medicalcannabisawareness's blog

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 symptom control only the patient is able to judge accurately the effectiveness of the treatment”.

“Cannabis is a very versatile drug/medicinal plant. It is capable of helping patients with a very wide range of symptoms. It can be used (beneficially applied) to reduce adverse side effects caused by other drugs. It can be used (beneficially applied) either alone or in combination with other medicines to reduce painful or undesirable symptoms. It can also be used (beneficially applied) to prevent the onset of such symptoms or side effects. Finally, it can help the body function more normally when disease has disrupted various physiological functions”.

“In some patients Cannabis can reduce the harsh symptoms brought about by other medical treatments ie CHEMOTHERAPY……. During chemo, the body is infused with highly toxic substances, poisons designed to kill cancer cells. Unfortunately, those toxic substances produce many unwanted side effects ie violent and extreme nausea…. Some doctors believe that as many as 1 in 3 chemotherapy patients discontinue their treatment because their nausea is unbearable.

….Tens of thousands of patients (through experience) have learned that they can smoke a few puffs of cannabis prior to their chemotherapy treatment and eliminate this violent nausea - often with stunning success. Many believe that without cannabis they would be unable to continue the months of chemotherapy necessary to get results.”

Other medical patients experience less VIOLENT NAUSEA but nausea that is nevertheless very debilitating ie people with kidney failure on dialysis etc.”

“Sufferers of PARAPLEGIA AND QUADRIPLEGIA often experience attacks of painful and uncontrollable MUSCLE SPASMS. For many Cannabis has the ability to prevent these spasms. For others cannabis is the most effective medicine with which to reduce the severity of the muscle contractions and the shakiness that often accompanies them”.

“Patients with MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS also report fits of painful and uncontrollable muscle spasm (spasticity). Many of them have also become frequent medical cannabis users as smoking cannabis seems to both alleviate and prevent this spasticity”.

“GLAUCOMA patients suffer from a condition in which pressure increases inside the eyeball. This eye pressure build up occurs because blockage prevents the fluid inside the eyeball from draining out. As the pressure increases, it causes damage to part of the retina. This in turn leads to partial and sometimes complete blindness. It is well known that Cannabis reduces internal eye pressure.

Many glaucoma patients who use medical cannabis report that their pain is reduced and their sight is improved. For some patients medical cannabis use (beneficial application) has become a daily activity they expect to continue throughout their lives. It is their way of preventing blindness.”

“Some patients who suffer from SEVERE ARTHRITIC PAIN use (beneficially apply) medical cannabis as an analgesic (pain reliever), much like others of us use aspirin, paracetamol, ibuprofen or opiate type narcotic pain relievers. They takemedical cannabis on an ‘as needed’ basis to quell pain or to prevent pain from occurring at all.”

“As you can see, there is no single pattern for medical cannabis application. It depends on individual patients, specific conditions and current treatment goals”.

“Cannabis can do more than relieve symptoms caused by other drugs, reduce pain and treat uncomfortable or damaging conditions. For example, some patients with epilepsy or seizure disorders have problems that are not easily treatable.

Major (GRAND MAL) EPILEPTIC SEIZURES, the most severe kind, can deprive a person of bodily control and include convulsions, black outs and loss of bladder and/or bowel control. The typical prescriptions for this disorder are nervous system depressants and muscle relaxants which often leave patients feeling groggy and disoriented. Increasingly, some epileptics are sharing stories of using (beneficially applying) medical cannabis to prevent such seizures. They find that daily cannabis use decreases the frequency or eliminates the seizures and leaves them with no unpleasant side effects”.

“Cannabis can also be effective in treating milder symptoms. Its APPETITE STIMULATING qualities are being noticed in the treatment of anorexia and bulimia. Its anti-nausea qualities are used to help people with mild or temporary nausea. Its pain relieving qualities have helped women in many countries deal with menstrual cramps”.

“There is nothing to be ashamed of in using a medicine, legal or not, to alleviate a life-threatening or debilitating condition”.

(M.C.A: Although Politicians, Police, Policy makers etc. force people to be ashamed, to be fearful, to be covert, and to - to parody the Beatles - ‘Hide their drugs/medicine away.,” and classed as criminals for doing nothing more than choosing a drug of choice for medicine or recreation, just like Politicians, Police, Policy makers etc. do on a regular basis, albeit hiding behind the buzzword ’legal/licit’ to excuse the simple fact that they’re all taking drugs as well”.