payer money, constitutional rights trampled,lives ruined or lost, corruption,hypocrasy at its finest?
HELLO FOX NEWS!!! Where are you? We could use your help over here too!! Is this subject too toxic for you? Doesnt this matter enough , isnt it trampling the constitution?
I challenge any reporter, news station to take on this issue. Show some originallity, follow a toxic story that matters!!!
Our government is ruining the lives of millions every year over something that they cant control and waste Billions doing so!!!
HELLO MSM!! LOOK! Corruption and hypocrasy hanging right in front of your face! STOP IGNORING IT!
I dont know whats happening to this country
Do you have the scheduled air times or can you obtain them? I live in NY and would love to know when they are airing them or on what shows at least. Thanks!
I grew up in NY State – 25 years I lived there – not only is the I LOVE NY motto a joke, but it’s an oppressive political scene… and after moving to Boston, while visiting family back in NY, I found a beautiful brass pipe used to smoke marijuana… of course I kept it, and it was used at my sister’s wedding, because people enjoy pot. By coincidence NY State Police made a major drug bust when they pulled me over thinking I’d gone through a red light on a lonesome highway heading back to Boston. I had the pipe on my front seat of my car… you’d have thought – with the number of police cruisers showing up that I was a major criminal, but all I had was that pipe… and although not formally arrested, I had to drive back a month later, under “threat of going to jail for possession of marijuana” even though all I had was that pipe, and now – 25 years later because the judge and drug laws are completely insane, esp. in NY, because most jobs require life-long disclosure of any crime except speeding, I’m considered a “druggie”… while those who drink alcohol, sometimes in excess, at home, laugh at me… well the last laugh is on them if you read the book – “Marijuana is Safer – So Why are We Driving People to Drink?” Written by Fox, Armentano, Tvert and published by Chelsea Green Publishing, 2009. Get real those of you who think marijuana is one vice too many… the real vice is the monopoly the alcohol industry has in politics. To the tobacco companies – you missed your opportunity during the 1970’s when you would have best benefited from cannabis legalization as signed into law by then President Jimmy Carter… but instead, you prefer dead people, not people getting high on nature and a safer plant.
The three networks that rejected the TV adds must have gotten some big bribes. Money sure can change a persons heart.
I doubt those networks took bribes from anyone, thry likely see those adds as potentially driving off the majority of their viewers and therefore a huge chunk of revenue. When being pro-med pot becomes mainstream you can bet they’ll line up to take the spots.
The Daily News is not considered a reputable source of information by anyone but Dick Cheney, so I wouldn’t be too worried about their comments. Also, I am a New York State resident. In what markets are these ads running?
nevermind. my dumb ass just had to look for it.
Dan #10
How much more mainstream can it get? It’s never been more popular.
Well guys, its finally here. I am giving in to the war on drugs. I will be stopping the use of Marijuana within the next week. I have a scheduled doctors appointment today for 3 reasons. Number One- I feel very stressed at work because no matter how hard I work and make myself and my fellow coworkers look good, my boss calls us dumbass mother fuckers and tells us that he is the “fucking” boss and that we arent worth a shits lick of good taste. I cant stand it but since I cannot find a better paying job in this area (and I wont move away til my daughter graduates high school). Also, I have very strong feelings of beating the holy hell out of my boss and it became very apparent when one day I beat the hell out of someone I didnt know just because they mouthed off to me and flipped my switch to PISSED THE FUCK OFF reallly fast. So, today I will get some form of nerve medicine, probably Xanex, to help with the thoughts and depression I have, not only cause stress at my job, but depresssion caused by Number 2-Depression caused by the fact that I have so many health problems (8 herniated discs in my back, 2 new herniated discs in my neck, 2 bad knees, carpel tunnel, arthritis in both ankles, neck, back, wrists, and knees, and I have started showing all 10 symptoms of having muscular dystrophy) but since Marijuana is costing me over $500 a month buying from the streets and crooked ass dealers need profit in a recession. So either they will give me another med for depression, such as Prozac along with Xanex, or they will increase the original amount given of Xanex to help with both issues. Then issue number 3- With all the pain I have, I will be increasing my pain meds from taking 5 percocet 10’s a day to 8. This is a highly outragous level of pain narcs, but i swear to you they still dont take all the pain. I just take them so I can work and tolerate some levels of intense pain.
Cost analysis for one month of MJ used for myself: $480 for 4 ounces costing me $120 per ounce.
Cost analysis of the pain meds (which might kill me, addict me, or just destroy my liver)- $10 per script per month, so $30 a month. Yeah, I get to have extra spending money. But for how long will I get to spend the money? I know personally that Marijuana would take the place of all these meds, but what can I do? I work 43 hours a week and support my wife, whom works 40 hrs a week, and a daughter. Its hard living paycheck to paycheck but its even harder when you know that you wont make it to the next paycheck.
I feel trapted. I am very scared. I cry when I am alone because I dont want my girlfriend to know how much pain I am really in. I want to feel normal. I want to be ok. But I dont know if I will ever really feel that way cause I am gonna give up my choice to use Marijuana to treat my illnesses and go with the cheapest and legal drug. Thanks Obama, Clinton, Bush, Pelosi, and ALL you other prohibitionists, I hope I dont die before I can enjoy pot legally. I am sorry everyone. I have let myself down, and now I am letting you guys down.
JJ we hear you. Please be careful.
JJ: I suffer from Glaucoma and I have been discriminated most of my life because of my choice of medicine.
I’m at a point right now where I really don’t give a shit what anyone thinks. Including my friends and family. How dare they discriminate against me and others due to their own ignorance!!! Don’t get sad, Get MAD!!!!!!
When anyone asks me if I can quit smoking MJ, I tell em I sure can if I wanted to, but my Mama didn’t raise no quitter!!!!
Perhaps I should ask them if they could ever stop discriminating against medical patients and give them a taste of their own medicine.
WE NEED TO START GETTING MAD AND FURIOUS ABOUT THIS IF WE WANT ANYTHING TO CHANGE!!!!
GET OUT AND TELL THE WORLD YOU”RE A RESPONSIBLE POT SMOKER JUST LIKE 15 MILLION OTHERS AMERICANS!!!!!
I am getting sick and annoyed with the ignorance of America and its current power structure!
What can be done? Apparently the only way things change is when people stand up, get pissed, and start marching in the streets! Will that happen? I doubt it… but I do remain hopeful, and would become involved should someone put something together to show these clowns that people are serious! This is unjust and immoral!
Should people begin marching, I will be there… with my boots on!
jj hang in there- i know some would say that`s easy to say-i`m not exactly walking in your shoes but close. i have been fighting lung cancer for an almost unheard of 12 years.i did the percs by the large bottle and too had a perc. attitude,couldn`t stand mself letalone anyone else,then i started smoking again(piss-tested 4 times per year while working) and i haven`t taken a perc in several years. my advice to you would be sell the percs and use that revenue to buy the medicine that works.develop a green thumb and grow your own even if it`s only 1 plant at a time.guess what i`m trying to say to you would be not to give up or give in.do what you have to do to take care of your family and yourself. this maddness will stop someday-till it does all we can do is continue the good fight and flood the media-law-makers state goveners with every story that comes to light-and most of all we all have to convince our friends who hide in the closet and burn to get vocal-get public-when the unknowing public see all of the good citizens who use mj and are not afraid to say so then we may have some hope. there is an old attige “the squeaky whell gets the grease” well folks we have to get really squeaky and let everyone hear us. good luck jj and all the jj`s out there..
I say the only way to beat this is to overgrow the government.
grow your own, that way you are not helping the mexicans
grow your own, they can’t go after all of us!
I know not all of us can but alot more should!
They make too much money with the status quo
I know this sounds to simple but what if
out of the 15 million who smoke, 1 million grew?
Just putting the idea out there for thought.
public defiance doesn’t just have to be marching in the streets. Put those jars of seeds to good use and plant them everywhere that they’d have a chance of surviving, especially in public places, like police station flower gardens! Let’s make it the national flower by overwhelming the eradication boys. I grew right out in the open all summer without anybody even noticing. It was well worth the inevitable jitters, but they’re counting on the fear factor a lot more than we are aware.
well here is my new list of meds
Depression-Topamax
Anxiety-Xanex
Pain-Percocet 10/650
Pain-Vicodin 5/500
Anxiety-Lexapro
The Xanex is to use til the lexapro gets in my system.
Different pain meds for different levels of pain.
Im scared, but beleive me I am mad.
But the Xanex will be the cure for my anger.
TIL I UNLEASH the “HULK” as my wife calls it. We will win this fight.
JJ, it sounds as if cost of weed is the major reason for you giving in to BIG PHARMA’s poison. You didn’t mention having to submit to randon drug screening, so my humble advice would be to keep using cannabis. Those other drugs will make your life miserable in the end as there are addiction issues. There are other ways to make money legally to support the costs of cannabis. Start an EBay account. Sell all your junk on line. You’ll be surprised at what people will buy from you! Got old Beatles LP’s? GOLDMINE!!! Hell, i sold a bunch of old horse racing programs and racing form that I was going to toss into the garbage. Made $66.00 selling them on eBAY. Food for thought. Hang in there man!!!!!!
Got my t-shirt from MPP yesterday and proudly wore it around town. (Stop Arressting Medical Marijuana Patients).
The first person I ran into was a guy at Wendy’s who sold me my lunch. He said “Really cool shirt. I’m a med marijuana patient, or will be soon as I have a problem with one of my eyes”. Problem is he’s from CA and he’s here in PA.
JJ brother, don’t do it man. At the beginning of this year I came off of Topomax (seizure) Cymbalta (depression) Strattera (I think more depression) and lowered my xanax from 2mg to sleep down to 1 mg to sleep. I previously have experienced heavy opiod withdrawal and would say the experiences with both times of stopping meds were pretty similar. There was a day I literally couldn’t move because of vertigo and nausea from the meds withdrawal.
I can only hope that you make it through ok either way. One of the other posts mentioned selling your pills for pot. I agree man, you should ask your source for a trade opportunity. If you already know him than I would feel safe with that. Good luck.
#4 says
“What I am trying to say is that until the cuteness, puns, and “stoner” imagery is replaced with the more serious portion of cannabis legalization, we will always be fighting the media and its’ unfair portrayal of cannabis legalization.”
To bad people haven’t figured out yet that the cause of all their problems is not the stoners or even the drug addicts, it’s the filthy trash that wears a suit and tie and has short hair.
You can find them everywhere.
Their attitude is what makes me vomit, they think because they don’t do illegal drugs that they are some kind of superior human who are better than anyone else.
Isn’t that how the Nazis programmed their people to think like?
Most of these people are so ignorant that they are a danger to anyone around them without having to take any drugs.
They live in constant prejudice 24 hours a day against pot heads and haven’t even got the common sense to “Just Say No” to lies.
You pick any social problem in America today and you can bet that a short haired, suit wearing, anti drug user hater is proliferating it.
We’re all victims of “sober” people as they destroy our country and our way of life..
End
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#6
Maybe we need a letter campaign aimed at some of the networks and TV stations.
It might be worth a shot in the dark.
JJ honey, sell the meds and get the cannabis, please. Don’t go down that road. Then again I could be a hypocrite because if my body could tolerate pharmaceuticals I’d be taking pain pills too. But I can’t, I throw up within hours of taking the meds and then my legs and arms ache. So I live in pain because I won’t smoke marijuana because I won’t and don’t want to go to jail.
Nice try with the commercials MPP. Maybe next time ask the television stations if they’ll run the ads and get it in writing before you produce them.
Very compelling stories were told by both of the men.
Check out the comments on the New York Daily News article! They unanimously condemn the sophomoric tone of the article.
Guys, I would love to sell my pills because yes, the reason I am giving in is in order to have more money for my family so one day I can move to a state where Medical MJ is legal. But let me tell you about what has recently happend in my region of the US. In my region of Missouri, there have been exactly 212 arrests in the last 2 months from Grand Jury Inditments for a “bust” that took 21 months for an undercover to get in “good” with locals that deal meth, sell heroin, crack, cocaine, and their pain pills. EVERY ONE OF THEM is gettin ready to lose their homes, jobs, and anything else the FBI can take from them.
IF I get caught selling my pain meds, it is 3 years minimum mandatory sentance PER PILL.
I want to use MJ but I cant start growing until either the Med MJ bill passes in Missouri next year, or once my 14 year old is old enough to were family services wont take her away, so I am guessing 16. 2 years, or one……..please god, if your there, help me. Help peole realize that I just want to smoke in my own house that I pay federal taxes and state taxes on. Please help.
I wish I were in Missouri, cuz then I’d stop by and share with JJ. Anyone out there in Missouri listening? The gov’t dont give a fuck so its up to us. Do the christian thing and get yo butts over to JJ’s with a present!!! There’s an IDEA!!! Underground Nationwide Compassionate Care Network!!! Some people help with food, some help with clothes, shouldn’t there be someone to help with pain? To provide whatever works, not just cannabis, but any and everything that makes the pain easier to cope with.
Come to think of it I have a good friend in St. Louie. You’d know she was cool cuz she’s deaf and about ninety percent of deaf people are cool. They spend their lives oppressed not having the same opportunites as everyone else so they are not big fans of the gov’t and most of them start smoking in state schools for the deaf as a way of saying F. U. to the ones in authority. Of course there are some deaf scumbags just like there are hearing scumbags but they are very far and few between. I know cuz I am deaf too. My friend in Missouri has adult children living in the land of the free (Cali!!!) So you know that Us deaf people are a tight nit group spanning nationwide. All it takes is a word.
One more comment before I go. Buy American! Its a lot better anyway. Schwagg really sucks and I laugh everytime I see it The Gov’t supports terrorism with their policies more than my friends do they don’t at all because they BUY AMERICAN!!!!
Okay maybe not 90 % of all deaf people, but more like 90% of every deaf person I ever met and that is a hell of a lot even though I wouldn’t be suprised if 90% smoked ha ha
If anyone’s reading comments today you should go to:
When you get baked by your brownies
http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2009/09/when_you_get_baked_by_your_bro.php#c1952055
I’ve known the blog writer for four years and some of the arguments get pretty intense. Just keep it clean and proper please as we debunk what no doubt many will throw in there.
Lea #26: The ads are running on cable in every district we tried to place them, and on NBC’s broadcast station in NY City. Unfortunately, they only make these decisions once they see the finished product, so there’s nothing you can do till you’ve actually produced the ad. Spots very much like these have not been controversial in other states.
Suggestion:
Bruce, would you make a series of documentaries besides making commercials.
Many people need a hour long program to really understand the issues.
Perhaps a series of documentaries where each episode focuses on one issue at a time.
We can not depend on the networks and others in media to present our arguments effectively.
The issues really require a indepth exploration that can be presented to the public in word and image that they can fully comprehend without the muddying and spin.
Let them see the whole picture uninterrupted and they will understand the message.
Thanks for the reply Bruce, appreciate it more than words can convey.
So now we come to realize that New York is basically behind the times and suddenly hostile to “Legalizers”. I never wanted to visit that city anyway, even when I had the chance to 17 years ago.
JJ-I am a chronic pain patient in the sane boat as you.I am on 480mg of Oxycontin daily.It makes me vomit every day sometimes several times a day.I was scripted Marinol to help w/the puking.Trouble is you cannot swallow a pill whilest vomiting or nauseas.I went from 410lbs to 234lbs in 2 years due to no appetite and puking.Now I took matters into my own hands and use marijuana for Pain,Sleep and Eating problems.It is bankrupting me $$ to buy pot,but w/o it I’d be a dead man.My pain is off the charts and should be controlled using such a large dose of opiates.Trouble is its not working and I am in agony.I refuse to kneel before the Gov and beg for relief.Come and arrest me for wanting some semblance of a “normal” life.Free the weed for those in need!
I’m one of many “lucky” people to reside in Brooklyn, NYC. I have not seen any of such commercials on local stations yet and somehow i doubt that i will anytime soon.
JJ, dude your story is heartbreaking and encouraging at the same time. You are not alone in your struggle and I wish you all the best whatever path you choose, even though I would much rather see you with a smile on your face and a joint in your hands.
HooterJack, I dont know any deaf people personally but you’re awesome so I take your 90% gladly. Great idea about Underground Nationwide Compassionate Care Network. If that ever happened it would be a national achievement and you should be nominated for a Nobel prize.
I often loose hope to see marijuana legalized and regulated, often think that I will always have to live in fear because i have 2 plants growing for my personal use, often forget that I am not alone either. We all need to unite and march on DC, it’s our constitutional right to protest.
How can we get this organized? Like l09an posted, I got my boots ready too.
Thanks everybody for great posts. Really enjoy hearing like minded people.
Free the Weed. Free The People.
#38 Free The Weed!,
Thanks!!! I’ve read a lot of your posts and I happen to think you are awsome too!!! I always look forward to what you have to say and more often than not, what you say rings true in my heart. I love seeing like-minded individuals such as yourself on all these different sites; norml, mpp, etc… Rock On! And FREE THE WEED!!! BECAUSE? YES WE CANNABIS!!!
i am 52 years old and live in CANADA, i am disabled have been since 1999 and just a couple of months ago i started to smoke marijuana for my pain i have chronic pain true my body since i received 3 spinal surgeries,i have tried all of medical treatment offered to me but nothing has reduced my pain like marijuana did,i cannot find a doctor to help me since they want me on hard drugs like percocet and up to 300 per month when i needed a renewell since i lost my doctor they make me feel like a junky but i have reduced my intake of percocet by smoking and i am reducing my intake on my own were doctors are telling me you cant do it without demorol and i refuse to take that or any other chemical they offer me since percocet is so much more additctive than smoking marijuana,my wife tell’s me that she is noticing a better tolerance of the pain when i smoke one i just wish i could find someone to help me get it legal thank you gerald.
I for one agree with you. It seems as if the media, its producers and editors and all the ppl in between have been telling the same lies so long they have brainwashed themselves >.< Or perhaps theyre too drunk in their own little world to see anything beyond their own ideals, and that of the ppl that fund them… Would be intresting to study people with amnesia and see what non brainwashed people would say about these issues! An idiot can see that the war on drugs (what people do inside their homes to themselves) is nothing but a very expensive battle with no prayer of coming out victorious.
Who are you fighting? Why? To what avail? What business is it of yours if I want to smoke a joint? In what way did my smoking a joint effect me , my city, county, or country negatively? Who decided we need to fight about this anyways ? Is it because we arent violent enough or threatening enough, dont have as many raids as the drunks years ago during prohibition that we suffer this torture? We pot smokers *can* stand up and fight, we simply choose not to. Keep smacking a dog with a stick though dont be surprised the day it turns around and bites your hand clean off!
JJ, dump the NY Times… Newsweek just published the best ever “true crime” story of cannabis prohibition… the link is here: http://www.newsweek.com/id/217942
What kind of society bans cannabis and endorses alcohol? Tolerates tobacco, and has a Wall Street that plays Robin Hood for their own addiction to money!?
I wrote my congressman about cannabis… he told me there was “nothing he could do, it was a matter to address to the ‘judiciary’”. Great, so how do I do that???
My life, like that of JJ’s and many others have been put down – President Jimmy Carter legalized cannabis in 1976 – if only he hadn’t been over-ruled. Over-ruled by what – fear of witches? Cannabinoid freaks from hell? Common-sense???
It’s not only the economic sector that needs reform, it’s the whole judiciary… and the only way I know to “TALK TO THE JUDICIARY BRANCH” is to SHOUT:::::>
Prohibition of cannabis is a clear violation of my Constitutional Right to Pursuit of Happiness… there are no factual reasons I should or could be breaking a law if I chose to enjoy cannabis. Considering the legal alternatives, I’ll pass, if I can.
this Patients in Pain Are Not a Joke — MPP Blog is great.
Have a look at this too jokesmsquote.com
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