California city lightens up on marijuana users

Marijuana users in West Hollywood are breathing easier after the city
passed a resolution to deprioritise policing of pot infractions.
<br>
"This is just another nail in the coffin of marijuana prohibition,"
said Bruce Margolin, a pioneer in pro-marijuana legislation. "Now the
police can go after the guy robbing people on the street, rather than
looking for harmless pot smokers."
<br>
Late on Monday the city council of West Hollywood, which is sandwiched
between Hollywood and Beverly Hills in Los Angeles county, voted to
instruct police to not target adults "who consume this drug in private
and who pose no danger to the community".
<br>
The council noted its existing endorsement of the medicinal use of
marijuana as it advised the Los Angeles county police, who handle West
Hollywood law enforcement, to focus their energies on more serious
narcotics problems and other crimes like child and elderly abuse,
burglary, and identity theft.
<br>
"This sends a message that the City of West Hollywood has an
enlightened approach to its law enforcement," Don Duncan, manager of
two local medical marijuana dispensaries, told Agence France-Presse.
<br>
The move gave a boost to the campaign in California to permit
sufferers from cancer and other debilitating afflictions to consume
marijuana freely, despite federal laws banning the practice.
<br>
On Tuesday a steady stream of patients walked through the doors of
Alternative Herbal Health Services, a West Hollywood dispensary where
the product line runs from marijuana seeds to dwarf plants to
harvested ganja bearing names like "Hollywood High" and "Train Wreck,"
all displayed neatly in glass jars.
<br>
Patients also can select between varieties of hashish, and "edibles"
from chocolate-covered peanut butter cups to cannabis-laced banana
bread.
<br>
Dispensary operators like Nichols feel the ordinance validates their
work to provide organic medicine.
<br>
"God bless the city of West Hollywood for this kind of pat on the
back," she said. "I've got cancer patients who come through here who
simply can't eat without this medicine."
<br>
Nichols hopes the resolution will end what she believes is police
harassment of legitimately needy patients.
<br>
"I've been hassled and given citations a few times by the police just
walking from the front door of the dispensary to my car," said Tracy,
a patient who asked that only her first name be used.
<br>
"Now I feel like I don't have to be so anxious," she said as she
peered through the barred windows to the street.
<br>
Another patient who asked to be called Brian comes to the dispensary
specifically for its high quality "edibles" to alleviate his insomnia
and arthritis.
<br>
"The doctor prescribed me Ambien, but I hate the way that makes me
feel the next day," he said.
<br>
With the new city resolution, Brian feels the pressure has lifted.
"Now I don't have to wait around in cars and hope the police won't
show up," he said.
<br>
Local physicians also praised the decision. "This is an important step
towards sane adult use of marijuana," said Dr Craig Cohen. "I see
patients everyday who greatly benefit from marijuana prescriptions to
alleviate their pain and suffering and I know that they will be
grateful for this new resolution."
<br>
California passed legislation in 1996 making small quantities of
marijuana legal for medical use, laws that conflict with those of the
US federal government.
<br>
Since then medical pot clinics have operated openly. San Francisco and
Oakland both have policies in place similar to West Hollywood's.
<br>
Because the resolution does not actually effect legislation, it is
unclear how it will impact law enforcement practices.
<br>
"We will continue to comply with proposition 215 [California's medical
marijuana law]," said Officer Robert McMahon of the Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Department.

Marijuana in pill form is a medical benefit for heart transplant Director Robert Altman

Director Robert Altman, known for his marijuana use for years, has
not cut down his intake of since his heart transplant 10 years ago. In
fact, reports claim he's been taking marijuana in pill form and
larger amount then when he smoked.

The NY Daily News asked Altman about his love for marijuana, and he
responded, "I've increased it because of my heart condition. I even
have a prescription for marijuana pills."

Altman, 81 year old, is the director of many films, including "MASH"
in 1970 and most recently "A Prairie Home Companion" staring the likes
of Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Meryl Streep and and Lindsay
Lohan.

MS Society to study medical marijuana

Medical Marijuana: National Multiple Sclerosis Society to Fund Study 6/23/06
Source: http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/441/msmedmjstudy.shtml

In what could be the first sign of a course reversal by the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society, which has scoffed at medical marijuana in
the past, the group announced this week that it will fund a study on
the effect of marijuana on spasticity in MS patients. While the
Society acknowledges that up to 15% of MS patients use medical
marijuana, funding the new study is the first time the group has
indicated it is hearing what those patients are saying.

The society currently rejects the use of marijuana to relieve MS
symptoms. As it notes on its web site, "Based on the studies to date,
it is the opinion of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Medical
Advisory Board that there are currently insufficient data to recommend
marijuana or its derivatives as a treatment for MS. Long-term use of
marijuana may be associated with significant serious side effects. In
addition, other well-tested, FDA-approved drugs are available, such as
baclofen and tizanidine, to reduce spasticity in MS."

The Society said it was moved by inconclusive earlier studies on the
effect of marijuana on MS spasticity to fund a one using a new
measure. The study is not a new one; the group is taking over funding
for ongoing research at the University of California Center for
Medicinal Cannabis Research, which lost funding when the investigation
was only partially completed.

The study, by Dr. Mark Agius and fellow researchers at the University
of California-Davis School of Medicine, is scheduled for completion in
March 2008.

Presbyterians have faith in medical marijuana

Presbyterians Call for Medical Marijuana
By Peter Sachs
Religion News Service
June 23 - The Presbyterian Church (USA) on Wednesday (June 21) became
the seventh major religious organization in the nation to support the
use of medical marijuana.

The consensus vote of the church's General Assembly in Birmingham,
Ala., comes as the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to take
up the issue next week.

In explaining its reasoning for the policy shift, a church committee
wrote that marijuana may alleviate the pain that some patients who are
confined to "ineffective" prescription drugs are forced to endure.

"Medical marijuana is an issue of mercy," said the Rev. Lynn Bledsoe,
a Presbyterian minister in Alabama. "It is unconscionable that
seriously ill patients can be arrested for making an earnest attempt
at healing by using medical marijuana with their doctors' approval."

Eleven states have passed laws allowing medical uses of marijuana
following a doctor's prescription, but federal law enforcement
officials can arrest people in those states.

A proposal by Reps. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., and Dana Rohrabacher,
R-Calif., that will be considered next week would prohibit the federal
government from using any of its budget money to pursue medical
marijuana users who comply with their state laws and doctors' orders.

Similar amendments, including another by Rohrabacher and Hinchey, were
defeated twice in the last two years, and a separate bill died in a
House committee in 2005.

But Hinchey's chief of staff, Wendy Darwell, is optimistic that the
amendment will fare better this year.

"There has been at least one other state that has expanded its own
medical marijuana rules," Darwell said. With the growing number of
states with provisions for medical marijuana, "that should only draw
the support of more members of Congress who represent those states."

In 1982, the Episcopal Church became the first to endorse the use of
medical marijuana, according to the Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative,
a Washington-based advocacy group. In more recent years, the United
Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ, the Union for Reform
Judaism, the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the Unitarian
Universalist Association have announced similar support.

Michigan Marijuana users can be charged for Imparied driving, even if "sober"!!!

Mich. Supreme Court rules blood test showing marijuana smoked weeks ago can be used in court.

John Wisely / The Detroit News



Motorists can be prosecuted for driving under the influence of drugs if they test positive for any trace of marijuana, even weeks after they smoked it, the Michigan Supreme Court has ruled.




Pot smokers beware! That joint you smoked four weeks ago could come back to haunt you under a ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court.

In a 4-3 vote, the court ruled that motorists can be prosecuted for driving under the influence of drugs if they test positive for any trace of marijuana, including a metabolized remnant that experts say can stay in a person's system for weeks after the smoke.

"They are automatically guilty even though they are no longer impaired by it," said Tim Beck, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, which wants the drug legalized, taxed and regulated for adult use as alcohol is. "It's not based on common sense or justice."

Officers still need probable cause to believe a crime was being committed before they can request a blood test, but motorists who refuse could be found guilty of a civil infraction and lose their license. Officers can compel a blood sample if a judge approves a search warrant for it.

The ruling stemmed from two cases. In the first case, a woman admitting smoking marijuana four hours before she crossed into oncoming traffic on a snowy road, striking another vehicle. That car's front-seat passenger was killed and three children were injured. In the second case, a man stopped for erratic driving admitted smoking marijuana 30 minutes before.

In both cases, blood tests found 11 carboxy-THC, a byproduct created when the human body metabolizes marijuana. The ruling turned on the court's interpretation of the law that prohibits driving under the influence of drugs.

The four justices in the majority -- Maura Corrigan, Stephen Markman, Clifford Taylor and Robert Young -- concluded that 11 carboxy-THC is a drug under the law even though experts testified that it has "no pharmacological effect on the body and its level in the blood correlates poorly, if at all, to an individual's level of THC-related impairment."

The experts also testified that the chemical can only come from ingesting THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. The majority based its conclusion on the Legislature's definition of marijuana, which includes cannabis and "derivatives" of it.

Justice Michael Cavanagh called the ruling unconstitutionally vague. He cited expert testimony that noted the substance can be detected in a person's system for up to four weeks after being ingested -- long after its effects have worn off.

"Plainly, there is no rational reason to charge a person who passively inhaled marijuana smoke at a rock concert a month ago," Cavanagh wrote in a dissent joined by Justices Elizabeth Weaver and Marilyn Kelly. "Now, if a person has ever actively or passively ingested marijuana and drives, he drives not knowing if he is breaking the law, because if any amount of 11 carboxy-THC can be detected -- no matter when it was previously ingested -- he is committing a crime.

State drug prevention experts said the ruling could cause people to think more seriously about the effects of drug use.

"I think the ruling could be one more arrow in our quiver in the message we send to young people," said Donald Allen, director of the state's office of drug control policy. "Most kids don't think about how long this is in their system."

Send your feed back and complaints to the writer of this article :

You can reach John Wisely at (313) 222-2035 or jwisely@detnews.com.

Rhode Islanders get Registration date in April for medical marijuana use.

Registration date in April for medical marijuana use

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Rhode Islanders will soon be able to obtain
permission from the Health Department to grow limited amounts of
marijuana for medical use.

The Health Department intends to issue registration cards starting
April third for patients with certain illnesses and their primary
caregivers. Rhode Island last month became the eleventh state to allow
sick people to use marijuana as medicine.

But federal law still bans the drug, and so far no state has found a
way for patients to legally, conveniently and safely acquire it.
Patients who spoke out at a hearing yesterday mostly objected to the
75-dollar registration fee.

An advocate suggested charging lower fees for those on public
assistance, similar to a system in Oregon.

Freed Medical Marijuana Activist Voices New Praise for Jail Staff

Freed Medical Marijuana Activist Voices New Praise for Jail Staff
Steve Kubby, who fled to Canada to avoid a four-month term, is
released after 40 days and apologizes for negative publicity.
By Eric Bailey, Times Staff Writer
March 7, 2006

SACRAMENTO — Steve Kubby, a California medical marijuana pioneer who
was forced to return from Canada earlier this year and was thrown into
jail, earned his freedom Monday after serving a third of the
four-month sentence his doctor predicted might kill him.

Placer County jail officials said Kubby's release after 40 days came
because of his good behavior in custody and their need to reduce
crowding under a federal court order.

Kubby has spent the last six years vociferously fighting Placer County
authorities over his conviction for possession of a peyote button and
a psychedelic mushroom. But his early release underscored a sudden
shift in his once bitter attitude toward law enforcement authorities.

In jail, Kubby lost 25 pounds, yet said he gained respect for his
jailers and the medical staff who tended to the rare — and typically
terminal — form of adrenal cancer he has been treating with marijuana
for three decades.

"I realized the taunting and skepticism about my condition that I
experienced when I was first jailed here in 1999 was not present with
any of the jail staff this time," said Kubby, a onetime Libertarian
gubernatorial candidate and early backer of California's watershed
1996 medical marijuana initiative. "I realized that these guys were
getting heat over me, and they didn't deserve it."

The first days of his incarceration were marked by loud criticism of
Placer County officials by medical marijuana activists who worried
that Kubby might die in jail without access to marijuana. His blood
pressure, normally 120 over 80, jumped to 170 over 120 and blood
appeared in his urine.

But soon after he arrived in the Placer County jail, Kubby started
using Marinol — a legal, synthetic form of THC, marijuana's
psychoactive ingredient — to thwart increases in his blood pressure
that doctors say could be lethal.

His condition stabilized, and Kubby wrote to his jailers and the
medical staff apologizing for negative publicity during the first days
of his incarceration. In the letter, Kubby said he had "developed a
profound respect for the professional and highly dedicated staff and
officers here."

The short note eventually found its way to Placer County Sheriff Ed
Bonner, who met with Kubby last week.

"He said it was an honor to meet me," Kubby said Monday after his
release. "I was floored. I got the feeling he was sincere, genuine,
and got it. He said he wanted to talk to prosecutors about burying the
hatchet."

Kubby's travails date back to the weeks after his failed run for
governor in November 1998. Spurred by a tip that Kubby had been
selling marijuana to finance his gubernatorial campaign, a drug
enforcement task force raided his home near the Squaw Valley ski area.

Kubby beat the marijuana sales charges after his attorneys argued that
his 265-plant basement garden was necessary to produce the crop he
needed to control the cancer. But the jury convicted Kubby on two
counts of possessing a psychedelic mushroom and a peyote button.

Before his sentencing in 2001, Kubby moved to Canada with his wife and
two young children. In Canada, Kubby won permission to grow a huge
medical marijuana garden but failed to win his bid to become a
political refugee. His appeals to stay were exhausted early this year.
Kubby flew back to California on Jan. 26 and was whisked off the jet
by police at San Francisco International Airport.

Although a free man Monday, Kubby still faces a March 14 hearing for
failing to appear at his original sentencing five years ago.

When his legal issues are finally resolved, Kubby said, he intends to
settle in South Lake Tahoe, where he hopes his two daughters can
continue to pursue their amateur skiing careers.

He also plans to continue using pot as his medicine.

"The sooner I get the whole plant the better," Kubby said. "You can't
argue with 30 years of medical success."

Medical Marijuana Mix-up

Medical Marijuana Mix-up
Regina man has legal supply of illegal drug removed and then returned
Tessa Vanderhart Staff

Last Thursday, Tom Shapiro walked into the Regina Police department,
where he had recently been detained for possession of drugs. He walked
out with two large bags of dried marijuana.

Shapiro, who is infected with AIDS, has used marijuana for the last
five years to alleviate the nausea that is a side-effect of his
medication. His large, medically-sanctioned supply of marijuana was
returned to him legally on March 2.

Police seized his basement full of plants on January 31; his permit to
grow and possess marijuana had expired in October. Shapiro said that
he had applied to renew it before it expired, but it was late coming
in the mail and he lost status as a legal user. Tipped off by his
electricity bill, police entered his Regina home and seized 21 plants.

"Health Canada said I'm not on the list, so I must be illegal,"
Shapiro said. He added that he believed the police did undue damage to
his property in seizing the plants.

Shapiro said that the police treated him as they would any illegal
grow operation.

He was taken to jail, fingerprinted, charged with growing marijuana
contrary to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, and set with a
court date of March 7, but he was released when his renewed permit
arrived on February 2. The charges against him were dropped, but
Shapiro's drugs could not be returned to him until the confusion over
his permit could be solved.

Medical marijuana is subject to the Marijuana Medical Access
Regulations Act, brought into effect by Health Canada on July 30,
2001. The regulations explain: authorization to possess usable
marijuana, to grow it or have someone else grow it for you, and the
legal provisions for purchasing marijuana.

Two categories of people have access to medical marijuana. Those
suffering from multiple sclerosis, a spinal cord injury or disease,
severe pain or inability to eat as a result of cancer or HIV/AIDS,
arthritis or epilepsy fall into category 1, while others who
experience chronic pain can also apply for access to the drug, falling
into category 2.

In December 2000, Health Canada contracted Prairie Plant Systems to
grow marijuana in Flin Flon, MB.

Shapiro noted that overgrow.com, the website from which many medical
marijuana users purchased seeds, was seized by police in Quebec.

Christopher Williams, a spokesperson for Health Canada, said that
there are three ways to access medical marijuana: it can be purchased
from the government, patients can seek a licence to grow it
themselves, or they can use a third party grower.

He noted that the average approval time for a permit to possess
medical marijuana is about 15 working days, though Health Canada
advises patients to start the application process six weeks in advance
of their licence's expiration date.

Shapiro said that he was concerned about the quality of the marijuana
returned to him by the police — it may not be "smokable," which would
mean he would have to start growing it again or purchase the Health
Canada product, which he said is too expensive. He said that many
medical marijuana users spend more than half of their disability
compensation on the treatment.

Currently, there are 1,186 users of medical marijuana in Canada, and
Health Canada has authorized 859 licences to cultivate the plant for
medical purposes.

A pilot project aims to distribute marijuana in pharmacies across
Canada — in multiple provinces and both rural and urban areas — but is
still in the planning stages.

Williams noted that Health Canada's "compassionate" approach to
medical marijuana is unique internationally.

"It's important to remember that it's not an approved drug, and
nowhere in the world has it gone through the clinical trials, and
nowhere in the world is it a prescribed drug," Williams said.

Even so, Shapiro said that Health Canada, acting in the best interests
of patients, should make medical marijuana more readily available. He
has suggested improvements to the list system, including providing
temporary licences and not removing patients from the "approved" list
immediately after permits expire.

"If it works for a person . . . they shouldn't bar access to it."

He added that he thinks Canadians support better availability for
medical marijuana.

"I don't know why they would give someone something and then take it
away," said Shapiro. "They're as bad as any dealer on the street."

Pre 1937 Cannabis Therapeutic Uses

Pre 1937 Cannabis Therapeutic Uses
1. Analgesic-Hypnotic
2. Appetite stimulant
3. Anti-epileptic-antispasmodic
4. Prophylactic and treatment of the neuralgias, including migraine
and tic doloreux
5. Antitussive
6. Antidepressant-tranquilizer
7. Anti-asthmatic
8. Oxytocic
9. Topical anesthetic
10. Withdrawal agent and substitute for opiate, chloral, and alcohol dependence
11. Childbirth analgesic

source: http://www.mikuriya.com/cw_meduses.html

Pot docs help patients throughout California

Pot docs help patients throughout California

After nearly four decades in medicine, Dr. David Bearman seems the
incarnation of a trusted old-school physician. His resume is long, his
record unblemished. It's his choice of treatment that makes him
conspicuous.

For most patients, Bearman recommends the same remedy: marijuana.
There is the young lady with epileptic seizures, the middle-age man
with multiple sclerosis, the amputee bedeviled by phantom limb pain.

Bearman's practice, based on a controversial curative not found on
pharmacy shelves, has proved lonely and professionally perilous.

Although the courts have upheld a doctor's right to recommend cannabis
for the seriously ill, few dare do so. Among the exceptions is a
tight-knit cadre of about 15 California doctors. Dubbed "pot docs,"
even by friends, they blithely claim credit for nearly half the
estimated 100,000 marijuana recommendations issued in the eight years
since California approved medical use of the drug.

There is Bearman in Santa Barbara and Dr. Frank Lucido, a family
doctor in Berkeley. Dr. Tod Mikuriya, a peripatetic medical marijuana
pioneer in the San Francisco Bay Area, has written approvals for 8,000
patients. A presidential drug czar once lambasted his brand of
medicine as a "Cheech and Chong show."

The criticism has been accompanied by intense scrutiny. At least 11 of
the cannabis doctors have weathered investigations by the Medical
Board of California. Half the cases closed without formal accusations.
But a few drew blood.

Medical Board officials say the problem is not the marijuana, but the
way the doctors practice medicine. Are patients thoroughly examined?
Do the doctors discuss other options?

Joan Jerzak, the Medical Board's chief investigator, said some doctors
eager to legalize recreational use "don't mind flouting the law."

To the pot docs, the attacks are about old grudges that will not die.
They say they've been singled out by a law-enforcement establishment
displeased by passage of California Proposition 215, the 1996 ballot
measure that legalized marijuana for the seriously ill in the state.

"Their attitude is, 'This isn't medicine, but rather a way to abet
drug abusers,' " said Dr. Philip Denney, who practices as if every
patient were a federal narcotics agent. "They have scared the hell out
of California doctors, and it's been left to us so-called mavericks."

The cannabis doctors say they practice serious medicine, focusing on
the sick and weeding out habitual pot smokers looking for protection
from arrest. Marijuana remains a remarkably safe substance, the pot
docs say, with tremendous therapeutic potential for AIDS wasting,
chemotherapy nausea and other grave conditions.

Aside from the pot docs, oncologists and HIV doctors write the bulk of
the cannabis recommendations.

Bearman, a 63-year-old family practitioner, figures it may be years
before marijuana is accepted by the medical establishment -- and by
the criminal-justice system.

"There's no doubt," he said, "this is part of a larger cultural war at play."

Jessica Griffith, a 27-year-old divorced mother of one, waddles into
Bearman's office, a metal cane in hand.

She carries a 3-inch stack of medical records detailing her four-year
fight against pain. She ruptured two discs in her back trying to lift
a box in, of all places, a health-food store. Griffith tells the
doctor she will soon have surgery to fuse her spine.

Meeting such a patient, someone bearing up under a painful or
debilitating condition that could be helped by marijuana, Bearman has
a standard response.

"You," he tells them, "are exactly the kind of patient the voters were
thinking of when they approved Proposition 215."

Like other cannabis doctors, Bearman does not dispense marijuana. How
patients obtain pot is up to them, but he sometimes points them to Web
sites listing cooperatives that distribute the drug.

Mikuriya churns out medical marijuana recommendations like a factory,
more than a dozen on a busy day. And he willingly acknowledges, unlike
most of his peers in cannabis consulting, that he does indeed smoke
pot, mostly in the morning with his coffee.

He looks a good decade younger than his 71 years and dresses nattily.
The only giveaway of his specialty: an embroidered logo on his white
lab coat showing the snake and staff of Aesculapius, the Greek god of
medicine, atop a marijuana leaf. Mikuriya, a psychiatrist, has studied
the drug's therapeutic potential since the 1960s, when he directed
marijuana research at the National Institute of Mental Health. He has
written books on its medical use. Mikuriya's list of more than 100
ills eased by cannabis includes insomnia, premenstrual cramps and
stuttering.

Marijuana is so effective and benign, Mikuriya said, that the bar for
patient approvals should be far lower than for prescription drugs.
Likewise, the role of cannabis consultants is not to perform
exhaustive diagnostic tests, he said, but to determine whether a
patient's condition is chronic and could be helped by pot.

Ultimately, the struggle over the pot docs comes down to one
fundamental question: Are they good gatekeepers for an inarguably
controversial medication?

If they don't dig deep to diagnose a patient's ills, "there isn't good
medicine going on," the Medical Board's Jerzak said. "It's just sales
of a particular prescription. It's Dr. Feelgood."

After wrangling with the CMA, the Medical Board in May spelled out a
softened approach. If doctors follow "accepted medical standards, they
can avoid being investigated."

If the board has an agitator, it is Lucido. The state investigated him
a few years ago, but dropped the case. Ever since, Lucido has
religiously attended board meetings, urging regulators to lay off pot
practitioners. "If patients aren't being harmed," Lucido said, "what
is the problem?"

Sources: Medical Board of California, Society of Cannabis Clinicians,
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Los Angeles Times staff reports.

Canadian Medical pot advocates angry

Provided by: Canadian Press
Written by: DENNIS BUECKERT
Feb. 2, 2006

Source: http://chealth.canoe.ca

OTTAWA (CP) - Medical marijuana advocates are angry over the
treatment of a Regina AIDS patient who was arrested after his pot
licence expired.

Tom Shapiro was handcuffed, along with his wife and son, for four
hours while police tried to determine his status in Health Canada's
medical marijuana program, said an official with the Canadian AIDS
Society.

"I'm very, very angry and upset at what happened," said Lynne
Belle-Isle of the society, who has been in frequent contact with
Shapiro since his house was raided Tuesday.

"There seems to be a broken link in the communications at Health Canada.

"We're talking about a very sick man who can barely walk. He's not
exactly a threat to police or the community and he's been trying so
hard to abide by the law."

Tom Shapiro was being held at the Regina police station Thursday while
officials tried to decide whether to charge him, his wife Roberta said
in an interview.

She said her husband's licence was delayed because Health Canada
lost his photographs.

"It was absolutely traumatic," she said, describing the raid carried
out by eight police officers, four wearing balaclavas.

After Health Canada confirmed that his licence had expired, the
police removed 16 plants from his basement, she said.

Her husband is unwell and has been throwing up more often since his
pot supply was confiscated, she said.

Tom Shapiro has been using medical marijuana since 2001, she said.
Health Canada faxed his new licence Thursday.

Health Canada spokesman Chris Williams said he could not comment on
individual cases, although he was aware of the Shapiro case.

He said it normally takes six weeks to get a licence but people are
encouraged to file the application in plenty of time.

"As soon as a licence has expired, it's no longer valid," he said.
"Ultimately, the issue rests with the police."

Elizabeth Popowich, spokeswoman for the Regina police, confirmed the
raid and said it would not be unusual for police to wear balaclavas or
use handcuffs.

"Executing a drug search is considered a high-risk warrant," she
said. "I don't think it would be outside of normal procedure."

She said investigators were interviewing Shapiro and had not decided
whether to charge him.

Alison Myrden, a Burlington, Ont., woman who uses marijuana to treat
pain associated with multiple sclerosis, said many patients have
trouble with the Health Canada process.

"They put us through so many hoops it's a circus."

Italy Passes Worst Marijuana Laws in the World

Source: http://cannabisculture.com/articles/4646.html
BBC News (08 Feb, 2006)

Suspensions and jails as punishment for possession, trafficking

he Italian government has approved a law that increases sanctions against people who smoke marijuana, putting the drug on a par with cocaine and heroin.

Italy approves new marijuana law

By Christian Fraser


Under the new legislation, people found in possession of cannabis could risk having their passport and their driving licence suspended.

The government has forced through this new legislation with a confidence vote.

The move has been greeted mostly with dismay by opposition MPs and drug treatment professionals.

Under the new rules, dealing and trafficking in drugs - whether heroin, cocaine or cannabis - will be punished with jail sentences of between six and 20 years and a fine of up to 260,000 euros (£180,000).

People who ignore repeated warnings to stop using cannabis will face a driving ban and be forced to stay at home at night.

According to recent statistics, a third of teenagers in Italy have smoked marijuana at least once, and 10% of adults are said to smoke it on a regular basis.

On Wednesday more than 200 protesters and at least one opposition MP smoked cannabis joints in protest outside parliament.

Opposition leaders said it would be one of the first laws they abolish if they win power in April.

Medicinal marijuana has long history and much value

Dr. David Bearman: Medicinal marijuana has long history and much value

A letter to the editor

Dear Editor: As the son of a pharmacist from Rice Lake, a 1963 graduate of the University of Wisconsin who started his medical career in the Medical School in Madison, and someone with almost 40 years' experience in the field of drug abuse treatment and prevention and the last five years evaluating patients for medicinal cannabis, I want to compliment Rep. Gregg Underheim and the Wisconsin Assembly Health Committee for their recognition of the contemporary medicinal value of cannabis.

The committee is approaching this seriously and getting valuable input. It recognizes the 5,000 years of experience of medicinal use of cannabis. It is aware that just over the border in Canada, tincture of cannabis (Sativex) is being marketed by Bayer AG and in England the Home Office has given physicians the OK to prescribe tincture of cannabis.

I have taught courses on drugs at California universities and am very familiar with the history of medicinal cannabis use in the United States from 1839 to the present, and aware of the American Medical Association's testimony at the 1937 marijuana tax hearings that "the AMA knows of no danger in the use of cannabis and takes histories from countless patients with severe medical illness who benefited from their medicinal use of cannabis."

Consequently, I am baffled by the opposition of the Wisconsin Medical Society. This does not represent the compassion shown by the doctors in Rice Lake and Rochester who provided my father's care, nor does it reflect the quality of basic science I was taught by the UW School of Medicine in Madison.

I have seen patients who come in in wheelchairs, with canes, stooped in pain, who tell of the relief they receive from cannabis. These are people from all walks of life rich and poor, mostly over 40. Several have broken down in tears after receiving their approval making it legal to grow and possess cannabis. They say they are not lawbreakers or criminals and now can use this to medicate without fear of breaking the law.

We have far too many problems in the country to waste government resources arresting the ill and dying for using a medicine that provides relief and is legal in Canada, less than 100 miles from the Wisconsin border.

Dr. David Bearman
Goleta, Calif.

Published: January 9, 2006
Source: http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/index.php?ntid=68054&ntpid=0

Medicinal marijuana spray: Sativex being tested in many countries.

Medicinal marijuana spray may help more than MS: doctors

Last Updated Thu, 12 Jan 2006 16:38:30 EST

Source: CBC News

Since the first cannabis-based drug was approved for use in Canada last year, doctors say the medication is catching on among people with multiple sclerosis and could be used for other types of pain.

Sativex is a mouth spray that delivers medicinal marijuana. The metered spray is administered under the tongue or inside the cheek. It's concentrated to offer maximum pain relief with minimal marijuana buzz.

Health Canada was the first drug regulator to approve the medication for people with multiple sclerosis who can't get relief from traditional drugs.

The spray treats neuropathic pain in MS – nerve pain that can be triggered by touch, temperature or movement and is often difficult to treat.

"It feels like its sort of boring through your bones," said Janet Liston of Ottawa. "It's like it's inside your bone."

Liston has been taking Sativex for six months, which is how long it has been available in Canada.

So far, a few hundred people worldwide have used Sativex in clinical trials. They report side-effects that include some respiratory infections. A feeling of mild intoxication or dizziness was the most common.

"The side-effects are a lot less than smoking marijuana," said Dr. Jock Murray, an MS specialist in Ottawa. "A lot of people surprisingly don't want to get high, they want to get relief from their pain."

Sativex will be tested in the U.S. for people with cancer. In Britain, it's being tried in the treatment of diabetic neuropathy.

Dr. Mark Ware is prescribing medicinal marijuana for a variety of conditions at his pain clinic in Montreal. The results so far are mixed but encouraging, he said.

"I think the potential for drugs like Sativex and the family of cannabinoid products which are inevitably to follow is incredibly wide."

One of the drawbacks of Sativex is that it costs about $500 a month. Provincial drugs plans don't cover it but some private insurance plans do.

**********************************
Editor note from The Herbal Curing Mom

$500.00 a month! do you know how much medical marijuana and tintcure  you could make for $500.00!!!

When the governments and medical system's majority finally wake up and realize that this is a beneficial herb for treatment of so many ailments, the drug companies will make it as expensive and as hard to get as they do for  everything else. the rich get richer,and the sick stay sick.

It won't stop personal crops from being grown! In fact may increase them, as well as underground illegal sales. People on disability pensions and low incomes due to their inability to work for a living are the main category of people in need of medical marijuana. Not having coverage, or being able to afford private medical insurance coverage means deciding between affording to feed the family, or treating their ailment with the most effective medicine still only available illegally.

Wake up world and decriminalize Marijuana!! We can have beer making and wine making stores, but we can't grow a plant and utilize it's benefits.

IF we all could grow our own without fear of prosecution, even the underground , over priced pot growers would be out of business.

Make laws for driving while under the influence and for public "drunkenness", and be done with it!

************************************

"Marijuana gave us back our Mom"

Former trauma nurse Alcima Talbott was hit so hard by a patient that her jaw was dislocated, her teeth broken, her neck seriously injured and her brain apparently damaged.

Now unable to work because of chronic pain and spasms, she was back in front of her old boss and San Bernardino County supervisors on Tuesday pleading with them to drop their plans to file a lawsuit challenging California's medical-marijuana law.

"My (other) choice is to take vicodin, go to bed, get up, take vicodin, go to bed," she told the Board of Supervisors.

About a dozen supporters of Proposition 215, California's medical-marijuana law approved in 1996, asked the board not to join San Diego County's suit against it.

After the meeting, they demonstrated in front of the County Government Center in downtown San Bernardino with signs and banners reading "Cannabis is medicine" and "Stop arresting medical marijuana patients."

Talbott worked at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, the county hospital in Colton that was run for several years by Mark Uffer, who is now the county administrative officer, the top appointed official in county government.

With heavy doses of vicodin, a popular and powerful narcotic painkiller, she was unable to function, she said. Marijuana is the only medication that works for

her.

"The medication is so effective. I use it for severe pain" and to reduce neck spasms, she said. "I really didn't want it to work."

Also testifying were two of her children, who credited marijuana with giving them their mother back.

"Since she started medical marijuana, she has been able to get out of bed and spend time with her family," her 12-year-old daughter, Alexandra Talbott, told the board.

Sara Henuber, a registered physician's assistant from Los Angeles who worked for a time in San Bernardino County, told the board cannabis is a "safe and benign" medicine that does have benefits.

She said she's known of patients who have been

harassed by deputies and had their doctor's letter and marijuana seized without any citations or charges.

"I believe San Bernardino County is going against the will of county voters," she said.

The county's lawsuit, scheduled to be filed today in San Diego, will argue that federal law pre-empts state law, said Deputy County Counsel Alan Green.

"It's creating a lot of confusion for sheriff's deputies," he said.

Sheriff Gary Penrod asked the board to file the suit to clarify what rules his deputies must enforce.

Lawsuits have been brought against the county to return marijuana confiscated from patients, he said.

"Under federal law, if we give it back, we're aiding and abetting marijuana use," Green said.

A U.S. Supreme Court decision last year said patients who use or cultivate marijuana are not immune to prosecution under federal law banning controlled substances.

Tuesday's demonstration and testimony was organized by Americans for Safe Access, a group that works on behalf of medical-marijuana patients.

Robert Brunelle, 24, told the board his wife uses marijuana and that he's known many people with cancer or HIV who have used it effectively.

"I can't help but think that what you're doing is wrong," he said.

After the meeting, his wife, Cindy Brunelle, 22, said she has chronic shoulder pain and depression.

"I've tried every depression medication in the world," she said, adding, "Marijuana is the only thing I still function on."

Source:http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_3485308

Comparing Cannabis sativa with cannabis indica and their hybrids

Comparing Cannabis sativa with
Cannabis indica and their hybrids

In comparing varieties within a genus one must establish representative examples as benchmarks for each variety. In doing so the examples must represent all of the hallmarks of each variety.To this end I have chosen generic afghani as my benchmark indica and a Oaxaca/ Colombian cross as my benchmark sativa.From these two varieties we can make most of the important differences and similarities apparent.
When trying to choose a medical strain one must first make a list of desired benefit from the use of cannabis, for instance if you have chronic fatigue with fibromyalgia you may wish for the following benefits
1) increased energy
2) pain relief
3) immunological support

A person would then research which variety has shown efficacy in these areas and choose one or more varieties to achieve the desired results.It may well be a single hybrid can produce all desired effect( In this case possibly a sativa dominant hybrid for reasons we'll get into). One must remember that most of the information on this is anecdotal and some what subjective so any specific application is greatly dependent on ones own response to the variety.
With these things said lets talk about the plants, in general Cannabis sativa is the taller lankier variety that under optimal conditions can reach 5-6 m, it is usually characterized by narrow serrated leaves and a loose spear-like flower cluster that can be extremely resinous. The cannabinoids present in Cannabis sativa are characterised by an elevated cannabidiol level and a more stimulating psychological effect(although certain african and hawaiian types can be quite sedative in a somewhat unique way).Sativas also seem to have greater immune enhancing abilities than indica varieties.Tinctures made from sativa cannabis are very effective on strep throat, and the variety seems to be prefered by immune comprimised patients. Cannabis indica is characterised by a shorter stockier growth pattern(1-2m) with wide deeply serrated leaves and a much more compact and dense flower cluster. The cannabinoids found in indicas generaly have an elevated cannabinol level and a much more narcotic type psychological effect.Ind icas make very good pain "relievers" and sedatives. Tinctures made from indicas are effective on muscle spasm and various types of myalgia and neuralgia.These varieties seem to be preferred for nausea also.
Now with that said one should know that there are probably 500( or more) different "hybrids" of sativas and indicas each with its own unique cannbinoid profile.
By using the general guidlines for the benchmark varieties one can experiment with different hybridizations to fine tune the effect desired. Keep in mind that you are the best judge of what works for you and it will be up to you to determine what that will be.


Strain recomendations to benefit specific body systems

1) Neurological problems should be treated on a case by case basis with sativa dominant hybrids being used as stimulating agents (such as in tension headache) only where a stimulating effect is desired. In general neurological problems respond well to the soothing effects of the indica profile .As an aside I personally know a young man who was able to eliminate haldol and control his Tourette's syndrome using indica dominant strains.

2) Musculoskeletal problems can present a dual problem,the pain associated with these ailments can often be acompanied by depression and fatigue. So the easy solution of recomending a strongly analgesic indica could compound the secondary ailments of fatigue and depression. In these cases a hybrid variety could be the answer,look for pain relief of an afghani crossed with a stimulating sativa to help keep you active, if you could benefit from it. In some instances simply using a very potent hawaiian or african sativa can give a balance between pain relief and energy level (these types seem to slow the body but leave the mind very active)

3) Immunological problems create special needsfor the patient as far as product purity and method of cure. AIDS patient cannot be exposed to molds or fungi so great care must be used in curing the product to absolute dryness. Also immunological problems can also be quite painfull so choosing a product to give maximum benefit with minimal negative impact on the immune system. The feed back I have recieved indicates that sativa varieties are prefered by immune compromised patients for their uplifting effects(could this be whats behind the immune enhacing effect ? ) and the energy boost the can provide.

4) Gastrointestinal effects are what really sparked the rennesance of cannabis medicine. Cannabis' powerful antiemetic and appetite enhancing properties have been known by cancer patients for years. For this system I will make one broad recomendation; indicas seem to be broadly effective for most GI complaints ,the exception being motion sickness which respondes to the stimulating effects of a sativa variety

5)Dermatological problems can take on several forms, plain itching or lesions of some kind.Systemic anti-inflamitory cannabinoids can be of benefit. look into low doses of indica type cannabis (excess use can actually make you itch much like the effect opiates have on some people) and perhaps a topical preparation of resinous sativa (disolved in an emolient of some kind ) can provide topical anti-inflamatory effect.

6)Cardiopulmonary issues and cannabis are a contraversial subject as mainstream medicine views the inhalation of any smoke as anathema. But patients with lung and heart problems find benefit from the use of Cannabis in spite of negative medical bias.
Cardiac patients can get benefit from sedative indicas for relaxation and stress relief but care should be exercised as Cannabis use can slightly raise heartrate but without an increase in blood pressure( I use cannabis before my post bypass exercise sessions and can sustain 45 min hard aerobic exercise without problems less than 1 year after surgery)Pulmonary ailments generally shouldn't be treated with smoked product with the exception being conditions which respond to an expectorant product smoked Cannabis of any variety is an excellent expectorant.

7)Psychological therapy using Cannabis is as old as man's association with it. Cannabis is effective in substance withdrawl and various mental perturbations.One way it works is by changing the mood of the user, usually in a positive direction, although it can cause paranoia and agitation in some cases.Strain selection for psychological problems should hinge on wether the condition causes agitation and unrest or depression and angst and appropriate stimulating or sedative qualities should be chosen

Endocrine conditions are as a rule not primarily affected by Cannabis and its use is primarily pallative .Strain selection should focus on immune enhancement and easing distressful sensations.

9)Chemotherapy and radiation therapy cause great stress to the body, indeed these treatments literaly bring the body close to death to destroy the less hardy cancer. As a result a whole range of physical and psychological symptoms accompany these drastic treatments.The most well known being the wracking nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy but the list of secondary effects of treatment is much longer .Again treatment with Cannabis should be of a supportive nature,sustaining the appatite, easing discomfort,and raising the spirits of the patient, sativas seem good for this effect as well as sustaining the immune system.

10) Opthalmological uses range from easing glaucoma to slowing macular degeneration. I believe indicas to be most efective in eye conditions because of what I believe to be a higher concentration of calcium channel blocking cannabinoids. These substances work in a similar manner to calcium channel medications for blood pressure except the eye has nerve receptors specific to endocannabinoids(substances created in the body)

11) Gynecological problems treated with Cannabis were made famous by Queen Elizabeth's use for pre-menstrual symptoms. As her Cannabis probably came from India at the time it was probably an indica or indica dominant hybrid

Source:http://www.medicalseeds.com/medicalmarijuana.html

Health Canada going after medical pot users for almost $170,000 in bad debts

Health Canada going after medical pot users for almost $170,000 in bad debts

Dean Beeby, Canadian Press

Published: Sunday, February 05, 2006

OTTAWA (CP) - Like any dope dealer, Health Canada has its share of marijuana customers who just don't pay their bills.

But unlike street pushers, the department avoids tire irons and switchblades to recover its bad debts in favour of stern letters and collection agencies.

As of last month, 127 people authorized to buy government-certified marijuana for various medical problems were officially in arrears, with bills unpaid for more than 90 days.

That's almost half the 278 patients who currently receive Health Canada marijuana or seeds, most of them buying 30-gram bags of ground buds for $150. A package of 30 seeds goes for $20.

Altogether, patients in arrears now owe $168,879 to Health Canada for medical marijuana, produced on contract by Prairie Plant Systems Inc. for the federal government.

The arrears amount has swollen by more than $100,000 over the last year alone, as department officials realized that their medical marijuana policy never indicated to patients the consequences of not paying their drug bills.

Spokesman Chris Williams says these patients now receive reminder letters and telephone calls from civil servants in the department's corporate services branch, and are given an opportunity to set up a repayment schedule.

"If all that is rejected, the supply would be halted," he said in an interview. So far, 19 users have been cut off from further shipments because of non-payment.

After 180 days, a final letter is sent and if no money arrives within 10 days, the matter is turned over to a collection agency, as would any other individual's stale account with Ottawa.

One medical marijuana user and activist slammed the Health Department for requiring often-impoverished patients to buy the product, saying taxpayers have already footed the bill once.

"The Canadian people have already paid for it - I think it's absolutely horrible that we're charging them twice," said Alison Myrden of Burlington, Ont., who has lived with multiple sclerosis for more than a decade.

"We have no money as it is. Most of us are on full disability for life . . . It's a choice between marijuana or food for most of us."

The first shipments of government marijuana in the fall of 2003 were of such poor quality, many medical users gagged, coughed and promptly returned the product. The batch was weak, dry, ground up too fine and included the less potent leaves and stems.

In May 2004, a new batch was released, eliminating the stem and leaves. Made of flowering tops only, the new dope had a higher moisture content and stronger levels of THC, the main active ingredient, though the buds were still ground up to ensure consistency.

Some users complained but others appeared to be content about the improved quality, though Myrden says the new batch still falls short of what's available on the street. She does not buy government dope.

Prairie Plant Systems, which grows the weed in a Flin Flon, Man., mineshaft, recently got a six-month extension of its $5.75-million contract with Health Canada, to June 30. The extension is worth another $670,000.

The federal government plans to put out the next contract to tender later this year, though it's unclear how the entire medical marijuana program will fare under the new Tory government to be sworn in Monday.

Former Tory health critic Stephen Fletcher, who has raised tough questions about the program in the Commons, declined to comment when asked about the new government's policy.

"I can't speak for the party any more on these issues until the leader picks the new health minister," he said in an interview.

Health Canada is also trying to set up a pilot project that would allow registered users to buy government marijuana at pharmacies without a prescription.

The already-delayed project, which was to have begun early this year, has been delayed again until at least the summer.

"A lot of these policies were put on hold until the election is over," Williams said.

© The Canadian Press 2006

Source:http://www.canada.com/topics/news

Traditional Tincture Recipe- The Herbal Curing Moms Green Tincture

 The Herbal Curing Moms Green Tincture

You will need:

Glass jar- mason jar is ideal  with lid ( not plastic)

1/2 bottle filled with grated or finely chopped bud or  3/4 bottle of grated leaves

Vodka.

To make Tincture:

Fill jar ¾ full of herb

Fill vodka until covering all the herb

Shake jar one or two times a day for 2 weeks.

Strain through metal tea strainer or paper coffee filter ( not plastic)

 chop finely or grind the herb thoroughly in a blender. to get al the residue off hte blender, add some of the vodka and swish it around and add the vodka to your tincture jar. Herb should be fine or ground but doesn't have to be a powder. You can use leaf or bud. this is a great way to ustalize the medicianal properties in the leaf that is too minimal to smoke.  Leaf works fine but for higher potency use the bud.

Use the highest proof alcohol you can. Everclear is 180 proof, but hard to find. I use the highest proof Vodka my local liquor store has. Pour alcohol over the herb,  Put the lid on tightly. Don;t forget to  label the contents and the date you started.

 It takes two weeks for the alcohol to extract all the active elements from the herb. Shake the jar once or twice a day for 2 weeks. Keep in a dark place.

 After 2 weeks of aging you can strain the tincture through a metal tea strainer or paper coffee filters into small tincture bottle bottles with a dropper. You can leave the rest in the jar if you want, and refill a  single dropper bottle as needed. When left in the dark between fillings, it will age and mellow in flavor and you can strain off as much as you want at a time.

 Alcohol is a strong preservative it will hold for a long time, this method of making herbal tinctures has been around for  many generations.

The dosage will vary per individual, based on need, and body weight,  so start small. three drops in a drink. Drink in cool water or a Hot tasty herbal tea like lemon, or green tea. Even warm milk is good when using tincture as a sleep aid  It can be taken straight but may burn the tongue and has a very strong herbal taste.

The Herbal Curing Mom
Owner of Momsformarijuana.blogspot.com
Copyright 2006
Permission to copy is hereby granted, as long as credit is given and link is emailed to thisgoodifeel(at)gmail(dot)com

Making Instant Marijuana Tincture

Source: http://www.thc-ministry.org/wwwboard/messages/174.html
Posted by Rev. Lorcan on March 15, 2004 at 18:39:44:

: Aloha. As practitioners of cannabis sacrament we practice the art and spirituality of using the sacred herb for our highest good. One of the many ways to enjoy cannabis for me is as a tincture. As far as I know, tinctures are very simple liquid remedies made by soaking herbs in drinking alcohol or veetable glycerine.

: Back in the mid-1990's I met Andy Hamid, a very bright human being and a wonderful guy. He was teaching at John Jay College in New York at the time and was a board member of NORML. He came to Hawai'i to testify in a marijuana trial of a friend of mine (pre-ministry). I hosted a dinner party for Andy and, among other stories, he shared his basic tincture recipe with us.

: Growing-up on the island of Trinidad where most people were very poor it was common for families to have a bottle of rum in the house. Rum comes from sugar cane. Andy told me that all families had a bottle of rum into which they would put a fresh-picked cannabis bud. Bud + rum = tincture, the all-purpose cannabis medicine.

: I tried it at harvest time. A fresh-picked Puna bud (about 1/4 oz.) put straight into a new bottle of 151 rum. 'Shaken, not stirred' and left to marinate for a few days. The clear rum turned golden-green in color...beautiful.

: Looking at the bottle with the cannabis bud on a stick inside pleased me more than just looking at a bud. It looks like a gourmet vinegar bottle with herbs inside, only BETTER! The bud goes a long way, too. This is a potent liquid. Usually a few drops will work the magic. Ok, a dropper-full can really do wonders.

: 151 rum is too hot for tincture to me, and it's not delicious. I tried Stoly vodka, tequila, Bailey's Irish cream whiskey and Amaretto - all with about a 1/4 to 1/2 ounce bud inside. They all make tincture, but Grand Marnier is the crowd-pleaser of them all.

: Here's how I do it now: take a one ounce eye-dropper bottle and put about one-half gram of cannabis bud inside. Add Grand Marnier almost to the top, leaving room for the dropper. Screw the top on tight and place the bottle in a pan of water. Bring almost to a boil and leave the bottle in the pan for about three minutes. Take a drop or two while warm and taste-test it yourself. If you can definitely taste the bud through the delicious orange-flavored Cognac then it's perfect. If you need more bud, add a little and heat it up again.

: Tincture is great. It can go in your pocket and pass through a metal detector. You can take a drop or two almost anywhere at any time. Zero smoke.

: Enjoy tincture of cannabis soon.

Chronic Conditions list of illnesses treated with Marijuana

Source: http://www.marijuanahomedelivery.ca/list.html

International Classification of Diseases 9 - CM 1996
Chronic Conditions Treated With Cannabis
Encountered Between 1990-2001
©2001 Tod H. Mikuriya, M.D.


Epilepsy
AIDS Related Illness 042
Post W.E. Enephalitis 062.1
Chemotherapy Convales V66.2
Shingles (Herpes Zoster) 053.9
Radiation Therapy E929.9
Viral B Hepatitis, chronic 070.52
Viral C Hepatitis, chronic 070.54
Lyme Disease 088.81
Reiters Syndrome 99.3
Post Polio Syndrome 138.0
Testicular Cancer 186.9
Adrenal Cortical Cancer 194.0
Brain malignant tumor 191.
Cancer, site unspecified 199
Lympho & reticular ca 200
Myeloid leukemia 205
Diabetic Gastroparesis 250.6
Porphyria 277.1
Amyloidosis 277.3
Autoimmune disease 279.4
Henoch-Schoelein Purpur*** 287.0
Schizophrenia(s) 295.x
Major Depression, Sgl Epis 296.2
Major Depression, Recurrent 296.3
Bipolar Disorder 296.6
Anxiety Disorder+ 300.00
Panic Disorder+ 300.01
Agoraphobia 300.22
Obsessive Compulsive Dis. 300.3
Dysthymic Disorder 300.4
Neurasthenia 300.5
Writers∫ Cramp**** 300.89
Impotence, Psychogenic 302.72
Alcoholism+ 303.0
Opiate Dependence+ 304.0
Sedative Dependence+ 304.1
Cocaine Dependence+ 304.2
Amphetamine Dependence 304.4
Alcohol Abuse+ 305.0
Tobacco Dependence 305.1
Psychogenic Hyperhidrosis 306.3
Psychogenic Pylorospasm** 306.4
Psychogenic Dysuria 306.53
Bruxism 306.8
Stuttering* 307.0
Tic disorder unspec 307.20
Tourette's Syndrome 307.23
Persistent Insomnia 307.42
Nightmares 307.47
Bulimia 307.51
Tension Headache 307.81
Psychogenic Pain 307.89
Post Traumatic Stress Dis. 309.81
Org. Mental Dis.hd inj 310.1
Nonpsychotic Org Brain Dis. 310.8
Brain Trauma 310.9
Intermittent Explosive Dis 312.34
Trichotillomania 312.39
ADD w/o hyperactivity 314.00
ADD w hyperactivity 314.01
ADD other 314.8
Pschogenic PAT 316.0
Parkinsons Disease 332.0
Huntingtons Disease+ 333.4
Restless legs syndrome 333.99
Friedreich∫s Ataxia 334.0
Cerebellar Ataxia 334.4
Spinal mm atrophy II 335.11
Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis 335.2
Other spinal cord disease 336
Syringomyelia 336.0
Reflex Sympath Dystrophy 337.2
Multiple Sclerosis 340.0
Other CNS demyelinating 341.
Hemiparesis/plegia 342
Cerebral Palsy+ 343.9
Quadriplegia(s) 344.0x
Paraplegia(s) 344.1x
Paralysis, unspecified 344.9
Epilepsy(ies)+ 345.x
Grand Mal Seizures** 345.1
Limbic Rage Syndrome** 345.4
Jacksonian Epilepsy** 345.5
Migraine(s)+ 346.x
Migraine, Classical+ 346.0
Cluster Headaches 346.2
Tic Doloroux+ 350.1
Bell∫s palsy 351.0
Thoracic Outlet Synd 353.0
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome 354.0
Mononeuritis lower limb 355
Charcot-Marie-Tooth 356.1
Neuropathy+ 357
Muscular dystrophies 359
Macular Degeneration** 362.5
Glaucoma 365.23
Dyslexic Amblyopia** 368.0
Color Blindness* 368.55
Conjuctivitis 372.9
Drusen of Optic Nerve 377.21
Optic neuritis 377.30
Strabismus & other binoc 378
Nystagmus, Congenital 379.5
Meniere's Disease 386.00
Tinnitus 388.30
Hypertension+ 401.1
Post Cardiotomy Syndrome 429.4
Raynaud∫s Disease 443.0
Thromboangiitis Obliterans 443.1
Polyarteritis Nodosa 446.0
Asthma, unspecified 493.9
Cystic Fibrosis 518.89
Dentofacial anomaly pain 524.
T.M.J Sydrome 524.60
Gastritis+ 535.5
Peptic Ulcer/Dyspepsia 536.8
Colitis, Ulcerative 536.9
Pylorospasm Reflux 537.81
Regional Enteritis & Crohns 555.9
Colitis+ 558.9
Colon diverticulitis 562.1
Constipation 564.0
Irritable Bowel Synd. 564.1
Dumping Sydrome Post Sur 564.2
Pancreatitis 577.1
Nephritis/nephropathy 583.81
Ureter spasm calculus 592
Prostatitis 600.0
Epididymitis** 604.xx
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease 614
Endometriosis** 617.9
Premenstrual Syndrome+ 625.3
Pain, Vaginal 625.9
Menopausal syndrome 627.2
Eczema 692.9
Psoriatic Arthritis 696.0
Psoriasis 696.1
Pruritus, pruritic+ 698.9
Alopecia 704.0x
Lupus 710.0
Scleroderma 710.1
Dermatomyositis 710.3
Eosinophilia-Myalgia Syn. 710.5
Arthritis, Rheumatoid+ 714.0
Felty∫s Syndrome 714.1
Arthritis, Degenerative 715.0
Arthritis, post traumatic+ 716.1
Arthropathy, Degenerative+ 716.9
Patellar chondromalacia 717.7
Ankylosis 718.5
Multiple joints pain 719.49
L-S disk dis sciatic N irrit 722.1
IVDD Cerv w Myelopathy 722.71
Cervical Disk Disease 722.91
Cervicobrachial Syndrome 723.3
Lumbosacral Back Disease 724.x
Spinal Stenosis 724.02
Lower Back Pain 724.5
Peripheral enthesopathies 726
Tenosynovitis 727.x
Dupuytens Contracture 728.6
Muscle Spasm 728.85
Fibromyagia/Fibrositis 729.1
Melorheostosis 733.99
Scoliosis 754.2
Spina Bifida Occulta 756.17
Osteogenesis imperfecta 756.51
Ehlers Danlos Syndrom 756.83
Nail patella syndrome 756.89
Peutz-Jehgers Syndrome** 756.9
Mastocytosis 757.33
Marfan syndrome 759.82
Sturge-Weber Eye Syn** 759.6
Insomnia+ 780.52
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 780.7
Tremor/Invol Movements 781.0
Myofacial Pain Syndrome** 782.0
Anorexia+ 783.0
Hiccough+ 786.8
Vomiting 787.01
Nausea+ 787.02
Diarrhea 787.91
Pain, Ureter 788.0
Cachexia 799.4
Whiplash 847.0
Back Sprain 847.9
Shoulder Injury Unspec 959.2
Knee, ankle & foot injury 959.7
Motion Sickness 994.6
Anaphylactic or Reaction 995.0
Trachoria Growths


+ Represents citations from pre-1937 medical literature
* From Eugene Schoenfeld, M.D.
** From Dale Gieringer, PhD CA NORML Hotline
*** From Robert Wilson, Hayward Hempery
**** Barry R. McCaffrey 12-30-96 (quote from John Stuart Mill 1867)

Marijuana and ADHD

Source: http://www.brendastardom.com/arch.asp?ArchID=391



5-4-2004 - MARIJUANA Effective for ADD/ADHD?
9:11 AM GMT

A woman doctor in Ventura County believes it is. Of course there's intense opposition to her findings. Ever since Reefer Madness, the world has viewed marijuana as a dangerous drug. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I'm so glad I received an email from a friend in California this morning about her daughter who has always been thought of as having ADHD (attention deficit hyper disorder). Rachel fought the school over giving Cindy the standard dangerous drugs to control her, but was dismayed at her grades and the trouble she was always in. To her shock, Cindy, now in Junior High, just got an excellent report card.

Weeks before grades came out, Rachel had written that she'd discovered Cindy smoked pot and she was beyond distraught, buying into the tried and tired bit that it's a gateway drug, leading to the hard stuff. I wrote back and told her that was total nonsense, that kids experiment at Cindy's age and not to come down hard on her, as it could make things worse. She was worried about her education and that she was headed down the wrong path and revealed that well-meaning friends and family were giving her too much advice, but it all boiled down to putting Cindy on a very short leash.

The good grades turned Rachel's head around from thinking that pot had probably turned Cindy's brain into mush and she'd flunk. What bunk! She gave me a URL to an article she'd discovered in the local paper and asked me to read it and tell her what I thought. I actually cheered upon reading it. Well, there were some boo's, too, aimed at the pathetically ill-informed debunkers.

Put that pre-judgement away and read this, please. Headlined: "Ventura physician promotes marijuana to treat attention disorders." from the Ventura County Star. I'm surprised they printed it and happy they did.

"Dr. Claudia Jensen has seen marijuana help lawyers focus in court, executives excel and adolescents get good grades.

The drug often associated with slackers can do more than Ritalin and other stimulants to motivate millions of Americans with attention disorders, says Jensen, a physician at the Center for Integrated Health in Ventura.

"It can calm you down; Ritalin amps you up," Jensen said. "Cannabis can help you sleep; Ritalin gives you insomnia. Cannabis gives you an appetite; Ritalin makes you anorexic."

Jensen is one of a handful of California doctors invoking state law to approve marijuana, medically known as cannabis sativa, for adults and adolescents who have difficulty with routine daily tasks because they have attention-deficit disorder or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. On Thursday, Jensen will have five minutes to convince a congressional subcommittee in Washington, D.C., that the drug works."

I have to say this article has me pumped. There's been huge focus on medicinal marijuana for everything from AIDS,chronic pain to glaucoma and particularly as the substance of choice to control nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients. Look at San Francisco and Northern California and the strides made there to make it legal for those in need of non-chemical relief. I've never read of it being used on kids with these disorders, but it sure makes sense to me.

Back to the article, check out what one of Jensen's fellow doctors has to say. What century or better, what planet is this guy on? It's this kind of thinking that stunts progress and in turn, messes up a lot of kids whose parents take his advice.

"When someone is high on marijuana, they are not able to process properly, they have more problems with their focus and attention, and it is well known that marijuana causes short-term memory problems," said Dr. Loren Label, head of the ADD Clinic in Thousand Oaks.

Is that why Cindy got a 3.0 grade average? She's not hyped up on behaviour-controlling drugs, she smokes pot and is a top student. Doesn't that say something? Her mom didn't know she was smoking before school because Cindy knew she'd wig big time and would never understand how it helps her focus. It's a sad fact that most parents are of the belief that their pot-smoking kid is going to wind up dead in an alley with a needle that contained heroin in their arm. Wake up! That's not the case, dammit, and of course, there are kids as well as adults who shouldn't smoke the wild weed, as not all chemical make-up's are the same, but for those that it helps, where's the fucking problem?

I point a finger at the haha War On Drugs and it's complete failure. I shake one at educators who order their students to take dangerous chemicals just so they won't have to be dealt with and of course the money they receive. Pot could be a life-saver for overly hyper kids who won't take the pills. Finally, an alternative, but a very unpopular one it is, in spite of testimony from so many as to how it's benefited their lives, and the cry is always, "they're kids!!" I agree, this is a radical departure from standard treatment, but a good radical approach to organic vs chemical. Mydog, they give them something similiar to cocaine and balk at the benign marijuana?

Jensen and the others aren't alone -- they have back-up in Oregon. From hevanet, no date but it must be fairly recent. Give this puppy a read, but I must warn that it's highly technical and easy to scan through, but it gets into the different kinds of ADD and how little is known about the variants. Headline:

"Marijuana and ADD
Therapeutic uses of Medical Marijuana in the treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder"

"It was mentioned in the Portland newspaper that the Oregon Health Division is considering allowing medical marijuana to be used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) under the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act. At first glance it might seem counter-intuitive to use a medication that has a public perception of decreasing attention to treat a condition whose primary symptom is a deficit of attention. But just as taking stimulants often calms those with hyperactivity, medical marijuana improves the ability to concentrate in some types of ADD." Oh yeah, this is bigger than first thought. Wow, this next part hits home!

The particular type of ADD under consideration for treatment with medical marijuana might better be termed "Racing Brain Syndrome" (RBS). A useful analogy for this mental condition is that of a centrifugal pump that is being over-driven. As the pump speed increases, cavitation sets in and the pump's output decreases. The faster the pump is driven the greater the cavitation until a point is reached where large amounts of energy are being input but nothing is being output. Without medication there is a sensation that thoughts flash through the brain too fast to "think" them. Medical marijuana slows the brain down sufficiently to achieve impressive improvements in functionality."

Listen to what a retired Harvard Medical School psychiatrist and author of 2 books on medicinal marijuana has to say about ADHD and marijuana in the question and answer section of his site, rxmarihuana.

"Dear Dr, Grinspoon:

Hilary Black at the Compassion Club in Vancouver B.C. Canada gave me your name. I am a Master's student who is conducting a qualitative inquiry on the relationship between ADHD and the use of marijuana. I have had a very difficult time finding any literature on this specific topic. It would appear that there is very little evidence on what marijuana does for these folks. My research is almost completed and the stories from the five participants are great. It is clear that cannabis offers a sense of calm and "normalcy". But my lit review is still lacking and I was hoping that you could offer me some suggestions. Has no one else ever published an inquiry on the effects of marijuana on ADHD? Has no one else ever listened to their stories?

I look forward to your response.

Thank you very much.

Cheers,
Debbie Verkerk

Dear Ms. Verkerk,

It was more than a decade ago that I first had the experience of observing a high school student with ADHD treat this disorder much more successfully with cannabis than with his doctor-prescribed Ritalin. His mother (now deceased), a vice president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who had asked me to see him for evaluation, was also persuaded that he did much better while using cannabis than he ever did with Ritalin. Since that time I have seen a number of patients, both young people and adults, who have had similar experiences. I have also heard from many others; still I have seen no reference to this possibility in the scientific or medical literature. I think that we are now in the same situation we were with Tourette's syndrome about a decade ago; a number of anecdotal reports but nothing in the medical literature. Today you can find citations in the literature on cannabis as a treatment for Tourette's. The bottom line is that this use of cannabis for the treatment of ADHD is still in the clinical observation or anecdotal stage, and it may be impossible to find the citations you seek.

With best wishes for success with your paper,

Lester Grinspoon MD"

There you have it, it's still being studied, not much information is available, but I can't help but think if a wise parent had to choose between legal speed (which is what Ritalin and the others are) and marijuana, they'd choose the latter. I know I would. I wish Dr. Claudia Jensen the best of luck when she visits DC. I realize this is most controversial and is liable to evoke some pretty strong criticism, but all I want is for people to think about it and the lesser of evils. I thank Rachel for bringing this to my attention. I wrote, "Legally Drugging the Kids" eight months ago and it's accessed daily. What does that tell you?

"Marijuana is the safest therapeutically active substance known to man... safer than many foods we commonly consume."
-- DEA Judge Francis L. Young