What is Marijuana?
The common name for the plant cannabis. There are hundreds of different strains, all having a different medicinal qualities. This allows the plant to treat a multitude of conditions. Some have no mind altering side effects and others have many. Different diseases need different treatment.
Will this lead to full legalization of marijuana?
There is no place in the world where marijuana is fully legalized.
Why is it needed?
It works like no other drug. No pharmaceutical compound can imitate it’s healing properties. The most recent studies indicate that marijuana can stop cancer from spreading. It actually has properties that protect the brain. For example, in M.S. patients, plaque stops accumulating on the brain.
For what is it prescribed?
Cancer, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s Disease, Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, AIDs, chronic pain, glaucoma, hepatitis C, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV, epilepsy, Crohn’s disease, anorexia, nail patella, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), chronic nervous system disorders, cachexia or wasting syndrome, chronic or intractable pain, severe nausea, seizures, severe or persistent muscle spasms, diabetes mellitus, dystonia, fibromyalgia, gastrointestinal disorders, gliomas, hypertension, incontinence, MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus), osteoporosis, pruritus, sleep apnea, Tourette’s syndrome, migraine headaches, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit disorder, bipolar disorder, menstrual cramps and excessive bleeding, diarrhea, tuberculosis, elephantiasis, asthma, hemorrhoids, anemia, rabies, insomnia, Autism.
How is it administered?
It can be smoked, vaporized, or ingested. The required dosage is small enough to fit in a capsule. It can also be made into teas, tinctures, and edibles. Topical lotions can be used for treatment of headaches, muscle and joint pains.
Is it safe?
Yes. There has never been a known case of overdose. The lethal-to-effective ratio is 40,000 to 1. That of aspirin is 10 to 1. A recent study indicated there is no link between smoking marijuana with lung cancer. There are no adverse side effects such as stomach, liver, and kidney damage found in pharmaceutical drugs.
Why does marijuana work and pharmaceutical drugs don’t?
There have been 63 cannabinoid compounds identified in marijuana. The pharmaceutical companies have been able to duplicate only three of them. We know the body better absorbs nutrients from natural substances, rather than synthetics.
Isn’t Marinol the same as marijuana?
No. Marinol is a pharmaceutical drug that only replicates one compound found in marijuana. It has many side effects and has been reported to be more mind altering than marijuana. Marinol costs around $700 a month, compared to the pennies it costs to grow marijuana. Marinol also takes time to be digested, marijuana’s healing properties can be achieved within six seconds through inhalation.
Is marijuana addictive?
Marijuana has a 9% addiction rate, making it the least addictive pain medication available.
Is it a gateway drug?
There is no evidence supporting this claim. In fact, people start drinking caffeine, smoking cigarettes, and drinking alcohol years before they ever use marijuana.
Why is marijuana illegal?
Cannabis has been used as a textile, fuel source, and medicine for thousands of years. Hearst and Dupont joined forces to eliminate the cannabis plant, therefore increasing the demand for paper and nylon. Cannabis was prescribed as pills, extracts, and whole plant tinctures available over the counter until it was removed from the US Pharmacopeia in 1942. Many medicines of the time included cannabis, including Bromidia, Dakata, Doctor Macalister’s Cough Mixture, Cannabis, U.S.P., Menovarian, Gano-dyne, and Mientholated Cough Balsam and were manufactured by pharmaceutical companies such as Lilly.
What do the Florida Courts say about Medical Marijuana?
Courts in Florida have decided in favor of Medical Marijuana. Three of the cases that determined that Medical Necessity is an allowable defense are: State vs Musikka, State vs Jenks, and State vs Sowell. In State vs Baranoff, a Medical Necessity Distribution defense was established allowing patients in need access to their medicine.
What is the position of the Federal Government on Medical Marijuana?
Marijuana is still classified as a Schedule 1 substance, defined as having “no medicinal qualities”. However, for 30 years, the Federal government has been growing and distributing marijuana for medicinal purposes. Each member of the Compassionate Investigational New Drug Program receives between 5 and 20 joints a day for their conditions. The Federal government, through the Department of Health and Human Services, holds the patent for cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants.
What does the President of the United States say about Medical Marijuana?
“The president believes that federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws, and as he continues to appoint senior leadership to fill out the ranks of the federal government, he expects them to review their policies with that in mind.” – Said White House spokesman Nick Shapiro regarding DEA raids on Medical Marijuana patients around the country in 2009. Since then, raids still continue to take place in states where medical marijuana has been legalized.
What organizations support medical marijuana?
Numerous health and medical organizations and other prominent associations have favorable medical marijuana positions, including: AIDS Action Council; AIDS Foundation of Chicago; AIDS Project Rhode Island; American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM); American Anthropological Association; American Association for Social Psychiatry; American Bar Association; American College of Physicians; American Nurses Association; American Public Health Association; Americans for Democratic Action; Associated Medical Schools of New York; Being Alive: People With HIV/AIDS Action Committee (San Diego); California Democratic Council; California Legislative Council for Older Americans; California Nurses Association; California Pharmacists Association; California Society of Addiction Medicine; California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church; Colorado Nurses Association; Consumer Reports magazine; Episcopal Church; Gray Panthers; Hawaii Nurses Association; Iowa Democratic Party; Leukemia & Lymphoma Society; Life Extension Foundation; Lymphoma Foundation of America; Medical Society of the State of New York; Medical Student Section of the American Medical Association; National Association of People With AIDS; New Mexico Nurses Association; New York County Medical Society; New York State AIDS Advisory Council; New York State Association of County Health Officials; New York State Hospice and Palliative Care Association; New York State Nurses Association; New York State Wide Senior Action Council; Inc.; Ninth District of the New York State Medical Society (Westchester; Rockland; Orange; Putnam; Dutchess; and Ulster counties); Presbyterian Church (USA); Progressive National Baptist Convention; Project Inform (national HIV/AIDS treatment education advocacy organization); Rhode Island Medical Society; Rhode Island State Nurses Association; Society for the Study of Social Problems; Test Positive Aware Network (Illinois); Texas Democratic Party; Union of Reform Judaism (formerly Union of American Hebrew Congregations); Unitarian Universalist Association; United Church of Christ; United Methodist Church; United Nurses and Allied Professionals (Rhode Island); Wisconsin Nurses Association; Wisconsin Public Health Association; and numerous other health and medical groups.
