Medical Claims for Marijuana—Just Blowing Smoke?

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smoke weed its good for youAdministration, the proposed study has to pass muster with the Food and Drug Administration, and then the U.S. Public Health Service conducts its own review of the study's scientific merit and design. The entire process can take years, according to Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, an advocacy group.
Americans can take synthesized THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana, as Marinol, a capsule made by Unimed Pharmaceuticals. Margaret Haney, a professor of clinical neurobiology at Columbia University in New York, has studied HIV patients whose appetites

jaka of MS 2:37PM March 03, 2011

I love that colorado has despensories popping up everywhere. My brother and four friends of mine all have their medical cards due to different reasons, and some purely for recreational purposes. It shows that no matter what the government tries to do for the war against drugs, people are still going to do what they want. I wish they would stop catagorizing marijuana with cocaine and heroin. Marijuana has scientific proof of helping many people with physical pain. I see on the news all the time of stories of people protesting that marijuana helps and doesn't hurt those who are using it for medical reasons. Patients suffering should be able to say that it helps and that should be enough proof. You can't prove that pain killers help pain unless you try it. And there is no danger in marijuana over-dose or danger directly to your health. SMOKE THAT SHIT!

karlye of CO 9:51PM October 14, 2010

Those who oppose Medicinal Cannabis should be really ashamed of themselves. There were several scientific studies published just recently that confirmed Cannabis effectiveness in such diverse conditions as chronic pain, muscle spasms, malnutrition and glaucoma. Just a couple of days ago the media, including "USA Today", published a study that Cannabis may relieve chronic pain even when other drugs don't. This is extremely important for our wounded veterans, many of whom have chronic pain, and even chronic "neuropathic" pain, for which Medicinal Cannabis was found to be especially effective! Cannabis is also being shown by the most current addiction medicine research as a potential "exit" substance for former alcoholics, hard drug or even prescription drug abusers to help them stay off those substances. A very recent study just published called the so-called "gateway drug" theory "half-baked". I simply always called it a fantasy. Both the American Medical Association and the Institute of Medicine are in favor of Medicinal Cannabis, and the Canadian Government even pays for this natural remedy for their veterans! There is growing evidence that Cannabis may help prevent such disastrous conditions as cancer and Alzheimer's disease, and a very recent study just published denies any connection between smoking Cannabis and the risk for lung cancer! According to the prestigious Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook, 4-th Edition, Cannabis use suppresses violent behavior and "only the unsophisticated" think otherwise. Everybody agrees as well that Cannabis is much safer than alcohol! It is also much safer than many dangerous, physically addictive prescription drugs, such as opiates or benzodiazepines.What we all need to do is reject baseless, anti-scientific scare tactics of the "opponents" and pass the Medicinal Cannabis legislation all across the Nation, and on the Federal level! This will require giving up certain "dogmas", but this is how progress is made!

Leonard Krivitsky, MD of PA 9:10AM September 17, 2010

My thoughts on this are fairly simply because there are ways to use marijuana with out smoke at all so it is somewhat invalid to the point that it can be used without smoking because of it an item called a vaporizer.which heats the marijuana up to the point of near combustion then the thc fumes up inside of it and you inhale that from a tube and the effects are still immediate without the usage of lighters and that chemical.now maybe this coming from me a seventeen year old with none of the problems that some people have i do have other problems such as behavior problems like anxiety,insomnia,dysthymia(slight depression),and bipolar.I notice that when i use i can smoke a little bit and be able to calm myself down,or if i smoke before i sleep i am able to get to sleep earlier,and im able to laugh at things more because everything seems just a bit better.

Brett of IA 2:16AM July 22, 2010

As I'm sure Ms. Johnson has discovered, there are respected M.D.s who recommend cannabis oil - not as part of a treatment for brain, lung and other cancers, but as THE treatment, so impressed are they with the efficacy of this compound against cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation yield at best, two percent success, and usually allow the cancer more foothold in the long run. this and the fact that the world could have done without petroleum-based, toxic and non bio-degradeable plastics, had the oil barons and the "medical mafia" not suppressed the benefits of this amazing plant. We're still in the dark ages, as far as the evolution of our consciousness, collectively, it would seem.. Check this out: http://patients4medicalmarijuana.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/marijuana-cures-cancer-us-government-has-known-since-1974/

paul of CA 9:00PM July 21, 2010

My name is Devin Robinson, I'm 25 years old and I have Muscular Dystrophy, Rhumatoid Arthritis, Scoliosis, Osteopenia(severe bone loss), Dependent Adema in my legs from being confined to my wheelchair, Epilepsy, ADHD, Insomnia, Depression, PTSD, Asthma, High Blood Pressure, a Heart Mumur, and I'm losing feeling in extremeties!! When I was born, I had to stay in the hosipital for 3 months because I was extremely underweight, I was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at age 2, when I was 9 my parents were told that I would not live past my teenage years because my scoliosis in combination with my MD was going to be the end of me. My spine was curving so much my body looked like an "S" and my lungs were being smashed because of it casuing me to have A LOT of trouble breathing. I was faced with the decision to have corrective surgery or leave it in the hands of fate. I chose the surgery and I walked in to get it done at age 12, and that was the last time I walked ever again. I became depressed of course and started doing drugs. Sometimes on days that I had a doctors appointment I would go to the doctor completely high on marijuana, and when they'd take my vitals, my blood pressure would be normal my breathing was normal, my heart rate was up, and I was doing absolutely ok according to them. I am a big computer nerd, so I quickly started looking into the medical uses of marijuana in cancer patients and things like that. I used to weigh less than 85lbs went I started high school, but once I started doing drugs regularly, my weight sky rocketed, and I now weigh 180lbs and stand 6ft 4in tall, which is still considered underweight for my height, but for someone in my condition, it's another victory in my battle with MD!! I was told that I was going to die at at least three different points in my life, most people with my type of disease usually don't live past their teenage years, never seeing a 21st birthday, but here I sit typing to you at age 25 completely healthy and very well rested after smoking some amazing marijuana and going to bed like I do every night. I am not smart, or well read, or educated on any of this stuff, but I know that when I started getting worse and thought that maybe I should stop smoking weed and I started relying solely on the medications I was being prescribed by my doctors, I ended up in the emergency room after having a series of violent epileptic episodes. After that I started smoking marijuana again, and I've moved to a new state and had to change doctors, he now has all of my previous medical records and diagnosies, and went I went to see him he was very shocked because my files say that I have high blood pressure but my blood pressure was absolutely fine that day and I hadn't taken my BP meds in over a year. Marijuana use to aid in the symptoms of Muscular Dystrophy really works!!

Devin of VA 5:23PM July 19, 2010

People please get this, marijuana is the Mexican slang for bad tobacco, it is not a plant, it is not a drug, it is simply bad slang. Cannabis is a plant family, it is medicine, it is now well documented as medicine and it is time we reminded Governments that they are elected to SERVE, the public NOT dictate to them.
The USA has a bill of Rights and a Constitution that guarantees their freedoms, in their religious choices, in speech, and in medical autonomy, yet their courts will not even permit the constitution to be brought into the argument.
We in the Commonwealth have the Magna Carta, and that gives Juries to throw out these laws that have hurt so many people world wide and has all but destroyed countries.
Time for Governments to stop their treasonous behaviour and call an end to the war against the citizens of their own countries and bring back peace.
Legalise - Educate - Regulate - Tax
I for one have used daily for pain control, and it has been nearly 20 years, I am about to turn 60 and given I have allergic reactions to all their pain meds, what choice do I have?

littlbit 2:00AM July 18, 2010

"Downgrading cannabis would acknowledge its medical potential and encourage research. But that's not likely to happen. Keeping marijuana under schedule I, says DEA spokeswoman Dawn Dearden, is based on a lack of scientific evidence showing marijuana can be used safely and effectively as a treatment."
Hey Dawn,
Here's a ton of evidence for you. I don't expect you to be open minded enough to crawl out from the rock you're under, and be open minded enough to accept it though.
Stop lying to people.
http://www.a420nation.com/blog.php?user=A420Nation&blogentry_id=46

Killer Bud of FL 12:24PM July 15, 2010

I will be 30 yrs old in August and have been an advocate for the use of medicinal marijuana since many years before I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2006. Having worked in healthcare (long term care) since I was 17, the diagnosis at 26 was terrifying. I started on Avonex therapy almost immediately, without giving it much thought. After giving myself weekly injections for about 14 months, I lost my job (my insurance)and could no longer afford the expensive treatment. Though I started smoking marijuana when I was 13 (for all the wrong reasons), once I got older and started to understand the benefits of pot and the controversy surrounding the subject, I started to personally note the difference that smoking really did make in my every day life. I stopped smoking for awhile so I could see the impact that it had on my life, and it really was a remarkable difference. Being a daily user, literally from within an hour of waking until right before I go to bed at night, improved my concentration, reduced the trembling in my hands, my balance was better and my moods were a lot more stable as well.
I just wanted to share my story and I, like many...pray that the US government will soon see all of the benefits and uses of such a wonderful plant placed on this earth FOR man, not BY man. Whereas I live in Idaho, it is a misdemeanor here to be in possession of or consume any form of marijuana without a prescription for Marinol. I have had 0, yes 0 flare ups since the beginning of 2007 and I have been on no medication for the treatment of symptoms or possible slowing progression of multiple sclerosis. That is 3 years of my life that I am grateful for, knowing that MS is such an unpredictable disease and I believe that marijuana contributes to that gift. If it requires that I face persecution for those things that help me or even that I believe help me (the mind is very powerful) then so be it. A misdemeanor crime has less penalty than the 3 years I feel I have already been blessed with, so it is all well worth the risk.

Rhonda B. of ID 3:38PM July 11, 2010

As the medical marijuana debate heats up daily across the US, Journey Healing Centers raises more concerns over increased addiction, crime and economic impacts of legalizing marijuana. “Requests for medical marijuana have increased 50-300% since Obama took office and announced that he won’t use federal marijuana laws to override state laws”(MSNBC), which leaves a lot of room for abuse. Based on 30+ years of experience working with clients fighting drug and alcohol addictions, Journey Healing Centers’ licensed doctors and therapists oppose the Medical Marijuana Propositions on the Arizona and South Dakota ballots, along with California’s proposed legalization for 21+ that will be decided by voters this November. If you have any addiction questions, you can call our Free 24 hour hotline to speak with an Addiction Specialist:1-866-774-5119

Liz Brown of AZ 2:19PM July 09, 2010