Filed under: Hemp&Law, HempTherapy, hemp in general | Tags: AIDS, cancer, cannabis, Detroit, ganja, hashish, hemp, HIV, marijuana, medical cannabis, medical marijuana, Michigan, multiple sclerosis, pot, proposal n.1, Proposition 215, skunk, therapeutic use, weed
Michigan — Marijuana has proven benefits in limiting pain and reducing the side effects of other medicines used to treat certain illnesses. Proposal 1 would allow the use of marijuana for these limited medical purposes. Voters should say yes to Proposal 1.
Proposal 1 would legalize doctor-prescribed marijuana. The Detroit News has reported that upwards of 500,000 Michiganians with “debilitating medical conditions” — HIV/AIDS, cancer, Hepatitis C, Crohn’s disease, Alzheimers, multiple sclerosis and the like — will qualify. It can be useful, for example, in controlling nausea during chemotherapy in cancer treatments.
Anyone found to be lying about their medical condition or distributing marijuana to friends would be barred from future participation.
The proposal contains other safeguards. If voters accept Proposal 1, the Michigan Department of Community Health would create a state medical marijuana registry, and each user will be given an identification card. Anyone without such a card, debilitating illness or not, is still subject to state law. And Michigan law is harsh on marijuana. The penalty for possession is up to one year of imprisonment and up to $2,000 in fines. Dealers risk $10 million in fines and imprisonment for up to 15 years — and these are for first offenses. None of that would change with Proposal 1.
Proposal 1 would also protect the over-21 primary caregivers who handle marijuana for and administer marijuana to sick family or friends. Users are protected from the threat of prosecution and the possibility of losing custody of their children due to smoking medical herbs.
The law would no longer view primary caregivers administering marijuana as drug dealers. And compassionate doctors will no longer have to risk their medical licenses and livelihoods every time they prescribe marijuana to ailing patients.
There are also standards for registered users. All the normal laws apply to smoking in public. No one will be permitted to smoke in public places or near schools or prisons, and “drugged driving” will still be illegal.
Employers won’t be forced to allow use of medical marijuana in the workplace. Insurance providers can decide for themselves whether to cover it.
Twelve states allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The record is that it can be properly administered as one more part of the mix of medicines available to physicians.
Proposal 1 seems to have been written to anticipate and address concerns that it is a backdoor route to full-blown legalization. The standard for obtaining a registry card is high and the penalty for misuse is steep.
Proposal 1 won’t make pot any more publicly visible or available than it already is; all it will do is allow doctors, primary caregivers, and most importantly patients another option in managing serious and painful illnesses. Vote yes on Proposal 1.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Filed under: Hemp&Law, HempTherapy, hemp in general | Tags: AIDS, cancer, cannabis, ganja, glaucoma, grow, grow houses, hashish, hemp, Hepatitis C, HIV, marijuana, medical cannabis, medical marijuana, multiple sclerosis, pot, skunk, weed
Michigan — If people who are seriously or chronically ill can convince their doctors that using marijuana will make them feel better, the State of Michigan should not stand in the way.
Proposal 1 on the statewide ballot Nov. 4 would allow Michigan residents to cultivate and possess small amounts of marijuana for medical reasons with a doctor’s approval. Voters should say yes to this proposal, which was placed on the ballot by a petition campaign that collected almost 378,000 signatures.
This is not about drug use. It’s about compassion. The initiative would amend Michigan law to allow seriously ill people to seek authorization from a doctor to grow up to a dozen marijuana plants and possess up to 2.5 ounces of the weed, strictly for personal use. The continuing, regulated sale of alcoholic beverages poses more of a problem for society than will passage of this law.Voters in five Michigan cities — Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint, Ferndale and Traverse City — and a dozen other states have already approved similar statutes without the dire consequences forecast by federal drug-control authorities who fear the start of a slippery slope toward broad drug legalization.
While there are other prescription drugs available to control the pain or anxiety that afflicts the seriously or terminally ill, some such patients find more relief with less loss of control and fewer side effects from marijuana. These are not people who will start peddling the products of their little pot gardens to neighborhood kids. They won’t have that much and will need all of it for their own use. And such sales would still be illegal under the proposed law.
Last month, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a national survey showing Americans rank marijuana well behind other illicit drugs, prescription drugs and alcohol among substances that pose a threat to society.
The national Marijuana Policy Project, which provided nearly all of the $1.1 million spent to put this question on the Michigan ballot, acknowledges a larger goal of replacing “marijuana prohibition with a sensible system of regulation.” But that may be a long way off, if, indeed, it happens at all. Meantime, Proposal 1 is about helping sick people feel better.
Sidebar: Proposal 08-1
A legislative initiative to permit the use and cultivation of marijuana for specified medical conditions. The proposed law would:
• Permit physician approved use of marijuana by registered patients with debilitating medical conditions including cancer, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, hepatitis C, MS and other conditions as may be approved by the Department of Community Health.
• Permit registered individuals to grow limited amounts of marijuana for qualifying patients in an enclosed, locked facility.
• Require Department of Community Health to establish an identification card system for patients qualified to use marijuana and individuals qualified to grow marijuana.
• Permit registered and unregistered patients and primary caregivers to assert medical reasons for using marijuana as a defense to any prosecution involving marijuana.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Filed under: HempTherapy, hemp in general | Tags: AIDS, cancer, cannabis, ganja, glaucoma, hashish, hemp, Hepatitis C, HIV, marijuana, medical cannabis, medical marijuana, Michigan, multiple sclerosis, pot, skunk, Wagoner, weed
MI — Michigan voters will decided whether or not to legalize medicinal marijuana in a state wide ballot initiative this November. Although polls show there is growing support for the move, getting people to speak openly about the subject can be bit more difficult.
According to a September poll by the Michigan Resource Group of Lansing, 67 percent of voters said they would support the proposal, while 29 percent said they opposed it.
If passed, the law would permit physician approved use of marijuana for patients with “debilitating medical conditions” including cancer, Glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, as well as other conditions approved by the Department of Community Health.
Those patients permitted to use marijuana would be given an identification card and the right to grow marijuana plants in an enclosed, locked facility. The last portion of the law would also permit care givers and patients the right to used medical reasons as a legal defense in marijuana prosecutions.
Joshua Snider, a 30-year-old Petoskey resident, advocated for the use of marijuana as medicine for a variety of medical conditions. Snider said his own mild temporal epilepsy was improved with occasional use of marijuana.
Besides working as a pain killer and an appetite stimulant, Snider asserted that marijuana also has antispasmodic qualities.
“It works a lot better than any other prescribed medicines,” he said. “A lot of them can make you pretty sick, they mess with your stomach.”
Snider is an outspoken advocate for marijuana and helped collect signatures to get the measure on the statewide ballot, he said it is not uncommon for people to shy away from speaking about marijuana in public.
“All of it is fear,” Snider said. “Right now it’s dangerous to use it under the current law.”
While the current ballot initiative would allow patients with glaucoma to use marijuana, Dr. Tim Jarvi, an ophthalmologist in Petoskey, is not convinced that marijuana is better other pharmaceutical treatments already on the market. While marijuana can reduce ocular pressure, Jarvi pointed out that it also decreases blood pressure and therefore makes it more difficult to pump nutrients into the eye through the optic nerve.
“It’s impractical,” he said. “Even if it was legal we wouldn’t use it.”
Dr. George Wagoner, a retired obstetrician and gynecologist in Manistee, admitted that he had no scientific experience with marijuana. But during his wife’s unsuccessful battle against severe ovarian cancer in 2007, he said they turned to the illegal drug and found it helped her cope with the pain better than anything else.
Wagoner said his wife developed intractable nausea and vomiting during her chemotherapy and that other pharmaceutical drugs were ineffective.
“When my wife inhaled the smoke twice, she said the nausea was gone,” he said. “It took practically none to be effective. I think everyone in her situation should be allowed to do this legally.”
However, there are those, even with a personal knowledge of cancer, who do not support the current ballot initiative’s scope.
Bob McCullough, a 74-year-old Petoskey resident, is in remission from multiple myeloma and said he understands the need for medicinal marijuana, but was uncomfortable with people being given the legal right to grow it. He said that would open up the possibility of people selling it illegally for profit.
“There is such a strong desire for this stuff, I think it needs to be done through a pharmacy,” he said. “I would like to see it made available, but only a month’s supply at a time. That way a doctor would know if you are starting to abuse it.”
Although marijuana is illegal under federal law, and classified as a schedule I drug, 12 states have passed medicinal marijuana legislation. In 2005, Traverse City passed a city ordinance to make the prosecution of medicinal marijuana cases the lowest priority. However, both the offices of the county and city prosecutors referred requests for comment to one another, preferring to stay mum rather than weigh in on the taboo subject.
Charlevoix County Sheriff George Lasater deferred a request to comment to his successor, Don Schneider, after admitting he was not familiar with the ballot language. Although Schneider had yet to read the language, he said his first reaction was that legalization of medicinal marijuana would compound the issue of prescription drug abuse and marijuana use further.
“I think there’s always the potential for it to be grossly misused,” he said. “There are some doctors, although they are few and far between, that lack integrity and will give a prescription for anything.”
Source: Petoskey News-Review
Filed under: HempTherapy, hemp in general | Tags: cannabinoids, cannabis, ganja, hashish, hemp, marijuana, medical cannabis, medical marijuana, multiple sclerosis, NORML, pot, research, skunk, therapeutic use, weed
Cannabis May Halt Progression Of Multiple Sclerosis, Study Says
September 18, 2008 – London, United Kingdom
London, United Kingdom: Cannabinoids possess neuroprotective properties and may modify the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a review published in the journal Current Pharmaceutical Design.
Investigators at the London School of Medicine, Neuroscience Center reported that cannabinoids likely hold therapeutic value for MS patients beyond providing temporary symptomatic relief.
“Recent clinical trials may indeed suggest that cannabis has some potential to relieve, pain, spasms and spasticity in MS,” authors wrote. “In addition, CB(1) and CB(2) cannabinoid receptor stimulation may also have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective potential. Therefore cannabinoids may not only offer symptom control but may also slow the neurodegenerative disease progression that ultimately leads to the accumulation of disability.”
A recent expert opinion paper published by the US National Multiple Sclerosis Society concluded that cannabis possesses the potential to treat MS symptoms as well as moderate disease progression, but stopped short of recommending that patients use it therapeutically.
Survey data indicates that an estimated one in four patients with MS use medicinal cannabis.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org
Full text of the study, “The endocannabinoid system and multiple sclerosis,” appears in the journal Current Pharmaceutical Design.
Note: “Cannabinoids may not only offer symptom control but may also slow … disease progression”
DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7704
19th Annual Boston Freedom Rally Takes Place This Weekend
September 18, 2008 – Boston, MA, USA
Boston, MA: The Massachusetts chapter of NORML (MassCann) will hold the 19th annual Freedom Rally this Saturday, September 20, at the Boston Common in downtown Boston. The event is the largest marijuana law reform gathering on the east coast.
Speakers at this year’s event include NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre, NORML founder Keith Stroup, author Steve Bloom (Pot Culture), High Times Magazine associate publisher Rick Cusick, and Congressional candidate John Cunningham.
MassCann NORML will also be holding an awards banquet in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Friday, September 19.
This November, Massachusetts’ voters will decide on a statewide ballot measure that seeks to replace criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana with a civil fine of no more than $100.
For more information on the Freedom Rally, please visit: http://www.masscann.org
DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7706
Less Than One-Month Left To Register For NORML’s 2008 National Conference
September 18, 2008 – Washington, DC, USA
Washington, DC: NORML’s 37th annual national conference is less than one-month away, but attendees still have time to take advantage of discounted pricing by visiting:
http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7626
This year’s ‘extravaganja’ takes place in Berkeley, California on Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18 at the Doubletree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center.
Plenary sessions at this year’s conference include:
Getting the Story Wrong: How the Media Lie About Cannabis
The Legal Marijuana Generation: Growing Up In The Age of Legal Pot
The War On Pot Is a War On Young People
What If We Arrested 20 Million Americans And Nobody Noticed?
The Politics of Marijuana And Health
In addition, on Sunday, October 19, NORML’s Legal Committee and the faculty of Oaksterdam University will co-sponsor a special, third-day session, entitled “Cannabusiness 102.” This unique, one-day seminar will outline step-by-step how to establish a legally-compliant medical marijuana business in the state of California.
Mark your calendar now and plan to join us as we focus on the latest marijuana policy developments at the state and federal levels, celebrate our victories over the past year, and hear from the world’s leading activists and cannabis law reform organizations. Mingle with celebrities and members of NORML’s staff and Board of Directors in one of the most cannabis friendly cities in the world.
Additional details about this year’s national conference – including patient accommodations, vending and sponsorship opportunities, conference scheduling, and a guide to NORML social events – are now available online at NORML’s 2008 Conference Registration page here:
http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7626
For more information, please call (202) 483-5500. Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs), about this year’s NORML Conference.
Filed under: HempTherapy | Tags: cannabis, elena, ganja, hashish, hemp, italy, marijuana, multiple sclerosis, persecuted, thc, therapeutic use, weed
This video is only in italian:
This video narrates the story of Elena,affected by multiple sclerosis.
She is caring multiple sclerosis with cannabis and she doesn’t suffer of collateral disorders caused by normal drugs.
Elena discovered medical cannabis in Sovietic Union,and she continued with doctor Ada Francia in Italy.
She had bought cannabis in street from pushers (bad quality cannabis) so she decided to cultivate her medical cannabis.Police discovered it but luckily pm asked archiviation.
In February 2008 Elena received permission to buy medical cannabis from Holland (90 gr for 824 euro,one month of treatment).This type of cannabis is not good enough and she didn’t received cannabis for the month later.Currently she keeps on curing his illness with cannabis,but in illegal way…
I believe i should be free to smoke cannabis without be persecuted,but therapeutic use MUST be free.
It is an injustice that people like Elena and other ones suffering of illnesses are persecuted and can’t treat themselves in the better way.
Filed under: HempTherapy | Tags: AIDS, cancer, medical cannabis, multiple sclerosis
Source: Greensboro News & Record
Greensboro, NC — A Guilford County representative wants to get the legislature fired up to study the benefits of medical marijuana. But similar efforts in the past went up in smoke.
If the bill sponsored by Rep. Earl Jones should pass, the Legislative Research Commission would determine the feasibility of legalizing marijuana for medical purposes.
“Medical use of marijuana has already been demonstrated to manage the health problems related to Alzheimer’s, AIDS, arthritis, cancer, multiple sclerosis,” said Jones, a Democrat. “There are a number of organizations that have endorsed medical marijuana.”
But legalizing marijuana for any purpose still is not approved by the federal government, and previous attempts to study the issue in North Carolina have failed.
Rep. Paul Luebke, a Durham Democrat, filed a similar bill in 2003 that failed in the state House.
“What happened five years ago is that legislators were a little afraid of taking up the topic,” Luebke said. “There were not that many constituents around the state who had advocated for the benefits of medical marijuana. I could not find the necessary support to get a study commission.”
Recent attempts to legalize marijuana for pain-relief purposes in South Carolina and Tennessee also failed.
Nancy King, a medical ethicist at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, said medical drug use carries complicated consequences.
“Using marijuana in a medical context is not distinguishable from using it in a context of illegal drugs from the perspective of law enforcement,” King said.
But Jones and Luebke think the tide of public opinion on medical marijuana may be turning.
Twelve states allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to relieve pain and other symptoms, and only in California has the federal government intervened.
Ray Warren is the director of state policies with the Marijuana Policy Project, a group that lobbies for legalization of marijuana. He said the California law allows patients to cooperatively grow their own marijuana. Other states do not.
“You simply don’t hear about any issues in Rhode Island or Vermont or Montana,” Warren said. “In my mind, North Carolina would be a very receptive place to a compassionate marijuana law.”
John Rustin, director of government relations for the N.C. Family Policy Council, disagrees.
Rustin said his group believes that legalizing marijuana for any purpose sends a mixed message to young people and hinders the fight against teen drug use.
“The legislature now is dealing with a lot of the tension focused on gang prevention and gang activity,” Rustin said. “Of course, a lot of those activities or problems are related to illegal drug use. We don’t think it’s necessary to study this. The real purpose of a study would be to move toward legalization of marijuana.”
But Jones said the proposed study may not lead to that end.
“I’ve found the best route to take on something like this is to have a study committee where people can get accurate facts and information and draw their own conclusions,” he said. “They already have the myths and misinformation.”
Should legalizing marijuana for medical use be studied?
Filed under: HempTherapy | Tags: canadian medical cannabis users, hemp therapy, medical cannabis, multiple sclerosis
The US will ban all “admitted drug users”, even legal ones. Here is a horrifying story from the Newsletter of the West Kootenay Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada
Like most Canadians, I live close to the US border and have routinely traveled into the US throughout my life. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) about four years ago. On November 8th 2007, I was traveling to the US with my son and daughter, both in their twenties. My daughter was taking a flight from the US to Florida so it would be three of us going down, and two of us returning in a few hours, a historically common practice for many traveling Canadians. Upon arrival at the border, my daughter’s flight ticket was produced, verifying she was leaving that day for a weekend trip. The duty officer asked for all of our identifications and took them into the office, presumably for a computer check. When she returned a few minutes later, she requested all of us to leave the vehicle.
When I went to get out, I instinctively grabbed my purse to take with me, and she instructed me to leave it behind, which I did. The duty officer took nearly ten minutes inspecting every aspect of my daughter’s vehicle, and when she came into the office, instructed my two adult children to return to the car and asked me to remain behind. She asked me if I smoked. Surprised, I said yes. She then asked me if I smoked marijuana because she detected a faint odor in my purse. I again said yes, adding it’s for medical reasons and that I have a federal government card permitting me use. I was allowed to go and get my purse, and produced the card, expecting that to be the end of it.
If at this moment you are thinking I had marijuana with me at the time, you’d be wrong. Or if you are thinking it must at least reek of marijuana, you’d also be wrong. I did not have anything with me as carrying marijuana into the US would be an incredibly stupid move based on their anti-everything policies. And I seldom ever carry anything around, period, and couldn’t honestly recall the last time I might have. Either she has the nose equal to that of a bloodhound or had an odor-sensor tool because I’m sure an average person would not have smelled anything in my purse. On my body, perhaps, but not in my purse.
It is early afternoon and the travel window for the flight departure is less than two hours. My children are instructed to remain in the car while I remained inside, and instructed to provide a statement. The duty officer explained that giving a statement now would explain everything and remain on file for future border crossings to avoid further issues about this. As much as I detested the thought of being singled out in any way, shape or form and even more so having my name automatically pulled up on the border computers, I conceded and cooperated. All of my ID was photocopied and that included other disability identification. My statement explained that I wouldn’t dream of carrying anything into the US because I understand it’s only legal in Canada and that I use it for multiple sclerosis symptoms, etc. I was truthful in all ways. Once the statement was completed, I was allowed to return to the car with my children to wait for clearance. A few minutes later the duty officer returned and told me that I would not be allowed to enter into the US and must come back into the customs office now for more statements because I have officially been refused entry.
All three of us in the car went “Huh?” She explained that she had truly believed I would be allowed entry after the statement taken, but when she submitted it for clearance, was told absolutely not. She said she even went to the next level and was again told absolutely no entry and that I now was required to return to the office for more statements and forms. I was supposed to be the return driver as my son was unfamiliar with my daughter’s car and both of them totally unfamiliar with the city they are driving to. Now that I was suddenly eliminated from the trip, the two of them were left to drive on their own without benefit of my directions to the airport, make the flight on time, and hopefully my son manage to drive back to Canada on the right highway without being in an accident! As I had just been detained nearly an hour by this time, it was a hurried good-bye and I said I would wait there and read until he came back through. I was very concerned about my son’s return trip as he was not at all prepared for the drive and would be completely alone, something he would never have agreed to do in the first place.
Once back inside, within minutes what I believed to be a temporary setback turned into an avalanche of bad news — first, that I would not be allowed into the US which I thought meant for that trip; secondly, having it clarified that this was not a onetime denial, this was permanently banned from the US for being an admitted drug user; third, that it was required that I have two sets of fingerprints taken as well as mug shots for the civil file now in my name; and fourth, warned that if I attempt to enter the US again, I will be heavily fined and any vehicle I’m in will be confiscated and any other country I travel to now when asked if I’ve ever been denied entry into a country, must now declare that I was refused entry to the US for being an “admitted drug user”!
It was another hour inside the customs being processed, most of the time in tears. The duty officer did what she was supposed to do and thanked me at the end for being so cooperative… I asked her if I could leave, and she said yes, but suggested I remain there to wait for my son’s return. I shook my head and said absolutely no way am I staying here a second more than I have to after all this. She gave me copies of my denial papers to deliver to the Canadian Customs and expected I would wait there. But I was too upset to do anything but walk off my anger and disappointment. I handed the papers to the Canadian border on my way by, and said thanks but no thanks to remaining inside the Canadian customs office until my son (hopefully) returned from the airport trip, at least another 4 hours from now.
This particular border crossing is in a rural location and miles from the nearest city. I felt I could walk there in a few hours, and at least physically vent my anguish, not realizing (remembering) that what I thought was maybe ten miles back was more like forty. The US border is at the end of a long stretch of isolated highway without any street lights. Since it was November it was getting dark by late afternoon. And since it was Sunday, travel to and from the border was almost nil and why the Canadian customs officer had pleaded with me to not walk but to remain there. It was now occurring to me that walking was not the smartest idea since it would be a very black winter night soon, and I could still not see any city in sight. My choices were to continue, go back, or hitchhike. I kept walking for several minutes until I heard a car come by. I stopped, turned towards it and stuck my thumb out. It continued past me, leaving me alone and wondering when (or if) another car would come by. I was now unable to see any skyline because of the continuing darkness and wondered what the chances were of encountering a wild animal, trying hard to not let myself get nervous about the possibilities. Within the next ten minutes a second vehicle was coming and this time stopped for me and I got to the small city (a further twenty minute drive) where I would wait for my son’s eventful return.
For several days after I was ill from the shock and stress and long walk. It was several weeks before I could even begin to talk about it. I have previously spent many vacations in the US and hoped to travel in the near future. Now all those possibilities were ripped away because I’m a federally approved Canadian medical marijuana user, interpreted by the US as an admitted drug user and now in their all-seeing database. The points to this experience are numerous and repercussions extensive. For your consideration: How can I be deemed a drug user in the US when I didn’t commit an offense on US soil? Why am I banned for having genuine, federal cards identifying myself as a medical marijuana candidate? How is it that medical marijuana is legal in California for US citizens who qualify and they still did this?
My answers to these questions are this: The US is accumulating data on every single person in every possible way and follows their own rules, ignoring any rights we think we might have. That medical marijuana is legal in California has no relevance to them. There is no distinction between marijuana use and heroin addiction to them. Nor is there any distinction between a medical user and a street drug dealer. I was now declared criminally ill despite being legal in every inch of Canada and did not commit any offence on US soil. It has been three months since this has happened, and I am still traumatized by the entire experience but at least able to talk about it.
For you and anyone you know planning on going to the US, I have learned through other media releases and testimonials that people are even being banned for having admitted to trying marijuana (or any drugs) in their past. This is known as “retroactive punishment” and about as unconstitutional as you can get. Since my experience, I’ve discovered other examples that include the US border confiscating business people’s laptops and copying their hard drives upon entering the US, and that some companies are now sending their employees without computers for that reason. So if you are ill and on medically prescribed drugs, don’t mention it. If you are asked if you have ever done any drugs in your life, say no. If you have anything personal on a laptop, be prepared to have it taken. Otherwise, enjoy your trip while you can…
- Submitted anonymously to the Newsletter of the West Kootenay Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada
Volume 7, Issue 2, March 2008
Click here for PDF link
References: www.cannabisculture.com
Filed under: HempTherapy | Tags: hemp, medical cannabis, medical research, multiple sclerosis
An estimated 350,000 people in the United States are living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a painful, debilitating, and sometimes fatal disorder of the central nervous system. MS is the most common debilitating neurological disease of young people, often appearing between the ages of 20 and 40, and affecting more women than men. Symptoms vary considerably from person to person; however, one frequently noted is spasticity, which causes pain, spasms, loss of function, and difficulties in nursing care.
MS exacerbations appear to be caused by abnormal immune activity that causes inflammation and the destruction of myelin (the protective covering of nerve fibers) in the brain or spinal cord. MS most frequently presents at onset as a relapsing and remitting disorder, where symptoms come and go. Current treatment of MS is primarily symptomatic, focusing on such problems as spasticity, pain, fatigue, bladder problems and depression.
Anecdotal reports and a small controlled study have reported that cannabis improved spasticity and, to some extent, improved tremor in MS patients. Many studies of the pharmacology of cannabis have identified effects on motor systems of the central nervous system that have the potential of affecting tremor and spasticity. A recent carefully controlled study of the efficacy of THC in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, the animal model of MS, demonstrated significant amelioration of these two MS symptoms. Moreover, cannabis has demonstrated effects on immune function that also have the potential of reducing the autoimmune attack that is thought to be the underlying pathogenic process in MS.
Many MS patients report that cannabis has a startling and profound effect on muscle spasms, tremors, balance, bladder control, speech and eyesight. Many wheelchair-bound patients report that they can walk unaided when they have smoked cannabis.
A House of Lords reports states that the British Multiple Sclerosis Society (consisting of some 35,000 MS-suffering patients) estimates that as many as 4% of their population already use cannabis for the relief of their symptoms despite the considerable legal risks associated with prohibition. The chairman of the committee went on to state that, “We have seen enough evidence to convince us that a doctor might legitimately want to prescribe cannabis to relieve…the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and that the criminal law ought not to stand in the way.”
Many of the witnesses for that report shared the British Medical Association’s view that “A high priority should be given to carefully controlled trials of cannabinoids in patients with chronic spastic disorders.” The BMA has requested that the synthetic cannabinoids Nabilone and Dronabinol be officially licensed for use in MS and other spastic disorders.
Research findings on cannabis and MS
Numerous case studies, surveys and double-blind studies have reported improvement in patients treated with cannabinoids for symptoms including spasticity, chronic pain, tremor, sexual dysfunction, bowel and bladder dysfunctions, vision dimness, dysfunctions of walking and balance (ataxia), and memory loss. Cannabinoids have been shown in animal models to measurably lessen MS symptoms and may also halt the progression of the disease.
A recent British survey of MS patients found that 43 percent of respondents used cannabis therapeutically. Among them, nearly three quarters said that cannabis mitigated their spasms, and more than half said it alleviated their pain. A survey published in August 2003 in the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences reported that 96 percent of Canadian MS patients believe that cannabis is therapeutically useful for treating the disease. Of those who admitted using cannabis medicinally, the majority found it to be beneficial, particularly in the treatment of chronic pain, spasticity, and depression.The accompanying editorial states, “This is an exciting time for cannabinoid research. There is a growing amount of data to suggest that cannabis (marijuana) can alleviate symptoms like muscle spasticity and pain in patients with MS.”
The published results of a number of GW Pharmaceuticals Phase III studies show that pain relief from the cannabis preparation Sativex® was significantly superior to placebo, and there were subjective improvements in spasm frequency, bladder control, spasticity, and sleep. The authors of one such trial concluded that “the results of this study suggest that Sativex® is an effective treatment for spasticity associated with MS.” In April 2005, GW announced that it had received approval to distribute Sativex in Canada for the symptomatic relief of neuropathic pain in adults with Multiple Sclerosis.
A U.K. study published recently in the journal Lancet looked at 630 multiple sclerosis patients after 15 weeks of orally delivered treatment. Fifty-seven percent of the patients taking a whole cannabis extract said their pain had eased, compared with 50% who took capsules containing THC and 37% who were given placebo capsules. Patients also reported improved sleep and fewer or less intense muscle spasms and stiffness. Those who could walk were significantly more mobile as measured by a walking test. The investigators also noted there were fewer relapses in the treatment groups; however, the study was not designed to investigate impact on relapses.25 An accompanying editorial suggests that current data supporting the benefit of cannabinoid treatment of spasticity in MS is now as strong as for any available pharmaceutical agent.
Research on the distribution of cannabinoid receptors in the brain suggests that they may play a role in movement control. Only recently have scientists found an animal model for MS, called experimental allergic encephalomyelitits (EAE), allowing testing for symptom suppression. Recent pre-clinical reports found that cannabinoids lessened both tremor and spasticity in mice suffering from EAE.
In addition to studying the potential role of marijuana and its derivatives in the treatment of MS-related symptoms, scientists are exploring the potential of cannabinoids to inhibit neurodegeneration. A 2003 study that the American MS Society calls “interesting and potentially exciting” demonstrated that cannabinoids were able to slow the disease process in mice by offering neuroprotection against EAE. After analyzing the findings, authors at London’s Institute of Neurology concluded, “In addition to symptom management, cannabis may also slow down the neurodegenerative processes that ultimately lead to chronic disability in multiple sclerosis and probably other diseases.”
References http://www.safeaccessnow.org/
