Los Angeles Marijuana Clinic Blog

Clinical depression is a very serious illness. Populace with this condition have continuing, often unbearable feelings of sadness and low sense of worth. There can be suicidal thoughts. Depression makes ordinary tasks such as going to work, cooking, cleaning, even personal hygiene, very difficult.

Once the symptoms have been evaluated by a doctor, prescription medications are routinely prescribed. There are many types of anti-depressant medications: tricyclic antidepressants, MAOs(monoamine oxidase inhibitors), SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) and a few others.

A very recent analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Jan 2010) stated that antidepressants are only effective for those with severe depression. Those patients with mild to moderate depression had no benefits with prescribed medications. But these medications are prescribed with alarming frequency to those patients who may not benefit. Pharmaceutical companies profited $9.6 billion in 2008 on antidepressants alone. Is it about your health and well-being or about money?

To add insult to injury, the side effects from antidepressants can be serious and unacceptable for many people. Sometimes the side effects are worse than the symptoms of depression. Here are some of the side effects for each type of medication:

* Tricyclics: blurred vision, constipation, difficulty urinating,worsening of glaucoma, impaired thinking, fatigue, high blood pressure
* MAO inhibitors: weakness, dizziness, headaches, tremors, deadly if mixed with certain other drugs
* SSRIs: loss of appetite, weight loss, insomnia, nausea, nervousness, insomnia, headache, sexual problems
* SNRIs: loss of appetite, weight loss, insomnia, fatigue, headache, sexual problems, liver failure, high blood pressure

With many of these medications, there is also what is called “discontinuation syndrome” – otherwise known to regular people as bad withdrawal! You cannot just stop most of these types of medications as you can become very ill. Patients who choose to stop these types of medications find that they must taper the dose with a physician’s supervision or they are unable to stop the medication.

Another very concerning issue regarding these medications is that there is an increased risk of suicide, especially in younger patients. The jury is still out on this but Great Britain has banned use of antidepressants in those younger than 18, and the FDA now requires all antidepressants to carry a warning that states that they carry an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Scary!

Medical cannabis has been used for centuries to treat depression. An English clergyman named Robert Burton stated in 1621 that cannabis was helpful to treat depression. It was used for depression over 400 years ago in India. In the 17th century it was prescribed by physicians in England to treat depression. In 1890, a British physician named J.R. Reynolds reviewed the previous 30 years of use of cannabis and determined that cannabis was helpful for depression and other illnesses (asthma, certain forms of epilepsy, nerve pain, painful menstrual cramps, migraines and tics).

More recently, patient surveys show that cannabis is being used by many people to treat depression with good results. Many studies also show that patients who have depression as a result of another debilitating disease, such as cancer, HIV, multiple sclerosis or chronic pain, report less depression symptoms with the use of cannabis.

Researchers have found that low doses of cannabis increased serotonin levels in the brain, which helps to improve mood. Higher doses of cannabis tended to increase symptoms of depression because the serotonin levels were depleted. There are many conflicting scientific studies about the use of cannabis for depression. Currently medical cannabis is being used by many people for depression , but patients must be careful to use low to moderate doses so as not to cause worsening of symptoms. If patients find that symptoms are worsening, cannabis usage should be curtailed. Chronic heavy use of cannabis is not recommended, but in low doses patients may find the relief they need without the unwanted side effects from conventionally prescribed medicines. Other treatments in combination with medical cannabis may help to improve results, such as therapy or counseling, exercise, and a healthy diet with natural foods.

One of the benefits of being a physician-approved medical marijuana patient is that you can choose which medication strain to use based on your illness and the goal of your treatment. For example, patients with depression often find that sativa strains alleviate the symptoms that cause inactivity and sadness, while patients with anxiety and depression may find a hybrid strain to better suit their symptoms. Patients who are using medical marijuana for sleep disorders find that the indica strains are reliable for excellent sustained sleep with no “hangover” the next day.

As always we encourage NOT smoking the plant as the toxins in the smoke can damage your lungs. But there are many other ways to use the medication (vaporizers, edibles, tinctures) so that you can avoid the smoke-related side effects. And of course talking with a knowledgeable physician can help you decide if this medication would be helpful for your medical condition.

read comments (0)

Your Medical Marijuana Physician's Responsibilities

The physician caring for the qualified medical marijuana patient must fulfill the following criteria and responsibilities:

* Possess a license to practice medicine or osteopathy in California issued by the Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California. This license must be in good standing.

* Take responsibility for an aspect of the medical care, treatment, diagnosis, counseling, or referral of the applicant (patient).

* Perform a medical examination of the applicant (patient).

* As a result of the medical examination, document in the patient’s medical record that the patient has a serious medical condition and that the medical use of marijuana is appropriate.

* Have the patient sign an authorized medical release of information. The county program cannot process the patient’s application without the appropriate authorization for release of medical information.

* Provide to the patient copies of the medical records stating that he or she has been diagnosed with a serious medical condition and that the medical use of marijuana is appropriate. You may use the Written Documentation of Patient’s Medical Records (PDF) form to serve this purpose (a copy must be kept in the patient’s medical record).

read comments (0)

Let’s be straightforward. Our cannabis laws have been disastrous. Rather than accepting things as they are, we can manage marijuana. Reminiscent of the prohibition of alcohol in the past, outlawing marijuana hasn’t worked. It’s created a criminal market run by sadistic drug cartels, exhausted police resources, and depleted our state and local budgets. Proposition 19 is a more sincere policy, and a common sense solution to these problems. Proposition 19 will control marijuana like alcohol, making it available only to adults, enforce strong driving, and workplace safety laws, put police priorities where they belong, and generate billions in needed revenue.

We can give the police the money and man power they need to prevent violent crime, or we can accept the status quo, and keep wasting resources sending tens of thousands of non-violent marijuana consumers—a disproportionate number who are minorities—to jail.

We can control marijuana to weaken the drug cartels, or we can accept the status quo, and continue to fund violent gangs with illegal marijuana sales in California.

We can tax marijuana to generate billions for vital services, or we can accept the status quo, and turn our backs on this needed revenue.

Marijuana Legalization

Cannabis Sativa, or more commonly referred to as Marijuana, is a naturally growing plant that is illegal to cultivate, sell, smoke, eat, and even posses in the United States of America. Consequences of being caught with the substance result in major fines or even jail time, in some cases for life. With such dire consequences one would assume that the cannabis plant ruins lives, destroys families, and slaughters baby kittens. However, none of this is the case, in fact the cannabis plant has countless uses: medicine, an easy to grow nutritious food source, and it can even be converted into petrol, methanol, and methane gases. Despite the positive impact the cannabis plant would have on society if it were legal, the government still spends billions of dollars every year to rid the country of the substance and incarcerate all those who posses it. The current laws against cannabis cause more problems than the drug itself; they break up families, wastes funding that could go towards education, and even provokes gang violence to hustle the drug. A new law needs to be created in the United States that will put an end to the violence, home wrecking, and injustice associated with the illegality of the plant. Cannabis should be regulated in the same way as alcohol. Because of its intoxicating effects when used recreationally, a legal age limit as well as DUI guidelines would be set. The most important step to ridding the evils associated with marijuana is to legalize it.

Alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine are the three most commonly abused legal drugs in American society. All three are habit forming, detrimental to health, and deadly in high doses. “At an average of 75,000 Americans deaths each year, excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States after tobacco use and poor eating and exercise habits.”Marijuana on the other hand is not accountable for a single death in the entire world. “According to the US Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) records… Marijuana alone has not been shown to cause a single overdose death.”Despite marijuana's non-toxicity it still remains a Schedule I drug. Schedule I drugs are classified as having a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision. This classification could not be any more false. Marijuana has been proven as a viable treatment for numerous medical ailments. “THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) reduces muscle spasticity from spinal cord injuries and multiple scleroses, and diminishes tremors in multiple sclerosis patients. Patients and physicians have also reported that smoked marijuana provides relief from migraine headaches, depression, seizures, insomnia and chronic pain, among other conditions.” California, as well as 13 other states, have recognized Marijuana's medical benefits and decriminalized it on a state level for the patients who use it. Marijuana needs to be recognized as the virtually harmless drug that it is and accepted into our culture.

The current War on Marijuana is more harmful to society than the drug itself. Medical patients are having their possessions seized by the federal government and houses repossessed for growing personal quantities of their medicine. Most of these people are harmless law abiding citizens with no previous convictions, yet the government still views them as a threat. Furthermore, by convicting the marijuana users it diverts the time of law enforcement officers, clogs the court systems, and fills the already crowded federal prison systems. In a survey of fifty Casa Grande High School Students, thirty-six felt marijuana offences should not be punishable by jail time. “Since 1992, approximately six million Americans have been arrested on marijuana charges, a greater number than the entire populations of Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming combined. Annual marijuana arrests have more than doubled in that time.”If all these people had not been put in prison for these marijuana related “crimes” we would not have the issue of prison over-crowding. There would also be an extreme decrease in teen and gang related marijuana drug dealing. The reason teens and gangs sell marijuana is because of the excessive profits to be made from the market. If the drug were legalized and sold on a controlled market there would no longer be the incentive to sell to one another. Another threat illegal marijuana poses to society is the lack of quality control. “Because marijuana is not regulated, there are no safeguards against contamination by pesticides, herbicides, and other toxic chemicals. In this sense, it is actually the fact that marijuana is illegal that causes the health danger.” The United States government is doing the exact opposite of what is best for our country.In order to protect the citizens from the evils of marijuana it needs to be legalized.

The United States has spent over a trillion dollars on the war on drugs, yet the government is still loosing the battle. People still continue to smoke marijuana despite its illegality. In fact, Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States, used by more than 80 million Americans. “Enforcing marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers an estimated $10 billion annually”, Instead of wasting billions of dollars on a loosing battle the United States has the potential to earn billions of dollars through legalization and taxation. In fact, “the state of California saved nearly $1 billion dollars from 1976 to 1985 by decriminalizing the personal possession of one ounce of marijuana, according to a study of the state justice department budget.” If the entire state could follow this example money would be flowing in. This money along with the money saved from not waging war on marijuana could go to areas that lack funding such as education and healthcare. All of the money from the legal marijuana would remain in the country, boosting the economy. Currently much of the marijuana being consumed in the United States is imported from South America and Canada. If the crop were grown and distributed domestically, the money would remain in our country, in turn maintaining the economy. Economically, legalizing marijuana is one of the smartest decisions the United States could make.

Hemp, a non-psychoactive cousin of marijuana, is an extremely valuable natural resource. Hemp can be used to make food, feed livestock, make fabrics for clothes, turned into plastics, cosmetics, as well as a cornucopia of other products. Most importantly however, hemp can be converted into a viable fuel source. In a world where oil is expected to run out by the year 2018, alternate fuel sources such as petrol, methanol, and methane gases are a necessity to look into. Because of hemps ability to grow in practically any climate with little preparation it makes it an ideal agricultural investment. “The hemp plant is a valuable natural resource. Legalizing marijuana would eliminate the confusion surrounding hemp and allow us to take advantage of hemp's agricultural and industrial uses.” Although hemp is not illegal to grow many strains still contain trace amounts of THC. “Each year, approximately 98% of all the marijuana eliminated by the DEA's “Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program” is actually hemp.”

The ironic part of this debate is that both sides of the controversy are arguing for essentially the same thing: alleviation of the drug problem in the United States. However, the United States Government's attempts at alleviating the problem are only making it worse. The pros of legalizing marijuana greatly outnumber the cons. Some say that marijuana is illegal because it keeps the drug out of the hands of children, keeps impaired drivers off the road, and protects people from health issues like bronchitis. Despite the illegality, people will continue to smoke the reefer. If marijuana were legalized these issues would still be at hand, however, or economy would grow, it would free up jail space, remove incentive for teens to sell to each other, create new energy sources, reduce drug dealing violence, and it would put an end to a the costly, loosing battle of marijuana prohibition. Legalize It.

read comments (0)

It seems that some are very concerned that a vote that would legalize Marijuana in California might also upset supply and demand that Medical Cannabis values could plunge by as much as 90 % and perhaps challenge the tax bonus that cannabis supporters have used to sell the proposal, a study in print Wednesday found.

An intensive study by the independent RAND Drug Policy Research Center projects some attention-grabbing possibilities if Ca in Nov becomes the second state, after Alaska, to legalize cannabis for entertaining use by adults and the first to tax commercial marijuana sales sales. Do you think marijuana should remain medical

Rand Researchers are stating Marijuana prices may well plunge from $375 an oz., within the state's present medical cannabis regulation to less than $38 per oz. prior to taxes.

Today, we continue with the 11th speech about A Resolution Regarding Marijuana. Although we are already free to possess and smoke God's herb, some of us feel more free to do so than others. The citizens of this county need to hear more of the reasons for passing this Resolution. Not all of them, though—that could go on for many months, and would unnecessarily delay justice.

This week's reason is: “WHEREAS medical marijuana statutes create a privilege based on ill health.”

Under the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program, a patient can get permission from a doctor to grow, possess, and use marijuana, based on one's opinion and that of the doctor that it would relieve symptoms of one's chronic illness or injury.

The rest of us, who simply like to use it because it makes us feel good, are left scrambling to obtain our cannabis from the black market at outrageous prices.

This could also be said for the prescription of drugs from pharmacies, which is also a system of converting the rights of all to the privilege of a few—based on ill health. Like the ban on marijuana, the prescription drug system maintains high prices for drug suppliers.

Indeed it appears that cheap generic narcotics were banned in the early part of the 20th Century simply to create a market for expensive new pain relievers that didn't work half as well, like aspirin, and that the prescription system was set up to maintain high prices for new drugs. People go to Mexico to get their prescription drugs at half the U.S. price because Mexico does not have the prescription system that keeps prices high.

But it seems especially unjust in the case of an herb given to us by Nature, not manufacturing. We all have a right to any herb bearing seed, acknowledged in the Bible, in Genesis, chapter 1. Our laws should not contradict the most basic laws of God and make that right a privilege based on ill health.

This prescription privilege is especially galling when one considers that, unlike alcohol, it is not possible to die by overdose on marijuana. And also that, like alcohol, moderate use of marijuana appears to be good for one's health. People who drink 1-3 alcoholic drinks per day have a 40% lower risk of heart attack. Moderate drinkers live longer, on average, than teetotalers or heavy drinkers. Likewise, studies by the National Institutes of Health have shown that the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, and its precursor, cannibidiol, are anti-oxidants more potent than vitamins C and E. Although there are many cancer-causing chemicals in marijuana smoke, pot smokers have no higher rates of cancer than non-smokers. It might even help protect against lung damage from tobacco smoke.

I smoke pot to maintain my mental health; I'm an addictive personality, and this one works for me. It is nice to know that it is good for my body as well. I don't consult doctors unless I have a problem that I need their help with. I should be able to grow my pot without a doctor's permission and without fear of arrest.

read comments (0)

It’s been a long hard road, and an issue fought mainly by fringe groups. But it looks like the legalization of drugs (not just Marijuana) for production, sale and the distribution is quickly affecting the mainstream political debate in most Latin America countries. Last week's bombshell announcement by former Mexican President Vicente Fox showing support of “legalizing production, sales and distribution'' of drugs made gigantic headlines around the world. Mr. Fox, whom as the president of Mexico was a close U.S. ally, and who is a member of the same center-right political party as President Felipe Calderón, nearly capsized the boat at home by in a roundabout way criticizing the very foundation of Calderon's concentrated military offensive against Mexico's drug cartels, which has cost 28,000 lives since 2006.

Meanwhile, the US is still trying to figure out how to regulate medical marijuana, and their related medical cannabis collectives. How far behind the world curve is the US when it comes to how we view medical marijuana, cannabis and drug use in general.

According to Reuters, mixed in with more than 40,000 pounds of Jawbreakers was something with quite a different taste, said the Minnesota State Patrol. Mixed with the Jawbreakers was close to 1.5 tons of marijuana.The two being charged with intent to distribute marijuana, Juan Carlos and Luis Rene Avila, appeared in federal court on Thursday.

The 41 boxes of marijuana were in the middle of 28 pallets of boxes, which contained the Jawbreakers, authorities said. The marijuana was discovered on Tuesday during a traffic stop. The truck was pulled over because the driver was going fifteen mph below the speed limit, as well as frequently brushing against the right shoulder of the road. The officer who pulled the two over were asking questions about the truck's logbook and other papers. Inconsistencies in the answers to the questions posed caused authorities to call in a drug sniffing dog that eventually found the 1.5 tons of marijuana.

An acting special agent of the Minneapolis-St. Paul office of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Kent Bailey, said the candy would most likely be destroyed, as well as the marijuana.

“I initially thought about how we could give that away to kids forever and ever. But I couldn't take the risk,” said Kent to Reuters. “Even though they were in cellophane and they're boxed, that package has been sitting somewhere for a month with a ton and a half of marijuana next to it.”

The origin of the truck was believed to be from Texas, but authorities said the two men refuse to say where the truck was headed or for whom the contents on the truck were for, according to court documents.

Authorities say one of the two men admitted to being in the U.S. illegally. The other man told authorities he is a legal alien. The men may have provided authorities with false names so law-enforcement officials could not immediately determine whether or not the two men had outstanding warrants.Carlos is from Mexico and is currently facing deportation, according to authorities. Arthur Martinez, his attorney, said Carlos was a passenger who used the truck as a ride to get to his destination.

A public defender for Avila, Caroline Durham, did not immediately return a call that was placed on Friday.

The 1.5 tons of marijuana holds more than a three-million-dollar street value.

read comments (0)

Your Medical Marijuana Physician's Responsibilities

The physician caring for the qualified medical marijuana patient must fulfill the following criteria and responsibilities:

* Possess a license to practice medicine or osteopathy in California issued by the Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California. This license must be in good standing.

* Take responsibility for an aspect of the medical care, treatment, diagnosis, counseling, or referral of the applicant (patient).

* Perform a medical examination of the applicant (patient).

* As a result of the medical examination, document in the patient’s medical record that the patient has a serious medical condition and that the medical use of marijuana is appropriate.

* Have the patient sign an authorized medical release of information. The county program cannot process the patient’s application without the appropriate authorization for release of medical information.

* Provide to the patient copies of the medical records stating that he or she has been diagnosed with a serious medical condition and that the medical use of marijuana is appropriate. You may use the Written Documentation of Patient’s Medical Records (PDF) form to serve this purpose (a copy must be kept in the patient’s medical record).

read comments (0)

I know I’m not the only one that sees the biggest problem with the Nov. vote in California to legalize pot That’s right, the Fed’s. How can CA. legalize marijuana, tax marijuana, and regulate cannabis at the state level when the federal Controlled Substances Act makes it a felony to grow or sell marijuana… period. California can abolish its own marijuana laws leaving enforcement up to the feds, chances are that no one wants’ that. But Californian’s can't legalize a federal felony. As a result, any MMJ club paying California taxes on cannabis sales or filing marijuana-related California regulatory paperwork would be confessing, in writing, to multiple federal crimes. I’m not sure about you, but that hardly sounds like a good idea.

Last month, Joyce Priddy wrote an article in this space about a Bernie Ellis, a Tennessee farmer who was prosecuted by the Federal government for growing marijuana, which he used to alleviate pain associated with his degenerative joint disease and pain and sleep disturbance associated with fibromyalgia. He was also providing free cannabis to several ill people in the area. Mr. Ellis was convicted in a Federal court and was incarcerated in a half-way, minimum security facility, for eighteen months. According to Ms Priddy's article and the sources she cites, Mr. Ellis is now trying to avoid the statutory forfeiture that is often part of a Federal drug case. There is considerably more to the story and the reason why the Federal authorities choose to target Mr. Ellis!

It seems to me that there are two distinct issues presented.

First, are the Federal statutes forbidding the growing, use and distribution of marijuana (more properly, cannabis) appropriate where such use is limited to medical uses, prescribed by a physician and in a state which specifically authorizes medical use. (It happens that Tennessee is not one of those states; bills are pending in the state legislature that would allow a “medical exception” to the laws against the growing, possession or distribution of cannabis. Tennessee legislators who introduced the Bill are quite pessimistic about its passage.) That question, at least for now, was answered, on June 6, 2005, by the U. S. Supreme Court in Gonzales v Raich. The bases of this decision, allowing Federal prosecution for medical-cannabis even where such use is specifically permitted under state law, seem strained and it may well be that a reverence for states' rights will reverse the holding.

Second, are the Federal forfeiture laws fairly applied to Mr. Ellis' farm. While it has no bearing on the principles involved, the farm consists of 187 acres and is worth far more than the $200,000. demanded by the government.

Federal and state policies collide.

The basic Federal statute regulating cannabis is the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, which describes drugs as being under one of five classes or schedules. Cannabis is considered a “Schedule I” substance, one that has a high potential for abuse, no accredited medical use, and a lack of accepted safety. (One may, and many have, questioned that description of cannabis, but that's where the law is now.)

In United States v. Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative, decided in 2001, the Supreme Court held that “medical necessity” was not a defense to a prosecution for the producing and distribution of cannabis to ill persons. The Court said that Congress had made cannabis a Schedule I drug and that was that!

With regard to the Federal view of cannabis, ironies abound. At one point, a Federal Medical Marijuana program was establish that grew cannabis at the University of Mississippi and distributed it to a number of ill patients. The program was scrapped by President Bush (41) and seven people are still receiving Federally grown pot.

The Federal Drug Enforcement Agency remains adamant that smoking cannabis has no documented medical value. A 2006 report from the DEA states that none of the following organizations support cannabis as medicine: the American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and others. However when one reads the actual statements of these organizations, it is clear that the DEA has taken some liberties in quoting only parts of the various position papers.

What is uncontroversial? Medical cannabis does bring relief to patients with a number of diseases and conditions. These include pain relief — particularly of neuropathic pain (pain from nerve damage) — nausea, plasticity, glaucoma, and movement disorders. Cannabis is also a powerful appetite stimulant, specifically for patients suffering from HIV, the AIDS wasting syndrome, or dementia. Emerging research suggests that cannabis' medicinal properties may protect the body against some types of malignant tumors and are neuroprotective.

As a result of a growing acceptance of cannabis as a medicinal substance and a similar rejection of the old scare-stories from years ago, 12 states have, by statute or state constitutional amendment allowed the regulated use of cannabis for medical purposes.

And here is where the conflict remains. The Supreme Court, citing the 1970 Act, and the supremacy of Congress over states, has ruled that, regardless if the growing, distribution, possession and use of cannabis for medical purposes is authorized by local state law, the case can proceed as a Federal criminal proceeding. (The Bush administration and its supporters are constantly arguing that states' rights are paramount and that Federal judges do not give enough credence to the views of the people. Oh well….)

And this is where Mr. Ellis found himself. Tennessee is not one of the states that has a medical marijuana or cannabis exception for medical use, but even if it had, Mr. Ellis would still have been in trouble. As it is, his sentence was comparatively light by Federal drug conviction standards.

Why did the Feds go after this guy?

We can stipulate several things. Bernie Ellis is not your average defendant. Ellis, a public health epidemiologist, readily acknowledged that he was growing a small amount of medical marijuana to cope with a degenerative condition in his hips and spine. He was giving cannabis away to a few terminally ill people too. There were only a couple dozen plants of any size scattered around his place-enough to produce seven or eight pounds of marijuana worth about $7,000. Moreover, at his sentencing hearing, character references, affidavits and testimony, were bountiful. Ellis is, they all said, better than sliced bread.

There is more to the story, however. The question remains as why the Federales targeted this man? Because he is a classic activist and advocate for the use of cannabis for medical purposes. Mr. Ellis earned his BA in Psychology, Sociology and Political Science from Vanderbilt University, an MA in Sociology (Demography and Human Ecology) from the University of Texas at Austin and an MPH (Public Health Education and Epidemiology) from the University of California at Berkeley. He also had additional graduate training in Sociology (Vanderbilt) and Health Communication, Health Promotion and Medical Anthropology (Stanford). He has held research and program management positions with two federal agencies (NIH and CDC) and with three state governments (Tennessee, New Mexico and Wyoming), provided consulting services for the American Medical Association and the American Cancer Society. In short, he is a highly visible “target” if one wants to prove a point!.

But what about the old guy's farm?

Civil forfeiture has a long history in this country; lately, it has become a boon to law enforcement agencies. The agency seizes automobiles. trucks and cell telephones, for example; the law enforcement agency now has new, expensive equipment and not one penny of taxpayer money has been expended. Sounds like “win-win” except for the former owner of the property.

Forfeiture proceedings are, in form, against the property on the nebulous theory that, somehow, by taking part in a illegal transaction, the property, itself, had become tainted. Thus, an automobile in which drugs have been transported or a car in which a drunk driver had been tooling down the highway can be seized and forfeited!

The history of forfeiture dates back to Biblical times. It is a thoroughly discredited concept, subject to much academic criticism and needs to be re-examined. There is a difference between seizing the fruits of a criminal's activities, a bank account in which proceeds of a robbery are deposited, and a seizure of a “thing” which has been said to have “facilitated” a crime. Be that as it may, Mr. Ellis' farm is caught in the middle!

The Federal law upon which Mr. Ellis was prosecuted allows seizure of his farm but allows the parties to negotiate the release of the property by the payment of a fine.

Mr. Ellis' attorneys had argued that to seize all of a million dollar farm with an offense so relatively minor, it would be grossly disproportionate. Meanwhile, at last glance, the parties were trying to negotiate a penalty that would take the place of the farm.

An update.

Mr. Ellis is scheduled to be released from the minimum-security facility, after eighteen months, in mid-May. His supporters, and they are many, have had fund raisers, the latest around the end of April, 2007, at which some $11,000 was raised. Articles in the local Nashville newspapers, where Mr. Ellis is considered a beloved hero, mostly repeat the same phrases over and over. An e-mail to Mr. Ellis' website, requesting the current status received no response. Similar inquiries to The Nashville Scene and the author of many articles about Mr. Ellis have also been unanswered.

While Mr. Ellis is, for the most part, a sympathetic person, he has some customs and habits which are a bit “in your face”. For example, he calls himself, “Devil Weed” in e-mail and on-line. Perhaps if he had maintained a lower profile, the cannabis would have slipped beneath the radar. We will never know. What we do know is that Bernie Ellis has become the “poster boy” for the normalization and decriminalization of medical-use cannabis - whether he wants that role or not.

I am certain that we will hear more about Mr. Ellis as his case proceeds.

read comments (0)

Marijuana as medicine is nothing new, despite the current groundswell of laws making pot legal for medical uses. Here's a quick fact file on cannabis and its medical history.
1. “Marijuana” is a Mexican term that originally was applied to low-quality tobacco.
2. Cannabis was cultivated in China for therapy (and recreation) over 4,700 years ago.
3. More than 20 prescription medicinescontaining cannabis were sold in U.S. pharmacies at the turn of the 20th century. Pot-based medications were commonly available until 1942, when cannabis was stricken from the U.S. Pharmacopeia, the official compendium of drugs considered effective. From 1937 to 1942 the federal government collected a tax of $1 per ounce for such drugs.
4. About 17,000 studies on marijuana and its components have been published, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, an advocacy group, but fewer than 20, all of them small, have included human subjects.
5. The federal government is in the pot-growing business. Under a federal contract, the University of Mississippi in Oxford cultivates marijuana for use by researchers, who have to be cleared by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
6. The plant has nearly 500 chemical compounds, called cannabinoids.
7. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. But patients in these states face federal prosecution for using it—or for growing or possessing pot for medical purposes.
8. Federal law prohibits physicians from prescribing or otherwise actively supplying patients with the drug. But in 2002 the U.S. Supreme Court backed an appellate court ruling that physicians who discuss it with patients, or provide oral or written recommendations, are protected.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy has released a report entitled: “Teens, Drugs, and Violence.”

The report contains figures that indicate that teens who are dug users are most likely to engage in violent and illegal behavior as well as be more likely to join gangs. Another fact that comes out of this report is the fact that marijuana is the most used drug in the teen years and also early use of marijuana can lead to later involvement in gangs. It also shows that teens who are drug users have double the risk for being the ones who commit acts of violence as compared with teens who do not. They are also more likely to steal and use alcohol as well as move on to use other illegal drugs.

The report was released in Philadelphia by John P. Walters, the Director of National Drug Control Policy. In his statement, he made the point that drug use is a public health and safety problem and not a lifestyle choice.

In the past five years, teen drug use has gone down by 23% and marijuana use has dropped a little more, 25% and more teens are using marijuana that any other illegal drug.

Marijuana is the most used drug in the gang culture, but it is Surpassed by alcohol and young people who are marijuana users are almost four times as likely to join gangs.

Other results include these facts.

Teens who are most likely to resort to stealing are also most likely to use marijuana and experiment with other drugs and alcohol
Of the teens who used drugs, 27% said they have attacked others with the intent to do bodily harm.

Of the teens who got into serious fights either at school or at work, 17% reported that they used drugs.

Teens who are regular marijuana users are about nine times more likely to use other drugs or alcohol than those who do not use marijuana and are also five times more likely to steal.

Also, teens who are not drug or alcohol users have any easier time when it comes to leaving the teen years and becoming a young adult.

The teens who took part in the survey said that their parents have the strongest influence over them when it comes to using drugs. The majority stated that the number one reason they do not use drugs is that they do not want to upset their parents and do not want to lose their respect.

The survey also showed the part that being involved in activities like sports or any other structured after school activity is in keeping children from trying illegal drugs. Not only that, but participation in activities can also lead to better grades and overall better behavior.

Parents are warned that the use of drugs among teens escalates during the summer months and it is just as important to keep them involved in activities during the summer as it is during the school year.

They have included some suggestions for parents in the report to help them set the standards and guidelines to follow:

Make no drug rules clear and make sure they understand what the consequences will be if the rules are not followed.

Keep track of what your teen is doing at all times including when he or she is on the computer.

Have a talk with them about how important it is to stay off drugs. Let them know what the risks of using drugs are and how not to cave in to peer pressure.

Stay involved in their lives and make time each week to do something special with them.

Learn what the early signs of drug addiction are and keep a lookout for those signs in your teen.

Source The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov

read comments (0)

What a bummer, here I was thinking that New Mexico had it all figured regarding medical marijuana and the MMJ Distribution system to their state registered patients. Well as it turns out, it’s just not true. In Albuquerque N.M. Len Goodman can’t seem to keep up with the demand for his state registered medical marijuana. You see Len is only one of 11 state registered medical cannabis growers for well over 2,000 state registered medical marijuana patients in New Mexico.

It seems that New Mexico has been more than a concerned about turning into Colorado or California( to many MMJ collectives)…in fact they have been so cautious in licensing and regulating growers under its 3-year-old medical marijuana law that the small number of growers can't grow enough, thereby creating an artificial shortage that has forced some patients to the street to buy illegal drugs.

Would be medical marijuana producers are put through to a thorough screening procedure ahead of being granted a license to grow medical marijuana. Once that happens, they are limited to 95 plants and seedlings and an inventory “that reflects current qualified patient needs.” What load of crap!

While many people are finding relief from terrible diseases by smoking marijuana, there are also many people who believe that legislators should allow researchers more freedom to research this drug for legal medicinal usage. To date, 13 states have declared medical marijuana legal to use. The Supreme Court recently ruled that the federal government can continue to ban the use of medical marijuana. Justice Scalia writes that the federal government also has, under the commerce clause, the power to prohibit interstate commerce of this drug. Personal use of marijuana may not be commerce, but if our drug laws were working correctly, they would be perfectly enforced. Even as evidence mounts concerning the benefits of marijuana as a medicine, federal officials and agencies continue to bury their heads in the sand.

Written records on medicinal marijuana stretch back over 2000 years. It was first discovered in print in the 2nd century in a Chinese book of medicine. As far back as 1611, this plant was cultivated for its fiber in Jamestown, Virginia. In the 19th century, it was used to treat such ailments as spastic conditions, labor pains, insomnia, and even helped with appetite. It is still used as a medicine in the Middle East and Asia. Although modern technology medicine does not refer back to the medical practices of ancient civilizations, this only confirms that marijuana has had a significant medical history, and claims of its medicinal use were not just pulled out of nowhere.

Marijuana is a drug that comes from the dried, cut leaves of the hemp plant known as “cannabis sativa”. It goes by a number of street names such as “grass”, “Mary Jane”, “pot”, “reefer”, “herb”, and “weed”. The active ingredient in marijuana is delta tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This ingredient targets Cannabinoid receptors that have been proven to cut tumor growth in half in common lung cancer. It has also been tested and researchers at Harvard University say it also significantly reduces the cancer's ability to spread. Cannabinoids are chemical substances in cannabis, or marijuana. Endocannabinoids are cannabinoids that are produced naturally in the body.

Montel Williams is a huge activist for legalizing medicinal marijuana since he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999. He has debilitating knee and foot pain and has tried Oxycontin and a variety of other drugs with no relief. Then a doctor suggested he smoke pot and “immediately I slept through the night.” Williams is a registered medical marijuana user in California. He began pushing for medical marijuana laws after being stopped at a Detroit airport by an Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms officer for carrying drug paraphernalia. His charges were later dropped.

Williams told a Senate panel about his chronic pain and urged New Jersey to join 12 other states that have enacted these laws. The states that have currently legalized medical marijuana are: California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Maine, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Montana, Vermont, and Rhode Island. New Mexico is planning on signing a bill in 2008. Williams will speak at two events in Trenton; a Drug Policy Alliance-sponsored news conference and a Senate hearing. Governor Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey said last year that he would sign a medical marijuana bill into law. “I break the law every day and I'll continue to break the law.” (Montel Williams)

This bill, sponsored by Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) lists cancer, HIV and AIDS, chronic pain, severe nausea, persistent muscle spasms and even glaucoma as conditions eligible for medical marijuana use. The legislation has never received a hearing, even though it has long been proposed. A 2002 poll found that 82 percent of the people in New Jersey supported allowing access to medical marijuana. Terrance P. Farley, an Ocean County assistant prosecutor told the Associated Press that the bill is only an attempt to legalize drugs. “This is how they're trying to get marijuana legalized”, he said.

Marijuana is listed in Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the most restrictive schedule. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) supports that placement because marijuana met the 3 criteria about this drug: 1) marijuana has high potential for abuse, 2) the drug has no currently accepted medical use in treatment, and 3) it has a lack of accepted safe use under medical supervision. The Federal government should, at the very least, possibly downgrade it to a Schedule II, since it has been accepted for medical use in the United States. A past evaluation by several agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), concluded that supported use of medical marijuana has no sound scientific studies and no human or animal data supported the safety or efficacy for general use.

During the Prohibition of Alcohol period (1920-1933), psychoactive properties of marijuana were left to criticism by the same forces that opposed the consumption of alcohol. Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937, which made continual use of marijuana a criminal act. During hearings held before this act, a lone opponent, a representative of the American Medical Association (AMA), argued that banning marijuana should exempt it for medical purposes, at least. His testimony included the following:

There is positively no evidence to indicate the abuse of

cannabis (marijuana) as a medicinal agent or to show that

its medicinal use is leading to the development of cannabis

addiction. Cannabis at the present time is slightly used for

medicinal purposes, but it would seem worthwhile to main-

tain its status as a medicinal agent…. There is a possibility

that a re-study of the drug by modern means may show

other advantages to be derived from its medicinal use.

Marijuana was removed from the American pharmacopoeia in 1941, over AMA objections, and hope for further research or legal medical use came to a halt. In 1970, Congress restructured the drug laws with the Controlled Substances Act, which kept marijuana banned for medical use.

Marijuana has many substitutes, such as Marinol. Swallowing this substance, however, takes longer to work, has more adverse side effects and is more expensive. A year's supply can cost up to $15,000; too much, some said, for a flawed version of a weed that can be grown in any backyard. One reason many prefer to smoke marijuana rather than swallow Marinol is that it allows them to regulate the amount of THC that goes into their systems. Smoking allows an instant transmission of this ingredient to sites in the brain that control nausea, so when the anti-nausea effect wears off, they only need to smoke a little more if needed. Individual patients respond differently to different doses, and they can avoid taking too much, which is not possible with Marinol.

On the other hand, although several states have passed legal drug laws making smoked marijuana available for various medical conditions, the FDA, the DEA and the Office of National Drug Control Policy do not support the use of smoked marijuana for medicinal purposes. These measures go against their efforts to ensure that medications are proven safe and effective under the standards of the FD&C Act. Gov. Jon S. Corzine's proposal would allow chronically ill patients to medicinally smoke, eat or take marijuana in tablets. The program would be monitored by the State Health Department. The amount of marijuana would be capped at 1 ounce and the patients would be issued registered medical marijuana user cards. Bertha Madras, deputy director for demand reduction at the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said in a telephone interview: “We cannot base medical decisions on anecdotes.”

Researchers do not know why THC inhibits tumor growth; they say it is possible the substance activates molecules that arrest cell cycles. It may also interfere with angiogenesis and vascularization, which promotes the growth of cancer. Anju Preet, Ph.D., a researcher in the Division of Experimental Medicine says much work is needed to pave the pathway by which THC functions. “The beauty of this study is that we are showing that a substance of abuse, if used prudently, may offer a new road to therapy against lung cancer.” People hope that the federal courts and legislators will be allowed to take a closer look at the benefits, examine the evidence and conclude that we only want safe pain relief for the people who need it the most.

read comments (0)

Medical Cannabis is nothing new, despite the current groundswell of laws making pot legal for medical uses. Here's a quick fact file on Marijuana and its medical history.
1. “Marijuana” is a Mexican term that originally was applied to low-quality tobacco.
2. Cannabis was cultivated in China for therapy (and recreation) over 4,700 years ago.
3. More than 20 prescription medicinescontaining marijuana were sold in U.S. pharmacies at the turn of the 20th century. marijuana based medications were commonly available until 1942, when cannabis was stricken from the U.S. Pharmacopeia, the official compendium of drugs considered effective. From 1937 to 1942 the federal government collected a tax of $1 per ounce for such drugs.
4. About 17,000 studies on marijuana and its components have been published, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, an advocacy group, but fewer than 20, all of them small, have included human subjects.
5. The federal government is in the pot-growing business. Under a federal contract, the University of Mississippi in Oxford cultivates marijuana for use by researchers, who have to be cleared by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
6. The plant has nearly 500 chemical compounds, called cannabinoids.
7. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. But patients in these states face federal prosecution for using it—or for growing or possessing pot for medical purposes.
8. Federal law prohibits physicians from prescribing or otherwise actively supplying patients with the drug. But in 2002 the U.S. Supreme Court backed an appellate court ruling that physicians who discuss it with patients, or provide oral or written recommendations, are protected.

There are conflicting views regarding the effects of marijuana use on depression. Research suggests a link between heavy marijuana use and depression, although some who use marijuana on a regular basis claim it actually lessens the severity of their symptoms.

According to Nancy Schimelpfening of About.com, participants in a 1997 pilot study reported that they continued to smoke marijuana because they felt it relieved their symptoms of depression and anxiety, further suggesting that the chemicals in marijuana contain antidepressant properties. In fact, according to a report by Fox News, studies have shown marijuana to improve depression in low doses. Researchers from McGill University and Le Centre de Recherche Fernand Seguin of Hôpital in Quebec and l'Université de Montréal in Montreal, found that THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, increases serotonin levels in the body when smoked in low doses, resulting in similar effects of antidepressants such as Prozac.

However, further investigation showed that the effect is reversed if the dosage of marijuana is increased, resulting in worsened depression and psychosis. This finding is not surprising given marijuana's link to “Amotivational Syndrome”. Amotivational Syndrome is a well-known phenomenon where marijuana users become apathetic, socially withdrawn and perform well below their capacity. It has been speculated that although a depressed individual may experience relief from their symptoms after smoking marijuana, this may be merely an illusion of well being as the person loses motivation and productivity.

The question remains as to whether marijuana is an effective treatment for depression or if it simply masks the symptoms. Controlling the dosage of natural marijuana is quite difficult, particularly when it is smoked. Using it solely as an antidepressant would prove difficult. Plus, a number of studies have shown an association between chronic marijuana use and increased rates of depression. Although many users claim it calms their symptoms, there would be a fine line between finding relief and actually exacerbating the symptoms. Those who swear by marijuana as a more natural treatment for depression symptoms should be careful not to worsen their symptoms by overuse.

Sources:

“Is it a Bad Idea to Use Marijuana to Relieve Depression?”, Nancy Schimelpfening, www.About.com

“Marijuana Improves Depression in Low Doses, Worsens it in High Doses, Study Says”, www.FoxNews.com

“Marijuana and Depression: What's the Link?”, Daniel K. Hall-Flavin M.D., www.MayoClinic.com

read comments (0)