Reschedule Cannabis

To show how debilitating Migraines can be… the New York Governor checked himself into the hospital today due to the pain associated with them and this is a clear example of how debilitating these neurological disorders can be.

New York State Gov. David Paterson checked himself into hospital on Tuesday with symptoms of a migraine headache and preliminary test results were normal, the governor’s office said.

“He is now resting comfortably and will undergo further tests during the course of the day,” it said in a statement.

People misleadingly call Migraine attacks “headaches” when it is much more than that, and the governor knows just that. Migraine “headaches” are actually caused by the inflammation in the head and is the result of neurological disease-like disorder which causes intense pain, light sensitivity, nausea and more - it can ruin your day or in the case of mine, sometimes last a week long… slowly building and then climaxing in intense periods of nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. I have to lay down in a dark room and nurse myself until it passes…

Migraine refers to a type of headache that is vascular in nature. Spasm and narrowing of the blood vessels leading to the brain produces a migraine “syndrome”. Reduced blood to the brain causes lower oxygen levels, which in turn triggers the release of the brain chemical serotonin and the vasodilatation of blood vessels outside of the brain that can become congested with platelets. Migraine can be focused on one part of the head (hence the term “cluster”) or may involve the entire head and neck region.

In my case I get bad nausea accompanied by the light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, and headache itself…

Often, when acute episodes of vomiting are present, oral medication cannot be used. In these instances patients usually receive treatment from a physician or ER where IM or even IV injections are used. If vomiting is particularly severe dehydration is a consideration and IV fluids may be administered.

So why would I make my stomach worse by taking pills that make me more nauseated when you can use cannabis as medicine?

While hemp drugs (cannabis) were introduced to western medicine by O’Shaughnessy in 1839 and attained wide usage until the turn of the century with the development of synthetic and semisynthetic analgesics.Their use declined though maintaining mention in medical texts until removal from the formulary in 1940. Reclassified as a schedule I drug in 1970 alleged to having no medicinal redeeming importance, the synthetic THC created by government sponsored research contractors was downscheduled to II in 1986, the same as non-combination opiates requiring triplicate prescription.

Grinspoon has recently described use of cannabinoids therapeutically for migraine.

It would appear that further clinical trial of both Marinol and cannabis for the treatment of migraine headache would be desirable.

Cannabis is known to relieve Migraines…

Marijuana has been recommended for migraine since the 6th century, including numerous references in the medical literature of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

and having experienced this level of intense migraine pain and nausea, one will try just about anything to relieve it…

Over 400 million people suffer from migraines worldwide. 60% have at least one debilitating headache per month, many being struck over four times monthly.

There are many Medical Marijuana users who have moved from an area that has access to medical cannabis to an area that it is still illegal, and this creates a problem for those types of patients who have no choice but to live in certain areas. Medical Marijuana should be available to all American citizens who need to use it… below is a quote from a patient defending medical marijuana in the news.

Medical marijuana bill should be law

The medical marijuana bill – passed by the Minnesota Senate last year and likely to see action on the floor of the House in the coming months – should be passed into law as soon as possible.

As a patient suffering from severe neuropathy and other pain-related conditions, this is a major issue in my life. I previously lived in

Hawaii and was a legal medical marijuana patient under that state’s program. It helped me more than the regimen of addictive, dangerous medications I’ve been prescribed over the years.

And just last month, the American College of Physicians — the second largest physician group in the United States, with a membership of over 124,000 medical professionals — recognized marijuana’s many medical benefits with 10 pages of references and citations. Their official policy position “strongly urges protection from criminal or civil penalties for patients who use medical marijuana as permitted under state laws.”

Unfortunately, Governor Pawlenty has threatened to veto any medical marijuana bill, based on the knee-jerk opposition of a small but influential group of non-experts. The governor seems to believe that law enforcement officers know better than medical professionals which method of treatment would best suit an individual patient.

The governor should reconsider. This is a mainstream and popular issue, with 2 to 1 support from Minnesotans. It’s time our lawmakers and governor listen to the physicians and their own constituents, and end the cruel, despicable policy of arresting suffering patients for trying to alleviate their pain.

Medical Marijuana should be legalized in your state…

We will begin our picture archive of medical marijuana. Starting with the “Bubba Kush” image above. Taken in a legal medical marijuana dispensary.

The “Bubba Kush” name can cover a few different strains of kush. This is some really good medicinal marijuana. The leaves should be extremely sticky covered with crystal coating. The flavor is smooth and intense. The Bubba Kush should have a nice long lasting high, it is really potent when grown correctly and one of the finest medical marijuana plants you can buy.

To really experience the flavor of the plant - use a Vapor Brother Vaporizer. When using medical grade cannabis you should not operate heavy machinery.

If you haven’t seen this DVD yourself - you need to order Grass DVD now.

Grass is one of my favorite DVD documentaries on our favorite subject - “cannabis.” I encourage all my friends to see it (even if they do not smoke pot) and encourage you to do the same. View it, and get others to watch it so that their mind can be opened to some of the things that have gotten us where we are today. “Why is marijuana illegal?” And other topics are covered, and it is presented in a humorous manner that is appealing and educational.

“Grass, narrated by actor/activist Woody Harrelson, takes a highly spirited and innovative look into one of America’s most deeply rooted cultural myths: the evils of “pot”, “cannabis”, “weed.” From the story of America’s first drug czar, to the absurd scare tactics behind propaganda films like Reefer Madness, and Marijuana: Threat or Menace, director Ron Mann (Comic Book Confidential, Twist) poignantly and humorously exposes the social, political and economic facts behind this enduring weed, and the extent to which it has profoundly shaped our culture.”

Many people are surprised by the info on this DVD and maybe you will be too. It is time for “stoners” to get more involved in the fight for medical marijuana, and/or cannabis legalization. Start by educating those around you, and trying to change the public perception of “marijuana.”

We need your support for medical marijuana on the internet. Please link this site and/or image to show your support for medical use of cannabis.

Patients in every state are fighting for their right to use a natural plant as pain relief, whether it is from cancer, or debilitating migraine’s - if you have a blog or web site - put a link to Reschedule Cannabis to show your support.

Any American citizen who needs to use marijuana as medicine should be allowed to do so which is why we put together this site to help spread the message that “Cannabis is medicine and should be rescheduled so that it may be used legally for medicine.”

Even United States War veterans are behind medical marijuana. This veteran even uses it for “migraines.”

KALAMAZOO — The atomic explosions off remote islands in the South Pacific seemed to turn night into day.

They also turned Martin Chilcutt into a marijuana user.

Chilcutt said the drug has helped him to ease the pain he says dates back to his exposure to radiation during a 1956 U.S. government project testing nuclear and thermonuclear weapons.

A state ballot proposal could allow voters in November to decide whether Chilcutt’s measures to self-medicate should be legal in Michigan.

The 74-year-old former intelligence officer with the U.S. Naval Air Force has used other medications to help him with his physical and psychological problems, but marijuana helps “so much better,” he said.

“Sometimes I just want to die,” Chilcutt said. “You can only take intense pain for so long before you’ll do anything to escape it.”

He never intended to put his health at risk.

While part of the testing project, Chilcutt remembers, he donned large goggles and turned his back to protect his eyes as the bombs exploded in the early-morning darkness.

There was no protection, though, from the heavy doses of radiation that spewed from the explosions and reached Chilcutt.

He has battled skin cancer three times, including basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of cancer, with about a million new cases reported in the United States each year. He has been in remission for the past 10 years.

Cannabis has many medicinal uses.

Chilcutt’s four years in the military — he served from the middle to late 1950s — also took a psychological toll, he said.

For 30 years, he said, he has suffered chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, including bouts of anxiety, depression and anger, nightmares, arthritis and debilitating migraine headaches.

Marijuana helps them all, he said.

Although there are different ways to use the drug, such as ingesting or inhaling it, there is no difference in the drug’s effect based on consumption, according to the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, which is spearheading the state marijuana initiative.

“It just makes life so much easier,” he said. “It allows you to be comfortable.” Chilcutt, a retired psychotherapist, said he first learned of marijuana’s medical benefits in the late 1970s while counseling Vietnam War veterans in California. They told him the drug could help allay his pain, he said.

Cannabis even helps debilitating migraine. If you are a Migraineur (person who has recurring migraines) then you should know that medical marijuana has been known to be one of the best ways to survive debilitating migraines.

Current Medical Marijuana News in Michigan.

The Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care (MCCC) is a grassroots organization devoted to passing a medical marijuana initiative in Michigan in November 2008. Currently, seriously ill people who use marijuana for medical purposes face the same penalties as those who use marijuana recreationally.

On November 20, 2007, MCCC submitted nearly half a million signatures to the state to qualify the initiative for the ballot. And on March 3, 2008, the Board formally certified our signatures! The signatures officially counted by the state came back with an 80.2% validity rate, far exceeding what was needed to qualify. This is an historic step forward for patients throughout the state.

The medical marijuana initiative will now be transmitted to the Michigan Legislature, which has 40 days to either pass it into law or send it to voters in November. Because the legislature has considered multiple medical marijuana bills in recent years and none has ever gained traction, Michiganders – who support protecting patients from arrest by nearly a 2 to 1 margin – are all but certain to vote on the issue at the polls later this year.

If the measure is certified and passed by a majority of voters on Election Day 2008, Michigan law will allow patients to use, possess, and grow their own marijuana for medical purposes with their doctors’ approval. This would make Michigan the first medical marijuana state in the Midwest.

Anyone who needs marijuana for medicinal purposes should have access to it.

An August 2003 poll found that 59% of Michigan voters support removing criminal penalties for the medical use of marijuana. And in each of five citywide medical marijuana votes, medical marijuana won in a landslide (with 62% in Flint in February 2007; with 63% in Traverse City and 61% in Ferndale in November 2005; with 74% in Ann Arbor in November 2004; and with 60% in Detroit in August 2004). It’s time for the state to follow the lead of these cities and protect seriously ill patients from the threat of arrest and jail.

Essential Herbs and Oils re-opened its doors for business Thursday, but how long the medical marijuana dispensary on East Palm Canyon Drive will remain open is anybody’s guess.

Although Cathedral City officials were unsuccessful in their attempts to get a federal injunction against the dispensary earlier this week, they are continuing their efforts to revoke the shop’s business license.

The dispensary has also received a notice of eviction.

Efforts to contact the dispensary’s landlord were unsuccessful Thursday, but Anthony Curiale, attorney for the dispensary, confirmed that the business had received an eviction notice and would oppose it.

A Judge has stated this medical marijuana dispensary is within the law and is legal.

The shop also will oppose the city’s efforts to revoke its license, Curiale said. A date for a hearing on the matter has yet to be set.

In the midst of this slippery legal landscape, Virginia and Adam Hurn, the Cathedral City couple behind Essential Herbs, are calmly determined to stay open. They have between 400 and 600 patients, Adam Hurn said, and they want to work with the city, not fight it.

“We plan on donating to the police department and the fire department,” said Adam Hurn, sitting in the dispensary’s freshly painted waiting room on Thursday. “We’ve asked for a meeting with the City Council and their attorney.”

“The will of the California people behind medical marijuana.”

A federal judge refused Monday to issue a preliminary injunction against a Cathedral City medical marijuana dispensary, saying that while he understood the city’s “frustration,” he did not have authority to order the business to cease operations.

“This is complicated by a number of factors,” said Riverside-based U.S. District Judge Stephen G. Larson, before issuing a decision regarding Cathedral City-based Essential Herbs and Oils.

“It’s complicated by the will of the people of California and the will of the people of Cathedral City. The question is whether the city has a right to bring this action to this court at this time.”

An attorney had this to say.

Essential’s Brea-based attorney, Anthony Curiale, said medical marijuana is legal under California law and “not a criminal act.”

“This is an issue of state’s rights, and the city seems not to care that the people of California voted to allow seriously ill individuals to obtain the medicine recommended to them by their physicians,” Curiale said last week.

American people in general support the idea of allowing medical marijuana.

Reschedule Cannabis

Humboldt California is known for it’s biggest export. High grade marijuana.

In the biggest pot bust in Humboldt County history, authorities seized more than 134,000 marijuana plants worth an estimated $469 million, law enforcement officials said.

The plants, ranging from one to three feet tall, were discovered on federal and private timberland along the county’s eastern edge north of Dinsmore, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department.

The plants, which were spotted during surveillance flights, were eradicated over the past week by county, state and federal officers.

No arrests were made during the raid, but investigators believe a Mexican drug cartel was behind the massive growing operation.