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‘Medical’ Marijuana: 10 Health Benefits That Legitimize Legalization

Prescription drugs kill about 100,000 people in the world each year. Off the top of your head, do you know how many deaths are caused by using marijuana, either medicinally or recreationally?

Prescription drugs kill between about 100,000 people in the world each year, but marijuana, medical or not, has caused absolutely zero deaths. Weed, pot, ganja, or whatever you want to call it, cannabis has actually been a favorable treatment in the treatment of about 200 different medical conditions. Here are 10 ways marijuana can improve your health, which also act as legitimate reasons as to why legalization should be a serious debate. RELATED ISE FX Japanese Yen: caution. Silver - Daily technial Forecast Geithner: must move fast on new... Rule 40 And The 2012 London Olympics:... Sponsored Link The Volkswagen Beetle "There are no deaths from cannabis use. Anywhere. You can't find one," said Dr. Lester Grinspoon, professor emeritus at Harvard Medical School. Believe it: In 10,000 years of known use of cannabis, there's never been a single death attributed to marijuana. "I've heard you have to smoke something like 15,000 joints in 20 minutes to get a toxic amount of delta-9 tetrahydrocannibinol," said Dr. Paul Hornby, a biochemist and human pathologist who also happens to be one of the leading authorities on cannabis research. "I challenge anybody to do that." Meanwhile, it's a fact that anyone can die from ingesting too much aspirin, or too much coffee, or too much wine. Marijuana, on the other hand, medical or not, is not only non-lethal, but likely beneficial. Several studies, some published as recently as a few months ago, have shown that marijuana can even be good for your health, and could help treat conditions better than the solutions being cooked up in the labs. The late Dr. Tod Mikuriya, a former national administrator of the U.S. government's marijuana research programs, appeared in a film about the business of marijuana prohibition shortly before his 2007 death called "The Union." (The full movie is available on both Netflix and YouTube.) "After dealing with about 10,000 patents in the last 15 years, I'd say about 200 different medical conditions respond favorably to cannabis," Mikuriya said. We won't go through all 200 conditions here, but here are 10 of the most notable, common conditions, afflictions and diseases that marijuana has been proven to help. Alzheimer's disease - In 2006, the Scripps Research Institute in California discovered that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana, can prevent an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase from accelerating the formation of "Alzheimer's plaques" in the brain, as well as protein clumps that can inhibit cognition and memory, more effectively than commercially marketed drugs. Epilepsy - A study performed by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University discovered that ingredients found in natural marijuana "play a critical role in controlling spontaneous seizures in epilepsy." Dr. Robert J. DeLorenzo, professor of neurology at the VCU School of Medicine, added that "Although marijuana is illegal in the United States, individuals both here and abroad report that marijuana has been therapeutic for them in the treatment of a variety of ailments, including epilepsy." Multiple sclerosis - It's long been believed that smoking pot helps MS patients, and a study published as recently as May provided yet another clinical trial as evidence of marijuana's impact on multiple sclerosis patients with muscle spasticity. Even though the drug has been known to cause dizziness and fatigue in some users, most MS patients report marijuana not only helps ease the pain in their arms and legs when they painfully contract, but also helps them just "feel good." How many prescription drugs can say their side effects include "happiness"? Glaucoma - Since the 1970s, studies have called medical marijuana an effective treatment against glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness in the world. Researchers say marijuana helps reduce and relieve the intraocular pressure that causes optic nerve damage, but the proponents say it helps "reverse deterioration," too. Arthritis - Marijuana proves useful for many types of chronic pain conditions, but patients with rheumatoid arthritis report less pain, reduced inflammation and more sleep. However, this is not to say that arthritis patients should exchange their medication with pot; marijuana eases the pain, but it does nothing to ameliorate or curb the disease. Depression - A study on addictive behaviors published by USC and SUNY Albany in 2005, whose 4,400 participants made it the largest investigation of marijuana and depression to date, found that "those who consume marijuana occasionally or even daily have lower levels of depressive symptoms than those who have never tried marijuana." The study added that "weekly users had less depressed mood, more positive affect, and fewer somatic complaints than non-users." Anxiety - An article published in the April 2010 edition of the Harvard Mental Health Letter, "Medical marijuana and the mind," said that while "many recreational users say that smoking marijuana calms them down, for others it has the opposite effect. ... Studies report that about 20 to 30 percent of recreational users experience such problems after smoking marijuana." The article did not mention which "studies" supported this fact, and most marijuana users would call this claim totally erroneous. Here's a story from Patsy Eagan of Elle Magazine, who describes how she prefers marijuana to treat her anxiety over prescription drugs. Hepatitis C - A 2006 study performed by researchers at the University of California at San Francisco found that marijuana helps improve the effectiveness of drug therapy for hepatitis C, an infection that roughly 3 million Americans contract each year. Hepatitis C medications often have severe side effects like loss of appetite, depression, nausea, muscle aches and extreme fatigue. Patients that smoked marijuana every day or two found that not only did they complete the therapy, but that the marijuana even made it more effective in achieving a "sustained virological response," which is the gold standard in therapy, meaning there was no sign of the virus left in their bodies. Morning sickness - In a peer-reviewed study, researchers at the British Columbia Compassion Club Society found that 92 percent of women found marijuana's effect on morning sickness symptoms as either "very effective" or effective." Read the first-hand account from Dr. Wei-Ni Lin Curry, who describes how medical marijuana saved her from a potentially life-threatening situation: "Within two weeks of my daughter's conception, I became desperately nauseated and vomited throughout the day and night. ... I vomited bile of every shade, and soon began retching up blood. ... I felt so helpless and distraught that I went to the abortion clinic twice, but both times I left without going through the with procedure. ... Finally I decide to try medical cannabis. ... Just one to two little puffs at night, and if I needed in the morning, resulted in an entire day of wellness. I went from not eating, not drinking, not functioning, and continually vomiting and bleeding from two orifices to being completely cured. ... Not only did the cannabis save my [life] during the duration of my hyperemesis, it saved the life of the child within my womb." Most prospective mothers will worry about the effect of ingesting marijuana in any form on their baby's development. The only study that showed any effect from smoking pot came from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine in 2008, which showed that heavy smoking "during the first trimester was associated with lower verbal reasoning," while "heavy use during the second trimester predicted deficits in the composite, short-term memory, and quantitative scores." Though this singular study may be enough to scare away some mothers, the majority of studies say prenatal pot exposure "is not a major prognostic factor regarding the outcome of pregnancy," and that "marijuana has no reliable impact on birth size, length of gestation ... or the occurrence of physical abnormalities." Compared to mothers that used tobacco and alcohol, all of whom showed "increased risk of suspect or definite psychotic symptoms (in offspring)," mothers' cannabis use "was not associated with psychotic symptoms" in their children. Cancer, HIV/AIDS and chemotherapy - Though the drug is illegal in the U.S., the FDA and American Cancer Society agree that the active ingredients in marijuana, or cannabinoids, have been approved by officials to "relieve nausea and vomiting and increase appetite in people with cancer and AIDS." The American Cancer Society says that "marijuana has anti-bacterial properties, inhibits tumor growth, and enlarges the airways, which they believe can ease the severity of asthma attacks." Marijuana: Why Is It Illegal Again? This is too big of a question to answer in just one single article, but looking at cannabis through the lens of its medical properties, there seem to be few, if any, reasons to keep marijuana off the market. It doesn't kill, and while it may not be as effective as other treatments, it doesn't seem to get in the way much. When Mikuriya was asked if there was a product out there today - anything - that has as many benefits as medical marijuana, he said simply: "No." Medical marijuana may be beneficial for everyone's health, but it's not very healthy for the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies. And unfortunately for Americans in need of a cheap, all-natural alternative medicine, the pharmaceutical industry is the biggest industry in America with powerful connections in high places. And they don't like marijuana. At all. "It's unlimited," Hornby said of marijuana. "Grow more, get more medicine. Pharmaceutical companies don't want you growing your own medicine." The idea of legalizing a cheap, all-natural medicine that grows out of the dirt is a threat to the pharmaceutical industry's bottom line. Dr. James Hudson, professor emeritus at University of British Columbia's Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, said pharmaceutical companies have a great incentive to recreate the organic compounds in marijuana and sell a drug from it, rather than just release the all-natural version to the public.

Patient's Choice Medical Cannabis Competition Brings Out The Bay Area's Finest Marijuana

What's a medical cannabis competition in San Francisco like? Relaxed. Dark. And surprisingly un-smoky, believe it or not. Think vapor bags -- lots and lots of vapor bags. Like, an unending parade of 6-foot vapor bags, passed around for six hours at Cafe Cocomo on Sunday evening at the sixth annual Patient's Choice Medical Cannabis Competition. There was that. There was a few jokes from the lovely and charming comedian Shanti Charan. And apparently, potheads make bad superheroes. Here are a few fleeting scenes, plus where to obtain the best cannabis in the Bay Area, and the winners listed after the jump. Strains: •1st Place: (101) Strawberry Cough, Larry Bollman, The Green Diamond Collective •2nd Place: (125) Dutch Treat, Kevin Brown, Mission Organics •3rd Place: (104) Animal Cookies, Fortune Wellness Center Edibles: •1st Place: (306) Dark Chocolate Caramel, The Green Cross, Incredimeds •2nd Place (305) Bhang Bite, Jon Paul, Bhang Chocolate •3rd Place (307) Strawberry Gummies, The Green Cross, Incredimeds For more San Francisco politics and beyond, follow The Snitch on Twitter.

Marijuana’s good qualities outweigh bad

The legalization of marijuana has been blown way out of proportion in the last few decades. Think about all the parents, professors and leaders of this country. They all grew up in an age that was pretty “groovy” and “psychedelic,” but most of them turned out just fine. Today, marijuana is viewed as being addictive, dangerous and a gateway to harder drugs.Yet on Tuesday, Colorado and Washington residents became the first two states to legalize marijuana for recreational use. The issue seemed to be overlooked this year, but that is probably because American’s as a whole were more concerned with the economy, health care and the national debt. However, it did not fly under the radar for many young Americans voting for the first time, who definitely exercised their opinion that the legalization of marijuana should not be a big deal. With more young people voicing their opinions, the old fashioned, conservative and elderly citizens are getting outnumbered. Behind alcohol and tobacco – both legal in the United States – marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug. Instead of refusing to acknowledge this fact, our laws should reflect this reality, because marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. With the prohibition of marijuana, it is costing the government billions of dollars which could be used elsewhere. These costs include the campaigns and propaganda used against marijuana, law enforcement and the prosecution of lawbreakers. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 37,000 deaths are caused from alcohol each year in the U.S. Alcohol is one of the most toxic drugs, and can lead to death from overdose. Marijuana on the other hand is not nearly as toxic and would take a thousand times the dose to have the same effect to kill someone. To this day, there is no report of someone dying from marijuana overdose. Violent crimes can often be initiated through the consumption of alcohol. Instead of being aggressive, marijuana has the opposite effect. After smoking marijuana, users often feel more relaxed, happy and enjoy whatever situation they are in, whether it is a movie, party or concert. Unlike alcohol, which is just for recreational use, marijuana has actually been documented as a helpful drug when used for medical purposes. It can be used as a natural medicine that is safe and can help people suffering from several diseases. That is why 18 of the 50 states have legalized the use of medical marijuana. The prohibition of alcohol can be closely compared with what the U.S. is dealing with now. Although the consumption of alcohol was never illegal, in the coming years, marijuana will follow and be legalized. Our children will never remember a time when smoking was not legal. The U.S. is known for fighting the “war on drugs,” but many countries in Europe have strayed from this approach, and instead see it as a health issue rather than a criminal one. If our country viewed marijuana this way, it would make a lot more sense and save money. It is only a matter of time before the rest of America realizes that the legalization of marijuana will actually do more good for our country than the bad it is doing now. With the huge step that Colorado and Washington took, they voted to regulate the production, possession, distribution and recreational use of marijuana for people 21 and older. Marijuana use should not be a crime.

Health Effects of Marijuana Compared to Prescription Drugs

Lately, I've been reading and listening to many of the marijuana debates. One of the more recent articles stated that the "health Effects of marijuana are being overlooked." I have strong feelings on this issue. I have known many people with many different types of illnesses from cancer to multiple sclerosis that experienced such bad side effects from the synthetic medications prescribed by their physicians, it was almost worse than living with the illness. One patient nearly died twice when doctors insisted he take a chemotherapy medication in pill form without explaining what it was and what the side effects were. When they quit these medications and used marijuana for relief from pain and nausea, they were finally able to live. They had energy again, slowly started getting their health back, and recovered from depression. Take a look at this article: http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-10-14/bay-area/24134026_1_legalization-debate-marijuana-dependence-addiction-research The author and the several medical professionals quoted talk about people who are addicted to marijuana. Some people may develop a dependence, but there is no physical withdrawal to marijuana as there is in both many anti-depressant medication and pain medications. There are people with addictive personalities who have a tendency to develop a dependence on many things, and there is usually a lot more going on than meets the eye. The woman in the article who states she was "addicted" for 19 years, as far as we know, not in need of marijuana to relieve pain or other issues. Why must we continue to punish people who have chronic illnesses, pain or deadly diseases by stigmatizing and prohibiting the use of the one medication that works? People need to be educated on how deadly and addictive prescription medications are. Prescription medications can cause severe physical withdrawal (even anti-depressant medications). Synthetic medications can ruin lives, and they can literally kill you! Marijuana grows naturally for a reason and you can't overdose on it. Addiction to pain medication has gone up to 400 percent over the last decade: Some state that they are afraid the legalization of marijuana will encourage people to develop the habit. Do they realize how many teens and adults develop an addiction to pain medications? The addictions are so severe they will do anything to obtain it. The United States has had a "war on drugs" for years that it is not winning. For example, in Portugal where marijuana was decriminalized, they experienced the lowest rate of marijuana use in the European Union, at 10 percent. In America, that same figure is 39 percent. Decriminalization has enabled the Portuguese government to manage and control the drug problem far better than virtually every other Western country does. I hope that someday people will look at the true facts and open their minds to a natural medication that has been on the earth and used for thousands of years.

How Medical Marijuana Works

In an ad that aired on TV in New York, a man named Burton Aldrich stares at the camera and tells the viewer, "I am in extreme pain right now. Everywhere. My arms, my legs, are feeling like I'm dipped in an acid." Aldrich is a quadriplegic confined to a wheelchair, and the best treatment for his overwhelming pain, he says, is marijuana. He continues, "Within five minutes of smoking marijuana, the spasms have gone away and the neuropathic pain has just about disappeared." ­­To some, medical marijuana is a contradiction in terms, immoral or simply illegal. But to Aldrich and numerous people in the United States and around the world, marijuana, or cannabis, represents an essential medicine that alleviates debilitating symptoms. Without it, these people wouldn't be able to treat their conditions. Aldrich thinks he would be dead without marijuana. Others, like Dr. Kevin Smith, who was also featured in these pro-medical marijuana ads, can't treat their conditions for fear of breaking the law. Smith says that, save for a trip to Amsterdam where he tried marijuana, the autoimmune disorders he suffers from have prevented him from sleeping soundly through the night for the last 20 years. In states in which it's legal, doctors recommend medical marijuana for many conditions and diseases, frequently those that are chronic. Among them are nausea (especially as a result of chemotherapy), loss of appetite, chronic pain, anxiety, arthritis, cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, insomnia, ADHD, epilepsy, inflammation, migraines and Crohn's disease. The drug is also used to ease pain and improve quality of life for people who are terminally ill. So how, exactly, does medical marijuana work to treat these conditions? Why, if this medicine is so effective for some people, does it remain controversial and, in many places, illegal? In this article, we'll take a look at the medical, legal, and practical issues surrounding medical marijuana in the United States. We'll examine why some people, like Burton Aldrich, depend on it to live normally. We'll also examine some of the intriguing intersections between pharmaceutical companies, the government and the medical marijuana industry.

Marijuana Facts and Statistics

The following Marijuana Facts and Statistics were compiled from a variety of sources that are listed at the end of this article. Each fact or statistic is cited with an endnote, annotating which source it was from. At least 200,000 students in the US have been denied financial aid for college simply because of drug convictions on their records.j Marijuana is the most common illegal drug used in the United States with roughly 100 million Americans admitting to trying marijuana at least once. j 11.5% of Americans (more than 25 million) have smoked marijuana in the last year.f An individual would need to smoke 800 joints to die, according to one report. The cause of death would be poisoning from carbon monoxide.b Around 50,000 people die each year from alcohol poisoning, and more than 400,000 people die each year from causes related attributed to tobacco smoking.i According to the prestigious European medical journal, The Lancet, "The smoking of cannabis, even long-term, is not harmful to health. ... It would be reasonable to judge cannabis as less of a threat ... than alcohol or tobacco."i Every day roughly 6,000 Americans use marijuana for the first time, according to one national survey. f 22.6% of high school seniors in the US used marijuana in the past 30 days compared with 18.7% who smoked cigarette, according to 2011 data.l Cannabis plants can grow in nearly any ecosystem and average one to two inches of growth per day, and can grow up to 18 feet.a In Ancient China cannabis seeds were used as a food source as early as 6000 B.C. and as a medicinal drug as in 2737 B.C. by Chinese emperor Shen Nung. The emperor documented the drug’s effectiveness in treating the pains of rheumatism and gout.a A 1619 law required farmers to grow the hemp plant (marijuana). Once harvested, it was used to make clothing, rope, sails, and many more products.b The first two drafts of the United States Declaration of Independence were written on paper made from hemp.e The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 made it illegal to possess, use, buy, sell, or cultivate marijuana in the United States. The law classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it has a high potential for abuse and no acceptable medical use.f Marijuana was listed in the United States Pharmacopoeia as a useful medicine for nausea, rheumatism, and labor pains and could easily be purchased at the local general store or pharmacy, between 1850 to 1942.b The use of marijuana was often recommended as a replacement for alcohol during the temperance movement of the 1890s.b Canada was the first country in the world to allow doctors to prescribe pain suffering patients medical marijuana. They did it in 2003 Oregon was the first state to decriminalize marijuana. They did it in 1973.k In 1996, California became the first U.S. state to legally allow medical marijuana for patients with a valid doctor’s recommendation.c Although marijuana is still a controlled substance under federal law, 13 U.S. states currently have compassionate use laws in place, which allow for regulated medical marijuana use: AK, CA, CO, HI, ME, MI, MT, NV, NM, OR, RI, VT, and WA. An additional 17 states and the District of Columbia have legislated to recognize the value of medical marijuana but do not protect users from federal prosecution.c US taxpayers pay an estimated $10 billion annually on marijuana prohibition costs, to arrest more than 853,000 individuals per year.j The total number of individuals arrested for all violent crimes combined, including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault,is less than the number of individuals arrested for marijuana related crimes.i Toughly 30 percent of the Americans arrested for marijuana violations were under the age of 19.i African Americans make up 67% of the prison population detained for drug offenses, while the demographic only accounts for 13% of illegal drug users.i Crippled by the war on drugs, the U.S. prison population is six to ten times higher than that of other Western European nations.

‘Medical’ Marijuana: 10 Health Benefits That Legitimize Legalization

Prescription drugs kill about 100,000 people in the world each year. Off the top of your head, do you know how many deaths are caused by using marijuana, either medicinally or recreationally? Prescription drugs kill between about 100,000 people in the world each year, but marijuana, medical or not, has caused absolutely zero deaths. Weed, pot, ganja, or whatever you want to call it, cannabis has actually been a favorable treatment in the treatment of about 200 different medical conditions. Here are 10 ways marijuana can improve your health, which also act as legitimate reasons as to why legalization should be a serious debate. "There are no deaths from cannabis use. Anywhere. You can't find one," said Dr. Lester Grinspoon, professor emeritus at Harvard Medical School. Believe it: In 10,000 years of known use of cannabis, there's never been a single death attributed to marijuana. "I've heard you have to smoke something like 15,000 joints in 20 minutes to get a toxic amount of delta-9 tetrahydrocannibinol," said Dr. Paul Hornby, a biochemist and human pathologist who also happens to be one of the leading authorities on cannabis research. "I challenge anybody to do that." Meanwhile, it's a fact that anyone can die from ingesting too much aspirin, or too much coffee, or too much wine. Marijuana, on the other hand, medical or not, is not only non-lethal, but likely beneficial. Several studies, some published as recently as a few months ago, have shown that marijuana can even be good for your health, and could help treat conditions better than the solutions being cooked up in the labs. The late Dr. Tod Mikuriya, a former national administrator of the U.S. government's marijuana research programs, appeared in a film about the business of marijuana prohibition shortly before his 2007 death called "The Union." (The full movie is available on both Netflix and YouTube.) "After dealing with about 10,000 patents in the last 15 years, I'd say about 200 different medical conditions respond favorably to cannabis," Mikuriya said. We won't go through all 200 conditions here, but here are 10 of the most notable, common conditions, afflictions and diseases that marijuana has been proven to help. Alzheimer's disease - In 2006, the Scripps Research Institute in California discovered that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana, can prevent an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase from accelerating the formation of "Alzheimer's plaques" in the brain, as well as protein clumps that can inhibit cognition and memory, more effectively than commercially marketed drugs. Epilepsy - A study performed by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University discovered that ingredients found in natural marijuana "play a critical role in controlling spontaneous seizures in epilepsy." Dr. Robert J. DeLorenzo, professor of neurology at the VCU School of Medicine, added that "Although marijuana is illegal in the United States, individuals both here and abroad report that marijuana has been therapeutic for them in the treatment of a variety of ailments, including epilepsy." Multiple sclerosis - It's long been believed that smoking pot helps MS patients, and a study published as recently as May provided yet another clinical trial as evidence of marijuana's impact on multiple sclerosis patients with muscle spasticity. Even though the drug has been known to cause dizziness and fatigue in some users, most MS patients report marijuana not only helps ease the pain in their arms and legs when they painfully contract, but also helps them just "feel good." How many prescription drugs can say their side effects include "happiness"? Glaucoma - Since the 1970s, studies have called medical marijuana an effective treatment against glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness in the world. Researchers say marijuana helps reduce and relieve the intraocular pressure that causes optic nerve damage, but the proponents say it helps "reverse deterioration," too. Arthritis - Marijuana proves useful for many types of chronic pain conditions, but patients with rheumatoid arthritis report less pain, reduced inflammation and more sleep. However, this is not to say that arthritis patients should exchange their medication with pot; marijuana eases the pain, but it does nothing to ameliorate or curb the disease. Depression - A study on addictive behaviors published by USC and SUNY Albany in 2005, whose 4,400 participants made it the largest investigation of marijuana and depression to date, found that "those who consume marijuana occasionally or even daily have lower levels of depressive symptoms than those who have never tried marijuana." The study added that "weekly users had less depressed mood, more positive affect, and fewer somatic complaints than non-users." Anxiety - An article published in the April 2010 edition of the Harvard Mental Health Letter, "Medical marijuana and the mind," said that while "many recreational users say that smoking marijuana calms them down, for others it has the opposite effect. ... Studies report that about 20 to 30 percent of recreational users experience such problems after smoking marijuana." The article did not mention which "studies" supported this fact, and most marijuana users would call this claim totally erroneous. Here's a story from Patsy Eagan of Elle Magazine, who describes how she prefers marijuana to treat her anxiety over prescription drugs. Hepatitis C - A 2006 study performed by researchers at the University of California at San Francisco found that marijuana helps improve the effectiveness of drug therapy for hepatitis C, an infection that roughly 3 million Americans contract each year. Hepatitis C medications often have severe side effects like loss of appetite, depression, nausea, muscle aches and extreme fatigue. Patients that smoked marijuana every day or two found that not only did they complete the therapy, but that the marijuana even made it more effective in achieving a "sustained virological response," which is the gold standard in therapy, meaning there was no sign of the virus left in their bodies. Morning sickness - In a peer-reviewed study, researchers at the British Columbia Compassion Club Society found that 92 percent of women found marijuana's effect on morning sickness symptoms as either "very effective" or effective." Read the first-hand account from Dr. Wei-Ni Lin Curry, who describes how medical marijuana saved her from a potentially life-threatening situation: "Within two weeks of my daughter's conception, I became desperately nauseated and vomited throughout the day and night. ... I vomited bile of every shade, and soon began retching up blood. ... I felt so helpless and distraught that I went to the abortion clinic twice, but both times I left without going through the with procedure. ... Finally I decide to try medical cannabis. ... Just one to two little puffs at night, and if I needed in the morning, resulted in an entire day of wellness. I went from not eating, not drinking, not functioning, and continually vomiting and bleeding from two orifices to being completely cured. ... Not only did the cannabis save my [life] during the duration of my hyperemesis, it saved the life of the child within my womb."

Will California Be The Next State To Legalize Marijuana?

SAN FRANCISCO -- With marijuana legalization initiatives having passed in Colorado and Washington state, the inevitable question lingers among California cannabis enthusiasts: Are we next? According to local advocates, the answer is "yes." "There is no doubt in my mind that we will see an initiative on the ballot either in 2014 or 2016," said Steve DeAngelo, co-founder and executive director of Oakland's Harborside Health Center, the country's largest medical marijuana dispensary. "The victory of these initiatives has energized activists all over the United States and all over the world." California was poised to become the first state to legalize marijuana for adult use in 2010 with Proposition 19, but the ballot measure failed by a small margin. Still, experts believe the initiatives in Colorado and Washington wouldn't have succeeded had the Golden State not set the stage. "Prop 19 showed the world that legalization is a debate that needs to be taken seriously and that there's a huge constituency for it," said Tom Angell, founder of the new website Marijuana Majority and spokesman for the nonprofit Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. "People in California are excited to push it over the finish line here sooner rather than later." DeAngelo believes that before California can approve full-scale legalization for adults, the Assembly first must pass a set of uniform regulations for the state's flourishing medical cannabis industry. California currently leaves medical marijuana legislation in the hands of local jurisdictions, an approach which has yielded mixed results across the state. While certain city governments carefully regulate their medical marijuana economies, other areas have yet to impose sufficient restrictions. Oakland and Santa Cruz, for example, follow a strict set of rules for their thriving communities, while unregulated places like Los Angeles have become what some insiders describe as "the poster child of chaos." Voters in San Diego and Palo Alto on Tuesday rejected initiatives that would have approved medical marijuana dispensaries to open in their respective cities, a move Angell attributes to the lack of statewide regulation. "These defeats show that there is in fact a lot of confusion about what regulated medical marijuana distribution could look like," he said. "Certain parts of the state have a lot to learn from places like San Francisco and Oakland." DeAngelo explained that Colorado's recent success largely relied on the fact that the state already had a well-regulated statewide system in place. "States that have a positive experience with medical cannabis, like in Colorado, that tends to lead to greater support of adult use," he said. "One of the reasons that Prop 19 didn't pass is because many communities had an unpleasant experience with cannabis regulation." Accordingly, DeAngelo described his "preferred trajectory" for California as a statewide medical cannabis regulation initiative in 2014, followed by full-scale legalization for adult use in 2016. "The demographics for a 2016 election will be much more in our favor than in 2014," he said, pointing to the fact that voters turn out in much larger numbers for presidential races. California Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) introduced a bill earlier this year that would have created a statewide system for regulating medical marijuana, but he later withdrew the measure after conservative lawmakers added a provision that would have allowed cities to ban dispensaries outright. California became the first state to legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes when voters approved the landmark Proposition 215 in 1996. While the medical cannabis industry has since ballooned into an enterprise that generates more than $100 million in annual tax revenue for the state, the drug still remains illegal at the federal level. Using the federal law as justification, last fall the Obama administration launched an aggressive crackdown on medical marijuana operations throughout California. Since then, hundreds of dispensaries have been forced to close and thousands of jobs have been lost. DeAngelo hopes that the victories in Washington and Colorado may lead to a softening of the justice department's stance on the issue. "I think that the election results have the potential to give Obama the incentive and the political cover to do a real reassessment of federal cannabis policy," he said. "Obama supporters overwhelmingly support cannabis reform and I hope the administration sees that it's time to support their constituency." Recent figures show that 81 percent of Americans support medical marijuana, 72 percent back no jail time for marijuana possession, and 50 percent believe marijuana should be legal for adult use. Both DeAngelo and Angell said that the California cannabis community will begin crafting its next steps soon. DeAngelo added that he hopes to engage stakeholders outside the movement, like the NAACP and the California Nurses Association, both of which lent their support to Prop 19. And if all goes according to plan? "We will win by a landslide," DeAngelo said. "If California puts into place an effective medical cannabis distribution system sometime in the next two years, 2016 will be a landslide."

Three out of four Americans want to end medical marijuana raids

The federal government's continued "War on Drugs" is no longer getting a warm reception from the vast majority of Americans. A recent poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research (MDPR) reveals that three out of every four Americans now oppose needless federal prosecution of medical marijuana dispensaries, growers, sellers and users in states where medical marijuana has been legalized. The poll included 1,000 individuals of varying ages and demographics from all across the country. And in virtually every category, a roughly three-quarters disapproval of federal interference in state marijuana matters was expressed by those polled, even among the 65 years of age and older category, which has typically been the most disapproving of marijuana use for any reason. "The results of this survey demonstrate that there is virtually no support in the country for the Obama administration's crackdown on state medical marijuana laws," said Steve Fox, Director of Government Relations for the Marijuana Policy Project. The Obama Justice Department (DOJ) announced last fall that it planned to begin shutting down marijuana dispensaries in California and elsewhere, and has since raided nearly 200 of them in at least nine states. "Across all demographic and ideological groups, the American people strongly believe the president should respect state medical marijuana laws, as he promised he would when he campaigned to be president. It is clearly time for President Obama to stand up to the members of his administration who are carrying out the morally wrong and politically unpopular policy of denying patients safe access to this beneficial medicine."

It's better for your lungs than tobacco.

According to a study published in Journal of the American Medical Association in January, marijuana does not impair lung function and can even increase lung capacity. Researchers looking for risk factors of heart disease tested the lung function of 5115 young adults over the course of 20 years. Tobacco smokers lost lung function over time, but pot users actually showed an increase in lung capacity. The increased lung capacity may due to taking a deep breaths while inhaling the drug. It controls epileptic seizures! Robert J. DeLorenzo of Virginia Commonwealth University, gave marijuana extract and synthetic marijuana to epileptic rats. The drugs rid the rats of the seizures for about 10 hours. Cannabinoids like the active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (also known as THC), control seizures by binding to the brain cells responsible for controlling excitability and regulating relaxation

All The Reasons Pot Is Good For You

Colorado and Washington both passed legislation that legalizes the recreational use of marijuana on Tuesday. While recreational marijuana is controversial, many people believe that the drug should be legal, especially for medical uses. See the good side of pot > Psychiatrist Tod H. Mikuriya, who helped develop Proposition 215, the state ballot that allowed doctors to recommend marijuana for patients in California, began researching marijuana's therapeutic possibilities in the 1960s. He believed the symptoms of over 200 ailments could be treated with marijuana including stuttering, insomnia, premenstrual syndrome, and writer’s cramp. Even the National Cancer Institute agrees with Mikuriya — specifically the use of marijuana for treatment of side effects of chemotherapy, preventing nausea and vomiting, increasing appetite, relieving pain, and improving sleep. While the benefits and risks of smoking pot may be overstated by advocates and opponents of marijuana legalization, the new legalization will help researchers study the drugs' medicinal uses, and better understand how it impacts the body. Marijuana can be used to prevent blindness from glaucoma. Marijuana use can be used to treat and prevent the eye disease glaucoma, which increases pressure in the eyeball, damaging the optic nerve, causing loss of vision. Marijuana decreases the pressure inside the eye, according to the National Eye Institute: "Studies in the early 1970s showed that marijuana, when smoked, lowered intraocular pressure (IOP) in people with normal pressure and those with glaucoma." These effects of the drug may slow the progression of the disease, preventing blindness.

One Love...Thank you all for your support

ReLeafers, early this week, we were given devastating news that a dear longtime friend and fellow patient, Stacy Pray lost a courageous battle to cancer. She was an amazing woman and single mother who sadly leaves behind two young daughters ages 5 & 7. Along with having to mourn the untimely loss of a mother, daughter & sister, the family is having to deal with the burden of mounting hospital and funeral costs. ReLeaf has set up a raffle where all proceeds will be going to a trust fund set up for the girls. For $5 per ticket, patients will have the chance to win an ounce of our top shelf Platinum Girl Scout cookies valued at $380 while helping out a great cause!! Raffle tickets are now available at the counter. Raffle will be drawn 11/21. Other cool items will be raffled off as well!! Additionally, the family has set up a PayPal for any donations where proceeds will go directly to the girl's trust fund, please send as a gift to Aubsnjoce@gmail.com. ONE LOVE!

'Cannabis Roots: The Hidden History of Marijuana' Conference

When thinking of the history of marijuana, most people’s minds go back to the hippy era of the 60s and the pot smoking flower-children whose peace and love ideals have forever changed our culture. Some think of the 1930's Reefer Madness era, where blacks and whites shared 'marihuana cigarettes' at tea houses while creating a new genre of music and breaking long-held racial barriers. Few people realize that cannabis has played a role in human history for tens of thousands of years, or that it played a pivotal role in the formation of such ancient religions as Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Taoism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Shinto, Ancient Greek Mystery Schools, and other traditions. The Cannabis Roots conference will explore some of this little-discussed area of cannabis history with some of the top experts in the world. Cannabis Roots: The Hidden History of Marijuana will be held from 11AM - 6PM on November 3, 2012 at CCHQ (307 W. Hastings - Second Floor) in Vancouver. Speakers include Professor Carl Ruck, David Hillman Ph.D., Michael Aldrich Ph.D., authors Michael Horowitz, Cynthia Palmer, Ted Smith, Chris Bennett, and filmmaker Mark Klokeid. For tickets and more information contact the Urban Shaman: 307 W Hastings, Vancouver – 604-662-5355 – theurbanshaman@hotmail.com. Cynthia Palmer is a writer and photographer from San Francisco. In 1970 she was part of a small group of neuronauts who founded The Fitz Hugh Ludlow Memorial Library in North Beach. Over the next 30 years the library became the world's largest collection of literature, research, art and artifacts of drug history. Archiving the art and literature of drugs and transformation is a dedicated obsession. Drug classics were reprinted in paperback from the collection, and with Michael Horowitz, she co-edited Moksha: Writings on Visionary Experience and Psychedelics by Aldous Huxley and Shaman Woman, Mainline Lady: Women's Writings on the Drug Experience (Updated and renamed Sisters of the Extreme).

How Does Medical Marijuana Help Cancer?

Medical marijuana is the medical--as opposed to recreational--application of the fruit, or "buds," of the cannabis sativa and cannabis indica plants. Patients can appropriate the effects of marijuana by drinking tinctures, eating food cooked with marijuana-infused butter, ingesting raw marijuana or by smoking the marijuana either in a cigarette, in a cigar or through a pipe. Doctors do not prescribe medical marijuana to directly treat cancer, but rather to relieve negative effects of cancer. History The American Cancer Society explains that various cultures have documented the medical use of marijuana over millenia, applying it to conditions including constipation, malaria, absent-mindedness, insomnia, beriberi, gout, rheumatism, depression, muscle as well as joint pain, coughs and tetanus. Throughout this period, many societies also ingested marijuana casually for the narcotic psychological and physiological effects of the drug. The American Cancer Society explains that due to the prevalence of this application of marijuana, many governments--including the United States--eventually banned its cultivation, sale and purchase. Nonetheless, recreational marijuana use has continued, eventually leading to questions regarding its therapeutic potential, states the American Cancer Society. Sponsored Links 5 Foods to never ever eat Cut down a bit of stomach fat every day by never eating these 5 foods. Trimdownclub.com Current State of Medical Marijuana Most recently, the global scientific and medical community has applied extensive research to the medical potential of marijuana and most outcomes are noncommittal, with a few studies with affirmative as well as negative conclusions. The American Cancer Society reports on the federal level as of 2010, the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, approved the active chemical in marijuana for use to treat various terminal conditions, including cancer. According to the website Medical Marijuana, the states that individually permit the cultivation, sale and use of medical marijuana for the treatment of conditions sanctioned by the FDA include Alaska, California, Colorado, the District of Colombia, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Function The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of the cannabinoid tetrahyrocannabinol, or THC, to treat nausea and vomiting in cancer patients, according to the American Cancer Society. According to the Institute of Medicine (see reference 3), THC is a composite chemical of marijuana and generally accepted as marijuana's "active ingredient," given it both provides the "high" for which some smoke marijuana illegally as well as the therapeutic qualities for which the FDA approved it for medical use. Citing studies published between 1975 and 2005, the American Cancer Society explained how various clinical tests established that THC viably reduced pain, nausea, inhibited vomiting and stimulated appetites in cancer patients. Furthermore, the Institute of Medicine reports that the sense of euphoria and sedation associated with marijuana evidenced therapeutic value, as it was desirous for the patients. The American Cancer Society avers that while some researchers used raw marijuana to conduct these studies, some used pharmaceutical substitutes that contained either THC or a synthetic version. Such pharmaceutical substitutes never required smoking--patients ingested pills and oral sprays or wore skin patches instead. Theories/Speculation Marijuana is associated with compendious speculations and controversy. Both the American Cancer Society and the Institute of Medicine asserts that the majority of the speculation regarding the harm behind legalizing marijuana for medical use includes long term health problems associated with smoking. There also are potential social issues, including increased use among minors, a general belief that marijuana is "safe" when marijuana could be harmful due to the carcinogens present in smoke. According to the American Cancer Society, other drug options can engender the same benefits without the risks associated with smoking marijuana. Support for medical marijuana includes the argument that most terminal patients, such as those with cancer, will not have the opportunity for long-term use, according to the Institute of Medicine. Supporters say health problems resulting from marijuana smoking remain unproven, while its efficacy in assuaging various medical conditions has, states the American Cancer Association. None of the testing of medical marijuana as of 2010 includes an assessment of all means of ingesting marijuana. There are various ways to smoke marijuana; these include in a cigarette, in a cigar, with a pipe, with a water pipe, with an herbal vaporizer, and with a gas mask. Some choose to smoke marijuana with tobacco, effectively reducing average marijuana consumption, but that increases risks associated with tobacco. Other ways to ingest marijuana include in tinctures made from either a lipid or alcohol base, in food, in sprays and in transdermal patches. Though research has explored some of these methods, all must be taken into account in order to fully assess the viability of marijuana as an option for therapy. Other supportive speculation provided by the American Cancer Society includes that marijuana could possess antibacterial qualities, controls seizures, and dilate airways--which can help to control asthma, hinder tumor development and reduce pressure in the eyes for glaucoma patients. Potential The Institute of Medicine asserts that cannabinoids likely regulate pain. Furthermore, the Institute of Medicine confirms that scientific data shows potential therapeutic value for cannabinoid drugs, including marijuana, for pain, nausea and vomiting relief as well as appetite stimulation for cancer patients. The Institute of Medicine also concludes that various psychological effects, including euphoria, sedation and anxiety reduction, may be desirously therapeutic for cancer patients, and should thus undergo clinical examination for therapeutic value. In this way, the Institute of Medicine has confirmed that marijuana has various sources of potential for therapeutic value for cancer patients. Thus, the Institute of Medicine urges that researchers should apply further assessment to determine whether there are therapeutic applications of medical marijuana.

Marijuana Medical Facts

Medical science has learned much about marijuana, but both opponents and proponents claim scientific support for their respective positions. Academicians writing for the Berkman Center at Harvard University acknowledge both social and scientific controversy over whether use of marijuana, Cannabis sativa, is beneficial or hazardous. All investigators agree that the active ingredient in marijuana, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is a powerful substance. It interacts with many body systems. Benefit or detriment may depend on a user's needs. Smoke Effects Smoking, whether marijuana or tobacco, deposits hundreds of combustion products and smoke particles throughout your lungs. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the DEA, reports that in one marijuana cigarette, a joint, over 400 chemicals and four times the tar of a single filtered cigarette are inhaled. The DEA cites a National Institutes of Health study documenting that five joints a week deliver as many cancer-causing chemicals as a pack-a-day tobacco smoker receives. Smokers all know that smoking delivers nicotine, but the amount depends on how much of a cigarette is smoked. Smoking is not a precise dose-delivery system for medical marijuana administration. The benefit of any smoke-delivered marijuana ingredient should be weighed against its variability and hazards. Marijuana can also be ingested. Sponsored Links Woman is 53 But Looks 27 53/YO Mom Reveals 1 simple Wrinkle Trick that has angered doctors... www.NecessarySkinCare.com Hormonal Effects In 2002, physicians reporting in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology reviewed 74 controlled research studies investigating the effects of THC on the human hormonal system. They found that marijuana suppresses male and female reproductive hormones, sperm production and lactation, and growth and thyroid hormones. These responses diminish with chronic use, though some males develop irreversible gynecomastia, or breast enlargement. The researchers concluded that most long-term hormonal consequences are mild and subtle. Psychological Effects A 2008 British Journal of Psychiatry report searched through more than 15,000 research studies to identify the effects of marijuana use on the outcome of care in patients with psychotic disorders. They reported only low confidence that marijuana use could be correlated with either good or bad outcomes and concluded that the dangers of marijuana in such cases remained unproven. College students who use marijuana heavily, according to research cited by the American Council for Drug Education, suffer deficits in attention, short-term memory and organization up to 24 hours after use. Another study, reported from the Berkman Center at Harvard University, documented that memory deficits can be detected for up to six weeks after the last marijuana use. If you use marijuana, you may want to weigh these potential deficits against your professional, social and educational goals. Appetite Effects The 2002 Journal of Clinical Pharmacology report identified a THC-mediated appetite stimulation effect. This effect is due to activation of your brain's "feeding center," which controls the sense of hunger. Marijuana's appetite stimulation has been exploited to improve nutrition for AIDS and cancer chemotherapy patients. Drug Testing If you use marijuana in any form, sensitive blood tests may detect it up to four weeks later, according to the American Council for Drug Education. THC accumulates in your fatty tissues including the liver, lungs and testes. Forty-eight hours after using marijuana, up to one-quarter of the THC is still detectable in your body.

Black Market Street: Inside a Thriving Open-Air Drug Business

The hustler asks it with a nonchalant air, neither friendly nor imposing. Smooth. Like a pro. The customer is startled, shoulders stiffening beneath his gray v-neck. "Huh?" "You need weed?" he repeats. The customer, a thin man in his 20s walking down Market Street, stops and looks around. Through his aviators he notices the dozen or so young men in loose jeans and hoodies lingering around the corner of Market and Jones. Some keep to themselves, leaning against the walls of a Western Union check-cashing joint. Others huddle in groups of two and three beside parked cars. The hustler, 6-foot-2 and lean with a beanie pulled to his eyebrows, is perched on a chain railing near the intersection. The customer stutters, searching for an adequate response, before mumbling, "How do you know I'm not a cop?" "I can just tell." "How much for an eighth?" "Thirty for a regular, 50 for a smoker's eighth." "What's the difference?" "Fifty's little more than an eighth." "Okay, yeah," says the customer, slowly nodding. "I'll take the regular." As he reaches for his wallet, the hustler leads him back up Jones. It's a one-way street, so the hustler only has to peek forward to catch any incoming police cruiser. The customer crumples two bills into his fist and slaps it into the hustler's palm. The hustler whips his backpack around, unzips the top, and fishes out an orange prescription pill container. He doesn't keep his product in Ziploc bags or plastic wrap. And he never carries more than an ounce on him. When he needs a re-up, he just walks to his supplier's apartment on Seventh Street. If he ever gets stopped by a cop, he can pull out his medical marijuana card (he has mild scoliosis) and go on his way; the card lets him legally carry the ounce. He's been frisked without being arrested more than 10 times over the past few years. Tilting the container sideways, the hustler taps out several nuggets into his own palm, measuring out 30 bucks' worth with his eye. The customer nervously glances around, both hands stuffed into skinny jeans pockets. This is a strange place for a drug deal, he thinks to himself, this corner along the city's busiest downtown thoroughfare, two blocks west of the Westfield Mall, two blocks south of the Tenderloin police station, five blocks east of City Hall. The hustler pours the green buds into the customer's hand, stray stems and leaves fluttering to the pavement. Seconds later, with the buyer disappearing into the Market Street flow, a fiftysomething man with bills folded between his calloused fingers shuffles up to the hustler. It feels like a busy day. The hustler goes by the name Bishop. He is 27 and has been commuting to Market Street to slang weed for nearly a decade, often posting up at the epicenter of the street-level pot business on Jones and Market. He started dealing at 15, as a high schooler in the Lakeview neighborhood of San Francisco. He knew a bunch of his classmates smoked weed and saw a business opportunity. Some older friends told him about the weed rush on Market Street. When he checked it out, he found a market that was more profitable and less risky than his native neighborhood. The police harassed him more in Lakeview than they do on Market, he says. On Market, there is a deep-pocketed, built-in consumer base and little tension among the many dealers. With the constant stream of foot traffic, there are more than enough lungs to go around. Bishop sets up shop three or four days week — though never on Sunday — and works from morning to sunset. He usually grosses upward of $100 an hour, $200 during an especially busy day, like on Pride Weekend. From his spot on the corner on this late summer morning, Bishop watches the remnants of the off-to-work crowd bustle by. Some march past a fenced-off lot filled with construction workers and loud machinery. New and exciting things are coming to Mid-Market, this enigmatic stretch of porn theaters, family businesses, and art galleries between Fifth and 10th streets, crunched between downtown, SOMA, and the Tenderloin, where techies, winos, hipsters, suits, and tourists collide. "San Francisco's up-and-coming neighborhood," they've been saying for decades. Only this time's gonna be different. Eager to turn the area into San Francisco's — no, America's next business-technology-culture hub, city leaders are tossing around tax breaks like tennis balls at a dog park. "A total resurgence is coming," said Mayor Ed Lee. Twitter is here. And Zendesk. Dolby, too. Real estate moguls from Dallas and financiers from New York City just plopped down major cash to construct a five-story glass-walled retail center called Market Street Place. "We're on the move," Lee said in May. "This is all for real. No more talk." But these development plans are riding into a neighborhood that's already had a booming industry for years. And that infamous drug trade has only benefited from the recent vacuum created by contradicting local and federal marijuana policies. While city policy orders law enforcement to be lenient to smokers and street dealers, a federal crackdown has closed seven San Francisco medical cannabis dispensaries over the past year, driving more customers to the corners.

Medical Marijuana Versus Prescription Drugs

There is a lot of debate as to whether or not medical marijuana is a safe and healthy alternative to prescription medication regimens these days. With the number of people becoming addicted to pain killers and other prescription drugs on the rise, most people who are pro medical marijuana are quick to point out the key differences that make medical marijuana a great alternative. A great place to begin in this debate is to take a serious look at the pros and cons of both medical marijuana and prescription drugs. It is a proven fact that nobody has ever died as a direct result from consuming marijuana, nobody has ever overdosed in other words. Marijuana is not lethal and overdose is an impossibility. Take a look at other remedies such as percocet, vicodin, and oxycontin. People are becoming seriously addicted to these medications in droves and are often times purchasing these drugs off the streets. Prescription medications are now killing more people in the United States than illegal street drugs and the numbers are increasing all the time. Those who are addicted to these drugs go through serious withdrawal when they are without them and often times resort to theft and other illegal methods to acquire more medication just so they can feel normal again. Then we come to the good old “Gateway Drug” theory, which has been scientifically proven to be false. There is absolutely no correlation whatsoever that creates a cause and effect chain of reactions that leads someone to smoke marijuana and then decide that they need to try heroin, it simply just does not work that way. That would be like saying that caffeine or sugar is going to lead to cocaine use, it is absurd when one really considers how the government has used mind control tactics to brainwash the masses. All in all, society as a whole does not suffer with medical marijuana in the world. Those who are qualified patients in their respective states are reaping the benefits of a healthy and bonafide alternative to a serious addiction problem and possibly death. One can’t even take a Tylenol or Aspirin without there being serious side effects to the liver and other organs in the body. Medications are not healthy and create a host of health problems in millions of people. Medical marijuana is not lethal, prescription and even non-prescription pills, powders, liquids, and injections are.

Giants did it again specials all day at Releaf

Medical Marijuana Policy and the Virtues of Federalism

We analyze the policy issue of medical marijuana to illustrate how key virtues of federalism can be used to make a threshold determination as to whether a particular public policy should be subject to federal regulation or reserved for states. When the substantive merits of the policy issue are currently debated and unresolved, and that issue area has traditionally been regulated by states, we employ a three-prong test for determining as a threshold matter whether the federal government should assert preemptive jurisdiction over the policy. That test has is roots in well-established theories of federalism that comprise what we refer to as the “classic virtues of federalism.” Based on our analysis, medical marijuana is a policy that should be left to the states.

Our President must know what our Patients feel

Medical Marijuana Advocates Want Drug Reclassified

WASHINGTON -- A federal appeals court in Washington is considering whether marijuana should be reclassified from its current status as a dangerous drug with no accepted medical use. Last year, the Drug Enforcement Administration rejected a petition by medical marijuana advocates to change the classification, which kept marijuana in the same category as drugs such as heroin. The DEA concluded that there wasn't a consensus opinion among experts on using marijuana for medical purposes. The petition had been filed in 2002. A medical marijuana group, Americans for Safe Access, want the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to force the agency to hold a hearing and conduct findings based on the scientific record. The group's lawyer, Joe Elford, said that the DEA had misapplied the law. He added there are numerous studies that show marijuana is effective as a medical treatment. The group's legal brief said marijuana could help people with chronic pain and the negative side effects of chemotherapy, among other things. Marijuana is classified under "Schedule I" of controlled substances, meaning it has a high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use. It's lumped in with drugs like heroin, LSD and ecstasy. Americans for Safe Access want to see it reclassified to a less restrictive schedule. Justice Department lawyer Lena Watkins said that marijuana is properly classified. "It's the most widely abused drug in the United States," she said. Tuesday's hearing was packed to capacity with many medical marijuana supporters in the audience. The judges who will decide the case are Karen LeCraft Henderson, a Republican appointee, and Harry T. Edwards and Merrick B. Garland, both Democratic appointees.

Court To Review Marijuana's Medical Benefits

It started with a coalition of disgruntled Americans, then a handful of governors took up the cause last year, and now -- for the first time in nearly 20 years -- a federal court will hear oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging the classification of cannabis as a dangerous drug without medical benefits. In the case, Americans for Safe Access v. Drug Enforcement Administration, the court will be presented with scientific evidence regarding the medicinal effects of marijuana, and is expected to rule on whether or not the Drug Enforcement Administration acted appropriately in denying a petition to reclassify cannabis, filed by a collection of public interest organizations back in 2002. "Medical marijuana patients are finally getting their day in court," Joe Elford, chief counsel with ASA, said in a recent statement. "This is a rare opportunity for patients to confront politically motivated decision-making with scientific evidence of marijuana's medical efficacy." Under federal law, a schedule I prohibited substance is defined as having “a high potential for abuse” and “no currently accepted medical use in treatment.” Heroine and LSD are classified alongside marijuana as schedule I, while cocaine, opium and methamphetamine are classified as schedule II, meaning they have "some accepted medical use." Other groups, including the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians, support medical access to the drug or its reclassification, while the California Medical Association has called for full legalization. Donald Abrams, chief of hematology-oncology at San Francisco General Hospital, recently described the effectiveness of medical marijuana in the treatment regimens of cancer and HIV/AIDS patients. "I see patients who have loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting from their chemotherapy, pain on and off of opiates, anxiety, depression, and insomnia," he said in a press briefing last week, adding that these are just some of the conditions that can be alleviated by the use of medical marijuana. In its rejection of the ASA’s rescheduling petition in 2011, the DEA cited a 4-year-old Department of Health and Human Services paper that found no consensus on medical uses for marijuana, but it did not take into account studies showing the medical benefits of marijuana on the grounds the studies did not meet the standard of double-blind FDA approval trials. "[T]here are no adequate and well-controlled studies proving (marijuana's) efficacy; the drug is not accepted by qualified experts..." wrote DEA administrator Michele Leonhart in a July 8, 2011 letter. "At this time, the known risks of marijuana use have not been shown to be outweighed by specific benefits in well-controlled clinical trials that scientifically evaluate safety and efficacy." A similar petition calling for marijuana to be reclassified as a schedule II drug was filed with the DEA in 1972, and in 1988, following a federal hearing, Administrative Law Judge Francis Young ruled that marijuana should indeed be reclassified. But that verdict was rejected by then-DEA administrator John Lawn and in 1994, his rejection was upheld by the D.C. Court of Appeals. The current case will be heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Oct. 16.

Is marijuana close to being legalized?

Once again, medical-marijuana advocates are taking to the courts to eliminate the biggest barrier to legal use—the federal law that classifies marijuana as a dangerous drug with no valid medical use. On Oct. 16, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the federal appeals court that usually handles cases involving government regulations, will hear oral arguments onAmericans for Safe Access v. DEA. It will be the first time in almost 20 years that federal courts have considered the science of medical marijuana, says ASA spokesperson Kris Hermes. Specifically, ASA, a California-based patient-advocacy group, is trying to get the Drug Enforcement Administration to move marijuana out of Schedule I, the Controlled Substances Act of 1970s category for drugs with “a high potential for abuse,” “no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States,” and no “accepted level of safety for use under medical supervision.” Heroin, LSD, and PCP are also in Schedule I. Cocaine, methamphetamine and OxyContin are in Schedule II, legal for medical use but strongly restricted. Two previous attempts to get the DEA to reschedule marijuana failed, but advocates believe there is enough new evidence to convince the courts. “There’s simply more science now,” says ASA chief counsel Joseph D. Elford. Since 2000, says Igor Grant of the University of California at San Diego’s Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, the center has done six studies that showed “efficacy for marijuana over a placebo” in relieving pain caused by peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage). This current attempt began in 2002, when a coalition of medical-marijuana and legalization advocates filed a petition with the DEA. It contended that cannabis “has an accepted medical use in the United States, is safe for use under medical supervision, has an abuse potential lower than Schedule I or II drugs, and has a dependence liability that is also lower than Schedule I or II drugs.” It requested that marijuana be moved to Schedule III (Vicodin, acetaminophen with codeine), Schedule IV (Valium, Xanax), or Schedule V (codeine cough syrup)

Marijuana Recipes: 'High Times Cannabis Cookbook' Author Gives Edible Weed Advice

When most people think of stoner food, they typically think of fatty, greasy items like nachos or chili cheese fries. When most people think of food to get you high, the first thought is usually pot brownies. But there is a whole realm of marijuana cuisine that goes beyond the obvious. Enter "The Official High Times Cannabis Cookbook" by Elise McDonough and the editors of High Times magazine. This cookbook might have some familiar favorites, but it also offers interesting riffs on more advanced cannabis cuisine like farmers' market risotto and potato gnocchi with wild mushroom ragu. McDonough, a 10-year veteran of High Times magazine, stresses that you can't just throw some marijuana in food and call it a day. Like all forms of cooking, technique is key. Her version of stoner cuisine isn't about what to eat once you're high -- it's about how to create tasty meals that can give you a nice buzz. In the book's introduction, McDonough explains: Mention the word "marijuana" or better yet pull out your stash, and the first thought that springs to most stoner's minds is rolling a joint, packing a pipe, toking a bowl, hitting a bong, or putting a flame to some other smoking accessory. But it wasn't always that way.

Brain Tumors

The active compound in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), has shown that it not only will help prevent brain tumors from forming, but that it can also cure them. This medical wonder works by the THC inducing a process called autophagy, in which the cancerous brain cells begin to consume themselves. Rather than growing in size by feeding on other healthy brain cells, these cancer cells feed on themselves until there is nothing left. This all comes without the risky side effects provided by most synthetic drugs, meant for this purpose. Spanish researchers at Complutense University were the first to note this phenomenon, in 2008. They began by administering THC to test subjects and noticed drastic improvements within as soon as 2 weeks of dosing. A little over a year later, after further research had been done, two subjects with glioblastoma multiforme enrolled in an experiment, in which they would receive THC injections directly into their brain, rather than their bloodstream. Glioblastoma multiforme is a ruthless and often reoccurring tumor that rarely sees long-term survivors. After the administration of the THC into the brain, researchers noted drastically increased autophagy and reduced tumor size. Perhaps most amazingly was the fact that the patients had zero reported or noticed negative effects from the THC injections. Standard medication could have killed them or caused highly undesirable side effects.

Brownies Anyone?

Ever since the 1968 theatrical masterpiece I Love You, Alice B Toklas, pot brownies have been helping people all over the planet feel better. Smoking marijuana and eating marijuana are two different ball games. When you eat a cannabis brownie for instance, you may not begin to feel it effects for up to an hour. However, most people report that when eating medicinal cannabis, instead of smoking it, their highs last longer. Still, old school pot smokers sometimes have a difficult time centering in on the more subtle edible marijuana buzz; they still prefer smoking. Those same old school tokers will still have a difficult time denying the facts that pot brownies: •Provide a powerfully euphoric body buzz; •Taste extra delicious when cooked properly; •Are less dangerous for consumption because they do not have to be ignited; How to Bake Homemade Pot Brownies from Scratch Let's keep this simple and effective. Here's a checklist that you'll need for your kitchen before you begin making your marijuana brownies: •A nonstick baking pan; •A stick of butter, melted; •One level cup of brown sugar; •1/2 cup of all purpose flour; •One level cup of powdered cocoa mix; •Three large eggs; •1 cup white granulated sugar; •1 tablespoon vanilla extract; •1/2 to 3/4 cup delicious marijuana buds (grind them up very finely); Cannabis Brownies Baking Instructions •Preheat oven to 355° F; •Beat that three eggs until they aerated; •Add in all other ingredients and stir until very well mixed; •Add your pot brownie batter to your baking pan and place in oven; •Bake for 40 minutes and then check with a toothpick in the center; •You will probably need to finish off for about another 10 minutes; Bake some of your own weed brownies today and gift them to your family and friends. Everybody loves pot brownies!

Medical Marijuana for Pain and Depression

Marijuana is one of the most beneficial and therapeutically active substances known to man. Medical Cannabis refers to the use of the drug cannabis as a physician-recommended herbal therapy, most notably as an antiemetic. Cannabis has been used for medicinal purposes for approximately 4,000 years. Writings from ancient India confirm that its psychoactive properties were recognized, and doctors used it for a variety of illnesses and ailments. These included a whole host of gastrointestinal disorders, insomnia, headaches and as a pain reliever frequently used in childbirth. In the 1970s, a synthetic version of THC, the primary active ingredient in cannabis, was synthesized to make the drug Marinol. Due to the prohibition of marijuana however; it's use as a medicine is restricted. However, recent Canadian government legislation have made it more available to patients. Patients are now able to apply for personal possession and even a limited cultivation license. Few herbs offer a wide variety of therapeutic applications like these: Relief of muscle spasms Relief of chronic pain Reduction in interlobular pressure inside the eye Suppression of nausea Weight loss - increase and restore metabolism AIDS - Marijuana can reduce the nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting from the condition itself and the medications as well. Glaucoma - Marijuana relieves the internal eye pressure of glaucoma, and therefore relieving the pain and slowing or even stopping the condition. Cancer- Many side effects of the medication to stop cancer can be relieve with Marijuana, some studies suggest that Marijuana tends to slow down the progress of some types of cancer. Multiple Sclerosis - Muscle pain, spasticity, tremors and unsteadiness are some of the effects caused by the disease that can be relieved by Marijuana. Epilepsy - in some patients, epileptic seizures can be prevented with Marijuana use. Chronic pain - Marijuana helps to alleviate the pain caused from many types of injuries and disorders. Anxiety, Depression or Obsession - Even though mild anxiety is a common side effect in some users, cannabis can elevate your mood and expand the mind "With the expansiveness that occurs with marijuana, the subject may begin to notice infinite possibilities to raise the quality of his/her life that would otherwise have remained hidden from normal, defensive consciousness. And feelings of health and happiness naturally lead to hope, which of itself can be curative." - Joan Bello Many obsessions or quick fixes to psychological problems can be eleviated by Marijuana as well. Many people eat because they're depressed. If the depression is treated, the obsession to eat should be gone as well. Any of these phycological conditions can be treated by a psychiatrist; marijuana should be an alternative therapy, used in conjunction with psychiatric therapy. Physical Addictions There have been testimonies from opiate users that report an easing of addiction cravings. Some cannabinoids in cannabis are believed to have similar effects as ibogaine, a medication used to treat heroin addiction. The cannabinoids in Marijuana mimic the healing effects of a naturally occurring chemical in the brain called Anandimide. However, this naturally occurring cannabinoid also produces the negative effects that one would experience from high concentrations of cannabinoids in marijuana. Medical marijuana can also benefit you psychologically and spiritually. Marijuana can be used to enhance personal Spirituality. The herb tends to reveal your true self. It uncovers inner confusion and reveals your true direction - if you let it. Marijuana offers an effect that is both energizing and relaxing at the same time. This balanced effect will help some to think more clearly and more efficiently afterwards. "Marijuana will not tolerate repression. Tranquillizers and depressants relax the body and release tension, but the state of mind associated with these drugs is "unconsciousness" whereby we escape rather than resolve our dilemmas. Alcoholism is an extreme need of both the body and personality sometimes to release the nervousness that has accumulated and continues to build up to an unbearable degree. It serves the same function for the collective personality for the society, as well A culture in which alcohol and tranquillizers are the prevalent form of release prefers not to witness internal confusion and actually choose to act without conscious participation, maintaining a semi-numb condition." - Joan Bello "Marijuana can act as the loosening agent, so that whatever has been banned from consciousness may come cascading forth. To uncover our deceptions without our usual rationalizations can be unpleasant, an experience that has turned many psychologically fragile individuals away from marijuana despite its therapeutic catharsis." - Joan Bello. Cannabis also acts as an antispasmodic and anticonvulsant and is indicated for neurological conditions such as epilepsy especially complex partial seizures, multiple sclerosis, and spasms. As an analgesic and an immunomodulator it is indicated for conditions such as migraine, arthritis, spinal and skeletal disorders. As a bronchodilator it is beneficial for asthma. It also reduces the intraocular pressure and is indicated for glaucoma. Recent studies have shown the drug to be efficacious in treating mood disorders and mental health issues such as depression, post traumatic stress disorder, clinical depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and bipolar disorder. It is also indicated for premenstrual syndrome, hypertension, and insomnia. It is also reported to be an effective treatment for constipation and alcohol hangovers. A pharmaceutical product, Marinol, is widely available through prescription. It comes in the form of a pill and is also being studied by researchers for suitability via other delivery methods, such as an inhaler or patch. The active ingredient of Marinol is synthetic THC, which has been found to relieve the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy for cancer patients and to assist with loss of appetite with AIDS patients. Illegal, Legal, and Semi Legal Marijuana use by country and state Citation: Disabled World News - Article looks at medical marijuana and which countries and states marijuana is legal to buy and grow: http://www.disabled-world.com/medical/pharmaceutical/marijuana/#ixzz28ptBz2We