California Law Would Require Cops To Return Seized Pot If Charges Are Dropped

California Law Would Require Cops To Return Seized Pot If Charges Are Dropped
http://bit.ly/1gjfLNC

I'm all for returning medication to patients once charges are dropped, but I fear that this could discourage police & prosecutors from voluntarily dropping charges (especially if the cannabis has already been destroyed), which would hurt patients.

I'm against allowing police to destroy ANY evidence. Aside from the obvious consequences (especially ease of fabricating evidence), this would make it easier to prosecute cannabis offenders, which is just plain wrong.

Steve

Cannabis Has Been Studied More Than Many FDA Approved Pharmaceuticals

Cannabis Has Been Studied More Than Many FDA Approved Pharmaceuticals | High Times
http://bit.ly/1mHakv3

More than 30 overdose on synthetic marijuana in a day in Texas

More than 30 overdose on synthetic marijuana in a day in Texas | kens5.com San Antonio
http://bit.ly/1uEoMVK

It is important to remember than this article is about the designer drug "spice" or K2, which is not clinically, chemically, or pharmacologically related to Marinol/dronabinol, THC, or cannabis.

There is frequently confusion around terms like "synthetic marijuana" because some people go immediately to "Spice", which this article is about, while others go to Marinol/dronabinol.

Marinol/dronabinol is a 100% legal in all 50 states pharmaceutical. It is regulated under the Controlled Substances Act under Schedule 3 (CIII). Marinol is not "medical marijuana", Marinol isn't cannabis at all. Marinol is laboratory created synthetic THC that is suspended in sesame oil and encapsulated in gelatin capsules. Aside from the high price tag, Marinol also fails patients because it lacks CBD (cannabidiol) and is taken orally. When taken orally, THC bioavailability/absorption is low and highly variable & unpredictable. Because it is given orally, it also undergoes hepatic first pass metabolism, which converts the Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol into a much more psychoactive metabolite that is less effective for pain control, anxiety, and nausea.

The failure of Marinol and the dangers of K2/Spice further exemplifies the need for legalization of cannabis for both medical & recreational purposes as both a means of harm reduction & being a compassionate society.

Marijuana Works Better Than Opiates To Control Pain: Here’s How

Marijuana Works Better Than Opiates To Control Pain: Here’s How- Cannabis Now Magazine
http://bit.ly/1iZJQkP

Instead of rewriting my opinion, again, I've included my comments... They may not be pretty or perfectly formatted, but they get my points across.

~~~~~ Comment #1 ~~~~~

Why is it always cannabis OR opioids?

They work wonders together and cannabis doesn't help everyone.

We don't need more bashing of opioids in the name of advancing cannabis. All opioid side effects wear off over time (except constipation, which is readily managed with Miralax OTC),it's a function of tolerance.

Also, (a side note) while THC is helpful, it is important to remember that THC alone is almost worthless for pain relief (otherwise, my Marinol/dronabinol (CIII) would help). High THC is fine, as long as CBD isn't sacrificed. Also, oral consumption causes rapid, extensive first pass metabolism, which modifies the THC (one of the issues with Marinol/dronabinol when taken as directed).

I think that the most important thing to remember is that CP/IP (chronic/intractable pain) patients are NOT one size fits all.
~~~~~

~~~~~ Comment #2 ~~~~~

Sativex (natural cannabis with plenty of THC & CBD as a transmucosal oral spray-similar to a cannabis tincture) will be a great leap forward for pain patients and other medical cannabis users alike. Aside from being legal and covered by insurance, it will be easily measured.
~~~~~

~~~~~ Comment #3 ~~~~~

That 6% statistic is a gross overestimate, which also includes those who purposefully acquired opioids to abuse them (pill mill patients) and pain patients who were cut off from their legitimate prescriptions by pharmacies like Walgreens & states like Florida.

If you look only at the CP/IP patients who take their medications as prescribed, addiction only occurs in 0.05-0.3% of patients.
~~~~~

~~~~~ Facebook Comment ~~~~~

Why is it always cannabis OR opioids?

They work wonders together and cannabis doesn't help everyone.

We don't need more bashing of opioids in the name of advancing cannabis. All opioid side effects wear off over time (except constipation, which is readily managed with Miralax OTC),it's a function of tolerance.

Also, (a side note) while THC is helpful, it is important to remember that THC alone is almost worthless for pain relief (otherwise, my Marinol/dronabinol (CIII) would help). High THC is fine, as long as CBD isn't sacrificed. Also, oral consumption causes rapid, extensive first pass metabolism, which modifies the THC (one of the issues with Marinol/dronabinol when taken as directed).

I think that the most important thing to remember is that CP/IP (chronic/intractable pain) patients are NOT one size fits all.
~~~~~

The End of an Era in Fibromyalgia

The End of an Era in Fibromyalgia - National Pain Report
http://bit.ly/1ib3ES6

Sativex Granted "Fast Track" Review

Marijuana Spray Gets ‘Fast Track’ Review from FDA - National Pain Report
http://bit.ly/1nAnkBC

As a cancer patient, I'm ecstatic about the possible approval of Sativex for cancer pain. I'm currently using Marinol/dronabinol, which is synthetic THC suspended in sesame oil, encapsulated in gelatin. It's terrible medication. The best thing is herbal cannabis, but Sativex is a close second. It's an all natural herbal tincture spray. It isn't just THC, it also includes plenty of CBD and every other cannabinoid.

Why not pot?

Marijuana Rated Most Effective for Treating Fibromyalgia - National Pain Report
http://bit.ly/1mGkviy

With 10% of patients getting relief from FDA approved "Blockbuster" drugs and well over half of Fibromyalgia patients getting relief from cannabis, why spend ~$300/month for toxic drugs when safe, all natural cannabis can be grown at home for roughly free?

Simply...
Drug companies make billions by keeping cannabis illegal through corruption & big money in politics

The most effective drugs don't get approved without patent protection (cannabis, ibogaine, and countless others)

The worst part is that cannabis is the safest drug of all time (ZERO deaths in the thousands and thousands of years of recorded use) and Cymbalta/duloxetine, Lyrica/pregabalin, and Savella/milnacipran kill countless people every year.

My Story: Feeling Like a Criminal - National Pain Report

My Story: Feeling Like a Criminal - National Pain Report

http://bit.ly/1eGdVAm

Thanks to the same laws that make this person feel like a criminal, I am forced to do without cannabis. Instead, I get ultra expensive dronabinol (generic Marinol; CIII), which doesn't work as well, has more side effects, makes you "higher" than cannabis. Herbal cannabis has also been shown to kill glioma cells. Inoperable gliomas, like mine, have few other treatment options.

-Steve

Happy Anniversary brain cancer

Okay, so the title seems a little silly, but today isn't just April Fools Day, it is also the 6th anniversary of my cancer diagnosis.

I've had symptoms for over a decade, and my first brain MRI on January 17, 2006 (8.25 years ago), where they found an area of increased signal in the periaqueductal gray matter of the Pons of the brainstem. My PCP called me at 8:46PM to tell me that I had a cyst, an infection, a tumor, or scar tissue from when I was assaulted by my grandfather 5 months earlier (the day before school started).

On April 1, 2008, I had my first appointment with Arnold G. Salotto MD, my neurosurgeon, who taught me how to read the MRIs and diagnosed me with DIPA (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Astrocytoma), a subset of DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma). This is a childhood cancer that is typically fatal within 6-12 months of diagnosis (with treatment) and my tumor headaches started years before the first MRI and intensified 7-8 months before the first MRI (delayed diagnosis).

It is nothing short of a miracle that I'm still alive today, especially since I'm ineligible for or uncomfortable with conventional treatments, such as:
* IMRT - most precise form of external beam radiation using electrons (X-ray)
* radiation pellets (can't be safely placed)
* Proton therapy - external beam radiation using protons (better than X-ray & safer) -closest hospital is in Philadelphia (~200 miles away)
* chemotherapy (oncologist rejected)
* surgery (to dangerous, even a biopsy isn't safe)
* Novocure NovoTTF-100A (can't be used on brainstem)

Cannabinoids, and maybe melatonin, have teamed up with my immune system to significantly slow the growth of the tumor. I wouldn't be alive today without delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), aka dronabinol/Marinol.

With pain destroying our lives, it's important to celebrate the good things, like a 6 year old 6-12 month prognosis.

My daughter turned six back in January and finishes kindergarten in June (and they're having her skip a grade) and I get to see it because of cannabis and my abnormally long survival time.

Steve M

My Story: Politicians Should Stop Opposing Medical Marijuana - National Pain Report

My Story: Politicians Should Stop Opposing Medical Marijuana - National Pain Report

http://bit.ly/1dGGRNH

Study: Cannabis Provides Substantial Relief to Those With Back Problems

Study: Cannabis Provides Substantial Relief to Those With Back Problems
http://bit.ly/19Q2OVD

OT- Cancer & Cannabis

Aside from helping with the pain and nausea, cannabis is extremely useful in the fight against primarily brain tumor, and all cancer really. It forces the cancer to kill itself and then eat itself.

Sources:
Cannabinoid action induces autophagy-mediated cell death through stimulation of ER stress in human glioma cells
http://1.usa.gov/ZIKz06

Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) induces apoptosis in C6 glioma cells
http://1.usa.gov/128uuiF

A combined preclinical therapy of cannabinoids and temozolomide against glioma
http://1.usa.gov/ZIKGsP

Cannabis

Cannabis is a miracle drug. It cures cancer, it reverses damage from and/or treats:
Cancer
Chemotherapy
Radiation
Multiple sclerosis
Alzheimer disease
Dementia
Pain
Neuropathy
ADHD
Asperger syndrome

You get the idea right?

Unfortunately, far too many pain patients must make the choice between cannabis and opioids. Even in states where medicinal and recreational cannabis is legal, patients are dismissed for having a positive urinalysis result for cannabis.

THC and CBD actually fight cancer cells. In DIPA/DIPG, the most deadly childhood cancer, they cause tumor cells to commit suicide and eat themselves. They can stretch out a six month prognosis into eight or more healthy years and, in rare cases, cannabis can be curative.

The federal government would have is believe that Marinol/dronabinol is a good alternative to herbal cannabis, but that's a bald-faced lie. Marinol is good for having a plausible reason for positioned urinalysis and to get way too high. Marinol only contains THC, no CBD and none of the other useful cannabinoids.

Even generic dronabinol is extremely expensive because it is synthetic THC created in a lab. The THC is suspended in deranged oil and encapsulated in gelatin. The oral route of absorption makes it extremely unpredictable.

Hopefully, Sativex will be approved soon because it actually contains two strains of cannabis, giving a roughly equal ratio of THC and CBD.

If our government approved Marinol (CIII), why are cannabis sativa and cannabis indica still CI?

Controlled Substance Summary
CI- high potential for abuse, no medical use, can't be prescribed (LSD, cannabis
CII- high potential for abuse (cocaine, codeine, methadone, morphine, fentanyl/Sublimaze/Duragesic/Actiq/OTFC/Fentora/Onsolis/Subsys/Lazanda/Abstral, alfentanil/Alfenta/Rapifen, remifentanil, sufentanil/Sufenta, oxymorphone/Opana, hydrocodone/Norco/Vicodin, hydromorphone/Dilaudid/Exalgo, oxycodone/OxyContin/OxyIR/Roxicodone, methamphetamine, amphetamines/Adderall, methylphenidate/Ritalin/Concerta)
CIII-moderate potential for abuse (Vicodin, Marinol/dronabinol)
CIV- low potential for abuse (alprazolam/Xanax, lorazepam/Ativan, diazepam/Valium
CV- codeine cough syrup, pseudoephedrine/Sudafed, Lyrica/pregabalin