Archive for the ‘Medijuana’ Category

The benefits of medical marijuana oil are being debated by some and embraced by others. Whether you’re a curious skeptic or a true believer, you can follow the steps below to make your own medical marijuana oil.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Medical-Marijuana-Oil

OK, you all know I’m a fairly heavy marijuana smoker, some might not know I am also a tobacco smoker, pack a day for 40+ years. Yea, I know people that smoke tobacco AND marijuana are more likely to get COPD, and that’s why I have tried to stop lots of times, the Patch, Nicorette Gum, cold turkey, veggie spears, nail biting, sucking brass…well, welcome to the next phase…Vapeaway.

 I bought the iTaste Leo kit, it comes with two battery pens and 5 refillable oil cartridges, a wall/USB charger and a booklet. For less than the cost of one carton of cigarettes. I estimate that with two people smoking in our home we will make back the cost of the unit in under 4 days.

I got some 16% nicotine Coffee Bean flavor oil to put in the iTaste and so far it has drastically cut down my cigarette use in just 24 hours. I should mention that when I bought the iTaste Leo I did not buy any “Juice” to put i it, thinking I would try the “Breathe” essential oil I already had on hand.

DO NOT USE ANY ESSENTIAL OIL WITH CITRUS!

The tips plastic cracked and the tip fell apart in under 5 minutes.

Now, about subverting the iTaste Leo to use with alternative oils…RSO*…if you don’t know what that is you should. I’ll make another post about it.

Stay tuned, stay high, stay healthy, stay free.

*Rick Simpson Oil

What are Cannabinoids?

Cannabinoids are active chemicals in Cannabis that cause drug-like effects throughout the body, including the central nervous system and the immune system. They are also known as phytocannabinoids. The main active cannabinoid in Cannabis is delta-9-THC. Another active cannabinoid is cannabidiol, which may relieve pain and lower inflammation without causing the “high” of delta-9-THC.

Cannabinoids may be useful in treating the side effects of cancer and cancer treatment.

Other possible effects of cannabinoids include:

• Anti-inflammatory activity.
• Blocking cell growth.
• Preventing the growth of blood vessels that supply tumors.
• Antiviral activity.

Have any preclinical (laboratory or animal) studies been conducted using Cannabis or cannabinoids?

Preclinical studies of cannabinoids have investigated the following activities:

Antitumor activity

• Studies in mice and rats have shown that cannabinoids may inhibit tumor growth by causing cell death, blocking cell growth, and blocking the development of blood vessels needed by tumors to grow. Laboratory and animal studies have shown that cannabinoids may be able to kill cancer cells while protecting normal cells.
• A study in mice showed that cannabinoids may protect against inflammation of the colon and may have potential in reducing the risk of colon cancer, and possibly in its treatment.
• A laboratory study of delta-9-THC in hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) cells showed that it damaged or killed the cancer cells. The same study of delta-9-THC in mouse models of liver cancer showed that it had antitumor effects. Delta-9-THC has been shown to cause these effects by acting on molecules that may also be found in non-small cell lung cancer cells and breast cancer cells.
• A laboratory study of cannabidiol in estrogen receptor positive and estrogen receptor negative breast cancer cells showed that it caused cancer cell death while having little effect on normal breast cells.
• A laboratory study of cannabidiol in human glioma cells showed that when given along with chemotherapy, cannabidiol may make chemotherapy more effective and increase cancer cell death without harming normal cells.

1. Have any clinical trials (research studies with people) of Cannabis or cannabinoid use by cancer patients been conducted?

   No clinical trials of Cannabis as a treatment for cancer in humans have been found in the CAM on PubMed database maintained by the National Institutes of Health.

   Cannabis and cannabinoids have been studied in clinical trials for ways to manage side effects of cancer and cancer therapies, including the following:

   Nausea and vomiting

   • Delta-9-THC taken by mouth: Two cannabinoid drugs approved in the United States are available under the names dronabinol and nabilone. Both dronabinol and nabilone are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting in patients who have not responded to standard therapy. Many clinical trials have shown that both dronabinol and nabilone worked as well as or better than some of the weaker FDA-approved drugs to relieve nausea and vomiting. Newer drugs given for chemotherapy-related nausea have not been directly compared with Cannabis or cannabinoids in cancer patients.
   • Inhaled Cannabis: Three small trials have studied inhaled Cannabis for the treatment of chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting. Various study methods and chemotherapy agents were used with mixed results. There is not enough information to interpret these findings.

   Stimulating appetite

   • Delta-9-THC taken by mouth: A clinical trial compared delta-9-THC (dronabinol) and a standard drug (megestrol) in patients with advanced cancer and loss of appetite. Results showed that delta-9-THC was not as effective in increasing appetite or weight gain in advanced cancer patients compared with standard therapy. However, a clinical trial of patients with HIV/AIDS and weight loss found that those who took delta-9-THC had increased appetite and stopped losing weight compared with patients who took a placebo.
   • Inhaled Cannabis: There are no published studies of the effect of inhaled Cannabis on cancer patients with loss of appetite. Studies of healthy people who inhaled Cannabis showed that they consumed more calories, especially high-fat and sweet snacks.

   Pain relief

   • Combining cannabinoids with opioids: In a small study of 21 patients with chronic pain, vaporized Cannabis was added to slow-release oxycodone or morphine and given for five days. Results showed that combining vaporized Cannabis with morphine relieved pain better than morphine alone, while combining vaporized Cannabis with oxycodone did not produce significantly greater pain relief. These findings should be tested in further studies.
   • Delta-9-THC taken by mouth: Two small clinical trials of oral delta-9-THC showed that it relieved cancer pain. In the first study, patients had good pain relief as well as relief of nausea and vomiting and better appetite. A second study showed that delta-9-THC could be given in doses that gave pain relief comparable to codeine. Higher doses of delta-9-THC were found to be more sedating than codeine. An observational study of nabilone also showed that it relieved cancer pain along with nausea, anxiety, and distress when compared with no treatment. Neither dronabinol nor nabilone is approved by the FDA for pain management.
   • Whole Cannabis plant extract medicine: A study of a whole-plant extract of Cannabis that contained specific amounts of cannabinoids, which was sprayed under the tongue, found it was effective in patients with advanced cancer whose pain was not relieved by strong opioids alone. This treatment was studied using different doses in a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of cancer patients with chronic pain not controlled by opioids. Patients who received the lower doses of cannabinoid spray showed markedly better pain control and less sleep loss compared with patients who received a placebo. Adverse side effects depended on the dose received. Only patients in the high-dose group had adverse side effects that made the treatment less beneficial than the placebo. Some patients using the cannabinoid spray were followed in a long-term study. Results showed that, for some patients, control of their cancer-related pain continued without needing higher doses of spray or higher doses of their other pain medicines.
   • Inhaled Cannabis: Various clinical trials have shown benefits of inhaled Cannabis compared with placebo in relieving neuropathic pain. These include a study of inhaled Cannabis in patients with HIV -related peripheral neuropathy. Results found better pain control in the Cannabis group than in the placebo group. Another study involved patients with various kinds of chronic pain that was not relieved by other pain medicines. Results showed that those treated with either low-dose or medium-dose inhaled Cannabis had improved pain relief at both doses compared to patients treated with a placebo. Side effects of the inhaled Cannabis were minor. To date, no clinical trials have studied cannabinoids in the treatment of chemotherapy-related neuropathy in patients with cancer.

   Anxiety and sleep

   • Inhaled Cannabis: A small case series found that patients who inhaled marijuana had improved mood, improved sense of well-being, and less anxiety.
   • Whole Cannabis plant extract spray: A trial of a whole-plant extract of Cannabis that contained specific amounts of cannabinoids, which was sprayed under the tongue, found that patients had improved sleep quality.

2. Have any side effects or risks been reported from Cannabis and cannabinoids?

   Adverse side effects of cannabinoids may include:

   • Rapid beating of the heart.
   • Low blood pressure.
   • Muscle relaxation.
   • Bloodshot eyes.
   • Slowed digestion and movement of food by the stomach and intestines.
   • Dizziness.
   • Depression.
   • Hallucinations.
   • Paranoia.

   Because Cannabis smoke contains many of the same substances as tobacco smoke, there are concerns about how smoked cannabis affects the lungs. A study of over 5,000 men and women without cancer over a period of 20 years found that smoking tobacco was linked with some loss of lung function but that occasional and low use of cannabis was not linked with loss of lung function.

   Because use of Cannabis over a long time may have harmful effects on the endocrine and reproductive systems, rates of testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) in Cannabis users have been studied. Larger studies that follow patients over time and laboratory studies of cannabinoid receptors in TGCTs are needed to find if there is a link between Cannabis use and a higher risk of TGCTs.

   Both Cannabis and cannabinoids may be addictive.

   Symptoms of withdrawal from cannabinoids may include:

   • Irritability.
   • Trouble sleeping.
   • Restlessness.
   • Hot flashes.
   • Nausea and cramping (rarely occur).

   These symptoms are mild compared to withdrawal from opiates and usually lessen after a few days.

3. Are Cannabis or cannabinoids approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use as a cancer treatment in the United States?

   The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved Cannabis or cannabinoids for use as a cancer treatment.

Please read much more on the National Cancer Institute website…

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabis/patient/page2

OK, I’m going to try and timeline this before it gets to far out and I’m too stoned…

Mike Smith
by Lido Vizzutti-Flathead Beacon

Around 6 O’too fucking early AM the other day Mike Smith calls and wakes my wife up and then she wakes me up and he starts demanding to know if I am the owner of AlaskaHemp.com, which evidently he was smart enough to run a whois: on Google and find out I was the registered owner, and then demands to know if I own it or just manage it and I ask him who he is because I just don’t like his attitude and he says “You are impeding an official investigation by refusing to cooperate” and makes some threats about my being arrested and that I don’t know who I’m talking to “OK, that’s it, your refusing to cooperate, the State Police are on their way.” (First clue that this person is not a local, eh?)
Thinking this to be some redneck short on brains and bereft of testicles that has a hard on about hippies smoking pot I hang up and go back to bed. he calls again. He makes some more threats about my failure to cooperate and says something about “sending kids to school with Pot in their lunches” and now the asshole is just really pissing me off but I know how to locate him, he has posted to Facebook, I hang up again and turn on the computer.

Yep, there he is, seems him and another guy that I have never met (but know through Facebook) have been having a pissing match. and now he has made me a part of it and I’m not as pissed off about that as I am about being woken up at 6 AM and yelled at and then calling back after I hang up on him the first time! So I now know that it was Mike Smith, owner of the THC medical Clinic in Anchorage calling me. I do a search and find an article in the Anchorage Daily News and see the name of the Dr that issues the medical marijuana prescriptions. I already knew he was an LA Dr they brought up but had never bothered to look into him.

Bingo

The Healing Center Medical Clinic…

State: Arizona Action Taken: Practice Restriction

Allegation of Complaint: Please reference the following Document http://www.healthgrades.com/media/english/pdf/sanctions/HGPY104BBC3085886983706102013.pdf

OK, this is getting ripe, it seems that Mike Smith of THC Medical Clinic is one of those that can’t stand to have anyone say anything about them, even if is, or especially if it is true. This post will be growing as the drama unfolds and should serve his oft drawn and no doubt soon to be aimed and fired “attorney” Lance Wells, who I am sure is as fine and honest and attorney as there ever was a fine and honest attorney) with a full disclosure should this ever come before a jury. (or I suddenly and mysteriously disappear!)

Montana Pot Mogul Demonstrates How Not to Market Medical Marijuana Services
http://reason.com/blog/2011/07/18/montana-pot-mogul-demonstrates

Drugs commonly taken for a variety of common medical conditions negatively affect your brain, causing long term cognitive impairment. These drugs, called anticholinergics, block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter.

They include such common over-the-counter brands as Benadryl, Dramamine, Excedrin PM, Nytol, Sominex, Tylenol PM, and Unisom.

Other anticholinergic drugs, such as Paxil, Detrol, Demerol and Elavil are available only by prescription.

Physorg reports:

“Researchers … conducted a six-year observational study, evaluating 1,652 Indianapolis area African-Americans over the age of 70 who had normal cognitive function when the study began … ‘[T]aking one anticholinergic significantly increased an individual’s risk of developing mild cognitive impairment and taking two of these drugs doubled this risk.’”

 

From Dr. Mercola:

Many view over-the-counter (OTC) drugs as safe because they don’t require a prescription. Well nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, many OTC drugs were previously carefully monitored prescription drugs. Many people are not aware that while I was in college in the 1970s, I worked as a full time pharmacy apprentice and helped sell drugs to patients all day long.

Motrin was the first non-salicylate prescription NSAID. Now it is a popular OTC ibuprofen option. Similarly, anti-ulcer drugs like Tagamet, Zantec, and Prilosec used to be carefully controlled. Now they can all be easily purchased in a smaller “OTC strength” that nearly doubles the number of pills required to equal the prescription dose.

Just because a drug is available without a prescription does not make it any less dangerous. It is still a chemical, which in no way, shape, or form treats the cause of the problem and can lead to complications that can seriously injure, if not kill, you or someone you love.

Read more at http://www.realfarmacy.com/over-the-counter-brain-damage/#BCm6WXt4d7roABqI.99

A California family says a rare type of medical marijuana has helped control their 7-year-old son’s severe epilepsy, Fox 40 reported.

Jayden David suffers from a debilitating form of epilepsy, which causes him to experience frequent seizures – some lasting up to 90 minutes. Until recently, Jayden took up to 20 types of medication every day in an attempt to control his condition.

However, when Jayden’s father, Jason David, discovered cannabidiol (CBD), a rare type of non-psychotic medical marijuana, he said it changed the young boy’s life.

David said the CBD, which he administers to his son in liquid form, has improved Jayden’s condition dramatically, reducing the number of seizures he suffers and allowing him to cut back on his medications.

“Jayden’s seizures are down approximately 80 percent. Jayden is functioning now,” David, of Modesto, Calif., told Fox 40. “The doctors told me Jayden would never walk or talk.”

However

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/09/23/family-credits-rare-medical-marijuana-with-helping-epileptic-son/#ixzz2fjI57PM3

Often times, medical marijuana patients are stigmatized as “stupid” and “lazy.”  As insulting as these assumptions may
be, marijuana activists have evidence that their medicine actually increases brain activity!

When comparing the positive effects marijuana has on brain activity in comparison to the harmful effects {on brain activity} of both alcohol and tobacco, the legalization of marijuana seems like a NO-BRAINER!

In 2005, Professor Xia Zhang, amongst some of his colleagues at Saskatchewan University, tested a synthetic form of THC (HU210) on a group of test rats to observe the effect that HU210 has on them.  Particularly, the study focused on neurogenesis, which is brain cell formation and generation.  The rats were given high doses of HU210, the THC-like compound, twice a day & everyday for ten days.

After the ten day study, the THC-like compound increased the rate of brain cell formation in the hippocampus by 40%!  The hippocampus is the part of the brain used for memory forming, organizing, and storing.  Symptoms of anxiety & depression in the rats also appeared to decrease.

While marijuana has been proven to have positive neurological effects, both tobacco & alcohol related studies show that each substance actually decreases brain cell formation.  It is atrocious to think about the substances that the U.S. government allows its’ citizens to consume.  Tobacco is literally the only legal product that will actually harm you if you use it correctly.

Why is the government heavily opposing marijuana if it increases the rate of brain cell formation?  Well, too many people still think of marijuana users as “stupid” and “lazy.”  With such a negative outlook on marijuana users, combined with false ideas they have about the medicine, citizens will unknowingly make judgments about marijuana.

More studies like the one presented above need to be released to the public by the mass.  If the public knew the positive effects on marijuana, legalization will come much faster. Source: Nugs.com

Multiple places have decriminalized non-medical cannabis in the United States; however, cannabis is illegal under federal law. Gonzales v. Raich (2005) held in a 6-3 decision that the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution allowed the federal government to ban the use of cannabis, including medical use even if local laws allow it. Most places that have decriminalized cannabis have civil fines, drug education, or drug treatment in place of incarceration and/or criminal charges for possession of small amounts of cannabis, or have made various cannabis offenses the lowest priority for law enforcement.

Alaska

In 1975, Alaska removed all penalties for possession (not sale) of cannabis under 4 ounces in one’s residence or home. Also, the ruling allowed up to 24 private, noncommercial growing plants. Sale of less than 28.349 grams is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and up to a $5,000 fine;^[1] at the time, in most states sale of less than 28.349 grams was a felony offense. 2006 court rulings have upheld the legal status of private possession up to the one ounce level relating to the particulars in that specific legal challenge. This leaves the one to four ounce range, and the live plant totals in a confused legal status, presumably involving criminal consequences.

With the 1975 Ravin v. State decision, the Alaska Supreme Court declared the state’s anti-drug law unconstitutional with respect to possession of small amounts of cannabis, holding that the right to privacy guaranteed by the Constitution of Alaska outweighed the state’s interest in banning the drug

Arkansas

California

January 31, 2013

GRANITE FALLS, Wash. — Inside Mike Smith‘s marijuana grow room in Washington state, more than a dozen cannabis plants sit in rows, propped off the ground, closer to a large lamp hanging above.
“They like the air to move, they like it about 72 degrees,” says Smith. “Nothing crazy here or anything, it’s all simple.”

Smith says he is hoping to get four ounces of marijuana from each plant, which he uses for medicinal purposes. His Granite Falls grow room is legal in Washington, but not in Alaska, where card-carrying medical marijuana users are allowed to possess one ounce and grow up to six plants as long as no more than three of the plants are flowering.

Though Smith lives in Washington, he has strong ties to the medical marijuana climate in Alaska — his Anchorage business, The Healing Center Medical Clinic, has helped hundreds of Alaskans obtain a medical marijuana card since it opened in early 2012.

“There was a need. We had done some research and made calls and people really needed to see us. They were having a hard time finding a doctor up there that understood that medical marijuana does help,” Smith said.

The monthly clinic gives pre-screened patients a chance to sit down with a physician who is able to provide a recommendation for medical cannabis, if that patient has a qualifying condition like chronic pain or cancer. Smith says most of his clients are men in their fifties and sixties.

“They’re out there. There’s people from all walks of life dong everything with medical marijuana cards,” says Smith. “It’s about patients. It’s not about pushing drugs on people, it’s about the choice to use a natural plant for their pain remedy, if they so choose.”

Besides being a medical cannabis advocate, he is also in favor of decriminalizing marijuana in Alaska altogether. It is an issue one national group, is pushing for too. The Marijuana Policy Project is targeting Alaska as a 2014 ballot initiative to legalize recreational use of marijuana, on the heels of successful voter-driven legalization in Washington and Colorado.

“It came sort of from the bottom up. And I guess I would expect the same thing to happen here, if at all, to come from some initiative,” said Sen. Hollis French (D-Anchorage).

Marijuana was re-criminalized under Alaska law in 2006, even though opponents argued the bill that did so was a violation of privacy rights guaranteed by Alaska’s constitution.

“We’ve always been a little different because of that privacy clause, because of Alaskans sort of jealously guarding that right to privacy. But I think we’re not a state that condones marijuana usage either. There’s a tension between those two,” says French.

Recently, there hasn’t been a real push to repeal the 2006 law from any group in the state, but Smith hopes that changes.

“If it was on the ballot six months from now and people in the State of Alaska knew that they could legalize marijuana for their own personal use, I believe they would wholeheartedly,” Smith said.

Contact Abby Hancock:

http://articles.ktuu.com/2013-01-31/marijuana-debate_36667151