18 02 08 - 23:39
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It is very important to let the Government know that we are serious when it comes to getting Cannabis re-instated as a Medicine of CHOICE. Cannabis has been used as a medicine for over 5,000 years very successfully (when used and not abused....as with all drugs) and can be....and already is being.....used in responsible, respectful and safe ways.
IF YOU AGREE that people should be able to choose to use Cannabis as their personal choice of medication, then please leave your name, your town/city or country (if overseas) and perhaps a comment in a comment box. Thankyou.
Cannabis has a 1:40,000 safety ratio. Most prescription drugs have less than 1:16. Many people we have spoken to in our Campaign said that they would much rather be able to use cannabis instead of the synthetic/chemical pills and potions they have to take. One man said he had to take 84 tablets a week! That's 12 tablets a day and would rather just have a few puffs on a joint/pipe, as he only needed a ... (more)
When known medicinal and recreational psychoactive drug takers, who take Class A, B and C drugs on a regular basis (albeit buzzword ‘legal’ ones), call Cannabis (and not even THC) a ‘gateway’ drug, they always wield the term for the negative, while at the same time their actions are saying, ‘legal drugs are the gateway to fun, to sport, to fashion, to celebrity, to politics, to music, to entertainment, to family events, to special days and holidays etc’.
But Cannabis can be a positive ‘gateway’. Not all gateways lead to destruction or abuse. To medical sufferers who gain great benefit from respectful medical cannabis application, Cannabis/THC is most definitely a gateway ‘drug’.
1) It is a gateway to most definite improvement in quality of life for sufferers.
2) It is a gateway to medical benefit -
For seizure disorders, it is a gateway to seizure ... (more)
To get people to use the term cannabis instead of marijuana, if everyone who talks about it uses the term cannabis instead of marijuana, surely it would eventually catch on.
The word 'marijuana' is synonymous with dope-smoking; pot heads etc. We have been busy trying to change the term among people we meet so that they try to use the term cannabis instead of marijuana. We don't even use the word 'pot' nor do we use the word 'dope'.
Dr. Phillip Denney (USA) explains why he only uses the term Cannabis on www.youtube.com
Search: Dr. Phillip A. Denney on Medical Marijuana Part 3 of 3
We have just had Australia day, a day where people are supposed to stand up, be counted and be grateful for the Fair Go for All country. ( ie "Australia advances")
But, when it comes to people suffering from acute and chronic illnesses, diseases and disorders, who want - nay, who need - medicinal cannabis to help with their quality of life, to help to provide benefit for their condition, the recreational and medicinal drug taking Politicians of Australia state, "No, no, no chance in hell!".
Every time these drug takers (albeit buzzword 'legals') deny this vital medicine, they are violating the individuals right of a 'fair go', and they are doing two things. 1) Advancing Australia Unfair and 2) Advancing Australian Despair.
They believe in fairness, acceptance and yes, even forgiveness, for their drugs, their drug takers, their drug dealers and their drug cartels only, and we ... (more)
Our ire was raised when we read this article and just had to make a comment...or two...or three...or more on what was written. (Our response after article)
By PAUL ELIAS, Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO - Employers can fire workers who use medical marijuana even if it was legally recommended by a doctor, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday, dealing the state another setback in its standoff with federal law enforcement.
The high court upheld a small Sacramento telecommunications company's firing of a man who flunked a company-ordered drug test. Gary Ross held a medical marijuana card authorizing him to use the drug to treat a back injury sustained while serving in the Air Force.
The company, Ragingwire Inc., argued that it rightfully fired Ross because all marijuana use is illegal under federal law, which does not ... (more)
You may be able to find the book mentioned here at your local library. Well worth the read.
The following statements released from:
Bill Zimmerman PhD; a trained scientist in the area of neuro-psychology and is the Director for ‘Americans for Medical Rights‘.. Author of: “Is Marijuana the right medicine for you?”-
in association with Rick Bayer M.D. (a member of the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, the American College of Physicians and Physicians for Social responsibility) and Nancy Crumpacker, M.D. (a member of the American Soc. Of Clinical Oncology. The American College of Physicians, and Physicians for Social Responsibility).
“Keep in mind that one of the most important goals of medicine, if not the most important goal, is to relieve human suffering. When it comes to cures, Doctors are often able to make objective measure-ments of success. However, when the goal is ... (more)
Another good day at the Harbourside Markets in Coffs Harbour. We have been well received even by the stall holders around us, as well as people who have stopped and read our boards, asked questions or had a chat. There were many who didn't stop, but made a favourable comment or gave a thumbs up on their way. We estimate that in the time we have been doing this campaign out on the street and at the market (in total about 25 hours), we would have spoken with at least 400 people....and only had three negatives among that.
We were expecting a lot of people to be interested and positive, but even our expectations have been exceeded. Perhaps if the drug bodies, Politicians and other anti-cannabis campaigners (even for medical...and there are many) took time to listen to the people instead of listening only to 'crash' cases or trying to 'discover' negative things in a test tube, then we might get somewhere. ... (more)
Cannabis medicines were at one time the “drugs of choice” in the United States, until they were declared illegal. They had been used for 100 specific medical problems through the use of about 30 prescription medicines.
(MOLALLA, Ore.) - When I was ordered before the Oregon Board of Medical Examiners, the first question I was asked by Dr. Spokas, the chairman, from Ontario, Oregon, was “Dr. Leveque don’t you know that marijuana is very addicting and very dangerous?”
Frankly, I didn’t know or believe this and all of my experience with fifty years study and 4000 patients told me this was totally false, but when one is facing a “Spanish inquisition” with psychological “thumb screws” or “hanging”, I decided to answer “maybe for some people”. I didn’t believe a word of it. I didn’t dare ask where he got his information but I assumed it came from the U.S. government, which has produced false propaganda for 70 plus years.
Cannabis is less addictive and less dangerous than ... (more)
Researchers for the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), under the guidance
of Dr. Julius Axelrod (a legend in the field of neuro-psychopharmacology),
infused exquisitely delicate preparations of foetal rat-brain neurons with highly corrosive, "oxidative" nerve-toxins like glutamate and peroxide, and bathed them gently in cannabis's two most active cannabinoids, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).
Dr. Axelrod duly reported that the toxicity of the nerve poisons was greatly reduced, thanks to the anti-oxidant properties of THC and CBD.
"We have found that cannabinoids are very powerful anti-oxidants," emphasized Dr. Aidan Hampson, a biologist on the project, for reporters. "In fact they appear to be more powerful than vitamin C or vitamin E."
Paul Connett, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at St. Lawrence University, New York stated recently,
- “Enforcing the public to consume (a particular medication), NSW Health is doing what no Doctor is allowed to do - enforce medication. This is an unethical violation of a central tenet of medical practice and a breach of some basic human rights”.
- Medical Cannabis users are already sick and suffering. They are not going to put something into their bodies that is going to make them feel worse or become sicker, which is why many people do not choose to use prescription drugs due to the side effects.
- The right to choose a particular Medication, (as with religion, education, marriage partner and anything else we choose for ourselves as we get into adult years), is a person’s fundamental human right, especially if it proves to be beneficial to them.
- There is no ‘one size that fits all’. ... (more)
What about claims of cannabis' damaging effect of cognition?
A review of the scientific literature indicates that rumors regarding the " stupid stoner" stereotype are unfounded. According to clinical trial data published this past spring in the American Journal of Addictions, cannabis use -- including heavy, long-term use of the drug -- has, at most, only a negligible impact on cognition and memory.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School performed magnetic resonance imaging on the brains of 22 long-term cannabis users (reporting a mean of 20,100 lifetime episodes of smoking) and 26 controls (subjects with no history of cannabis use). Imaging displayed "no significant differences" between heavy cannabis smokers compared to controls, the study found.
Previous trials tell a similar tale. An October 2004 study published in the journal Psychological Medicine examining ... (more)
Alcohol treatment group ARBIAS stated: “2 million Australians are at risk of permanent brain damage from heavy drinking (ethanol drug abuse), while more than 200,000 are living with the condition undiagnosed”.
ALCOHOL is the world’s most widely used psycho-active drug, but chronic, excessive alcohol consumption (drug abuse) leads to permanent organ damage and death. Alcohol induced brain damage produces some of the most insidious effects of alcoholism, including cognitive deficits such as learning and memory impairment….. Ethanol may also injure the brain by increasing oxidative stress.
Rats were fed 9-12 grams per kg per day of the drug ethanol/alcohol for a 4-day binge. At the end of the experiment, brain slices prepared from ethanol treated rats showed a significant loss of neurons throughout the hippocampal cortical circuits of the brain. The most affected regions included the olfactory bulb and dentate gyrus granular cell layer, as well as ... (more)
A story is told of a man trying to get water out of a well. The water was way down in the bottom of the well and could not be reached. So the man picked up a stone and dropped it in the well. This didn’t seem to make a lick of difference, so he dropped another one in, and another, and another. This seemed like an impossible task for him alone, but he knew it had to be done, and so he continued with his hard slog for what seemed like forever. As the sun reached higher in the sky, passers by feeling thirsty and realizing that they all had a common goal, (i.e. to get water otherwise they would die of thirst), walked up to the man, bent down and without a word started picking up stones and dropping them in the well. In a very short time, the water had reached the top of the well and everyone was able to have a drink. How? By working together for the common good. Please stay in touch
David Neubauer, M.D. Wed, Jun 20, 2007
The medical community's recognition of restless legs syndrome (RLS) has evolved over the past few decades. For years, patients complained to their doctors that they experienced a very uncomfortable and distressing feeling in their legs in the evening when they tried to rest, and eventually their doctors considered RLS to be a disorder.
RLS often interferes with the ability to fall asleep easily. Usually, patients do not describe it as painful, but more like a "creepy-crawly" sensation that creates a strong and irresistible urge to move the legs. Moving does help, but only for brief moments.
Once people suffering with RLS fall asleep, they tend to have involuntary leg kicks.
The cause of RLS is not completely understood; however, it is thought to be associated with the function of dopamine, a nervous system ... (more)
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS.
Comment
Cannabis relieves spasticity and other symptoms I continue to smoke or vaporize this product although not legal in my state because it significantly reduces my spasticity, muscle spasm symptoms as well as anxiety associated with my illness. I recommend being careful of source, ensuring no pesticide use and non mouldy storage and controlling its source best as possible
Comment
legalize it, change schedule to have medical value In my state, we have medicinal marijuana. It helps my spasms and pain as well as improves mood. (Vicodin does little for this kind of pain so I welcome the relief without the sedative effects.)
Comment
In a class of it's own for me! This is a good fix for instant pain relief and as the effects of it wear off within hours, so it is easy to find a balance between pain relief and being stoned all the time. ... (more)
Cannabis counteracts the effects of strokes and may help prevent Parkinson's Disease and ALZHEIMER'S
A team led by the British-born biologist Aidan Hampson, at the US National Institute for Mental Health, in Maryland, has discovered that two active components of cannabis - compounds called THC and cannabidiol - will each act to prevent damage to brain tissue placed in laboratory dishes.
The experiments, reported in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveal an unexpected potential use for a drug known for centuries to have valuable medical properties.
The discovery is likely to increase pressure to make cannabis and its derivatives more widely available for use on prescription....
Dr Hampson's study has focused on cannabidiol, rather than the psychoactive chemical THC, because this substance has no side-effects. ..
Stroke victims suffer a blood clot that starves brain cells of glucose and oxygen, and sets off a cascade of ... (more)
Cannabis-based drugs could offer treatment hope to sufferers of inflammatory bowel disease, UK researchers report.
Cannabis smokers with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have often claimed that smoking a joint seems to lessen their symptoms. So a group of researchers from Bath University and Bristol University, both in the UK, decided to explore the clinical basis for the claims.
“There is quite a lot of anecdotal evidence that using cannabis seems to reduce the pain and frequency of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, so we decided to see if we could find out what was going on there,” says Karen Wright, a pharmacologist at Bath University. “Historically, it was smoked in India and China centuries ago for its gastrointestinal properties.”
The chronic conditions, known collectively as IBD, are caused by an over-active immune system which produces severe inflammation in areas of ... (more)
Chronic Conditions Treated With Cannabis - by Tod H. Mikuriya, M.D.
Encountered Between 1990-2000 - Dr. Mikuriya was one of the world's foremost authorities on the uses of medical cannabis. He has few peers in his clinical knowledge of cannabis' therapeutic uses, efficacy, history, culture, policies, routes of administration and potential for abuse. (1933 - 2007 R.I.P.) http://www.mikuriya.com/
Viral B Hepatitis, chronic
Viral C Hepatitis, chronic
bone disease
Lyme Disease
Reiters Syndrome
Post Polio Syndrome
Malignant Melanoma
Other Skin Cancer
Prostate Cancer
Testicular Cancer
Adrenal Cortical ... (more)
Scientists have known for decades that THC is psychoactive and that peak blood levels of its primary active metabolite 11-OH-THC are occasionally associated with temporary feelings of dysphoria, paranoia, and even panic attacks. (These events, when documented, typically occur in cannabis naïve users.)
Conversely, scientists have also been long aware of CBD's anxiolytic and anti-psychotic effects.
In fact, many experts speculate that it is the lack of CBD in Marinol (the synthetic THC oral prescription pill) that is responsible for the drug's enhanced psychoactivity…….. By contrast, CBD occurs naturally in whole-plant cannabis, and is believed to modify and/or diminish some of the psychoactive--ity associated with THC when cannabis is inhaled.
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6798
Most Civilisations, tribes and cultures have recognised and revered Cannabis down through 7,000 years of World History as medicine, fuel, fibre, food, recreation and spiritual sacrament.
Sumerian/Babylonian - ka-na-ba
Persian - Kanab
China - ma
Sanskrit - canna and bhanga and gunjah (Hindu)
Hebrew - kaneh-bosm
Ancient Greek - kannabis
Latin - Cannabis
Arabic - kinnub, Qunbus
African - Dagga, iNtsangu
Teutonic/prehistoric German - Khanipiz or Khanapiz
(from this word comes the word hemp : k-hanip-iz)
Old English - hanep
Anglo-Saxon - henep
Middle Breton - Canap
English - hemp
Gaelic - Cainb
Irish - Cnaib
Dutch - hennep
Old High German - hanaf
Goth - hanfa
Modern German - hanf
... (more)1) Cannabis' power to control spasticity and convulsions has been applied in folk medicine for thousands of years.
The first European report of this effect was published in the 1830s by Dr. William O'Shaughnessy, who stated that "The [medical] profession has gained an anti-convulsive remedy of the greatest value." Dr. J. Russell Reynolds, who was Queen Victoria's personal physician for 30 years and administered cannabis to her, praised the anti-convulsive virtue of hemp. He wrote that "There are many cases of so-called epilepsy... in which India hemp (Cannabis Indica) is the most useful agent with which I am acquainted."
http://www.rexresearch.com/hhusb/hmphlth.htm#hhl2) According to a survey on the recommendation of cannabis in California, cannabis is indicated for over 250 conditions. ... (more)
Naturally Occurring Cannabinoids Trigger Feeding In New Born Mice
July 6, 2000 - Jerusalem, IsraelNASAL SPRAY UNDER REVIEW - LINKED WITH SEIZURES AND DEATHS.
A nasal spray designed to stop kids wetting the bed is under review by Australian authorities after US regulators linked it with seizures and death.
The drug, desmopressin, has been found to trigger potentially-fatal attacks in some people who have used the intranasal formulation.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received 61 reports of serious adverse events, including two deaths, and warns it should no longer be used.
It said children were particularly at risk of the seizures, which are caused by hyponatremia, or an abnormally low concentration of sodium in the blood.
A spokeswoman for Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration said the authority "was aware of the issue" and would review the product in light of the new reports. ... (more)
(Parody of ‘So this is Christmas/War is Over’ - John Lennon)
So this is Christmas,
And what has this country done?
To ensure justice and fairness,
Instead of a war that can’t be won.
And so this is Christmas,
With Politicians having fun,
Hunting down the near and the dear ones,
The old, the sick and the young.
We want a seizure free Christmas,
And a pain free New Year,
Without persecution,
Without any fear.
And so this is Christmas,
The weak are crushed by the strong.
The rich now enslave the poor ones,
The ‘fair go’ road is so long.
And so, unhappy Christmas,
For sufferers of AIDS, neurolepsy and cancer,
Who now suffer Police raids.
COPYRIGHT: D.Nentwig 13th Dec. 2007
Day 1 of Medical Cannabis Awareness in Coffs Harbour, NSW. - High Street (see photos at end of article).
The day far surpassed what we even expected. In the first 2 hours over 100 people stopped and read our display boards (containing studies, quotes, statistics, various illnesses and how medical cannabis is a benefit to them, etc.) with the majority wanting to ask questions and learn more. We did not have even one negative response. Practically everybody had either used or was using Medical cannabis for themselves to help them manage their illnesses/disorders, or they knew of people who were (close family members, other relatives, friends, acquaintances etc).
One elderly man told me that although he didn't use it, if he feels he needs it to control (for instance) pain in the future, then he believes he should have the option to do so. Two ex-nurses separately stopped to tell us that Cannabis was the best therapeutic medicine ever and that it ... (more)
Merck Institute. USA.
“The main goals of drug development are effectiveness (efficacy) and safety. Because all drugs can harm as well as help, safety is relative. The difference between the usual effective dose and the dose that produces severe or life-threatening side effects is called the MARGIN OF SAFETY. The wider the margin of safety, the more useful the drug. If a drug's usual effective dose is also toxic, doctors do not use the drug unless the situation is serious and there is no safer alternative. http://www.merck.com Note: Cannabis has a safety margin of 1:40,000
Journal of the American Medical Association. ... (more)
N.S.W. Government and the Dept. of Aging, Disability and Homecare is supporting a month long campaign called: “Don’t Dis- my Ability”.
It’s about time that Disabled people were recognised for who they are and not just for ‘what they are’. However, all the above have ‘dissed’ medical sufferers when it comes to a vital medication.
1) They’ve DIS-MISSED medical cannabis and its beneficiaries.
2) They’ve DIS-ALLOWED individuals to choose vital medication that truly benefits them.
3) They’ve DIS-CRIMINATED against disabled people for their choice.
4) They’ve DIS-APPROVED of medical cannabis no matter the proven benefits or improvement of quality of life for its beneficiaries.
5) They’ve DIS-COURAGED any positive research and application in favour of the ‘take our drugs only’ policy.
"When wealth replaces health, there’s a problem. When greed takes the place of need, there’s a problem. ... (more)
Dr. Phillip Leveque has spent his life as a Combat Infantryman, Physician, Toxicologist and Pharmacologist. - Be sure to go to Salem-News.com and read other things he has written. He specifically deals with the subject of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, but the principle is the same for any disorder (see after article)
(MOLALLA, Ore.) - I must belatedly congratulate previous witch-hunter Harry Anslinger and the Hearst Newspapers for thoroughly demonizing cannabis/marijuana which has been used safely as medicine for at least 5,000 years.
They coined the term "Reefer Madness" and apparently the side effects of an overdose of this medicine has stuck in the brains of many people including DEA brainwashed robots and many physicians (marijuana is bad because patients can grow their own but we doctors would prefer they visit our office and use really dangerous drugs like Oxycontin, a real "killer")
Any drug/medicine can be dangerous. ... (more)
Excerpts from the response of Jeffrey Hergenrather, MD, a former family practitioner who has been conducting cannabis consultations in Sebastopol since 1999. - by Fred Gardiner
Q. How many patients will have received your approval to use cannabis through October 2006?
A. 1,430
Q. What percentage had been self-medicating with cannabis prior to consulting you?
A. 99%
Q. With what medical conditions have they presented? List top five and approximate percentage (total can exceed 100%).
Chronic pain (62%), Depression and other mental disorders (30%), Intestinal disorders (12%), Harmful dependence (10%), Migraine (9%) are the most common conditions being treated.
Q. What results do patients report? How does cannabis appear to work in treating their symptoms?
A cannabis specialist soon becomes aware of two remarkable facts. The range of conditions that patients are treating successfully ... (more)
