Cannabis as medicine for real, anyone?

[Wifezilla]

When I was a young degenerate in the wilds of Northern Wisconsin, the FFA kids always had the best stuff...but then again they were farmers and knew what they were doing....LOL

 

[Mackay]

Really...with all the how to magazines out on how to grow pot and all the experienced growers out there these days...

likely they will put limits on the amount of THC a joint can have. I've heard that they don't sell anything but buds anymore, anyway, at least from california growers.

 

[Big Daddy]

Really...with all the how to magazines out on how to grow pot and all the experienced growers out there these days...

likely they will put limits on the amount of THC a joint can have. I've heard that they don't sell anything but buds anymore, anyway, at least from california growers.

That's because leaves don't have THC in them. Marijuana is hard to grow properly. You can get seeds from top grade stuff and if the conditions aren't perfect it won't be any better than ditch weed. The buds have to be trimmed properly and it has to be hung upside down and dried properly. It can obviously be done, but if it was legal just go buy a pack of joints. People don't grow their own tobacco to avoid the cost, why would they grow their own pot unless the gov regulates it to real low THC. If they legalize it, the quality will be controlled and there will be real good stuff available. Keeping the THC down would be the same as saying they can't make alcohol over 10 proof. You just have to drink 10 times as much to get a buzz. Since you can't OD on pot it wouldn't make any difference. I guess you could OD on too many potato chips.

Moot point anyway. There's too many foolish notions out there regarding pot.

 

[reinbeau]

The thread's topic is 'Cannabis as medicine', so let's get back to that, please.

 

[Boyd]

any success in chronic migraines?

 

[FarmerDenise]

According to my "Marijuana Medical Handbook", cannabis has been used to treat migraines for centuries. There is one extensive chapter on the subject. A proposed study by Dr. Ethan Russo was denied approval by the U.S. authorities. There are studies being done in other countries.
The last part of the chapter states:
"Many patients report that they can avert a migraine attack by smoking a joint at the first warning of onset. Others take a small dosage daily to ward off attacks. Patients say inhaled marijuana is preferable to oral preparations such as Marinol in such situations, because quick treatment is necessary."
My friend uses it and says it helps her. Although, if she waits too long to dose herself, she ends up with her usual awfull migraines, which can end up in the emergency room.
My friend is not someone who normally smokes pot. I actually had to convince her to try it.

 

[rowdysunsetart]

Hi guys and gals...I have been a natural herbalist for over 35 years and I also have studied the effects of herbs like Marijuana. I ran three health food stores for years and have had many people and many times where I have watched the herb work miracles! It is an awesome herb! As a poltice on boils it works wonders, smoking it relieves eye disease and spinal trouble and cancer along with many other uses, it works quickly and efficently. And I too was curious why it became illegal in the first place and a few of my friend did some extensive studies to the reasons...which are...
The ONLY reason Marijuana became illegal was because the government put both cigarettes and Marijuana up on the docket to be taxed at the same time but a very smart lawyer of that time put a bond on it so that it could not be taxed! If it was we would be able to buy it just like cigs...I did at one time have the documents but was robbed and that is the ONLY thing the robbers took ( after I was warned by a government official in Oklahoma not to tell people about this when he was told it by a friend of a friends daughter) shortly afterwords within two weeks my house was robbed...nothing but all the documentation! They have tried to tax it many times but the bond the lawyer made is still bonding!
The only studies that say the Marijuana is harmful are FROM the government, I know several lawyers, police, judges, doctors, teachers, all very intelligent people who have been smoking it for YEARS with out any ill effects!!! The government cant make money on it so they ban it!! When I did smoke it I got my best Marijuana from the cops I was dating at the time!!! IT is an herb, if some moron didnt add anything to it...it is totally natural and just like fire and water if you use it wrong...you perish...you use it for medical...not to escape your painful reality...if you use it right...it helps tremendously!

 

[HiDelight]

long post ahead

First of all I want to applaud and thank you for this very good discussion Farmer Denise ... you have no idea how much it means to me there is an open discussion on this topic and that it is allowed here on this board so thank you much to the board as well for keeping folks on track and allowing this to be here ...our jails are full of people who use pot and it is so stupid ..especially when we are allowed to buy booze with out any problems ...and even though I love my wine and limoncello i do not feel I do myself that much good with them I just enjoy them

but this is about medical cannabis use not pleasure and I have to say I have been an RN for a long time now and feel very strongly that if we could offer out patients more cannabis and less steroids or narcotics ..well things will be much better all around ...we create addicts with the narcotics ..and people get addicted to prednisone as well ..the side effects are horrible to steroids ..and long term use causes so many bad effects ..well just google it and see it is horrible ..narcotics while they are not so bad on your physically ..they do cause addiction and drug seeking behavior in patients ..and then people in health care get cranky and say unkind things bout the people we put on these drugs when they can not get off them ..show up in a panic in horrible pain from both withdrawal and the return of symptoms ..it is so bad sometimes I feel like we are creating a monster that could easily be contained with a little pot for these folks!!!

on of my favorite uses for medical marijuana is for auto immune diseases like Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, any arthritis actually..and the single best and most obvious relief of symptoms comes when we are able to get it for our MS (multiple sclerosis) patients! they do so well on it when it is combined with standard treatments .. we live in what is known as the MS belt (Multiple Sclerosis) her in the Pacific Northwest and people suffer so much discomfort from this disease ...and usually it hits during an age when people should be out there enjoying life and moving forward...

besides the obvious relief that is well known to cancer patient and people with advanced HIV ...
we have what i think is an epidemic of Hep C and good chance of recover from almost a year long treatment with a very harsh course of interferon ...people get sick ..loose weight and generally feel like crap for a year ....between the anemia and all the other side effects they just wear out...cannabis helps them eat well ..gets them going for walks and pushing forward and helps them with the desire to finish the therapy! going through a year long trip through interferon land is horrible ..why not let them have an herb in compliment to the affects of the drugs we have to use to get rid of this disease and improve their chances in life of not having to have a transplant? rounds of interferon that can just ruin lives

it helps neurogenic pain like the pain from shingles and diabetic neuropathy... narcotics do not even touch these pains

I have seen cannabis turn people with MS around ...I have seen people with things like Lupus do so much better

I can not prescribe it I am an RN but I sure as heck rec they ask for it!!! and sometimes this has gotten me in a bit of trouble ...but who cares I can pass a UA anytime I am just the messenger of a very good therapy!


please know I am a "western" nurse who believes we do a great job in healthcare when given the chance ..I am proud of my profession ..especially the place I work for and it is progressive and the promotion (and coverage) of all kinds of alternatives

we can give more toxic drugs to conteract the toxic effects of the good drugs that help these diseases ..but why not offer herbal remedies for the side effects instead?

I always have patients diagnosed with auto immune disease or chronic pain go to naturopaths ..try acupuncture ..use their benefits! and use a holistic approach ...I just wish we could have genuine clinics to help people find ways of using marijuana for illness determining dosages and how to administer it so they do not have to smoke ... where I live the laws while progressive ...not as good as California and Oregon ..we have more of an open use policy and doctors do sometimes advise it ..we still have those doctors with bias who will put a diagnosis of substance abuse on the patients chart when they are using for relief instead of pleasure and that pisses me off!

my husband has used it when his back went out instead of prednisone, benzos and narcotics

my father is currently obtaining great relief from eating brownies made with canabutter . ..he has horrible neuropathy of unknown origin (he is not a diabetic) he feels like "a thousand bees are stinging my feet " they gave this frail 86 year old man morphine in high doses ..prednisone ...all kinds of drugs to control the pain .. so my sister mother and I talked it over and baked him brownies and he has one sometimes two a day a day ..it stimulates his very poor appetite ..makes him so comfortable he is able to walk and enjoy life more ..he laughs instead of being depressed..he is a brilliant man taught at Brown ..was a remarkable Anesthesiologist and deserves to be comfortable with out narcotics and steroids!!! he is actually reading books like crazy and writing some very good articles now that his body is comfortable and his mind is relaxed.....I worried about him smoking at his age ..so we got out books looked online ...researched it and made him his favorite brownies and just added canabutter to them ..the first day we did it he ate three and sat in a chair staring and laughing for hours ...so we adjusted his dose and now find 1 in the morning and if he needs it one in the evening ...I dont care it can not hurt him ..seriously it has made an amazing change in his attitude and level of comfort!

I will not say where he lives but it is in a less than tolerant area

when I retire I plan to join the green cross and the fight to make marijuana legal everywhere for people who not only need it for health reasons but for pleasure as well ..the bottom line for it being illegal was racism you know? if you do some research and watch some of the wonderful pbs documentaries on the history of it you will be stunned at how stupid this all is!!! ...I have not used it medically for myself but I have used it in my younger years and do not feel anything about it if used safely is wrong and for ethical reasons I will advise people use cannabis in either the form of food or a vaporizer for the treatment of the side effects of harsh medications I administer .. and for the side effects to diseases

so thank you again for a place for us to speak freely about what I consider a very important topic ..both for heatlhcare in the US and for our economy ..over crowding in prisons...and crime in general

I mean seriously if backyard gardeners could supply health care with good quality marijuana for the people who need it ..would we have national forests and parks full of people with guns and booby traps ruining the environment with guerilla gardening growing pot in hillsides? would we have people tricked into an almost slavery system from Mexico coming up here left in the woods forced to grow pot after being told they were going to do to some migrant farm work?

I would be happy if it were legal to grow a few raised beds and give it to a clinic for patients to obtain and use ...to me that would be a great day

ok I will stop ranting now thanks again Farmer Denise I am so happy you started this very good topic and will for sure be following it

 

[HiDelight]

can we talk about good books? Who wrote the Marijuana Handbook you have Farmer Denise? I looked on overstock and there are several

there are tons of books out there with great information on safe and effective use

if anyone has a personal favorite or good sites for learning to use it safely for medical reasons ..please share

i would love to be albe to offer safe scientific and proven info when I talk about this with patients

I have read good meical studies and there are many you just have to search for unbias'd ones and I did that at a local university


thank you for not turning this into anymore of a "evil weed discussion" that should be reserved for elsewhere since ethics is not what this is all about ..unless I am reading this wrong ..it is about medicine and providing safe/legal use of a drug that grows easily ...from a seed or clones ..and yes people can produce it in their yards and of superior quality ..that is why it is called "WEED" because it is very easy to grow ..grows fast and for so little work provides a great return if you do it legally and right LOL!!!! I have visited gardens for legal growers .. and found this to be a great cottage industry for some .supplimenting retirement and people feel like they are helping others ..the plants were beautiful in the landscape ..no more work than tomatoes but grow much larger......with all the talk about how to grow it I was told by those who do .it is not that big a deal! a bigger deal is that while the state says it is ok the feds dont so even though they do NOT use ..they sell only to legit clinics who provide it to mostly advanced HIV patients ...they always have the idea the feds will put them out of business in the back of their mind ...

this is sad to me that something like this when micro breweries take off and people make great money with other cottage industries...why someone can not use part of the garden to supply safe legal clinics who help people not suffer

 

[FarmerDenise]

Thanks for providing all that information, HiDelight.
Here is my book
"Marijuana Medical Handbook" Practical Guide to the Therapeutic Uses of Marijuana, by Dale Gieringer, Ph.D., Ed Rosenthal, Gregory T. Carter, M.D., published by Quick American, Oakland, California
I ordered it through Borders Books.
This book was recommended to me by an Herbalist. She and I were both trying to help a mutual friend undergoing cancer treatment.