medical marijuana | Sensible Marijuana Policy for Louisiana

The Largest Federal Appeals Court Tells DOJ To Back Off State-Legal Medical Marijuana

An appeals court ruled Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Justice can’t prosecute medical marijuana patients and providers for violating federal cannabis law as long as those individuals are in full compliance with state laws legalizing medical marijuana.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit held unanimously that a 2014 budget measure “prohibits DOJ from spending funds” to go after such people.

That’s bad news for the Justice Department’s increasingly controversial war on marijuana. Currently, 25 states and the District of Columbia have legalized the drug for medical purposes.

In the 10 cases from California and Washington state before the court, the 9th Circuit ruled that the Justice Department must show that the defendants were in violation of their state marijuana laws before proceeding with the federal criminal prosecutions. The appeals court sent all 10 cases back to the trial courts to make such determinations.

But Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain, writing for the court, pointed out the precarious nature of the federal block on these prosecutions. In a footnote, he said that “Congress could restore funding tomorrow, a year from now, or four years from now, and the government could then prosecute individuals who committed offenses while the government lacked funding.”

The judge also noted that the next administration may “shift enforcement priorities” and place a greater emphasis on prosecution of federal marijuana crimes.

Nonetheless, “this really is a big deal,” said Sam Kamin, a professor at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law who studies marijuana regulation.

“It’s an assertion by a court ― the largest federal circuit ― that federal prosecutors cannot enforce the Controlled Substances Act against those in compliance with state medical marijuana provisions,” he explained. “It’s not forever … but it’s a lot more protection than was in place prior to the ruling.”

Kamin added that the panel’s unanimity shouldn’t give the Obama administration “much reason for optimism,” should it choose to appeal.

Tom Angell, chairman of the drug policy reform group Marijuana Majority, was similarly exuberant.

“If the Obama administration is smart, they’ll drop this fight right now rather than risk an even more embarrassing defeat on appeal,” he told HuffPost.

DOJ spokesman Peter Carr told HuffPost that the department was reviewing the decision and declined further comment.

The defendants in the 10 cases had argued that the charges should be dismissed because of a bipartisan budget measure, passed in December 2014, that bars the Justice Department from using federal funds to prevent states from “implementing” their own laws authorizing the “use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.”

Last year, another Justice Department spokesman said it interpreted that provision as blocking prosecutors from “impeding the ability of states to carry out their medical marijuana laws,” but not from charging medical marijuana patients and businesses that violate federal marijuana laws. The measure’s sponsors, Reps. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) and Sam Farr (D-Calif.) expressed their profound disagreement at the time.

The 9th Circuit is not the first federal court to say the Justice Department got it wrong. Last year a federal judge in an unrelated case ruled that the department can’t prosecute state-legal providers of medical marijuana and said that its interpretation “tortures the plain meaning of the statute.”

Besides the 25 states and D.C. that have already legalized marijuana for medical purposes, voters in nine other states are expected to consider some form of marijuana legalization this year.

Still, the plant remains banned under federal law. States’ efforts to legalize the drug in some form or another have worked only because of guidance from top DOJ officials urging frontline federal prosecutors to refrain from targeting state-legal marijuana operations.

“I applaud the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for proclaiming the law as it has been intended by congressional legislation,” Rohrabacher said in an emailed statement to HuffPost. He called the court’s decision a victory for states’ rights, medical marijuana patients and “the constitutional process of establishing law.”

The Justice Department, Rohrabacher said, should “go on notice that there should be no more prosecutions and raiding of dispensaries in those states where the state government has legalized medical marijuana.”

Source: The Huffington Post

States with medical marijuana see decline in employee sick leave, study finds

While the misconception remains that stoners are lazy and unmotivated, a new study shows that marijuana may keep people on the job both healthy and productive.

In a July study published early online for the journal Health Economics, researchers found statistically significant declines in employee sick leave in states that allow safe and legal access to medical cannabis, reports Marijuana.com.

According to the numbers provided in the report, businesses in medical marijuana states reported an 8 to 15 percent drop in employee absences related to illness compared to states that still prohibit medical cannabis.

Author Darin F. Ulman observes:

Utilizing the Current Population Survey, the study identifies that absences due to sickness decline following the legalization of medical marijuana. The effect is stronger in states with ‘lax’ medical marijuana regulations, for full-time workers, and for middle-aged males, which is the group most likely to hold medical marijuana cards.

Ulman suggests that legal access to medical marijuana may increase employee productivity while decreasing the sick pay costs of employers.

Source: SFGATE

45 Ailments Treatable with Cannabis

Once you learn about the endocannabinoid system in your body, it becomes very clear just why cannabis can treat so many different illnesses.

The great thing about cannabis as medicine is that it’s all-natural, and you don’t have to worry about potentially fatal side effects that you get with other so-called medicines.

Our medicine should be something that makes us feel better, not a chemical experiment that makes us feel worse or that could kill us.

And with cannabis, we literally have decades’ worth of research (despite government restriction) that proves its effectiveness and safety.

The endocannabinoid system is responsible for keeping all of our metabolic processes in check.

The good news is that as prohibition continues to fall apart, patients have an increasing number in cannabis options, be it through vaporizing, edibles,topicals, or even transdermal patches.

Here are just 45 of the ailments treatable with cannabis.

#1) Prostate Cancer

Recent anecdotal and scientific evidence – including a 2009 study published in the British Journal of Cancer – suggests that prostate cancer could be inhibited through cannabinoid treatment.

#2) Depression

Depression is a medical issue affects 9 percent of Americans. A ray of hope has come through preliminary research released in 2015 in the Journal of Neuroscience found that compounds gleaned from cannabis could help ease symptoms of depression in patients.

#3) Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Most prevalent in children and often carried over into adulthood, ADHD shows through a seeming inability to pay attention and a general exhibition of hyperactivity and impulsivity. According to Dr. David Bearman, cannabis is likely more effective than pharmaceuticals in treating ADHD by increasing the availability of dopamine in the brain, which is responsible for regulating behavior and focusing attention. This would explain a lot of the anecdotal reports we get from people who successfully self-treat their ADHD with cannabis.

#4) Crohn’s Disease

Multiple studies have found this painful and life-threatening disease – also known as ‘inflammatory bowel disease’ – to be treatable with cannabinoid therapy.

#5) Chronic Stress

Chronic stress – with such symptoms as panic attacks, depression, sleep deprivation, and cardiovascular diseases – can have debilitating effects on a person’s psychological and physical health. Thankfully, multiple studies – including one conducted by researchers from Vanderbilt University – find cannabis to be highly effective in reducing chronic stress and its effects.

#6) Cigarette Addiction

Cigarette addiction is regarded as one of the leading worldwide causes of preventable death, and curbing the rate of smokers has become a top priority for physicians. Luckily, it turns out that the administration of cannabidiol (CBD) helps with the management of withdrawal symptoms for smokers looking to quit.

#7) Arthritis

Compounds from cannabis have proven to be a remarkably effective treatmentof both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

#8) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

People have believed for years that cannabis could be effective in the treatment of PTSD. Now it appears that the view is going mainstream: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) approved in April a clinical study to combat the disorder’s effects. Meanwhile, PTSD patients have been telling us all along that cannabis works best.

#9) Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a disease in the optic nerve that often results in blindness. The use of cannabis – particularly through oral ingestion – has been found to lower pressure in the eye. Yet despite initial optimism, further study into cannabis’s effects on glaucoma patients has been encouraged by medical professionals.

#10) AIDS/HIV

While not offered as a ‘cure’ for HIV/AIDS, cannabis has proven to be effective in the treatment of symptoms, which include nausea, loss of appetite, and anxiety.

#11) Alzheimer’s Disease

While a great deal of research has yet to be completed on the matter, preliminary scientific literature suggests that cannabinoids therapy can provide symptomatic relief – as well as a slowing of Alzheimer’s’ progression.

#12) Headaches

Over-the-counter drugs can be effective in the treatment of headaches; however, many of the common OTC treatments – such as Aleve and Tylenol, among others – can lead to deterioration in stomach lining. Cannabis, on the other hand, has been found to be a potentially effective natural treatment for headaches, including migraines.

#13) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

CBD – one of the main compounds in cannabis – has been shown to effectively combat and regulate anxiety. This could prove to be a game-changer for those living with the effects of OCD.

#14) Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

MS is a degenerative disease that affects the central nervous system and can ultimately result in permanent disability or even death. While examination of the disease is ongoing, people are finding cannabis to be an effective measure of relief for patients suffering from multiple sclerosis.

#15) Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease)

ALS is a debilitating disease of the nervous system that attacks spinal cord and brain neurons, over time resulting in paralysis and often times death from respiratory failure. No cure currently exists for ALS, but studies and anecdotal evidence suggest that medical cannabis could play a future role in the disease’s treatment and relief of symptoms.

#16) Chronic Pain

Chronic pain has been defined as any pain that lasts longer than 12 weeks – and encompasses such areas as physical, pathological, neurobiological, psychological, and social pain. While the causes of chronic pain are many, cannabis has is an often recommended treatment by physicians, and the number one ailment among medical cannabis patients.

Physicians around the world are embracing cannabis as medicine because they want to see their patients actually get better.

#17) Pancreatic Cancer

At least one study – appearing in the seminal publication Cancer Research – suggests that cannabis could prove instrumental in treating the cancer regarded as the fourth-deadliest cancer diagnosis.

#18) Opioid Addiction

The media and the medical community alike have acknowledged opioid addiction as one of the country’s leading public health crises. However, one study, appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found states with relevant medical cannabis laws have a lower opioid-related mortality rate (by nearly 25 percent!).

#19) Disc Degeneration

Intervertebral discs – also known simply as ‘discs’ – are masses of cartilage that sit between each vertebra. Degenerated discs, if left untreated, can result in spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, or herniated discs. A 2014 study on rats with recreated disc degenerations found that the subjects treated with higher doses of cannabidiol saw their conditions measurably improve.

#20) Skin Cancer

While the medical establishment remains dubious on this one, people continue to share with the world how cannabis helped them overcome skin cancer.

#21) Traumatic Brain Injury

Two recent surveys – one appearing in The American Surgeon and the other in Brain Sciences – offer substantial support to the notion that cannabis can be an effective treatment for traumatic brain injuries among both adults and perinatal children.

#22) Parkinson’s Disease

A significant amount of research has already been completed on the relationship between cannabis and the management and improvement of Parkinson’s Disease patients’ health. Such studies have found an improvement in sleep, improvement of motor control, and a general improvement in quality of life.

#23) Muscular Dystrophy

Muscular dystrophy is the slow degeneration of muscle mass throughout the body. Though the disease is genetic and research on the issue has yet to be fully sussed out, one 2010 study detailed the ways in which cannabis could prove beneficial to patients suffering from the disease.

#24) Epilepsy

This seizure-inducing condition has been on the radar of cannabis advocates for years, and we are beginning to see why: Multiple studies have found a link between cannabis treatment and the lowering – or even cessation – of epileptic seizures.

#25) Autism

Scientific studies – plus a sizable amount of anecdotal evidence – suggest that placing greater emphasis on supplementing the endocannabinoid system with phytocannabinoids could lead to enhanced treatment of autism, especially in children.

#26) Lupus

This chronic inflammatory disease affects approximately 1.5 to 2 million Americans. Though the disease has no cure, two of the most common therapeutic properties of cannabis – pain and inflammation relief – are effective in alleviating lupus’s symptoms.

#27) Malaria

Malaria is transmitted to humans by mosquitos and may result in everything from blood vessel clogs to brain cell damage. While deaths related to malaria have fallen in recent years, an animal study published last year inNeuroscience found CBD treatment to improve the mental functioning and survival rates of subjects infected with the disease.

#28) Schizophrenia

This debilitating mental disorder could result in hallucinations, incoherent speech, social withdrawal, and institutionalization. Despite conflicting studies and reports, many schizophrenia patients turn to cannabis to ease their symptoms, and one study has revealed that the endocannabinoid system has a direct involvement in the mental illness.

#29) Leukemia

This dangerous form of cancer – which affects the blood and starts in the bone marrow – has been investigated for its possible responses to CBD and THC treatment. Though there remains a great deal of work to be done on the issue, preliminary studies suggest that cannabis treatment for leukemia has a bright future in the years ahead.

#30) Strokes

Strokes – defined as the temporary blockage of blood to the brain – can have debilitating long-term effects on motor and speech skills, as well as brain damage. It turns out cannabis can protect the brain of stroke victims, reducing the amount of damage suffered.

#31) Breast Cancer

This is the most common cancer among women and while a great deal of research remains to be completed on how the disease responds to cannabis treatment, a study published last year in Molecular Oncology found CBD to be a “potent” drug in fighting triple-negative breast cancer.

#32)Fibromyalgia

This muscle pain- and fatigue-inducing disorder has been found to be effectively treated using medical cannabis. Cannabis users in this study, conducted by researchers at Spain’s University of Granada, experienced a decrease in pain and a greater quality of life.

#33) Colon Cancer

This particularly vicious strain of cancer has been met with effective treatment through the use of cannabis extracts high in CBD.

#34) Heart disease

Cardiovascular disease – also known as heart disease – is cited as the world’s leading cause of death, with roughly 17.3 million deaths per year. However, studies working with medical cannabis compounds have found cannabinoids to be effective in improving cardiovascular functions, but also that the damage caused by heart attacks may be constrained through ultra-low doses of THC.

#35) Asthma

Studies have found that the effects of cannabis and its components have resulted in measurable improvement in asthma-like symptoms, and there are actually several reasons why cannabis can work wonders here.

#36) Huntington’s Disease

This neurodegenerative disorder over time can result in physical and mental degradation. No cure currently exists, but studies indicate that cannabis may be effective in preventing certain neurodegenerative diseases, as well astreating some of the symptoms associated with Huntington’s.

#37) Alcoholism

For many people suffering from alcoholism, cannabis has become a go-to substitute. Essentially, cannabis provides them a much safer, healthier alternative.

#38) Diabetes

An estimated 29.1 million people in the U.S. suffer from diabetes. Cannabis, however, has proven to be helpful in managing or even preventing type-2 diabetes.

#39) Bladder Cancer

A February 2015 study published in The Journal of Urology found the use of whole-plant cannabis in California men to be “inversely associated with bladder cancer risk.” While the study took care to say that a causal effect was not detected, the study nonetheless offers promise to those looking to counteract the effects or even prevent this harmful and often fatal disease.

#40) Obesity

A recent study by the CDC found that a whopping 36 percent of Americans are considered obese. Thankfully, studies show cannabis being highly effective in the fight against obesity.

#41) Painful Bladder Syndrome

At least one study has found that interstitial cystitis – a chronic bladder disease also known as painful bladder syndrome – may be treated through the use of cannabinoids.

#42) Sleep Disorders

Lack of sleep can lead to a slew of health problems including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Many insomnia patients have found relief through cannabis, specifically THC, which acts as an all-natural sleep aid.

#43) Shingles

The skin rash shingles, while most common in older patients, is nonetheless highly prevalent. It is estimated that as many as one third of people will develop shingles in their lifetime. While a cure for the rash has yet to be discovered, cannabinoids may offer treatment for the pain associated with the disease’s effects.

#44) Tourette’s Syndrome

The neuropsychiatric disorder Tourette’s Syndrome – which results in a series of involuntary ‘tics’ and
the cause of which remains unknown – has no known cure. However, while research on the disorder’s relationship with cannabis remains ongoing, studieshave already been undertaken showing promise through treatment with cannabinoid therapy.

#45) Osteoporosis

Several studies published in the last five years – including one in the British Journal of Pharmacology and one in Cell Metabolism – found that bone erosion caused by osteoporosis could be curtailed by bolstering the endocannabinoid system of affected patients with cannabinoid therapy.

Wow that’s a lot of ailments. Imagine how much more effective our healthcare would be if cannabis were fully embraced for the medicine that it is – the medicine that our bodies and endocannabinoid systems need.

Green Flower Media

What counts as ‘medical marijuana’ varies from state to state – and that’s a problem

On April 17, Pennsylvania became the latest state to pass medical marijuana legislation, which will take effect this month. And recently Ohio’s House of Representatives has passed a plan to permit medical marijuana in the state.

Research suggests that marijuana – or more specifically compounds in marijuana – may have potential as a treatment for epilepsy and chronic pain, among other conditions. However, more research is needed to fully understand any potential health benefits from the substance.

As of this writing, 41 states have legislation that permits medical marijuana in some form. However, the law in Texas is not considered functional, because it requires a physician to prescribe marijuana. Since marijuana is illegal under federal law, doctors can’t prescribe it. They can only recommend it to patients. Louisiana’s law had the same flaw, but the state’s House of Representatives just voted on new legislation that should correct this problem.

As the director of the Research Institute on Addictions at the University at Buffalo and a researcher who studies social factors in the development of addictions, I follow many of the emerging trends in substance use.

When New York state passed legislation allowing for medical marijuana late in 2015, I began to collect information on the ways that the states were approaching this controversial issue.

As medical marijuana laws become more common in the U.S., it’s good to understand what, exactly, these state laws allow – and what they don’t. States are trying to strike a balance between access to medical marijuana for patients who might benefit, while also ensuring that these laws don’t become a backdoor to full legalization. And, as I have found, there is a lot of variation in terms of what states mean by “medical marijuana.” This can affect whether and how patients can access it and what conditions it can be used to treat.

What is medicinal about marijuana?

Let’s start by looking at what medicinal properties marijuana actually has.

Marijuana consists of several hundred chemical components, but the most well known is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which causes marijuana’s “high.” It can also be used to treat nausea and vomiting. In fact, there are two FDAapproved synthetic versions of THC, Dronabinol (also called Marinol) and Cesemet, which are prescribed to treat nausea and vomiting for patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer or to stimulate appetite for patients with AIDS. A side effect of these drugs is euphoria, which means they can make you high.

At the federal level, only these two medications are legal. THC or other extracts, whether synthetic or derived from the marijuana plant, are not.

The other marijuana compound with known medical applications at present is cannabidiol (CBD). Unlike THC, CBD does not produce a high. There are no FDAapproved medications based on CBD yet, although it is being studied as promising treatment for severe epilepsy and pain.

Proponents of medical marijuana argue that the combination of the chemical components present in the plant itself provides the most effective treatment for some medical symptoms. However, the amount of the medically important components differs from one plant to the next, and other potentially harmful components may also be present in the natural product. Research examining this issue is critically needed.

In some states ‘medical marijuana’ means marijuana

The phrase “medical marijuana” might give you the image of people buying plants or dried marijuana to smoke. That’s the case in some states with medical marijuana laws, but not all.

In 21 states and the District of Columbia as of this writing, people can possess marijuana in plant form for medical purposes. But, of course, there is plenty of variation between these 21 states.

For instance, in 15 of those states, laws permit people to cultivate marijuana plants for medicinal use. Limits on the number of plants vary from state to state, but most of the states allow for 6-12 plants. And some of those states limit the number of mature versus immature or seedling plants people are allowed to have.

Several of these 15 states allow home cultivation only under certain circumstances. For example, Massachusetts allows patients to cultivate plants if a state dispensary is not nearby or for financial reasons. Other states require the cultivation to be in a locked area or have other restrictions.

In six other states, medical marijuana laws allow people to possess usable marijuana, but prohibit them from cultivating the plant.

Still with me? Good. Those are just the states that permit people to possess marijuana or to cultivate plants to some degree or another.

And in other states ‘medical marijuana’ means a marijuana
extract

In 15 states, medical marijuana laws allow people to possess only one specific marijuana extract, CBD, the component that does not produce a high. Possessing marijuana itself or cultivating plants isn’t allowed.

If you live in Minnesota, New York or Pennsylvania, state laws prohibit “smokeable marijuana” but do allow marijuana extracts in nonsmokeable forms, such as oils that can be vaporized, oral solutions and capsules. These products are manufactured with specific amounts of THC and CBD.

Now that we have sorted out the different types of medical marijuana states permit, let’s move on to the next major variation in medical marijuana legislation – what conditions medical marijuana can treat.

What do states say medical marijuana can treat?

Most states that allow people to possess or cultivate marijuana for medical purposes allow its use to treat many medical conditions, including pain, nausea, HIV/AIDS, seizures and glaucoma. As of now, nine states also allow for the use of marijuana for post-traumatic stress disorder.

The most liberal of the states, California, goes a step further. Not only is medical marijuana permitted to treat all of these conditions, but also for any other major illness where marijuana has been “deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician.”

Remember, in some states the only “medical marijuana” permitted is an extract, CBD. One of these states, Kentucky, allows CBD only for people in a state-sponsored clinical trial.

The other 14 states that allow the use of CBD allow it only for “debilitating,” “severe” or “intractable” epilepsy. Most of these states do not have dispensaries where CBD can be purchased, or they have one single source, usually a a medical school. So if a physician in these states determines that a patient would benefit from CBD, a patient would have to travel to another state with a dispensary that sells CBD.

And, of course, it gets even more complicated. Many of the states with legal dispensaries of CBD are not permitted to provide it to nonresidents. That means that even CBD though is legal in some states, it is effectively unavailable for most who might benefit.

Why is there so much variation between the states?

Marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 Drug, a category reserved for substances with “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” This makes research on marijuana medical applications difficult.

As Nora Volkow, the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, pointed out,

medical research can and is being done with schedule I substances; however, there are strict regulations and administrative hurdles associated with this status.

With research about medical marijuana moving so slowly, states, often based on citizen lobbying efforts, have acted, creating legislation that might be based more on opinion than on evidence.

Whatever your opinion is on the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes, the array of state and federal laws regarding the use of medical marijuana is confusing and problematic for those who might benefit from such a program. It is vitally important that we clear the hurdles to clinical research on marijuana, and that we accelerate research addressing the potential benefits and harms.

Kenneth E. Leonard
Director, Senior Research Scientist at the Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
http://theconversation.com
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New Report Blasts DEA For Spending 4 Decades Obstructing Marijuana Science

The Drug Enforcement Administration has been impeding and ignoring the science on marijuana and other drugs for more than four decades, according to a reportreleased this week by the Drug Policy Alliance, a drug policy reform group, and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a marijuana research organization.

“The DEA is a police and propaganda agency,” Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said Wednesday. “It makes no sense for it to be in charge of federal decisions involving scientific research and medical practice.”

The report alleges that the DEA has repeatedly failed to act in a timely fashion when faced with petitions to reschedule marijuana. The drug is currently classified as Schedule I, which the DEA reserves for the “most dangerous” drugs with “no currently accepted medical use.” Schedule I drugs, which include substances like heroin and LSD, cannot receive federal funding for research. On three separate occasions — in 1973, 1995 and again in 2002 — the DEA took years to make a final decision about a rescheduling petition, and in two of the cases the DEA was sued multiple times to force a decision.

The report criticizes the DEA for overruling its own officials charged with determining how illicit substances should be scheduled. It also criticizes the agency for creating a “regulatory Catch-22” by arguing there is not enough scientific evidence to support rescheduling marijuana while simultaneously impeding the research that would produce such evidence.

A spokesperson at the DEA declined to comment on the report.

The feds have long been accused of only funding marijuana research that focuses on the potential negative effects of the substance, but that trend appears to be changing.

According to The Hill, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has conducted about 30 studies to date on the potential benefits of marijuana. NIDA oversees the cultivation, production and distribution of marijuana grown for research purposes at the University of Mississippi in the only federally legal marijuana garden in the U.S.— a process through which the only federally sanctioned marijuana studies are approved.

The joint report comes less than two weeks after the House approved three amendments taking aim at the DEA and its ability to enforce federal marijuana and hemp laws in states which have legal marijuana operations and industrial hemp programs. The medical marijuana amendment was sponsored by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.).

“Nobody should be afraid of the truth,” Rohrabacher said Wednesday. “There’s a lot of other drugs that have harmful side effects. Is the downside of marijuana a harmful side effect? Or is there a positive side that actually does help? That needs to be proven.”

The federal government’s interest in marijuana certainly appears to be growing. Since 2003, it has approved more than 500 grants for marijuana-related studies, with a marked upswing in recent years, according to McClatchy. In 2003, 22 grants totaling $6 million were approved for cannabis research. In 2012, that number had risen to 69 approved grants totaling more than $30 million.

“The DEA has obstructed research into the medical use of marijuana for over 40 years and in the process has caused immeasurable suffering that would otherwise have been treated by low-cost, low-risk generic marijuana,” Rick Doblin, executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, said in a statement. “The DEA’s obstruction of the FDA approval process for marijuana has — to the DEA’s dismay — unintentionally catalyzed state-level medical marijuana reforms.”

Currently, 22 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical use. Eight other states — Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin — have legalized CBD oils, made from a non-psychoactive ingredient in marijuana frequently used to treat epilepsy, for limited medical use or for research purposes.

A number of recent studies have shown the medical potential of cannabis. Purified forms may attack some forms of aggressive cancer. Marijuana use also has been tied to better blood sugar control and may help slow the spread of HIV. One study found that legalization of the plant for medical purposes may even lead to lower suicide rates.

Nadelmann said the DEA has “demonstrated a regular pattern of abusing its discretionary powers.”

“We believe this authority would be better handled by another government agency in the health realm, or even better still, by an organization that is truly independent, perhaps something that involves the National Academy of Sciences,” he said. “We will be working to encourage greater congressional oversight and also to call for reforms of federal law.”

The Huffington Post

Most medical marijuana users benefit from treatment, finds Ben-Gurion University study

The first study on the characteristics of patients with Health Ministry permission for treatment with medical marijuana – until now an unknown field – was revealed on Wednesday at the Sixth International Jerusalem Conference on Health Policy.

The conference was organized by the Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research.

The study was led by Prof. Pesach Shvartzman of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s Health Sciences Faculty, who said even though medical cannabis has been legal for a decade and is licensed to more than 20,000 patients for relieving pain and other symptoms, “there has been no information about the users themselves.”

Shvartzman concluded that most users enjoy significant improvement in pain and function, but that the cannabis also caused side effects.

The study, carried out to observe new patients using the drug for two years, looked at their socioeconomic characteristics, disease profiles, the medical indication for use, dosages, treatment given to the patient before giving cannabis, treatment safety, side effects, response and effectiveness of treatment and the patient’s use of health services during the year prior to and the year following treatment.

The patients were observed at three pain clinics and were interviewed by phone during the first three months of their treatment and then every four months for two years.

Of 321 non-cancer patients, 47.4 percent were male and the rest female. Of the 78 cancer patients, 60% were male.

The mean age of the non-cancer patients was 50.1 years and of cancer patients 57.5 years.

Of the cancer patients, 47% of the non-cancer and 40% of the cancer patients were native Israelis.

A total of 53.8% of the non-cancer patients and 56.9 of the cancer patients were secular.

Forty percent of the non-cancer patients and 49.3% of the cancer patients were employed. Of the non-cancer patients, 30.4% and 47.9% of the cancer patients had an academic education. Of the non-cancer patients, 56.7% were married, compared to 65.3% of the cancer patients.

Some 42% of all the patients had received recommendations for medical cannabis from their doctors, while only 24% from a friend or family member.

The prescriptions for the drug were most commonly given by palliative medicine specialists, orthopedists, and other specialists and only a tiny minority (0.4%) from the family physician.

Fully 99.6% applied for marijuana supplies after taking conventional medications that were not effective.

Nearly 56% said they wanted it because the previous drugs caused side effects.

Three-quarters of patients smoked the marijuana, while nearly 21% used concentrations in oil and the rest via vaporization.

More than 77% suffered from side effects; the moist frequent were dry mouth (60.6%); hunger (60%); 44% high moods; 23% sleepiness; 28.6% fatigue; 32% red eyes; and 13% blurred vision.

Most of the users reported in later interviews that their pain, nausea, anxiety, appetite and general feeling had improved. Fewer than one in 10 stopped taking the drug after the first interview and 6% after the second interview because of side effects and because the treatment was not effective.

Meanwhile, the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has just reported on a study of adolescents’ use of non-medical marijuana in the US, which indicated that the number of teens with marijuana-related problems is declining. Similarly, the rates of marijuana use by young people are falling despite the fact more US states are legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana use and the number of adults using the drug has increased.

The researchers examined data on drug use collected from young people aged 12 to 17 over a 12-year span. They found that the number of adolescents who had problems related to marijuana – such as becoming dependent on the drug or having trouble in school and in relationships – declined by 24% from 2002 to 2013.

The Jerusalem Post

Ohio Legalizes Marijuana for Medical Use

HalfOfTheStatesHaveLegalizedMedicalMarijuana Ohio Governor John Kasich signed a bill legalizing marijuana on Wednesday, making Ohio the 26th state to legalize the substance for medical uses.

In May, the state’s General Assembly passed the bill allowing doctors to prescribe forms of marijuana to patients. It requires that marijuana be available within two years, from a “seed-to-sale” system within Ohio, the ColumbiaDispatch reports.

Kasich had said he supported the measure, but the Governor’s office said he had to study the details of the bill before deciding whether he would sign it. He did so within a few hours of receiving the legislation.

The bill only allows doctors to assign marijuana for patients with certain conditions, such as cancer, AIDS and epilepsy.

[Columbia Dispatch]

Is Taking Cannabis for Pain the Solution to Oxycontin Addiction and Our Painkiller Epidemic?

Is Taking Cannabis for Pain the Solution to Oxycontin Addiction and Our Painkiller Epidemic?

If you’ve been reading or watching the news recently, chances are you’ve heard about the terrible painkiller epidemic going on now in the United States.

Here are a few facts:

Health care providers wrote 259 million prescriptions for painkillers in 2012 (the most recent year available), enough for every American adult to have a bottle of pills. (And this figure keeps going up.)

Overdoses involving prescription painkillers have become a leading cause of injury deaths in the U.S.

Hospital care for victims of prescription painkiller overdose cost an estimated $1.4 billion in one year.

Each day, 46 people die from an overdose of prescription painkillers in the US.

Extended use of prescription painkillers can create a chemical tolerance toward the prescribed opioids, and may in some instances transition to abuse of heroin, which is cheaper and in some areas of the country easier to obtain than prescription opioids. (This data has been taken for the government website; drugabuse.gov)

We can see by these statistics that prescription painkillers are overprescribed, highly addictive and dangerous.

Side effects of Oxycontin, one of the most frequently prescribed painkillers,

include:

nausea

vomiting

loss of appetite

dry mouth

dizziness

stomach pain

drowsiness

flushing

sweating

weakness

headache

mood changes

According to the FDA, some of the more serious side effects of taking Oxycontin for pain are:

fast or slow heartbeat

chest pain

hives

itching

rash

swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs

hoarseness

difficulty breathing or swallowing

seizures

extreme drowsiness

lightheadedness when changing positions

Oxycontin is also highly addictive

On the other hand, what about the use of cannabis for pain? Numerous studies and results of hundreds of thousands of patients from ancient times to current times have proven; marijuana is an effective treatment for pain. Taking cannabis to relieve pain works. Formal tests have been conducted on the use of cannabis for ocular pain and pressure from glaucoma, the pain of neuropathy, migraines, stomach pain, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), muscle cramps, arthritis, nausea and other types of chronic pain.

In 2009, an international team of investigators from the United Kingdom, Belgium and Romania affirmed the analgesic properties of cannabis, demonstrating once again the effectiveness of marijuana in reducing pain.

Cannabis may also play another significant role in the reduction of pain and reducing America’s dependence on opioids, which has created our painkiller epidemic.

A 2011 clinical trial assessing the administration of vaporized plant cannabis in chronic pain patients on a daily regimen of morphine or oxycodone reported that inhaled “cannabis augments the analgesic effect of opioids.” The authors concluded, “The combination (of opioids and cannabinoids) may allow for opioid treatment at lower doses with fewer side effects.”

One of the many medical doctors currently advocating the prescribing of medical marijuana for pain is retired heart surgeon, Dr. Thomas Orvald. In his YouTube video, Cannabis in Pain Management the doctor explains, “One of the problems we have today in medicine is the excessive use of narcotics and opiates, which has escalated over the past few years and has become such a severe problem. I see it every single day.”

In the same video, one of Dr. Ovald’s patients explains how she felt being able to go off her numerous prescription medications and to be treated instead with medical cannabis. The drugs previous doctors had given her had made her feel like she wasn’t even herself any more. “When I got off those and started on marijuana I felt like me again. I could move around…I can be an active person in society.”

Furthermore Dr. Orvald has this to say about the prejudice internationally against the medical use of cannabis, “The war on marijuana is insane, the stigma on cannabis, it’s vilification, and the prejudicial inhumane treatment of those who choose to use it as a medicine are notions steeped in ignorance and stupidity, and billions, quite literally billions of individuals throughout the entire world suffer as a result of cannabis ignorance and prohibition.”

Remember all the side effects of the most frequently prescribed painkiller, Oxycontin? Compare those to the side effects of cannabis as a treatment for pain.

Studies have shown marijuana prescribed for pain management is, “very well-tolerated; minimal drug-drug interactions; minimal adverse Effects” (Ware, et al)

Possible side effects can include:

Trouble thinking and remembering

Bloodshot eyes

Dry mouth (cotton mouth)

Increased appetite (the “munchies”)

Fast heart rate

Slowed coordination

How about overdose? Each day 46 people die from painkiller overdose. Nobody has ever died from an overdose of Cannabis.

Looking through the evidence regarding cannabis and marijuana as tested and prescribed for pain, it’s hard to imagine why the government would stop doctors from recommending cannabis for the chronic pain as it is experienced by their patients.

Perhaps taking cannabis for pain is the solution to Oxycontin addiction and

America’s painkiller epidemic.

Meridith Berk

http://TheEducatedPatientSeries.com

National Cancer Institute – Finally Admits THC Causes 45% Remission in Bladder, Breast, and Liver Cancer

The National Cancer Institute recently released its report on medical marijuana. The overview of their conclusion is, THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) caused a 45 percent reduction in bladder cancer, remission in breast and liver cancer and more.

They have determined that there is no lethal dose of marijuana. And addictive potential is considerably lower than any other medicine available.

Among their findings, they have found that cannabis is not associated with adverse pulmonary function and does not cause lung cancer or any aerodigestive tract cancers. Cannabis does not cause other types of cancer either.

They found cannabis has great anti-tumoral activity. Through their testing they have determined that cannabis is more effective than conventional antiemetics (drugs that ease nausea). And inhaled marijuana was more effective in chemo-induced nausea than any other currently available treatment.

Some of their other findings are: Cannabis appetite increase at 75 percent compared to the most effective medicine that has a 49 percent increase; weight increase at 11 percent compared to the most effective current medicine that has a 3 percent increase.

In opiate resistant cancer pain, marijuana had significant pain intensity relief, substantial analgesic effects, antiemetic effects and appetite simulation.

They also proved THC to be more effective then codeine. Some 10 mg of THC was more effective then 60 mg of codeine. There was no increase of the THC dose needed in long-term pain management.

Inhaled THC was shown to be more effective in neuropathic pain than current medicine. It also showed improved sleep quality and sense of well being and less anxiety.

These are just some of the findings of the National Cancer Institute. (http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/cannabis-pdf)

The federal government has made it so no state can be prosecuted for implementing a medical marijuana program.