Reschedule Cannabis

Do not think the drug companies or “Big Pharma,” short for Big Pharmaceutical companies, do not support the use of Cannabis as Medicine - as many find, you’d be surprised.

Watson has released a generic form of the brand name “Marinol” which is a cannabis/marijuana based medication under the name Dronabinol.

This shows that although many believe the drug companies do not “want” marijuana legalized as a medicine, that perception may indeed be false - as I show there are already over 100 million Americans taking cannabis-based pills, and a legion of others who grow and process their own through organic gardening and hydroponics.

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading specialty pharmaceutical company, announced today that, under a supply agreement with Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Watson has launched the authorized generic version of dronabinol in the 2.5, 5 and 10 mg once daily dosage strengths. Dronabinol is the generic version of Solvay Pharmaceuticals’ MARINOL (dronabinol) CIII Capsules, indicated to treat nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy in patients who have failed to respond adequately to conventional antiemetic treatments. Dronabinol is also indicated to treat anorexia associated with weight loss in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). For the 12-months ending December 2007, Solvay reported MARINOL sales of 105 million.

Wow, 105 Million are on pills that cost an average of over $1000 a month for a supply. No way the drug companies will pass up a chance like this to make more money. Watson, leading generic pill maker is famous for its generic Vicodin and by releasing a generic form of Marinol (Drobabinol) you can see the wheels turning to bring this medication to as many patients as possible.

Under the terms of the supply agreement, Solvay Pharmaceuticals will supply the dronabinol capsules to the Company’s subsidiary, Watson Pharma, which will market, sell and distribute the product in the United States. Solvay Pharmaceuticals will receive a share of the profits from Watson’s sales of the generic product in the U.S. market. Further details on the agreement have not been disclosed.

“Marinol” is a brand name for “dronabinol” - here is a little info about it.

Dronabinol should not be used by any patient who has a history of hypersensitivity to any cannabinoid or to sesame oil. Patients should not drive, operate machinery, or engage in hazardous activity until they establish that they can tolerate dronabinol and perform such tasks safely. Dronabinol should be used with caution in patients with a history of seizure disorder; patients with cardiac disorders; patients with a history of substance abuse (including alcohol abuse or dependence); patients with mania, depression, or schizophrenia (along with careful psychiatric monitoring); patients taking sedatives, hypnotics, or other psychoactive drugs; and in elderly patients, pregnant patients, nursing mothers, or pediatric patients. The most common side effects probably related to dronabinol are dizziness, feelings of exaggerated happiness, paranoid reaction, drowsiness, thinking abnormal, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.

While I applaud the science behind this, I also encourage the allowance of patients and caregivers to grow their own and remain as independent of Big Pharma as they can. Obviously, pill-form cannabis is needed, and now Watson has released a generic form more sick and dying patients will be relieved of pain, hopefully at a cheaper price.

Regarding Dronabinol and its effectiveness:

Dronabinaol does not contain the other significant chemical constituents present in cannabis. While it is made of synthetic THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) there are dozens of other “cannabinoids” present in cannabis that work together (science still does not even know how exactly) to produce the medicinal feeling and relief associated with medical marijuana.

The cost of these pills are so much higher than the black market street price for marijuana it is insane. Reportedly it costs more than the expensive male performance pill Viagra, ranging from $20-$25 a pill - and taking three a day would cost a patient $75 a day - street cannabis is cheaper than that, and growing your own is virtually free of charge.

The idea that we should “synthesize” something that grows naturally on this planet is somewhat an awkward approach to medicine in my mind. Synthetic THC is not the same as the natural organic combination of cannabinoids found in cannabis, and it never will be.

About Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., headquartered in Corona, CA, is a leading specialty pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures, markets, sells and distributes brand and generic pharmaceutical products. Watson pursues a growth strategy combining internal product development, strategic alliances and collaborations and synergistic acquisitions of products and businesses.

The latest in medical marijuana research… or is it “selling pills” in disguise?

Research exploring new ways of exploiting the full medicinal uses of cannabis while avoiding unwanted side-effects will be presented to pharmacologists on July 15 by scientists attending the Federation of European Pharmacological Societies Congress, EPHAR 2008.

A big part of “avoiding side effects” is using a vaporizer, and I really hope these doctors go into how effective vaporizers are at delivering the active ingredient THC (plus many other cannabinoids) without the bad side effects of “smoking.” Part of the negative campaign against medical marijuana touts the effects of “smoking cannabis.” By using a vaporizer you minimize all of the carcinogenic effects of burning the plant matter. As medical marijuana supporter, I support the use of vaporizers over smoking the cannabis.

Cannabis is a source of compounds known as cannabinoids, one of which, THC — the main chemical responsible for the ‘high’ — has long been licensed as a medicine for suppressing nausea produced by chemotherapy and for stimulating appetite, for instance, in AIDS patients.

Don’t forget Migraine

More recently, the cannabis-based medicine Sativex was licensed both for the symptomatic relief of neuropathic pain in adults with multiple sclerosis and as an adjunctive analgesic treatment for adult patients with advanced cancer. Sativex contains approximately equal amounts of THC and the non-psychoactive plant cannabinoid, cannabidiol.

While a company putting out pills that use THC to relieve pain is good in a way in that it will help people. The problem with much of this research is that it seems as if instead of just promoting the use of cannabis as medicine, these doctors are actually aiming to fund “drugs” made from marijuana, so they can patent, market, advertise, and profit from the sales. However, medical marijuana goes much deeper than that.

One of the best things about medical marijuana is it can be grown relatively free of charge - no need to pay extremely high costs of THC-based pills from the drug store. Some of these pills costs $20 and up a piece! Patients need to take at least 5 a day, and a prescription of twenty pills would be $500+ - for a 4 day supply? Sorry, but you can by a bag of legal medical cannabis for cheaper than that. At that price you can see why the drug companies want in on this “cannabis medicine” so bad.

Allowing a person to grow their own medical marijuana will eliminate this huge profit-driven pouncing on sick patients. This strikes at the heart of this debate regarding “how many plants a patient can grow?” In order to get the same amount of THC as a prescription of Sativex or Marinol, a patient needs 71 ounces for 2 months. This has been discussed already, this proves that states or counties only allowing six plants is not enough - a patient needs at least 10g a day - a patient who uses daily can easily go through 20g of medicine in a day. Not to mention many cancer patients choose to “cook” the cannabis into brownies or something edible to help them eat or fight off nausea. This easily consumes 10g-20g in a day.

These companies want to push their own agenda which is actually selling medications for the pharmaceutical companies that fund this research.

I do not aim to detract from the research, but one must note how the “brand names” of these “marijuana pills” constantly come up in the research vs all-natural medicinally grown Humboldt, California pot. Pills created in a lab made from synthetic THC do not contain the “many other cannabinoids” that actually work together in combination with each other to provide the pain relief associated with medicinal cannabis. THC is not the only active ingredient in cannabis, and the drug companies cannot synthesize them all for pill-form. The cost of these medicines make them not readily available when compared to the low cost of growing for yourself, or even just buying from a medical marijuana dispensary.

“THC works by targeting molecules in our bodies called cannabinoid receptors” said Roger Pertwee, Professor of Neuropharmacology at the University of Aberdeen, who is co-chairing the cannabis symposium.

“So some current research is focused on designing drugs that only target cannabinoid receptors in the part of the body relevant to the disease in question and not the receptors in the central nervous system involved in the unwanted effects of cannabis.”

(more…)

The idea that the cancer patient behind California Proposition 215 would spend a single day in jail suffering from a rare form of adrenal cancer for over 25 years, is so absurd frankly - I find it hard to even believe.

VANCOUVER — An American medical marijuana advocate who tried to claim refugee status in Canada is out of jail in California and says he wants to come back here - at least for a visit.

Steve Kubby served a total of 40 days of a 120-day sentence for possessing drugs found in a police raid almost a decade ago.

Last week, California Superior Court essentially erased the conviction under legislation that allows the move when defendants have fulfilled the terms of their probation.

“This was such a tempest in a teapot,” Kubby, a 61-year-old former ski magazine publisher and pot activist, said in an interview from his home in Mendocino, Calif. “This whole thing was so absurd. It’s finally gotten straightened out.”

He is not just a “medical marijuana advocate” - he deserves a bit more recognition than that…

Steven “Steve” Wynn Kubby (born December 28, 1946) is a Libertarian Party activist who played a key role in the drafting and passage of California Proposition 215. The proposition was a ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana which was approved by voters in 1996. Kubby himself is well-known as a cancer patient who relies on medical cannabis.

I’d like to thank him personally should he ever read this.

Kubby suffers from a rare form of adrenal cancer that he says can only be kept in check by using marijuana. Without it, he says his body over-produces adrenaline, which can spike blood pressure, causing heart attacks and strokes.

Not only has the medical marijuana kept his cancer in check - as his doctor has claimed it has stopped its growth!

All other patients with this diagnosis have had a 100% mortality rate within five years. His physician, Dr. Vincent DeQuattro, a specialist from the USC School of Medicine, monitored his condition and treated him with conventional therapies, including chemotherapy, until referring him to the Mayo Clinic in 1981 for yet another surgery and radiation.

For the next 25 years, Kubby claimed to control the symptoms of his disease solely by smoking medical marijuana and by maintaining a healthy diet. His original doctor, an expert on this condition shocked to learn he was still alive, said, “In some amazing fashion, this medication has not only controlled the symptoms of the pheochromocytoma, but in my view, has arrested its growth.”

Wow, a 100% mortality rate in under 5 years thwarted by the natural medical marijuana use. (more…)

For those looking for info regarding Rhode Island’s Medical Marijuana Program, here are the details.

The Rhode Island General Assembly directed the Department of Health to create a medical marijuana program (MMP). The “Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act” was enacted on January 3, 2006 (Public Laws 05-442 and 05-443. To see the law click on the following link: Rhode Island Medical Marijuana Law

The MMP will permit persons with debilitating medical condition(s) to use marijuana if a physician certifies in writing that the marijuana may mitigate the symptoms of the condition(s) and that the potential benefits of using medical marijuana would likely outweigh the health risks to the patients. The Medical Marijuana Act provides registered patients and caregivers with authority, under certain circumstances, to possess a limited amount of marijuana without violating state law. The Medical Marijuana Act does not alter federal statutes and regulations prohibiting the possession and use of marijuana.

Registration Requirements:

To access the Rules and Regulations for registration please click on the link below:

Rhode Island Medical Marijuana Program Restrictions & Requirements (.pdf file)

Anyone in this state who qualifies for medical marijuana should immediately get involved in your area. Become a medical marijuana patient today.

Cannabis is and will forever be medicine. No law can change that fact. It was medicine before this country (America) and it will be around long after you and I are dead. Man cannot change this plants reason for existence and no legislation can strip away its magical medicinal properties and natural healing abilities.

What is medical cannabis?

Medical cannabis refers to the use of the Cannabis sativa plant as a physician-recommended herbal therapy as well as synthetic THC and cannabinoids. So far, the medical use of cannabis is legal only in a limited number of territories, including Canada, Belgium, Australia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, and some U.S. states. This usage generally requires a prescription, and distribution is usually done within a framework defined by local laws.

Personally my interest in medical cannabis started with suffering from Migraine. And of course, living in california - which provoked me to get this web site going.

So I started digging around and educating myself about cannabis used as medicine… (more…)

Anyone else notice the irony of FDA warnings these days?

I was looking at Google news this morning and noticed this and couldn’t help but laugh-out-loud. The irony of these two articles being next to each other, and them both being about FDA warnings… Priceless!

The FDA refuses to issue black box warnings on epilepsy medicine (they also use this same medicine for Migraine’s) despite conclusive evidence stating the medicine did in fact increase suicidal thoughts, but they will issue a warning about…. (drum roll please) Jalapenos!

Now I am not… (more…)

In a symbolic move of East united with West - Reps. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., hope to amend a Justice Department spending bill to forbid use of any money for prosecuting patients using marijuana in states with medical marijuana laws protecting patients. Stopping the use of funds for prosecutions is the best way to stop this abuse of the system.

At least as long as President Bush is in charge, the federal government is unlikely to advance medicine’s use of marijuana. Absent common sense leadership in the White House, Congress should force the Justice Department to abandon prosecutions of possession for medically prescribed marijuana in states that allow the compassionate use of the drug.

Bipartisan sponsors will try to win House approval for a measure to guarantee no such abusive prosecutions in this state and the others with medical marijuana laws. Reps. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., hope to amend a Justice Department spending bill to forbid use of any money for prosecuting patients using marijuana in those states.

As authors of a guest op-ed Tuesday noted, some members of the Washington congressional delegation previously have opposed the measure. A year ago, Reps. Norm Dicks, Doc Hastings, Rick Larsen, Dave Reichert, Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Adam Smith rejected this assurance to people sick enough to receive marijuana prescriptions. To their credit, Reps. Brian Baird, Jay Inslee and Jim McDermott opposed the wasteful use of federal funds.

In this state, where a people’s initiative has offered compassion for a decade, the minimum expectation should be for every member of the congressional delegation to support the measure. While we wait for more science and less politics on medical marijuana, no patient should fear prosecution.

There is no need to waste millions of dollars prosecution patients who have been told by a doctor they should use marijuana for their pain or suffering. Push forward with this, you have the support of the people.

California voters have mandated public approval and citizen support for medical marijuana, and city officials are bound by state laws. The state of California has approved medical marijuana and it is required now for counties and cities to set up dispensary regulations and allow local patients safe access to doctor-approved medical cannabis.

Fresno County Supervisors tackled the controversial topic of medical marijuana this week.

On Tuesday, supervisors voted that medical marijuana patients will have to go elsewhere for i.d. cards.

The issues caused a major debate amongst the supervisors, “I’m not gonna vote for it until I get the appellate court, I’m gonna say that right up front. Until I have the information that clarifies it, I’m not gonna support it,” said Fresno County Supervisor Judith Case.

“Right now the law says that we’re supposed to do this, I mean it mandates that we do this,” countered Supervisor Susan Anderson.

In 1996 California voters passed Proposition 215, requiring counties to issue the medical marijuana cards to legitimate patients.

Since then, 40 of the 58 state counties have started the i.d. Program, including Merced, Tulare and Kern Counties. Fresno County though, has yet to get on board.

Dr. Terry Brown, a local doctor who attended the meeting and supports the use of medical marijuana, says the i.d. cards would make it easier for local law-enforcement to identify legitimate users.

“I’m incredibly anti-drug, I’m boarded in preventive medicine. It’s time as a society that we really look into marijuana more effectively and I think that’s gonna happen because the numbers of patients are becoming overwhelming.”

Fresno Counties’ Board of Supervisors is not the first set of lawmakers to take issue with the i.d. program; two years ago San Diego Supervisors sued to overturn Prop. 215. A superior court judge later ruled against that lawsuit.

First off, yes - these people are bound by law and the voters to supply medical marijuana cards to those patients who qualify. Demanding sick people to “go elsewhere” is wrong. Imagine telling cancer patients who can barely make it to the department of health or the doctors office, that they need to “go to another city” because local officials do not want to provide adequate and safe access for patients to get medical marijuana through an ID card system that protects both law enforcement and the patients?

The medical marijuana cards help officers know who is legally using cannabis and those who are distributing and selling it illegally. By denying this card system to be in place is no different than side-stepping state law, and continuing to fuel the fire under the black market marijuana on the streets of our cities. It is mandated this program be set forward, the longer these city official postpone the effort more patients will suffer.

What a shame that in a state like California patients are still having to fight for something as simple as the card system when it was approved so long ago and is working in so many counties already across California.

At least doctors are acknowledging the amount of patients coming forward, because the numbers of medical marijuana patients is growing. If we do not come out of the shadows now, when will we? Do your part, speak the truth and help others understand the importance of medical marijuana. Patient numbers are growing and more and more law enforcement agencies are siding with the patients - the time is now.

I think 71 ounces for a two month supply is the perfect amount that should be allowed for those who need medical marijuana. Using the cannabis in its “cooked” form is the best way - safe, and works perfect for nausea when its hard to keep food down in the first place. A good snack made from your favorite medicine aids many patients day in and day out. So in Seattle we are glad to see this amount being brought up - you can easily use this amount when cooking your medicine.

SEATTLE — Many using medical marijuana said the Health Department’s current amount of how much can be possessed legally is too little.

Currently, patients can possess 24 ounces in a 60-day period to relieve pain or nausea, but some users say the rule is too restrictive.

“The 24 ounces is low for the most sick in our society. Those that are eating Cannabis for cancer remission, for example, or for the pain associated with it,” said medical marijuana user Muraco Kyashna-Tocha.

Patients said 71 ounces is how much someone who is in severe pain would have to eat to get as much active ingredients from the plants as they would from a prescription substitute called Marinol.

The state said the final rules won’t be set on medical marijuana until after a public hearing on August 25.

Any medical marijuana patient who uses their medicine daily and throughout the day can easily consume this same amount - it need not be limited to those in “severe pain” - however it is agreed that this is a good amount to allow patients to possess. Many patients choose to use cannabis in its cooked form and stay away from smoking pipes, bongs, or even the doctor recommended vaporizers, especially cancer victims or those suffering from nausea who would like to eat something. There have been numerous reports regarding how effective marijuana brownies are with giving cancer patients not only an appetite, but the desire to lead a more joyful daily existence.

These patients need not just our support, but compassion and our fight should always be for those who need to use this plant daily as medicine. Whether smoking it through a bong, using a vaporizer, or eating “pot brownies” one can easily use 1/2 to 1 ounce of marijuana in a day so this amount of 71 ounces for a two month supply is a perfect place to start on negotiating patient marijuana allowance.

We need to see more action like this across America, but I applaud Oregon for pushing ahead.

(SALEM, Ore.) - A proposed law for Oregon would radically alter the availability of marijuana for adults, by allowing the herb to be purchased in liquor stores. The Oregonians For Cannabis Reform 2010, say the Oregonian Cannabis Tax Act would make cannabis products legal and available in a retail environment. Proponents say it will mean millions and millions of dollars for Oregon’s state coffers and many predict that the move would literally salvage the state’s unstable economy.

Backers of this Initiative say their plan would send 90 percent of the proceeds from the state’s sale of marijuana to Oregon’s General Fund, which could lower the state tax burden significantly. Portions of the revenue would be used to fund drug abuse education and treatment programs.

But right now, the people bringing this opportunity for Oregon voters forward, says their effort needs money, equipment, and, most of all, volunteers.

But they say the payoff will be enormous, as the Cannabis Tax Act (CTA) will take the lucrative marijuana market out of the black market, where children and substance abusers often control it today, and place it in state liquor stores, where the age limit of 21 and older is strictly enforced.

Advocates also say it will be like a rebirth of the Oregon farmer. Farmers will be licensed to cultivate cannabis for both medicinal and adult private use. Farmers will be able to grow industrial hemp without a license, for paper, fabric, protein and oil, under the new proposed law.

Forcing patients to turn to the black market for medicine is not good, by removing the marijuana from the criminals and allowing patients to grow their own or buy their own legally, will help make this country a better place. Right now our streets are controlled by drugs - marijuana should never be sold on the street as a drug, it is a natural plant and should be allowed to be grown for free. America is making criminals rich and rewarding the black market by keeping marijuana illegal.

We need America to give this powerful plant back to farmers. At one time American farmers were not only allowed to grow cannabis, but encouraged to do so. The US government even made a film about it called “Hemp For Victory” where farmers were encouraged to grow hemp to help the US win the war! Then the drug war started and marijuana became illegal.

More than marijuana, the CTA will restore industrial hemp, the most productive agricultural source of fiber protein and oil, and a huge aspect of American heritage. Hemp seed oil is diesel fuel. The first cordage, cloth and paper were invented from hemp fiber.

Advocates say the laws would virtually wipe out the black-market. “The CTA allows police and the courts to concentrate on real criminals that hurt others, not arrest, prosecute and jail harmless, productive adult cannabis users. Stop our government from tearing families apart. Let’s show real family values and end cannabis prohibition.”

The OCTA will wage its campaign to help stop the War on Cannabis by challenging the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act- it’s credibility and effectiveness. This is the law that was precededd by mass hype and hysteria fed to the American public by Harry Anslinger, a dubious U.S. politician who worked with Dow Chemicals and Dupont in the 1920’s and 30’s, to demonize marijuana and place it in an illegal category, in order to get their new “synthetic rope” on the market. In truth, the natural hemp fiber is to this day, superior in strength, quality and durability.

It would appear that Anslinger was a conservative who truly believed marijuana to be a threat to the future of American civilization, yet his biographer maintained that he was an astute government bureaucrat who viewed the marijuana issue as a means for elevating himself to national prominence.

Paul Stanford of the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, told KATU that the measure would also put a dent in illegal dealing of the weed.

“We want to take marijuana out of the hands of children and substance abusers, who control the market today, and put it in the hands of the state’s liquor control commission and the age limit of 21 will be strictly enforced,” Stanford said.

We have waged a war on marijuana for decades now with no positive results, just billions of dollars spent prosecuting citizens for possessing a joint of marijuana. It is time to start thinking on a different level and push for legislation like the Cannabis Tax Act and do what was already intended to be done in the 1970’s. Marijuana was to be taxed in many states in the 70’s and even states like Louisiana have a Marijuana Taxation Stamp that was introduced well over 30 years ago, however the politicians have swept the program under the rug in most states and continually fight against medical marijuana despite states having voted for the taxation of marijuana in the 70’s.

While I do not promote the use of marijuana as if it were alcohol, and do not really support the idea of it being sold at liquor stores (so more people get rich off of it) this is medicine and people need access to it, this does not mean I want it sold at liquor stores. I prefer medical marijuana dispensaries, but this is a good start and any legislation is better than none. As long as patients have safe access I guess it doesn’t really matter where they get it or who profits from it. I am just a firm believer in allowing patients to grow their own not have to go to a liquor store to buy it. Those who can grow, grow, those who cannot will have to buy…