Medical Marijuana News Channel.com: January 2015

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Major Health Study: Long-Time Pot Smokers Face Little Damage to Their Lungs

The inhalation of one marijuana cigarette per day over a 20-year period is not associated with adverse changes in lung health, according to data published online ahead of print in the journal Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

Neurologists Say Jury Still Out on Medical Marijuana's Use for Brain Disorders

It's too soon to tell whether medical marijuana can help treat neurological disorders such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) said in a new position statement released Wednesday.

Background

Multiple sclerosis is associated with muscle stiffness, spasms, pain, and tremor. Much anecdotal evidence suggests that cannabinoids could help these symptoms. Our aim was to test the notion that cannabinoids have a beneficial effect on spasticity and other symptoms related to multiple sclerosis.

Without explanation, Gov. Pat Quinn's administration has conceded it missed its end-of-the-year target for deciding which businesses will receive permits to begin the state's pilot program with medical marijuana.

An ACT Legislative Assembly committee conducting an inquiry into the use of medical cannabis in the community has called for public submissions.

Denver shelters cite legal pot in homeless upswing

In this Nov. 26, 2014 photo, homeless man Chris Easterling smokes legal hash oil from a vaporizer pen to ease the pain of his multiple sclerosis, in front of the Salvation Army shelter where he sleeps, in Denver. Easterling was sick of relying on illegal drug dealers in Minneapolis when he needed marijuana to help ease the pain of MS. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

One of the most moving moments of last spring's medical cannabis debate in the Minnesota House of Representatives was when Southwest Minnesota state representative Rod Hamilton (R-Mountain Lake), who lives with multiple sclerosis, rose to speak of his transformation from being an opponent of legalizing cannabis for medical use to becoming a supporter of the new restrictive bill.

Abstract

Objective To offer preliminary guidance on prescribing smoked cannabis for chronic pain before the release of formal guidelines.

OTTAWA - The Conservative government is forcing users of medical marijuana to choose between treating their symptoms or holding on to their freedoms under the Charter of Rights, a gathering of pot-smoking protesters complained Tuesday.

A lower-cost version of one of the mainstays of first-line multiple sclerosis treatment appears poised to win marketing approval on the basis of pivotal trial results, and the marijuana derivative known as Sativex was, for the first time, shown to improve an objective measure of spasticity in a randomized trial. The studies were presented recently at the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), held jointly this year with its North American counterpart, ACTRIMS.

An ACT Legislative Assembly committee conducting an inquiry into the use of medical cannabis in the community has called for public submissions.

Cannabis sativa has a long and respectable history as a medicinal plant; its use predates recorded history. It is amazing that so many so-called intelligent people think cannabis can cause brain damage, sterility, impotence, insanity, or drug addiction. None of this is true. The truth is cannabis has been made illegal due to a corporate conspiracy, you know the history, if not educate yourself. The single greatest danger of marijuana use is the possibility of arrest and imprisonment. Any thinking person who feels freedom is the most important concept in their lives should oppose marijuana prohibition.

USMedicalMarijuana.net reports a potentially substantial increase in tax revenue due to the legalization of marijuana in numerous states on November 4.

Montel Williams, the former host of his eponymous show, has become a full-time veterans' rights crusader recently and now he's wading into Florida politics with a pitch for the medical-marijuana constitutional amendment.

Light up or pop a pill? That is the question.

Holly Anderson

Canandaigua, N.Y.
While the Compassionate Care Act that passed in June permits medical marijuana use in New York, the slow rollout of the plan has patients waiting on relief for at least another year.

For the first time, the American Academy of Neurology said medical marijuana is an effective treatment for some symptoms of multiple sclerosis when given as an oral spray or a pill. However, there’s not enough evidence to determine if smoking the drug is equally effective. Dr. Jon LaPook reports.
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A couple of prominent Monterey County business attorneys are getting ready for the legal pot show

The best word to describe the woman sitting before me is elegant. Elegant in her speech, elegant in her appearance. A streaky blonde bob frames her fine-boned face, one highlighted by big, blue-green eyes set above high cheekbones. She’s petite and cocoons her slight frame in layers of beautifully cut, clearly expensive clothing, all the way to the silk scarf draped around her throat.

The city of Del Rey Oaks took a definitive step Tuesday toward allowing a medical marijuana dispensary that would also be the first in Monterey County.

CNN's chief medical expert Sanjay Gupta announced Wednesday night that he has reversed his blanket opposition to marijuana use.

Speaking to Piers Morgan, Gupta, who has a documentary on weed airing on Sunday, said he had previously helped to "mislead" the American public about the effects of the drug.

Well known Cannabis activist and multiple sclerosis sufferer has hit mainstream television again after appearing on BBC News in August.

Medical marijuana can help relieve some symptoms of multiple sclerosis, but whether it can benefit patients with other neurological disorders is still unclear, according to a new review by top neurologists.

When Jim Champion goes to a medical marijuana dispensary in Illinois for the first time, his wife, Sandy, plans to take a picture to mark the victory, after years of fighting for an alternative treatment for his multiple sclerosis.

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VIDEO: Medical marijuana: Unproven cure-all or good option for New York's seriously ill?

Donna Romano would like to swallow marijuana oil to treat her multiple sclerosis and seizure disorder. Romano could buy it if she lived in Colorado where the drug is legal and available in many different forms.

Cannabinoids inhibit cancer cell invasion via increasing tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1).

Cannabinoids inhibit cancer cell invasion via increasing tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1). This study investigates the role of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) within this action.

Cannabis , also known as marijuana, is a plant grown in many parts of the world which produces a resin containing compounds called cannabinoids. Some cannabinoids are psychoactive (acting on the brain and changing mood or consciousness).

Sixty-nine-year-old Gloria Gates has multiple sclerosis. She can no longer walk and is often in severe pain.

It might come as a surprise to learn how many good studies there are to support marijuana for multiple sclerosis, especially for subjective symptoms.

Considering legalising the use of cannabis merits a wider debate. So here goes…….

Pharmaceutical cannabis is effective for treating some forms of pain, reducing nausea and helping people gain weight, but there are barriers to medical use in Australia, the federal government's principal drug advisory group says.

The letters columns of The Daily Telegraph do not immediately spring to mind as a rallying point for the liberalisation of this country’s drugs laws. But two correspondents yesterday drew attention to what must be the most irrational and unjust restriction of all: the ban on the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

HEALTH experts warn Australia is falling behind the rest of the world by turning its back on the potential medical benefits of cannabis.
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Autism Can Be Treated With Medical Marijuana

One in every 68 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with one of the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). ASD affects neurological development and behavioral dysfunction generally becomes evident by a child’s third year. While numerous medications have proven to be ineffective, a treatment with medical marijuana is gaining momentum. Included in ASD are Autism, Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder.

SOMONAUK – Multiple sclerosis patient and Army veteran Jim Champion doesn't mind that he is still waiting for his medical marijuana card.

The NHS in Wales is to become the first UK health service to make a cannabis-based drug available to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients on prescription, health officials have confirmed.

Sativex, an oral spray for people with multiple sclerosis, has been approved by the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG). According to the authorities, the chemical extracts of Savitex, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol/cannabidiol are derived from the cannabis plant.

Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by MEDINDIA

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length

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Cannabis use by individuals with multiple sclerosis: effects on specific immune parameters

Cannabinoids affect immune responses in ways that may be beneficial for autoimmune diseases. We sought to determine whether chronic Cannabis use differentially modulates a select number of immune parameters in healthy controls and individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS cases).

Ramesh Patel, senior director of pharmacy services, has worked at Swedish Covenant Hospital for 36 years and would oversee the hospital's medical marijuana pharmacy. "We are already a secure pharmacy," he says, "so we feel that for a marijuana clinic this would be the perfect location." | Peter Holderness/Sun-Times Media

Governor Andrew Cuomo's recent request to expedite a new medical marijuana program is a direct reversal of the position he took as the state's marijuana law was being crafted.

Cannabis compound inhibits tumor growth

New research indicates the possibility of yet another medical boon from cannabis

According to new guidelines by American Academy of Neurology there is little evidence that most complementary or alternative medicine therapies (CAM) treat the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Middle school teacher Sarah Wellington is about to play a key role in guiding Minnesota policy on medical marijuana.

Sativex, a cannabis-derived drug for treating muscle spasms in multiple sclerosis, could be available in Wales but blocked in England.

Video: Medical marijuana grower says new program punishes patients

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Marijuana advertiser finds a friend in The New York Times

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Medicinal cannabis: delaying the inevitable?

Opponents of medicinal cannabis argue that there are already several cannabinoid medicines which are legally registered for multiple sclerosis, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and AIDS-related weight loss patients who need them. This is simply not true.

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