Medical Marijuana *Edited 6/29/2009

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

Good Morning Everyone;
First of all I am not sold on legalizing marijauna for recreational purposes; though I am not necessarily against it either.

Second, I am not posting this for Caseys benefit- She could not use this if she wanted due to her predisposition to blebs and collapse; and her (already) three surgeries to repair pneumothorax.

I have had two sisters, and known too many others, who have been through harsh chemotherapies, and wonder if this could have helped them?

Those of you who know someone who lives with cancer, MS, chronic pain, or no appetite (only to name a few) may want to read further.

My own thoughts are so simple. "If alcohol is legal, then why not pot?" (Perhaps it would be that more people would be willing to grow their own, compared to those of us that have the ability to create our highly taxed wine, spirits, and beer).

For the teenager or teacher that only wants to get high... Not a chance.

But for medicinal purposes, I do not understand why this drug is not being prescribed and used more often.

XOXO
Me

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FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIFE SHOULDN'T BE A CRIME
Author: Montel Williams Talk Show Host

Talk-Show Host Montel Williams Tried Many Different Medications to Dull the
Pain From MS, but the Only Thing That Has Worked for Him Has Been
Marijuana. That Makes Him a Criminal in Illinois.

You may know me as a television talk-show host, but I am also a criminal.
My crime? Using the medicine that has allowed me to live a normal life
despite having multiple sclerosis.

Being diagnosed with MS in February 1999 felt like a death sentence. I
wondered what the future held for my family and me. Would I cease to be
self-sufficient and independent?

I always took excellent care of my body. I worked out, followed a healthy
diet and looked the picture of health. What I was hiding was the
mind-numbing pain that seared through my legs as if I was being stabbed
with hot pokers. I doubted my ability to function as a husband, father,
son, brother, friend, talk-show host and producer. I honestly couldn't see
a future.

My doctors wrote me prescriptions for some of the strongest painkillers
available. I took Percocet, Vicodin and OxyContin on a regular basis, two
at a time, every three or four hours. I was knowingly risking overdose just
trying to make the pain bearable. In my desperation, I even tried morphine.

These powerful, expensive drugs brought me no relief. Instead, they made me
nearly incoherent. I couldn't take them when I had to work because they
turned me into a zombie.

Yet, even with all the drugs, I couldn't sleep. I was agitated, my legs
kicked involuntarily in bed, and I found myself crying in the middle of the
night.

Worse, these drugs are all highly addictive. I did not want to become a
junkie, wasted and out of control. I spiraled deeper into a black hole of
depression.

In "Climbing Higher," my book on living with MS, I write in detail about
how I became suicidal and twice attempted to end my life. I was in severe
mental and physical pain, getting little sleep and feeling completely
spent. Someone suggested that I try smoking a little marijuana before going
to bed, saying it might help me fall asleep.

Skeptical but desperate, I tried it. It was like a miracle. Three puffs and
within minutes the excruciating pain in my legs subsided.

I had my first restful sleep in months. When I awoke, the sheet and
blankets weren't on the floor and my legs had taken a break from their
nightly kicking.

Marijuana is classified by the federal government as a Schedule I drug,
meaning that--like PCP, LSD and heroin--it is considered unsafe to use
under any conditions, including medical supervision. Physicians are not
allowed to prescribe it. But 99 percent of marijuana arrests are made by
local police under state law, and states can choose not to arrest medical
marijuana patients.

Last year, Montana and Vermont joined the list of states that protect
medical marijuana patients from arrest under state law, bringing the total
up to 10--one-fifth of the U.S.

But in Illinois, I'm still a criminal.

In 1999, the Institute of Medicine, a branch of the National Academy of
Sciences, released a two-year study of marijuana that showed it was
effective in combating the muscle spasms associated with MS. Canada, Great
Britain, Israel and Netherlands also have conducted studies on marijuana
and found that it can help people suffering from certain forms of cancer,
AIDS, MS and Tourette's syndrome by relieving symptoms such as pain,
nausea, loss of appetite, muscle spasms and tics. Patients struggling for
life and dignity against illnesses like MS, cancer or AIDS should not be
treated as criminals.

It is time to take politics out of the debate. It is time for
government-sanctioned research into the medicinal effects of marijuana and
time to heed the research already available. It is time to change
marijuana's classification so that physicians can prescribe it.

And while we await that rescheduling--which must be done at the federal
level--states can and should act now to protect patients under state law.
Just such a bill, House Bill 0407, is under consideration by the Illinois
House.

In the eyes of the law, I am a criminal. But because of medical marijuana,
I am still alive and living a far more productive, fruitful life than
before. And that shouldn't be a crime.

----------

TV Talk show host Montel Williams is the author of "Climbing Higher."

Referenced: Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/marimed/
Referenced: The Illinois Medical Cannabis Act (HB 407)
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=407&GAID=8&SessionID=50&LegID=14741
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Montel+Williams

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~

~
Circa on this photo is mid 1915's to 1920's

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The Following was written by Dr. Jay Cavanaugh, PHD, whom the medical marijuana community lost to his illness on April 24th 2005

Pancreatitis & Medical Marijuana- Jay R. Cavanaugh, Ph.D.
Many thousands of American suffer from either acute and/or chronic Pancreatitis each year. This is a serious disease that often results in death. Pancreatitis can occur independent of Pancreatic carcinoma. Pancreatic cancer is particularly nasty being inevitably fatal and extremely painful until the last days when nerve endings are largely destroyed by tumor and inflammation. Chronic Pancreatitis can also be lethal particularly when pseudocysts or infection are present.

The Pancreas is a vital organ that loops around the GI tract from below the naval to underneath the solar plexus. It provides both an endocrine function (insulin) necessary to the maintenance of normal blood sugar and an exocrine function (digestive enzymes) necessary to absorb the nutrients from food. Pancreatitis can interfere in the production of these key enzymes and hormones.

The Pancreas can become inflamed from overuse of alcohol, sludge or stones in the gall bladder, autoimmune attack, or congenital defect. Once inflamed the Pancreas can become blocked, develop pseudocysts, and even become infected. The pain associated with pancreatic inflammation is intense. Dehydration, shock, and hyperglycemia may occur. Inflammation caused by excessive pancreatic enzymes can also occur in joints, the lining of the heart (endocarditis) and other vulnerable areas.

Prompt and proper diagnosis is necessary as a wide range of disorders generates abdominal pain. Usually, a battery of blood tests is conducted to look at pancreatic enzymes. A CAT scan can reveal the degree of inflammation and give important clues as to the status of pancreatic tissue including the presence or absence of pseudocysts, ascites, or tumor. An ECT can reveal information about the pancreatic ductwork, identifying abnormalities and blockages.

In severe cases treatment may include intravenous feeding, surgical drainage, surgical resection, removal of the gall bladder, transplantation, and medicines to replace key enzymes and hormones including lipase, amylase, and insulin. Relief from pain usually requires major narcotics including morphine, MSContin, OxyContin, Fentyl, and methadone. Pancreatic attacks can be a one-time affair, intermittent, or frequent. Episodes can last days to months or even years.

Cannabis is not a primary treatment for the underlying causes of Pancreatitis except as it relates to alcoholism (the primary cause of Pancreatitis) and inflammation (Cannabis is a decent anti-inflammatory).

There are two major areas where cannabis can be very helpful in treating the symptoms of Pancreatitis. The first is to help alleviate the loss of appetite (anorexia) and weight loss (cachexia) that can be life threatening. Cannabis food products are NOT recommended for this relief as the GI tract is overtaxed in Pancreatitis and usually requires rest. The best routes of administration are inhalation (vaporizer), tincture, and smoking. Increased appetite and significant weight gain have been reported with Cannabis use. Since weight loss from Pancreatitis can exceed 30% of total body weight, any nontoxic medicine that improves nutrition is vital. Some of the anorexia in Pancreatitis is caused by the simple fact that it hurts to eat.

The second major area where cannabis can be helpful is in pain relief. Many patients find that adjunctive therapy with medical cannabis replaces narcotics while others find they can significantly lower the dose and frequency of prescribed painkillers. Since Pancreatitis can last weeks to months, narcotic tolerance and addiction are a real concern. In many cases surgery(s) may have to be delayed until Pancreatic inflammation recedes. This means patients may be on powerful narcotics while awaiting surgery making the narcotics less effective in dealing with post-surgical pain.

Since surgery is often an option with Pancreatitis it is important to honestly discuss all drug use (including alcohol) with the physicians, surgeons, and anesthesiologists involved in treatment and procedures. Most anesthesiologists recommend that patients have as few medicines as possible on board just prior to surgery. After surgery pain management may become an important part of treatment along with diet modifications, glucose monitoring, etc...

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Updated Daily!
Everything That A Patient Needs To Know & Learn About Medical Marijuana
One of the largest and up to date collections of all the medical marijuana- cannabis, research reports, medical reports medical case studies, clinical research study's online. All the reports & case study's about marijuana, pot, cannabis all in 1 spot
http://www.onlinepot.org/medicalreports.htm

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****** ADDED 6/29/2009

http://www.onlinepot.org/medical/pancreatitis.htm

Many thousands of American suffer from either acute and/or chronic Pancreatitis
each year. This is a serious disease that often results in death. Pancreatitis can
occur independent of Pancreatic carcinoma. Pancreatic cancer is particularly
nasty being inevitably fatal and extremely painful until the last days when nerve
endings are largely destroyed by tumor and inflammation. Chronic Pancreatitis
can also be lethal particularly when pseudocysts or infection are present.


The Pancreas is a vital organ that loops around the GI tract from below the naval to underneath the solar plexus. It provides both an endocrine function (insulin) necessary to the maintenance of normal blood sugar and an exocrine function (digestive enzymes) necessary to absorb the nutrients from food. Pancreatitis can interfere in the production of these key enzymes and hormones.

The Pancreas can become inflamed from overuse of alcohol, “sludge” or stones in the gall bladder, autoimmune attack, or congenital defect. Once inflamed the Pancreas can become blocked, develop pseudocysts, and even become infected. The pain associated with pancreatic inflammation is intense. Dehydration, shock, and hyperglycemia may occur. Inflammation caused by excessive pancreatic enzymes can also occur in joints, the lining of the heart (endocarditis) and other vulnerable areas.

Prompt and proper diagnosis is necessary as a wide range of disorders generates abdominal pain. Usually, a battery of blood tests is conducted to look at pancreatic enzymes. A CAT scan can reveal the degree of inflammation and give important clues as to the status of pancreatic tissue including the presence or absence of pseudocysts, ascites, or tumor. An ECT can reveal information about the pancreatic ductwork, identifying abnormalities and blockages.

In severe cases treatment may include intravenous feeding, surgical drainage, surgical resection, removal of the gall bladder, transplantation, and medicines to replace key enzymes and hormones including lipase, amylase, and insulin. Relief from pain usually requires major narcotics including morphine, MSContin, OxyContin, Fentyl, and methadone. Pancreatic “attacks” can be a one-time affair, intermittent, or frequent. Episodes can last days to months or even years.

Cannabis is not a primary treatment for the underlying causes of Pancreatitis except as it relates to alcoholism (the primary cause of Pancreatitis) and inflammation (Cannabis is a decent anti-inflammatory).

There are two major areas where cannabis can be very helpful in treating the symptoms of Pancreatitis. The first is to help alleviate the loss of appetite (anorexia) and weight loss (cachexia) that can be life threatening. Cannabis food products are NOT recommended for this relief as the GI tract is overtaxed in Pancreatitis and usually requires rest. The best routes of administration are inhalation (vaporizer), tincture, and smoking. Increased appetite and significant weight gain have been reported with Cannabis use. Since weight loss from Pancreatitis can exceed 30% of total body weight, any nontoxic medicine that improves nutrition is vital. Some of the anorexia in Pancreatitis is caused by the simple fact that it hurts to eat.

The second major area where cannabis can be helpful is in pain relief. Many patients find that adjunctive therapy with medical cannabis replaces narcotics while others find they can significantly lower the dose and frequency of prescribed painkillers. Since Pancreatitis can last weeks to months, narcotic tolerance and addiction are a real concern. In many cases surgery(s) may have to be delayed until Pancreatic inflammation recedes. This means patients may be on powerful narcotics while awaiting surgery making the narcotics less effective in dealing with post-surgical pain.

Since surgery is often an option with Pancreatitis it is important to honestly discuss all drug use (including alcohol) with the physicians, surgeons, and anesthesiologists involved in treatment and procedures. Most anesthesiologists recommend that patients have as few medicines as possible “on board” just prior to surgery. After surgery pain management may become an important part of treatment along with diet modifications, glucose monitoring,

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There is a ton of info on this at the above included links. Take from it what you will.