Medical marijuana

Parent Cafe
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<p>Let me begin by saying I am not using, nor do I have any immediate plans to use medical marijuana.</p>

<p>However, last week, I had a long catch-up phone call with a friend of mine (we used to be next door neighbors 17 years ago) who has been living in CA for almost 15 now. Lost touch with her, and a couple of weeks ago reconnected with her via the internet, which instigated the long phone conversation. Last time I sent them a Christmas card was probably over five years ago, so we had a lot to catch up on. Unfortunately, life has not been good to her. Her only child died suddenly in her mid-twenties (within six days) after being diagnosed with an acute, virulent form of leukemia. Her husband had a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery. His career has had huge swings that have caused enormous stress. And on and on (other tragedies, but if I list any more, this family might be very easy to recognize by someone on this board).</p>

<p>Anyway, when I asked her H was doing, she began to tell me about his ‘new’ business. He has his own laboratory (he has a solid educational background in the sciences and botany) where he is doing quality control and testing on medical marijuana. Now, I don’t live in California and I know every state has its own penalties for growing, possession and usage, but I don’t know what they are. She was telling me how he tries to operate his business under the letter of the law, but because of the nature of dealing with people who may or may not be growing it legally, they just don’t know sometimes who’s legit and who isn’t. But the fact remains that there are not a lot of people offering this kind of service, and it is becoming very lucrative. She herself has a sister with fibromyalgia, and she finally convinced her to try the stuff. After she started smoking it, she was able to discontinue 90% of her traditional medications and is now a functioning person again. </p>

<p>When I got off of the phone, I realized how naive AND lucky I am (lucky because I do not have a medical condition that would benefit from this). Working in the health field that I do, I see physicians prescribing the really hard stuff for pain control. And lots of it, and many combinations of it that you’d think would kill an elephant (you wouldn’t believe the amounts of narcotics I’ve seen young children on). 95% of the time, the docs find combinations that finally address the physical suffering. But I do see suffering and occasionally it gets to me.</p>

<p>So I began to ask myself how I really feel about the issue of medical marijuana. And I’m trying to figure it out. One, if I ever developed a condition that medical marijuana would address, I would not hesitate for a second to partake. However, how would I be assured it is medical grade and meets high quality standards? Without businesses like our friends, this is a tough question. Two, I would never want to see someone else suffer physically after all the traditional and complementary approaches have been tried and failed, yet they cannot get the medical marijuana that would work because it is illegal. However, three, how do you regulate the usage of something like this? I answer this by saying no physician can never be assured that the person being prescribed a drug is not ‘sharing’ it with others. But they prescribe it anyway. (As an aside, when one of our patients dies, one of the duties of their nurse when they do the death call in the home is to dispose of all narcotics that were provided by our agency’s contract pharmacy - that way we know no family members can decide to keep them for themselves). </p>

<p>So yes, I have hesitations, but they’re the same concerns I have when I think about the potential for abuse with other drugs when people ‘steal’ from medicine cabinets. </p>

<p>I’m trying to educate myself on the issue and the progress both the medical and legislative fields have made. Why do we treat the legality of medical marijuana differently than other
legal substances? And where do you think this issue will be at in ten years (perhaps by the time some of us develop conditions that might be relieved from its usage)?</p>

<p>I would also like to hear (from those of you who pay more attention to this in your own state) what your states consider legal/illegal, etc. when it comes to the use of medical marijuana. I’m beginning to think there’s really no reason to deny this to people who are suffering anymore. But the collective wisdom of CC folks might have other insights I have not considered.</p>

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<p>IMO the “medical marijuana” law is mostly a sham backed primarily by people who simply want to legalize the substance and have latched onto the heartstrings of peoples’ concerns for true sufferers in order to do so. It doesn’t make any sense to me. I think the mj should be either outlawed completely, legalized completely, or the better option - treated as a prescription drug and dispensed by real pharmacies that have a lot at stake if they don’t acquire it from a quality source - i.e. where it’s known how it was grown, which pesticides it was treated with, what variety it is, potency control, etc. Instead there are a lot of people who are mj advocates, not necessarily strictly ‘medical mj advocates’, who are getting into the the business. While some of the medical mj makes it to true sufferers who can be helped by it, I think there’s abuse of the idea of ‘medical mj’ due to it being used by people who aren’t really acquiring/using it for a real medical condition. It’d be interesting to see a stat of the percentage of people who have a real medical need for it vs. those who don’t who buy it under the guise of ‘medical mj’ but I’m sure this stat isn’t known.</p>

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<p>Personally I think they should just leagalize it, and tax the heck out of it like cigarettes. Just think of all the people that could gainfully be employed by a wholel new industry, farm operators, farm laborers, distribution chain, supply chain, marketing, and buffer the sagging state coffers. Drive it out into the open and regulate the industry. I think it’s unfair to put the onus on the medical field to decide ‘who needs it’ and ‘who doesn’t.’ Most of the physicians I know say they think it’s the way legislators get the "issue’ off their desk…by putting it on someone else’s desk.</p>

<p>As an aside, I don’t want it, I don’t use it but I’m not morally opposed to legalizing it just like alcohol and cigarettes.</p>

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<p>Tell that to my wife’s brother, who never took illegal drugs before he developed multiple sclerosis about two years ago, and whose best and usually only relief from his symptoms comes in the several days after he smokes marijuana. (The difference is astonishing, and no matter what you say, the legal treatments are just snake oil by comparison.)</p>

<p>This is independent of the fact that, if it really matters to you whether he smokes it for symptom relief or just to get blazed, then you’re the one with a problem. If you want to control someone else’s private recreational drug use, then you’re no different to me than the religious zealot in Georgia who wants to jail people for having anal sex in their own bedrooms.</p>

<p>To all the medical and recreational pot-smokers out there, from someone who doesn’t smoke it and probably isn’t going to: Light up and enjoy, dude. You’ve only got one life. Do what makes you happy. Just don’t give it to kids, or drive a car until you sober up. :)</p>

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<p>momofthreeboys - you don’t want it now, but who’s not to say you might develop some chronic illness in the next few years where medical marijuana might alleviate your symptoms in a much more effective way than many of the already legal drugs out there? I’ve heard is a godsend for people with glaucoma, too.</p>

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<p>Another issue that someone pointed out to me is that there’s no way to ‘breathalyze’ someone for marijuana. But if someone is suspected of smoking and driving, the only way to tell if they have indulged is to do a blood test. However, it remains detectable in the blood for over a month after usage. This could create problems.</p>

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<p>Neither is there a breathalyzer test for cheese, and yet someone with a severe dairy allergy would be endangering others by getting behind the wheel after eating a big old hunk o’ cheese, which is known to cause blurred vision and dizziness in those individuals. You know what this means. We must ban cheese. Everyone who disagrees with me hates Jesus and babies.</p>

<p>[Note to the humorless: I’m not attacking anyone here, just making a point. It’s important not to let the potential for danger become an excuse for limiting others’ freedoms, for it’s a slippery slope, and it won’t be long before yours are the freedoms being stripped away.]</p>

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<p>I have one of those family members that uses medical marijuana on occasion for pain management. After an accident two decades ago, he has suffered chronic pain nearly every day of his life. </p>

<p>He’s had surgery, every kind of legal medical treatment with poor results. The doctors say that they can do another surgery, but there is absolutely no way of knowing if it will help cure the pain.</p>

<p>He began using MM about two years ago. His life has radically improved. Doesn’t partake every day, but when the pain becomes too much. Interestingly, the pain is lessened for several days after using a vaporizer. </p>

<p>After having seen how it’s changed his quality of life, I can’t imagine him going back to the stuff before - heavy duty muscle relaxants, steroids, increasing doses of narcotics.</p>

<p>It’s a godsend. Legalize the stuff.</p>

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<p>if we can get alcohol stipulated for medical purposes, can we deduct it on our taxes? I’m assuming medical marijuana will qualify for a deduction.</p>

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<p>Having had the type of chemo that many advocates of “medical” marijuana say they need relief from, I am a doubter. The legal drugs worked (6 months of Adriamycin, plus other fun drugs - never vomitted or lost my appetite…)
Those who are advocating for legal weed are clearly looking for a way to make it legal for all.
Are there some who might benifit from legal medicinal weed… some.<br>
Do we need it to be legal for all? My vote is no.
Can we make it legal for those few who need it, but not for the millions who just want it? That’s the big question.</p>

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<p>I have a grown child who suffers from a chronic illness. For this particular illness, research has demonstrated that there are receptors in the affected part of the body that respond to cannabis, not just for pain relief, but for an actual reduction in inflammation and healing of affected tissue. I don’t want to get into all the science of it – you can PM me if you’d like for links, but I went to a medical workshop on it and heard a lecture about it and have looked up the research. Scientists are trying hard to isolate the element in cannabis and turn it into a drug that could be used without the deleterious effects that smoking pot can have. While there is a lot of controversy and no one suggests smoking pot on a daily basis in lieu of other treatments, the other treatments are very serious drugs with the potential for serious side effects along the lines of developing cancer. Also, those treatments don’t always provide relief from pain. Anyhow, my kid has a prescription for Vicodin in the event of severe pain but has only used it once recently. However, once during a severe attack, a college friend of hers was smoking a joint and her curiosity got the better of her (believe it or not she doesn’t normally smoke pot.) She asked to try it to see if it would help with the pain. She said she got total and complete relief that she said was amazing, especially since she probably always has low-level pain. So I’m hoping they can isolate what works in cannabis and make a good drug from it. But I’m also with the poster who said it should be a prescription drug. If you have to go to the pharmacy to get Vicodin, you should be able to go, head held high, and get a prescription for marijuana if you need it. Recently, in our city there were two shootings at two separate medical marijuana clinics. It’s safer for people to get it at a pharmacy. It’s also a much better way to have quality control.</p>

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<p>terwitt…oh yes, if I had a condition and pot would help you bet I would use it. The medical community knows with certainty that it can be beneficial. I should have said I don’t want it and I don’t use it now. I had a friend that went through chemo a couple years ago and I know it helped them greatly and they had to do it the sneaky way.</p>

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<p>Again, not having had any need for this, I was not aware that there are legal (?) marijuana clinics. How do they work? </p>

<p>I also agree that the best approach would be to isolate the element of cannabis that provides the relief and make a drug out of it. Wouldn’t it be nice if that drug were not physically addictive like other narcotic pain-killers are? But I hate to see people suffer while waiting for this discovery, and think it should be legal for medicinal purposes. </p>

<p>I think we need to break the issue down into the legalization of marijuana and the production and distribution of medical marijuana. I still do not feel comfortable with the legalization of marijuana for just anyone to go buy (as they do in Amsterdam). I do believe many who advocate for the legalization may not necessarily have the interests of those who need it medically in their hearts, but support it for their own use. Does this mean we deny it to those who could really benefit from it? I do believe with proper regulation and quality control, medical marijuana should be made legal. </p>

<p>I see and talk to a lot of people who have fought cancer. Yes, the cancer-fighting drugs are way beyond what they used to be in regards to side effects, but there are still a lot of people (not just some) who, despite all the legal and traditional antiemetics they try, cannot get relief they seek.</p>

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Mantori, I guess you didn’t read my post very closely. I didn’t state that I didn’t think there was any medical benefit - I just said the way the law is and how it passed is a sham. I don’t know why mj for medical use needs to be treated in this special way vs like any other prescription drug that can be obtained from a pharmacy which can be on the hook for having a quality source. For those using it for true medical purposes wouldn’t they want something they knew was from a quality source and of a consistent variety and dosage to best releive their symptoms as opposed to what exists now? It’s apparent a lot of the backers are doing so because they want to have it legalized, period - and the medical mj is just a means to try to get there. The two issues should be segregated since its use for medical purposes is completely different than its use for recreational purposes. To be clear - I have no issue with its use for true medical purposes but think it should be handled like any other prescription drug.</p>

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<p>The REAL reason why pot is illegal (MAD magazine fold-in from 1973):</p>

<p><a href=“http://i.imgur.com/Coofr.jpg[/url]”>http://i.imgur.com/Coofr.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>There’s pretty good evidence that the alcohol industry is donating lots of money to fight prop 19 in California.</p>

<p>Legalization needs to happen, because the gangsters that have arisen from this episode of prohibition make Al Capone and the bootleggers of the 20’s pale in comparison.</p>

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<p>Here you go: [Medical</a> Marijuana Program](<a href=“http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/mmp/pages/medical%20marijuana%20program.aspx]Medical”>http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/mmp/pages/medical%20marijuana%20program.aspx)</p>

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<p>MJ does not agree with my system and I don’t smoke. The following is a random list of “experiences” with medical marijuana----</p>

<p>I live in a middle class neighborhood in So Cal, half my friends have so called medical marijuana cards, marijuana has been of great benefit to close friend with stage four cancer, the only shooting we have had within a 10 mile radius of our town has been at a bar and not at a marijuana clinic and have no reason to believe that it should not be legalized.</p>

<p>By the way, the friend with cancer that DOES need it medically, does not possess a card, the product is furnished by the many friends who have used bogus excuses to get that card. It really is ludicrous.</p>

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<p>Fair enough; you caught me having a knee-jerk reaction. (I hate it when other people do that!) The truth is, I agree with you, although I don’t suppose medical marijuana users much care how the law is passed, as long as it’s passed. And as a libertarian, I’m not above using underhanded tactics to restore freedoms that never should have been taken away in the first place.</p>

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<p>mimk6 - OK, so they are officially called ‘dispensaries’. I guess that’s not quite the stigma of ‘medical marijuana clinic’!</p>

<p>So if you have a card from a physician, can you grow your own, as opposed to getting it from one of the dispensaries?</p>

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<p>There are currently two approved cannanboids; Marinol and Nabilone. There are some others in development. These drugs are not popular. I have never seen Nabilone prescribed, and have only seen Marinol a couple of times.
There is no such thing as a legal “medical” marijuana clinic. They are all illegal. To legally have a C-1 drug, you must have a special license from the DEA or be a former member of one of the government’s marijuana studies. The DEA could easily stop this by yanking the DEA licenses of the physicians who “write” for marijuana.</p>