[News] Marijuana

[gowings83]

Like most people I've had a very up and down experience with epilepsy and medications. I've been on far too many to list, the set I'm on now has stopped my t/c seizures however not fully. I also twitch a lot and get quite dizzy which it doesn't help. So the last 7 months I've had none while sleeping, but suffer a lot of side effects. Not wanting to eat, I've gone days without sleep, depression and bad bad headaches. My neurologist and family doctor are against medial marijuana use so won't give it to me legally. Since adding it in to my meds about 4 months ago I have not had any big issues with the jerking, headaches and depression. I really don't see the issue with this drug, I would much rather have just that than chemicals packed in to a pill. Marijuana is a natural plant, how much worse can it be than man made chemicals. In any case it help me a lot, too bad it's a crap shoot of what I get. Different strains have different effects and I've come across some that make things worse, but the ones that work work very well.

 

[CathyAnn31]

Right there with ya. Did you see Bernard's link on the previous page?

I think big Pharma has a lot to do with it being illegal. And of course the Feds.

Mj helps so many. It's been proven time and time again.

 

[joyous]

Marijuana + self awareness=seizure free

Hello,
I must respond. Marijuana works but I found that a diet high in fat, protein, sugar free, gluton free works with it and there's more. Without praying for and using virtues I am no where. I pray for divine love and sharing it with all, humility, patience, mercy, joy, and the list goes on.

I am no preacher, nor am I trying to be. I am simply stating what's worked for me. Without a clean conscience and divine love marijuana only covers up the stuff inside.

Epilepsy is more than physical. The psychological effects must be faced in total and accepted for pot to work physically. Lack of trust, fear of seizures and close relationships, depression, anger, and much more. Check it out it's on line. I found denial doesn't work but courage mixed with humility does. After accepting all this I came to see I'm not alone.

I came to love myself, others, and the divine. After that I use CBD everynight with my chemical meds. After 20+ years of uncontrolable, then partially controlled seizures I can say I'm seizure free and happy.

Peace,
Joyous

 

[Cint]

I think big Pharma has a lot to do with it being illegal. And of course the Feds.

Mj helps so many. It's been proven time and time again.

In some states, it is making it's way in. Here in CO it is now legal and especially for some types of E.

Check out this from MN:
http://news.yahoo.com/minnesota-lawmakers-strike-medical-marijuana-103537878.html

 

[joyous]

Prescription meds can work but always with some side effects in the long run. I smoke cbd weed it is one of the options I use daily. But I found that epilepsy is far more complex than just the body. For me I needed to address body,mind, and spirit altogether.
The thing with doctors is they are only opened to science. They usually don't take into consideration anything other than their limited chemical-scientific analysis. Because of this they do not know the full picture of epilepsy as they don't live with it. You ask them about the psychological effects seizures bring and usually they don't know. Weed, diet, prayer, resentment/anger free, and lamictal works for me.

 

[bighealey]

Consider not smoking but rather take advantage of some new devices out there. Pax made by Ploom is a great vaporizer. Much better on your lungs. The leftovers can be used to make canna-butter for baking edibles. I have no financial interest, yada yada.

 

[Bernard]

Urge the DEA to Reschedule Marijuana

22 states and the District of Columbia have legalized the medical use of cannabis while Congress is currently considering legislation to prohibit the Department of Justice from interfering with these medical marijuana programs. These 22 states, the District of Columbia, and hundreds of members of Congress all recognize the importance of allowing Americans to have safe and legal access to this promising treatment option.

Unfortunately, because cannabis and its components, including the non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD), are classified as Schedule I drugs and substances by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), it is very difficult for researchers to perform studies on the safety and efficacy of marijuana. Schedule I classification also means all medical marijuana programs are illegal under federal law. The Epilepsy Foundation believes that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) must reschedule marijuana and its components to Schedule II or lower, so scientists can more easily research the connection between seizures and cannabis, including cannabidiol, and state medical marijuana programs can operate legally, safely and effectively throughout the country.

There is no “one size fits all” treatment option for epilepsy, and about a third of people living with epilepsy suffer from uncontrolled or intractable seizures, despite available treatments. This can lead to disability, injury, and even death. People living with uncontrolled seizures have reported beneficial effects and reduced seizure activity when using medical marijuana, especially CBD oil. This is why people living with uncontrolled seizures turn to medical cannabis when all other options have failed.

Please urge the DEA to reschedule marijuana and remove bureaucratic and financial barriers that currently make it more difficult for researchers to study the connection between seizures and cannabis. Click Take Action or fill out the form below to contact your Representative today.

http://capwiz.com/efa/issues/alert/?alertid=63248756

 

[epileric]

Schedule I classification also means all medical marijuana programs are illegal under federal law. The Epilepsy Foundation believes that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) must reschedule marijuana and its components to Schedule II or lower, so scientists can more easily research the connection between seizures and cannabis, including cannabidiol, and state medical marijuana programs can operate legally, safely and effectively throughout the country.

I've heard this claim numerous times yet I keep reading time & time again about research done on marijuana in the US. There's a lab in Seattle that researches marijuana

My brother is a weed scientist. Every weekday morning, he drives to work in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, throws on a lab coat with “Northwest Botanical Analysis”

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/03/marijuana_potency_returning_smokers_want_mellower_pot_strains.html

3 more researching at Harvard in Boston, Massachusetts General Hospital in
Charlestown Mass. and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

Laboratory of Neuroimaging and Genetics, Department of Psychiatry,Mood and Motor Control Laboratory,Center for Morphometric Analysis,
Department of Psychiatry, and Athinoula A. Martinos Center in Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital,
Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, and Warren Wright Adolescent Center, Department of
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 06011

http://jn.sfn.org/press/April-16-2014-Issue/zns01614005529.pdf

I believe more research needs to be done as we are just starting to learn about it but if I can find that many labs that research marijuana in just a few minutes I have to assume that if I really looked I'd find more hence I do find it odd that I keep reading how it's illegal to research it when that is definitely not the case. I do agree that little research has been done re. its effects on epilepsy but what has been done so far has not been very promising so it makes sense that they are not going to continue researching in a direction that doesn't look likely to give good results.

Researchers didn't find enough evidence to show that medical marijuana is helpful in treating movement problems in people with Huntington's disease, tics in those with Tourette syndrome or seizures in people with epilepsy.

http://www.livescience.com/45199-medical-marijuana-for-brain-diseases.html

I would suggest that before anyone approaches the DEA they confirm themselves that marijuana has Schedule I classification & if so then double check that it really does hinder research.

 

[Ruth]

I live in CA. It has been legalized here. I do not use it myself because it is against Federal Law. However, the law looks the other way when people grow it for their own use and have a doctor's prescription.

Crime has gone up in the county I live in because people are going into people's backyards who are growing it. People have been shot at and their marijuana stolen. The stores that tried to sell marijuana to people with a prescription are shut down.

In Colorado, they are outright selling marijuana in stores.

I do not grow, use or sell it. I do not want to go against Federal Law.

I would like to hear from people from other states where marijuana is legalized.

 

[Zolt]

I did my own research and found MJ great for the following, relieves stress, great for sleeping, and overall makes me feel happy. Not sure if it helps my seizures, but over all, I liked the benefits it gives.

Problem, the first time i smoked it, it made me feel like the guys in refer madness, i could not stop laughing for at least a 1/2 hr, uncontrollable laughter. Then afterwards i slept for a few hours. When you first try it, make sure a trusted friend is with you. Afterward my eyes were sensitive to bright lights. I became very paranoid about this drug, so I stopped using it for a few years. Then later noticed my friends using on a daily basis and they had no negative effects. So i tried it again and it was great for helping me sleep.

I love everything that comes with MJ, the high goes away the more you smoke, but you still get that happy feeling. Sometimes the high gets better if you mix different varieties/strains. I've found that smoking a cigarette afterwards also helps the effect.

More about cigarettes, here is something that few people know about and that is that the oldest proven person in the world smoked all her life. Ever here of Jeanne Calment, she lived till 122 yrs old, still the oldest proven person. And the person following her into the guinness book of records also smoked.

" Mme Jeanne Calment, who was listed as the world's oldest human whose birth date could be certified, died at 122. She had begun smoking as a young woman. At 117 she quit smoking (by that age she was just smoking two or three cigarettes per day because she was blind and was too proud to ask often for someone to light her cigarettes for her). But she resumed smoking when she was 118 because, as she said, not smoking made her miserable and she was too old to be made miserable. She also said to her doctor: "Once you've lived as long as me, only then can you tell me not to smoke." Good point! [USA Today, "Way to go, champ," 10/18/95].

When Mme. Calment died at 122 in l997, the new longevity champ became 116-year-old Marie-Louise Meilleur, of Canada. Mme. Meilleur had chain-smoked all her adult life (as her grandson said, "She always had a cigarette dangling from her lips as she worked,"--AP, 8/15/97, reported in Miami Herald, p. 2A). She did give up smoking, however, when she was nearly 100. "


http://www.forces.org/evidence/hamilton/other/oldest.htm

George Burns once said that if he knew smoking would make him live over 100, he would of stopped a long time ago.


Ruth, i also live in CA and have a medical card, so it's not a problem here, being against the federal law. At least for people with medical issues. Also i read somewhere the other day that Colorado's crime has actually decreased since the beginning of this year, when they started to go legal. Although they said they caught more people trying to smuggle it out of the state.

Life is to short not to be happy and if you are not happy, do what you can to correct it.

iano: op:

 

[Ruth]

Hi Zolt,

I noticed you live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I was born in SF.
Smoking is bad for your lungs, you know that from cigarettes. It is an herb meant to be put in food during cooking.

I have spent all but 2 years of my life living in CA.

 

[Bernard]

Breaking News: Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) to Offer Groundbreaking Medical Marijuana Amendment on Senate Floor

Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) will offer an amendment to a federal spending bill that would prohibit the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from undermining state marijuana laws. The House approved a similar bipartisan measure on May 29th. An amendment prohibiting the DEA from interfering with state hemp production for research purposes also passed the U.S. House. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a similar hemp amendment in committee June 5th that was offered by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

“The House just made history last month by voting to stop the DEA from interfering with state marijuana laws,” said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. “Now every U.S. Senator has the opportunity to provide relief for the sick and dying – and to be on the right side of history, not to mention public opinion.”

...

A recent Pew Research Center survey found that nearly three-in-four Americans (72%) believe that efforts to enforce marijuana laws cost more than they are worth, including 78% of independents, 71% of Democrats and 67% of Republicans. There is strong support for state medical marijuana programs, with 80% of Democrats, 76% of Independents, and 61% of Republicans supporting the sale and use of medical marijuana in their state.
...

http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/2014...cory-booker-d-nj-offer-groundbreaking-medical

 

[epileric]

Just yesterday was a documentary on the US's war on drugs and its failures as well as showing results from other countries who have decriminalized or legalized drugs to varying degrees.

Breaking the Taboo

 

[BIGMAN131307]

Cuomo: Speed up medical pot for kids with epilepsy

Cuomo: Speed up medical pot for kids with epilepsy

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20140929/WIRE/140929614?p=1&tc=pg

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York has requested federal permission to import out-of-state marijuana so children and young adults with epilepsy can get medication soon instead of waiting for the state to develop its own program.

Acting Health Commissioner Howard Zucker, in letters to the Justice Department, said there's evidence that cannabidiol, the active ingredient in marijuana, may help those patients who are suffering and not responding to conventional treatments.

He says New York's medical marijuana program, with tightly regulated cultivation and manufacture within the state, isn't scheduled to start before 2016. In July, New York became the 23rd state to authorize marijuana use for patients with diseases, including AIDS, cancer and epilepsy.

Sounds good, politicians get the lead out!! We need this available now!!

Patients will get prescriptions from physicians approved by the state to participate in the program. The approved conditions include Lou Gehrig's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, certain spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathies and Huntington's disease.

Although my seizures look to be controlled now, I still might qualify to get a Medical Marijuana prescription. I'm dealing with ulcerative colitis and IBS daily. But would I?
I just don't know.


More on the push to speed up Medical Marijuana availability here:
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/09...marijuana-availability-for-epilepsy-patients/

 

[Formyson2]

The only problem that I would have with medical marijuana is that they will probably grow it with pesticides and fertilizers. That would introduce contaminates into the plants and I am not sure that is good.
I wonder if they will have "organically grown" or should I look for a local "farmer"?

Dan doesn't have an official diagnosis, but I would not have a problem with him using medical marijuana. I have a friend with chronic back pain that uses marijuana (not prescribed) and has stopped using massive doses of oxycontin and fentanyl. I am definitely a believer that marijuana works!


~Nancy~

 

[George__]

I want more weed :dancing:

 

[Hunter]

That is surprising. My wife swears it helps her. I didn't quite believe her but didn't really care either. I don't think theres anything wrong with pot. And more power to it if it helps those with epilepsy.

 

[BIGMAN131307]

New at the pot shop: Milder marijuana for novices

"New at the pot shop: Milder marijuana for novices"

DENVER (AP) — Recreational marijuana sellers are reaching out to novice cannabis users with a raft of edible products that impart a milder buzz and make it easy for inexperienced customers to find a dose they won't regret taking.

In many ways, the marketing shift is the pot-industry equivalent of selling beer and wine alongside higher-alcohol options such as whiskey and vodka.

"No one buys a handle of Jim Beam and thinks they should drink all of that in one sitting," said Tim Cullen, owner of two Denver-area marijuana dispensaries. "But people do want to eat an entire cookie, an entire piece of chocolate. So these products allow you to do that and not have a miserable experience."

......

http://news.yahoo.com/pot-shop-milder-marijuana-novices-043641944.html

____________________________________________________________


This sounds great for those that are willing to try, but are scared to start.

I myself wouldn't want to "smoke" marijuana. But I'd be willing to try it another way. As long as it's in a lower concentration level. The medical benefits would be nice, I couldn't careless of about getting "high".

What about any of you?

 

[MMRocks]

Two things I learned about cannabis and seizures recently:

One, CBD oil, vaped, is considered the most effective for seizures AND thanks to new laws, CBD oil is Legal in all 50 states. It has no THC so it cannot get you high.

Two, I read that eating cannabis the cannabinoids bypass the hippocampus, so if you have TLE you don't actually want to eat it as you won't get as many benefits that way.

 

[Belinda5000]

There trying to legalize medical marijuana in my state right now.It didn't get passed last time because they tacked on another bill with. for children that had autism:: to be covered fully by insurance.

Belinda5000 :e::agree: